Automatic operation system

Abstract

An automatic operation system (10) includes an automatic driving controller (45) that includes an operation DB (456) that records an operation plan of a hydraulic excavator (1), an operation state management unit (452) that selects an operation content in accordance with an operation order in the operation plan, generates a motion plan based on the selected operation content and information on a surrounding environment measured by a laser scanner (34), and outputs a control signal to a vehicle body controller (41) based on the motion plan, and an abnormal object detection unit (454) that detects an abnormal object present at a work site based on the information on the surrounding environment measured by the laser scanner (34). The operation state management unit (452) selects another operation content from the operation plan in a case where it is determined that implementation of the motion plan is hindered due to presence of the abnormal object.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to an automatic work system, and particularly relates to an automatic work system that causes a work machine such as a construction machine to act in an automatic driving manner.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-014988 filed on February 2, 2021, and the contents thereof are hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND

[0003] In a work site such as civil engineering or construction where a work machine is used, an automatic work system that causes a work machine to act in an automatic driving manner by an instruction from a worker or the like has been developed for the purpose of reducing the work burden of the worker and improving safety. For example, in Patent Literature 1, a technology capable of causing a plurality of work machines to act in an automatic driving manner by a small number of workers is described.

[0004] More specifically, in the technology described in Patent Literature 1, construction position information is respectively output from a construction management unit to a plurality of work machines, and the plurality of work machines use the construction position information to respectively act in an automatic driving manner. In this way, by causing a plurality of work machines to act in an automatic driving manner under the management of the construction management unit, even a small number of workers can perform efficient construction.

[0005] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0006] PATENT LITERATURE

[0007] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-132912 SUMMARY

[0008] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0009] However, in the work site, there is a case where an abnormal object such as a buried object is unearthed and hinders the automatic driving of the work machine. In Patent Literature 1, it is described that in a case where a situation different from the usual occurs in the process in which the operator of the work machine visually recognizes the construction range, an operation such as work stoppage of the work machine is performed in accordance with the situation. That is, the operator needs to perform both the recognition of the situation different from the usual and the response thereto. Therefore, there is a problem that the productivity of the entire work is reduced.

[0010] An object of the present application is to provide an automatic work system that, even in a case where an abnormal object that hinders the continuation of work occurs, does not require the response of the operator and causes the automatic driving of the work machine in the work site to continue, and that can prevent the reduction in productivity.

[0011] MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0012] The automatic work system of the present application is characterized by comprising: a surrounding environment measuring device that measures a surrounding environment of a work machine; and an automatic driving control device that controls automatic driving of the work machine, wherein the automatic driving control device comprises: a work state management section that selects a work content in accordance with a work order in a work plan acquired, generates a movement plan of the work machine based on the selected work content and information of the surrounding environment measured by the surrounding environment measuring device, and outputs a control signal to a vehicle body controller provided to the work machine based on the generated movement plan, in order to manage a work state of the work machine; and an abnormal object detection section that detects an abnormal object existing in a work site where the work plan is implemented, based on the information of the surrounding environment measured by the surrounding environment measuring device, and when the abnormal object is detected by the abnormal object detection section, the work state management section determines whether implementation of the movement plan is hindered by the existence of the abnormal object, and in the case where it is determined that the implementation of the movement plan is hindered by the existence of the abnormal object, selects another work content from the work plan.

[0013] In the automatic work system of the present application, when an abnormal object is detected, the work state management section of the automatic driving control device determines whether implementation of the movement plan is hindered by the existence of the abnormal object, and in the case where it is determined that the implementation of the movement plan is hindered by the existence of the abnormal object, selects another work content from the work plan. Therefore, even in the case where an abnormal object that hinders continuation of work appears, the work state management section can continue work based on automatic driving by selecting another work that can be implemented, and can prevent reduction in productivity.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] According to the present application, even in the case where an abnormal object that hinders continuation of work appears, it is not necessary for an operator to cope, and automatic driving of the work machine at the work site can be continued, and reduction in productivity can be prevented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a hydraulic excavator.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a structure of a hydraulic excavator.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of a work site of civil engineering.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a structure of an automatic work system of the first embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 5is a plan view showing an example of an excavated site in which an abnormal object is detected at a work site.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of an excavated site in which an abnormal object is detected at a work site.

[0022] FIG. 7 is a side view showing an example of an excavated site in which an abnormal object is detected at a work site.

[0023] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control process of an automatic driving controller.

[0024] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control process of an automatic driving controller.

[0025] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control process of an automatic driving controller in the automatic work system of the second embodiment.

[0026] FIG. 11 is an example of a content displayed by a monitor.

[0027] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a structure of the automatic work system of the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of an automatic work system of the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same reference numerals are applied to the same elements, and repetitive description will be omitted. In addition, the present application is not limited to these drawings, and some of the constituent elements are not used at times, and the constituent elements of each of the embodiments described below can be appropriately combined.

[0029] [First Embodiment]

[0030] The automatic work system 10 of the present embodiment is mounted on a work machine, for example, and is a system for automatically driving and performing an action of the work machine. Here, a hydraulic excavator 1 is exemplified as the work machine, and thus the automatic work system 10 of the present embodiment is mounted on the hydraulic excavator 1. In addition, the work machine is not limited to the hydraulic excavator 1, and can be a wheel loader or a bulldozer, for example.

[0031] [Hydraulic Excavator]

[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a hydraulic excavator, FIG. 2is a block diagram showing the structure of a hydraulic excavator. The hydraulic excavator 1 is provided with: a lower traveling body 4 that travels by a power system; an upper rotating body 3 that is rotatably attached to the lower traveling body 4 in the left-right direction; and a working machine 2 that is attached to the upper rotating body 3 and performs a work such as excavation. The lower traveling body 4 has a pair of left and right tracks 44 that are each driven by a traveling hydraulic motor 26b, 26c. The upper rotating body 3 is rotationally driven by a rotating hydraulic motor 26a. Further, in the following description, the rotating hydraulic motor 26a, the traveling hydraulic motors 26b, 26c are sometimes collectively referred to as "hydraulic motors 26".

[0033] The working machine 2 is configured to be able to turn in the up-down direction with respect to the upper rotating body 3. The working machine 2 is provided with a boom 20 that is linked to the upper rotating body 3, an arm 21 that is linked to the boom 20, a bucket 22 that is linked to the arm 21, a boom cylinder 23a that drives the boom 20, an arm cylinder 23b that drives the arm 21, and a bucket cylinder 23c that drives the bucket 22 via a first bucket link 24 and a second bucket link 25.

[0034] The both ends of the boom cylinder 23a are linked to the upper rotating body 3 and the boom 20, respectively. The boom 20 turns in the up-down direction with respect to the upper rotating body 3 by the extension and contraction of the boom cylinder 23a. The both ends of the arm cylinder 23b are linked to the boom 20 and the arm 21, respectively. The arm 21 turns in the up-down direction with respect to the boom 20 by the extension and contraction of the arm cylinder 23b.

[0035] The both ends of the bucket cylinder 23c are linked to the arm 21 and the first bucket link 24, respectively. One end of the first bucket link 24 is rotatably linked to the bucket cylinder 23c, and the other end is rotatably linked to the second bucket link 25. Further, one end of the second bucket link 25 is linked to the first bucket link 24, and the other end is rotatably linked to the bucket 22. The arm 21, the first bucket link 24, the second bucket link 25, and the bucket 22 constitute a four-link mechanism. Further, if the bucket cylinder 23c extends and contracts, the first bucket link 24 relatively rotates with respect to the arm 21, and the bucket 22 that constitutes the four-link mechanism in conjunction with this also turns in the up-down direction with respect to the arm 21.

[0036] The hydraulic excavator 1 thus configured is able to drive the bucket 22 to an arbitrary position and an arbitrary posture by driving the boom cylinder 23a, the arm cylinder 23b, and the bucket cylinder 23c to appropriate positions, and performs a work such as excavation. The boom cylinder 23a, the arm cylinder 23b, and the bucket cylinder 23c are constituted by hydraulic cylinders, for example. Further, in the following description, these cylinders are sometimes collectively referred to as "hydraulic cylinders 23".

[0037] On the upper swing body 3, two GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) antennas 31a, 31b are provided. GNSS is a satellite positioning system that receives signals from a plurality of positioning satellites and acquires a position on the earth. The GNSS antennas 31a, 31b receive signals (in other words, radio waves) from a plurality of GNSS satellites (not shown) located in the sky above the earth, and output the received signals to a GNSS controller 32. The GNSS controller 32 calculates the positions (for example, latitude, longitude, altitude) of the respective GNSS antennas 31a, 31b on the earth based on the signals from the GNSS antennas 31a, 31b.

[0038] In addition, there are various kinds of methods of satellite positioning, and the present application is not limited to these. For example, a method of using RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic GNSS) that receives correction information from a reference station including a GNSS antenna provided on site, and more accurately acquires a position of itself can also be used. In this case, the hydraulic excavator 1 needs a receiver for receiving correction information from the reference station, but can more accurately measure the position of the GNSS antennas 31a, 31b.

[0039] In addition, if the positions at which the GNSS antennas 31a, 31b are provided in the upper swing body 3 are known in advance, the position of the upper swing body 3 on the earth can be calculated by performing reverse calculation based on the positions of the GNSS antennas 31a, 31b. Also, since both of the GNSS antennas 31a, 31b are mounted on the upper swing body 3, the orientation of the upper swing body 3 (for example, which direction the boom 20, the arm 21, and the bucket 22 are facing) can also be acquired. Furthermore, in the following description, the GNSS antennas 31a, 31b are sometimes collectively referred to as "GNSS antennas 31".

[0040] In addition, a body IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) 28a for measuring the inclination of the upper swing body 3 is mounted on the upper swing body 3. Similarly, a boom IMU 28b for measuring the inclination of the boom 20 is mounted on the boom 20, an arm IMU 28c for measuring the inclination of the arm 21 is mounted on the arm 21, and a bucket IMU 28d for measuring the inclination of the first bucket link 24 is mounted on the first bucket link 24. Furthermore, in the following description, these IMUs are sometimes collectively referred to as "IMUs 28".

[0041] The IMU 28 is a sensor unit capable of measuring acceleration and angular velocity, and outputs the measured acceleration and angular velocity to the automatic driving controller 45 described later. The automatic driving controller 45 can acquire the posture of the IMU 28 based on the measured values of acceleration and angular velocity output from the IMU 28. That is, the automatic driving controller 45 can acquire the fore-aft tilt and the left-right tilt of the upper swing body 3 based on the measured values of the body IMU 28a, the turning posture of the boom 20 based on the measured values of the boom IMU 28b, and the turning postures of the arm 21 based on the measured values of the arm IMU 28c.

[0042] On the other hand, with respect to the turning posture of the bucket 22, the automatic driving controller 45 first acquires the turning posture of the first bucket link 24 based on the measured values of the bucket IMU 28d, and then performs calculation based on the turning posture of the arm 21 and the size information of the four-link mechanism composed of the arm 21, the first bucket link 24, the second bucket link 25, and the bucket 22, thereby being able to acquire the turning posture of the bucket 22.

[0043] In this way, based on the GNSS antenna 31 and the body IMU 28a, the position, the orientation, the fore-aft tilt, and the left-right tilt of the upper swing body 3 can be acquired, and thus it is possible to find out in which position on the earth the upper swing body 3 exists in which posture. In addition, if the size information of each of the boom 20, the arm 21, and the bucket 22 is available, the position of the front end 27 of the bucket 22 with respect to the upper swing body 3 can be acquired based on the size information and the turning postures of the boom 20, the arm 21, and the bucket 22 acquired from the boom IMU 28b, the arm IMU 28c, and the bucket IMU 28d. That is, it is possible to find out in which position on the earth the working machine 2 including the bucket 22 exists in which posture. The front end 27 of the bucket 22, which is the front end of the working machine 2, will be simply referred to as the "bucket front end 27" hereinafter.

[0044] The hydraulic excavator 1 further includes a rotation angle sensor 33 and a laser scanner 34. The rotation angle sensor 33 is a sensor that measures the rotation angle between the upper swing body 3 and the lower traveling body 4, and is composed of, for example, a rotary encoder or the like. The rotation angle sensor 33 outputs the measured value to the automatic driving controller 45.

[0045] The laser scanner 34, equivalent to the "surrounding environment measuring device" described in the claimed patent scope, is positioned at the front, rear, left, and right of the upper rotating body 3 to measure the surrounding environment (e.g., surrounding terrain and objects) of the hydraulic excavator 1. More specifically, the laser scanner 34 measures 3D point group data of the terrain and objects around the vehicle body of the hydraulic excavator 1 by irradiating laser light into a certain range in the horizontal and vertical directions. Then, the laser scanner 34 outputs the measured surrounding environment information to the automatic driving controller 45. For example, the laser scanner 34 outputs the measured 3D point group data around the vehicle body as position information based on the vehicle body to the automatic driving controller 45. By having the laser scanner 34, it is possible to measure the terrain and the shape of objects around the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0046] In this embodiment, an IMU 28 is used to measure the posture of each part of the work machine 2. However, the present invention is not limited to the IMU 28; potentiometers, cylinder stroke sensors, etc., can be used as long as the same information can be obtained. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a laser scanner 34 is used to measure the terrain around the vehicle and the shape of objects. However, the present invention is not limited to the laser scanner 34; stereo cameras, etc., can be used as long as the same information can be obtained. When using a stereo camera, three-dimensional orthogonal coordinates are obtained using triangulation. Therefore, based on the sensor placement and the obtained orthogonal coordinates, a three-dimensional polar coordinate system with the measurement center of each sensor as the origin is calculated, thereby obtaining information about the distance to the object and the measurement distance.

[0047] like FIG. 2 As shown, the hydraulic excavator 1 also includes an operating lever 30 consisting of an engine 35, a pilot hydraulic pump 36, a main hydraulic pump 37, a directional control valve 38, a shut-off valve 39, control valves 40a-40l, a stick operating lever 30a, a boom operating lever 30b, a bucket operating lever 30c, a slewing operating lever 30d, and travel operating levers 30e and 30f; a GNSS controller 32; a vehicle controller 41; a monitor 42; a selector switch 43; and an automatic driving controller 45. Furthermore, in the following description, control valves 40a-40l are sometimes collectively referred to as "control valve 40".

[0048] Pilot hydraulic pump 36 and main hydraulic pump 37 are driven by engine 35, supplying hydraulic oil to the hydraulic circuit. Here, the oil supplied by pilot hydraulic pump 36 is referred to as pilot oil, and the oil supplied by main hydraulic pump 37 is referred to as working oil. The pilot oil supplied from pilot hydraulic pump 36 is delivered to directional control valve 38 through shut-off valve 39 and control valve 40. Shut-off valve 39 and control valve 40 are electrically connected to vehicle body controller 41, allowing the vehicle body controller 41 to control the opening and closing of shut-off valve 39 and the opening degree of control valve 40.

[0049] The directional control valve 38 controls the flow rate and direction of the working oil supplied from the main hydraulic pump 37 to each hydraulic cylinder 23 and each hydraulic motor 26, and determines in which direction and how much working oil is to flow to which hydraulic cylinder 23 or hydraulic motor 26, in accordance with the pilot oil that has passed through the control valve 40. Specifically, the flow rate of the working oil that drives the boom cylinder 23b in one direction is determined in the directional control valve 38 in accordance with the pilot oil that is delivered to the directional control valve 38 via the control valve 40a, and the flow rate of the working oil that drives the boom cylinder 23b in the other direction is determined in the directional control valve 38 in accordance with the pilot oil that is delivered to the directional control valve 38 via the control valve 40b.

[0050] Similarly, the flow rates of the working oil that drives the arm cylinder 23a via the pilot oil that has passed through the control valves 40c and 40d, the working oil that drives the bucket cylinder 23c via the pilot oil that has passed through the control valves 40e and 40f, the working oil that drives the swing hydraulic motor 26a via the pilot oil that has passed through the control valves 40g and 40h, the working oil that drives the travel hydraulic motor 26b via the pilot oil that has passed through the control valves 40i and 40j, and the working oil that drives the travel hydraulic motor 26c via the pilot oil that has passed through the control valves 40k and 40l are respectively determined in the directional control valve 38.

[0051] The operation levers 30 output voltages or currents in accordance with the operation amounts of the respective levers, and are electrically connected to the vehicle body controller 41. Also, the operation amounts of the operation levers 30 can be read by the vehicle body controller 41.

[0052] Here, the basic processing for the vehicle body controller 41 to perform vehicle body operation in the presence of an operator will be described. That is, the vehicle body controller 41 accepts operation input from the operation levers 30, and first determines in which direction and at what speed (in other words, target speed) each actuator (i.e., each hydraulic cylinder and each hydraulic motor) is to be operated.

[0053] Next, the vehicle body controller 41 determines the pressure of the pilot oil (in other words, target pilot pressure) that is to be supplied to each part of the directional control valve 38, on the basis of the determined direction and target speed. At this time, the vehicle body controller 41 has a conversion map of the pilot pressure and actuator speed, such that the amount of pilot pressure that is to be supplied to each part of the directional control valve 38, and in which direction and at what speed each actuator is to be operated, and by applying this conversion map, it is possible to convert from the target speed to the target pilot pressure.

[0054] If the target pilot pressure is found, the vehicle body controller 41 adjusts the valve opening degree of the control valve 40 corresponding to the direction of the actuator desired to be operated, to control the pilot pressure supplied to the direction control valve 38 corresponding to the target flow rate. At this time, in the case where the valve opening degree of the control valve 40 is controlled by the electric current output from the vehicle body controller 41, the vehicle body controller 41 has a conversion map of the electric current and the pilot pressure for each control valve 40, by which the output electric current to the control valve 40 is found from the target pilot pressure, and the valve opening degree of the control valve 40 is controlled so that the pilot pressure passing through the control valve 40 becomes the pressure of the target.

[0055] Thus, in the manned state, the vehicle body controller 41 controls the valve opening degrees of the control valves 40a, 40b in accordance with the operation amount of the boom operation lever 30a, the valve opening degrees of the control valves 40c, 40d in accordance with the operation amount of the arm operation lever 30b, the valve opening degrees of the control valves 40e, 40f in accordance with the operation amount of the bucket operation lever 30c, the valve opening degrees of the control valves 40g, 40h in accordance with the operation amount of the swing operation lever 30d, the valve opening degrees of the control valves 40i, 40j in accordance with the operation amount of the travel operation lever 30e, and the valve opening degrees of the control valves 40k, 40l in accordance with the operation amount of the travel operation lever 30f. Therefore, the operator can drive the boom 21, the arm 20, the bucket 22, the upper swing body 3, the left track, and the right track by operating the respective operation levers 30, and can perform any work such as moving the hydraulic excavator 1 by the operation of the operation levers 30.

[0056] Further, as described above, the vehicle body controller 41 can also control the opening and closing of the shut-off valve 39. When the shut-off valve 39 is closed, the supply of the pilot oil to the control valves 40 and the direction control valve 38 is cut off. Thus, the respective actuators cannot be operated, and therefore the vehicle body controller 41 can more reliably stop the operation of all the actuators.

[0057] As described above, the GNSS controller 32 calculates the position (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the GNSS antenna 31 on the earth based on the signals of the GNSS satellites output from the GNSS antenna 31, and outputs the calculated result to the automatic driving controller 45.

[0058] The switch 43 is a switch for switching between the manned state (in other words, manual operation) and the unmanned automatic driving state (in other words, automatic operation) of the hydraulic excavator 1, and is disposed at least one of inside and outside the cab of the upper swing body 3. The switch 43 is connected to the automatic driving controller 45 and the vehicle body controller 41, respectively, and the automatic driving controller 45 and the vehicle body controller 41 switch between the manned state and the unmanned automatic driving state based on the signal from the switch 43.

[0059] The monitor 42 corresponds to the "information input device" described in the scope of the claimed invention, and accepts input from a work manager, an operator, and the like. Specifically, the monitor 42 is, for example, a touch panel type input / output device, and is disposed at least one of inside and outside of the cab of the upper swing body 3. The monitor 42 is used to input the contents of the work to be unmanned. For example, the work manager can input the contents of the work (excavation and loading, slope shaping, slope compaction, and the like), the work range, the target shape, and the like to the automatic driving controller 45 via the monitor 42. In addition, the work manager, the operator, and the like can edit the work plan recorded in the work DB 456 (described later) by operating the touch panel of the monitor 42.

[0060] In addition, the monitor 42 has a function as the "information display device" described in the scope of the claimed invention, and displays the contents of the work selected by the work state management section 452, the range of the work, information of an abnormal object that hinders the implementation of the work plan, and the like. For example, the monitor 42 is electrically connected to the work DB 456, acquires the work plan recorded in the work DB 456, and displays the contents of the work currently performed by the hydraulic excavator 1, the progress status, and the like. In addition, the monitor 42 can display the work plan recorded in the work DB 456 in the form of Table 1 or Table 2 described below. Furthermore, the monitor 42 can display the end of the work plan recorded in the work DB 456. In addition, the monitor 42 is electrically connected to the work state management section 452 (described later), acquires information of whether the hydraulic excavator 1 is in the manned state or the unmanned automatic driving state from the work state management section 452, and displays the information.

[0061] In this way, by using one monitor 42 to have the functions as the "information input device" and the "information display device", it is possible to reduce the components of the automatic work system 10, and to achieve compactness of the automatic work system 10.

[0062] The vehicle body IMU 28a, the boom IMU 28b, the arm IMU 28c, the bucket IMU 28d, the GNSS controller 32, the rotation angle sensor 33, the laser scanner 34, the monitor 42, and the switch 43 are connected to the automatic driving controller 45.

[0063] The automatic driving controller 45 corresponds to the "automatic driving control device" described in the scope of the claimed invention, and controls the automatic driving of the hydraulic excavator 1. The automatic driving controller 45 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs arithmetic operations, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that records programs for arithmetic operations as a secondary storage device, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that saves the progress of arithmetic operations or saves temporary control variables as a temporary storage device, and performs control related to the automatic driving of the hydraulic excavator 1 by executing the stored programs. In the present embodiment, the automatic driving controller 45 is mounted on the hydraulic excavator 1, but the automatic driving controller 45 can be configured to be disposed outside the hydraulic excavator 1 and be able to communicate with the hydraulic excavator 1 via wireless communication or the like.

[0064] In the present embodiment, the automatic driving controller 45 gives an operation instruction for completing an operation plan (described later) to the vehicle body controller 41 in the operation site 5 where the hydraulic excavator 1 is operated in an unmanned automatic driving state (refer to FIG. 3 ), thereby causing the hydraulic excavator 1 to operate in an automatic driving manner.

[0065] FIG. 3 An example of an operation site of civil engineering is shown. As shown in FIG. 3 , a plurality of excavation sites 51-54 exist in the operation site 5. The excavation sites 51-54 are regions where earth is excavated by the hydraulic excavator 1. In the excavation sites 51-54, a 3-dimensional terrain shape that is intended to be created after the hydraulic excavator 1 excavates is defined as a design terrain 6 (refer to FIG. 6 ) by an operation plan. In addition, the operation plan describes an excavation order in which the hydraulic excavator 1 excavates the plurality of excavation sites 51-54.

[0066] In the operation site 5, the hydraulic excavator 1 first excavates by driving the boom cylinder 23a, the stick cylinder 23b, and the bucket cylinder 23c, thereby storing earth in the bucket 22. Next, the hydraulic excavator 1 moves to the unloading land 50 provided in the operation site 5 by driving the swing hydraulic motor 26a, the travel hydraulic motors 26b and 26c, and further unloads the earth in the bucket 22 to the unloading land 50 by driving the boom cylinder 23a, the stick cylinder 23b, and the bucket cylinder 23c.

[0067] FIG. 4is a block diagram showing the structure of the automatic work system of the first embodiment. The automatic work system 10 of the present embodiment is composed of the laser scanner 34, the vehicle body controller 41, the monitor 42, the switching switch 43, and the automatic driving controller 45 described above. Further, the automatic driving controller 45 is provided with a measurement data processing section 451, a work state management section 452, a calculation section 453, an abnormal object detection section 454, an object DB (Data Base) 455, and a work DB (Data Base) 456. On the other hand, the vehicle body controller 41 is configured to have a vehicle body control section 411.

[0068] [Measurement data processing section]

[0069] The measurement data processing section 451 is electrically connected to the IMUs 28, the GNSS controller 32, the rotation angle sensor 33, and the laser scanner 34, respectively, and calculates the tilt angle and position, orientation, rotation angle, turning posture of each part of the work machine 2, and the current terrain around the vehicle body of the upper rotary body 3, based on information from the IMUs 28, the GNSS controller 32, the rotation angle sensor 33, and the laser scanner 34.

[0070] Specifically, the automatic driving controller 45 calculates the fore-and-aft tilt and the left-and-right tilt of the upper rotary body 3, the turning posture of the boom 20, the turning posture of the stick 21, and the turning posture of the bucket 22, based on the measurement results of the acceleration and angular velocity from each of the IMUs 28. For example, the automatic driving controller 45 obtains the 3-dimensional angle of each of the IMUs 28 itself with respect to the direction of gravity, by using a complementary filter, a Kalman filter, or the like, which uses information such as the angle based on the integral processing of the angular velocity and the angle with the direction of gravity based on the gravitational acceleration, and corrects the mounting posture of each of the IMUs 28 with respect to each of the mounting portions of the hydraulic excavator 1 in advance, thereby obtaining the turning postures of the upper rotary body 3, the boom 20, the stick 21, and the first bucket link 24 from the tilt angle of each of the IMUs 28 itself, and further obtains the turning posture of the bucket 22 from the turning postures of the stick 21 and the first bucket link 24 as described above.

[0071] In addition, the automatic driving controller 45 obtains the position (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the GNSS antennas 31a and 31b on the earth calculated by the GNSS controller 32.

[0072] In addition, the automatic driving controller 45 obtains the rotation angle between the upper rotary body 3 and the lower traveling body 4 based on the measurement result of the rotation angle sensor 33.

[0073] Further, the autonomous driving controller 45 integrates the information obtained from the plurality of laser scanners 34 into one 3-dimensional point group data under the vehicle body reference based on the 3-dimensional point group data of the surroundings of the vehicle body measured by the laser scanners 34 and the configuration position and configuration posture information of the laser scanners 34 with respect to the upper swing body 3. In the present embodiment, four laser scanners 34 are provided at the upper swing body 3, and the 3-dimensional point group data of the entire surroundings of the vehicle body is measured by integrating the information obtained from these laser scanners 34. Further, in the case where a sensor having a sufficient measurement range is used, the number of laser scanners 34 can be reduced, or the number can be increased for reasons of redundancy and the like.

[0074] Further, the measurement data processing section 451 calculates the vehicle body configuration position of the laser scanner 34 in the vehicle body coordinate system using the vehicle body configuration position of the laser scanner 34. Further, the measurement data processing section 451 converts the position information of the 3-dimensional point group data of the surroundings of the vehicle body obtained from the laser scanner 34 into position information on the earth, i.e., a global coordinate system, using the vehicle body configuration position and the position on the earth of the GNSS antennas 31a and 31b and the vehicle body configuration position of the laser scanner 34 in the vehicle body coordinate system. Further, the measurement data processing section 451 calculates the terrain shape data of the surroundings of the hydraulic excavator 1, i.e., the current terrain, based on the 3-dimensional point group data of the surroundings of the vehicle body obtained from the laser scanner 34.

[0075] Then, the measurement data processing section 451 outputs the calculation results of the inclination angle and position, orientation, rotation angle, turning posture of each part of the working machine, and current terrain of the surroundings of the vehicle body of the upper swing body 3 to the calculation section 453. Further, the measurement data processing section 451 outputs the calculation results of the current terrain of the surroundings of the vehicle body to the working state management section 452.

[0076] [Working DB]

[0077] The working DB 456 corresponds to the "working record section" recited in the scope of the claimed patent. The working plan and its progress status are recorded in the working DB 456. The working plan contains the contents of work to be performed by at least one hydraulic excavator 1 and the order of work, and the like. The contents of work are, for example, excavation and loading, slope shaping, and the like, and the order of work is determined, for example, in the order of the ID numbers assigned to a plurality of excavation sites. The above-mentioned excavation order is the order of work of the excavation work, i.e., the contents of work.

[0078] Table 1 is an example of a working plan recorded in the working DB 456. As shown in Table 1, the working plan contains at least the elements of "work ID", "excavation site ID", "work state", "work remaining amount", and "work amount", but can contain elements other than these.

[0079] [Table 1]

[0080] Job ID Digging site ID Job status Job remaining amount Job amount Job 51 Digging site 51 Completed 0％ 1000 Job 52 Digging site 52 Interrupted 55％ 2000 Job 53 Digging site 53 Not started 100％ 3000 Job 54 Digging site 54 Not started 100％ 4000 … … … … …

[0081] "Job ID" is an ID for identifying each job, and in the present embodiment, it is assumed that jobs are implemented in ascending order of the number of "Job ID". "Excavation site ID" is an ID for identifying each excavation site 51-54, and "excavation site ID" is associated with a 3-dimensional terrain shape, i.e., a design terrain 6, which is intended to be created by the excavating action of the hydraulic excavator 1. "Job status" has four statuses of "complete", "interrupted", "in execution", and "not started". "Job remaining amount" is a percentage indicating the remaining amount of each job. "Job amount" is the amount of earth that needs to be excavated from before the start of the job to the creation of the design terrain.

[0082] "Job remaining amount" is a value obtained by dividing the amount of earth that needs to be excavated from the current terrain to the creation of the design terrain by "job amount" and converting it into a percentage. In the job status management section 452, the amount of earth that needs to be excavated from the current terrain to the creation of the design terrain and the amount of earth that needs to be excavated from before the start of the job to the creation of the design terrain are calculated based on the current terrain as volumes. The "job status" of the job for which "job remaining amount" reaches 0% is "complete". The "job status" of the job for which "job remaining amount" is 100% is "not started". The "job status" of the job for which "job remaining amount" does not reach 0% and is interrupted is "interrupted". In addition, the "job status" of the job for which the hydraulic excavator 1 is instructed to work is "in execution". Furthermore, this "job remaining amount" and "job status" are also parameters indicating the progress status of the job. Furthermore, the 3-dimensional terrain shape, i.e., the design terrain 6, associated with the "excavation site ID" of the job plan recorded in the job DB 456 can be edited via input to the monitor 42.

[0083] [Object DB]

[0084] The object DB 455 corresponds to the "object recording section" described in the scope of the claimed invention, and records at least one of information of a predicted existing object that is expected to exist in the work site 5 and information of a non-predicted existing object other than the predicted existing object. In the present embodiment, in the object DB 455, information of an abnormal object 7, i.e., a predicted existing object, which can become an obstacle factor of the work when the hydraulic excavator 1 works in the work site 5 is recorded. Specifically, objects such as large stones, water pipes, and large-scale silt caused by rain are set as abnormal objects 7 that can become an obstacle factor of the work. In addition, in the object DB 455, as a characteristic quantity required to detect the abnormal object 7 by an object detection technique, 3-dimensional point group data is recorded. Furthermore, in the object DB 455, information of an abnormal object, i.e., a non-predicted existing object, which is not likely to become an obstacle factor of the work when the work is performed can also be recorded. In this way, detection of various abnormal objects can be widely dealt with.

[0085] [Abnormal object detection unit]

[0086] The abnormal object detection unit 454 detects an abnormal object existing in the work site where the work plan described above is implemented, based on the measurement result of the laser scanner 34. Specifically, the abnormal object detection unit 454 first acquires 3-dimensional point cloud data from the laser scanner 34, and acquires information on the position and shape of the object around the hydraulic excavator 1 using the 3-dimensional coordinate information of the point cloud. Here, the position of the object is the point cloud barycentric coordinate calculated using the 3-dimensional coordinates of each point obtained by measuring the detected object. The shape of the object is a cuboid calculated from the distance from the maximum value to the minimum value of each of the X, Y, and Z coordinates as the depth, width, and height, based on the 3-dimensional coordinates of each point. As the detection method of the position and shape of the object, for example, a method capable of acquiring object information from a 3-dimensional point cloud such as the known OGM (Occupancy Grid Map) method can be used.

[0087] Next, the abnormal object detection unit 454 learns the 3-dimensional point cloud data, i.e., the object information, recorded in the object DB 455, and determines whether an abnormal object 7 recorded as the object information exists in the object acquired from the laser scanner 34, thereby performing detection of the abnormal object. Specifically, the abnormal object detection unit 454, for example, uses an object detection technique such as SSD, which is a technique flexibly using deep learning, and detects an abnormal object existing in the work site 5 based on the coincidence rate of the 3-dimensional point cloud data of the object acquired from the laser scanner 34 and the 3-dimensional point cloud data of the learned object information. Then, for example, in a case where the coincidence rate is equal to or higher than a threshold value set in advance, the abnormal object detection unit 454 detects the object as an abnormal object 7. The abnormal object detection unit 454 outputs the position, shape, and kind of the detected abnormal object 7 as abnormal object information to the work state management unit 452.

[0088] [Computing unit]

[0089] The computing unit 453 is electrically connected to the measurement data processing unit 451, and acquires the calculation results of the inclination angle and position, orientation, rotation angle, posture of each part of the work machine, and current terrain of the upper revolving body 3 from the measurement data processing unit 451. In addition, the computing unit 453 acquires whether the hydraulic excavator 1 is in the manned operation state or the unmanned automatic driving state from the switching switch 43, and performs calculation and the like processing according to the manned operation state or the unmanned automatic driving state.

[0090] For example, in a case where the hydraulic excavator 1 is in the unmanned autonomous state, the operation section 453 acquires the action plan from the work state management section 452, and operates the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4, the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27, and the target operation speed of each actuator (each hydraulic cylinder 23, each hydraulic motor 26) based on the acquired action plan, and outputs the operated results to the work state management section 452. Further, the action plan includes at least the ground contact position of the bucket front end 27 on the present terrain.

[0091] Specifically, the operation section 453 first operates the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4 for moving the bucket front end 27 from the current position to a position where the bucket front end 27 can contact the ground at the specified position included in the action plan, based on the operation results acquired from the measurement data processing section 451. Next, the operation section 453 operates the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27 for moving the bucket front end 27 to the ground contact position specified by the work state management section 452 and storing the earth in the bucket 22.

[0092] Further, the operation section 453 operates the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4 and the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27 of the hydraulic excavator 1 until the unloading land 50 is unloaded. Further, the operation section 453 creates the operated target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4 and the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27 with reference to the global coordinate system. Furthermore, the operation section 453 operates the target operation speed of each actuator (each hydraulic cylinder 23, each hydraulic motor 26) required for the vehicle body to operate, based on the operated target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4 and the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27. Then, the operation section 453 outputs the operated results to the work state management section 452.

[0093] On the other hand, in a case where the hydraulic excavator 1 is in the manned operation state, the operation section 453 does not acquire the action plan from the work state management section 452, and does not operate the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4, the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27, and the target operation speed of each actuator (each hydraulic cylinder 23, each hydraulic motor 26).

[0094] [Work State Management Section]

[0095] The work state management section 452 selects the work content in accordance with the work order recorded in the work plan in the work DB 456, and creates an action plan of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the selected work content and the measurement results of the laser scanner 34, and the like, to manage the work state of the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0096] Specifically, the work state management unit 452 is electrically connected to the abnormal object detection unit 454, the work DB 456, and the measurement data processing unit 451, respectively, and acquires a detection result (for example, information of an abnormal object) from the abnormal object detection unit 454, acquires a work plan from the work DB 456, and acquires a current terrain from the measurement data processing unit 451. The work state management unit 452 first selects a work content in order, for example, according to a work order in the work plan, based on the work plan acquired from the work DB 456. Next, the work state management unit 452 creates a movement plan including at least a ground contact position of the bucket front end 27, with respect to the selected work content.

[0097] Next, the work state management unit 452 outputs the created movement plan to the arithmetic unit 453, and instructs the arithmetic unit 453 to perform arithmetic of a target trajectory of the bucket front end 27, a target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4, and a target movement speed of each actuator based on the movement plan. Next, the work state management unit 452 acquires the arithmetic results of the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27, the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4, and the target movement speed of each actuator from the arithmetic unit 453.

[0098] In addition, the work state management unit 452 determines whether or not the implementation of the above movement plan is obstructed by the presence of an abnormal object detected by the abnormal object detection unit 454, based on the detection result (for example, information of an abnormal object) acquired from the abnormal object detection unit 454 and the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27 and the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4 acquired from the arithmetic unit 453.

[0099] Further, in a case where there is no abnormal object on the work site 5 that obstructs the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27 and the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4, the work state management unit 452 determines that the implementation of the movement plan is not obstructed by the presence of the abnormal object. At this time, the work state management unit 452 outputs the target movement speed of each actuator (each hydraulic cylinder 23, each hydraulic motor 26) acquired from the arithmetic unit 453 as work state management information to the vehicle body control unit 411 of the vehicle body controller 41. The work state management information here is a control signal.

[0100] On the other hand, in a case where there is an abnormal object on the work site 5 that obstructs at least one of the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27 and the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4, the work state management unit 452 determines that the implementation of the movement plan is obstructed by the presence of the abnormal object. At this time, the work state management unit 452 instructs the vehicle body control unit 411 to interrupt the work in progress. Next, the work state management unit 452 further determines whether or not the interrupted work (that is, the obstructed work) can be divided into work to be implemented in a "range including an abnormal object" and a "range not including an abnormal object".

[0101] Then, in a case where it is determined that the interrupted work can be divided into work in the "range including the abnormal object" and work in the "range not including the abnormal object", the work state management section 452 selects the work content in the "range not including the abnormal object", makes a new work plan in the "range not including the abnormal object", and appends it to the work DB 456. Thereafter, the work state management section 452 outputs the ground contact position of the bucket front end 27 in the "range not including the abnormal object" as a new action plan to the arithmetic section 453, instructs the arithmetic section 453 to perform the arithmetic of the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27, the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4, and the target operation speed of each actuator based on the action plan. In other words, the work state management section 452 performs the arithmetic of the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27, the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4, and the target operation speed of each actuator (each hydraulic cylinder 23, each hydraulic motor 26) for performing the work in the "range not including the abnormal object" in the arithmetic section 453.

[0102] Further, the work state management section 452 instructs the vehicle body control section 411 to end the work in a case where there is no work that can be performed in the work plan recorded in the work DB 456.

[0103] Hereinafter, based on FIG. 5 - FIG. 7 , an example of dividing the work site 5 in which the abnormal object 7 is detected into the "range including the abnormal object 7" and the "range not including the abnormal object 7" will be described in detail.

[0104] FIG. 5 - FIG. 7 The "excavation site i" in which the abnormal object 7 is detected by the abnormal object detection section 454 is shown in FIG. 5 - FIG. 7 In

[0105] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the work site 5, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are side views of the work site 5 along the arrows in FIG. 5 As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , the current terrain of the "excavation site i" is composed of a slope 72 and a flat surface 73. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the abnormal object 7 is exposed from the slope 72 at the start of work. As shown in FIG. 6 , in the "excavation site i", excavation is performed by the hydraulic excavator 1 until the depth indicated by the design terrain 6.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 5 - FIG. 7As shown, the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27 (refer to the dotted line portion in the drawing) calculated by the operation section 453 in the "dug ground i" overlaps the position of the abnormal object 7, and the hydraulic shovel 1 becomes a state in which the work cannot be continued. Further, the abnormal object 7 in the present embodiment means an object having a size (for example, a large stone) that obstructs the work of the hydraulic shovel 1, and thus, even if an abnormal object as small as a stone is detected, the work is not actually obstructed.

[0107] In the present embodiment, even in the case where the work cannot be continued in the "dug ground i" due to the presence of the abnormal object 7 on the target trajectory calculated by the operation section 453, the work state management section 452 can cause the work of the hydraulic shovel 1 to continue by further dividing the "dug ground i" into a "range including the abnormal object 7" that is "dug ground i_1" and a "range not including the abnormal object 7" that is "dug ground i_2", and instructing the work state management information in the "range not including the abnormal object 7" to the vehicle body control section 411.

[0108] [Vehicle body control section]

[0109] The vehicle body control section 411 controls the operation of the hydraulic shovel 1 based on the operation plan made by the work state management section 452. As shown, the vehicle body control section 411 is electrically connected to the switch 43, and acquires whether the hydraulic shovel 1 is in the manned operation state or the unmanned automatic driving state from the switch 43. In addition, the vehicle body control section 411 is electrically connected to the work state management section 452, and acquires the above-described work state management information from the work state management section 452. FIG. 4

[0110] Further, in the case where the hydraulic shovel 1 is in the manned operation state, the vehicle body control section 411 drives the control valve 55 to cause each actuator to operate according to the operation amount of the lever 30. On the other hand, in the case where the hydraulic shovel 1 is in the unmanned automatic driving state, the vehicle body control section 411 drives the control valve 55 to cause each actuator to operate according to the target operation speed of each actuator acquired as the work state management information from the work state management section 452. Further, the vehicle body control section 411 immediately stops the operation of the hydraulic shovel 1 in the case where all the work ends is output from the work state management section 452, or stops the operation after moving the hydraulic shovel 1 to a position designated in advance. In addition, the vehicle body control section 411 can output the case where the operation plan ends to the monitor 42 in the case where all the work ends is output from the work state management section 452.

[0111] Hereinafter, the control processing of the automatic work system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 . FIG. 8 ​is a flowchart showing the steps S10 to S21 of the control process, FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the steps S22 to S27 of the control process.

[0112] First, in step S10, a job ID number (job i) is assigned. Here, "i" is set to, for example, 51.

[0113] In step S11 following step S10, the job status management section 452 acquires the information of "job i" from the job plan recorded in the job DB 456. Specifically, the job status management section 452 acquires the "excavation site ID", "job status", "job remaining amount", and "job amount" related to the job with the job ID of "job i".

[0114] In step S12 following step S11, the job status management section 452 outputs the information of "excavation site i" to the arithmetic section 453 from the acquired information of "job i". Specifically, the job status management section 452 outputs the designed terrain associated with "excavation site i" to the arithmetic section 453. The designed terrain associated with "excavation site i" is the shape of the 3-dimensional terrain that the hydraulic excavator 1 wants to make next by excavation.

[0115] In step S13 following step S12, the job status management section 452 first outputs the made action plan to the arithmetic section 453, and instructs the arithmetic section 453 to calculate the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27, the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4, and the target operation speed of each actuator (each hydraulic cylinder 23, each hydraulic motor 26) based on the action plan. Next, the arithmetic section 453 calculates the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27, the target trajectory of the lower traveling body 4, and the target operation speed of each actuator based on the action plan, respectively, and outputs the calculated results to the job status management section 452. Thereby, the job status management section 452 acquires the above-mentioned calculation results.

[0116] In step S14 following step S13, the job status management section 452 acquires the abnormal object information from the abnormal object detection section 454. In step S15 following step S14, the job status management section 452 determines whether there is an abnormal object that obstructs the action plan of "job i". At this time, the job status management section 452 determines whether there is an object (i.e., an abnormal object) described in the abnormal object information on the 3-dimensional target trajectory of the vehicle body based on the 3-dimensional target trajectory of the vehicle body such as the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27 and the traveling trajectory of the lower traveling body 4 acquired in step S13 and the abnormal object information acquired in step S14.

[0117] Then, in a case where it is determined that there is an abnormal object on the 3-dimensional target trajectory of the vehicle body, the control process proceeds to step S22. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in a case where the abnormal object information is acquired in step S14, the job status management section 452 determines whether there is an abnormal object on the 3-dimensional target trajectory of the vehicle body based on the abnormal object information acquired in step S14. FIG. 5When there is an abnormal object 7 on the target trajectory of the bucket front end 27 in the field coordinate system inherent to the field 5 as shown, the control processing proceeds to step S22. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no abnormal object on the 3-dimensional target trajectory of the vehicle body, the control processing proceeds to step S16.

[0118] In step S16, the work state management section 452 outputs the work state management information to the vehicle body control section 411. Specifically, the work state management section 452 outputs the target movement speed of each actuator obtained in step S13 to the vehicle body control section 411. Also, the vehicle body control section 411 moves each actuator in accordance with the target movement speed of each actuator. Thus, the hydraulic excavator 1 performs work in the automatic travel mode.

[0119] In step S17 following step S16, the work state management section 452 calculates the "work remaining amount" of "work i" and updates the work DB 456. Specifically, the work state management section 452 calculates the "progress status" of "work i" from the difference between the designed terrain of "excavation site i" recorded in the work DB 456 and the 3-dimensional information of the current terrain obtained from the measurement data processing section 451, and updates the "work remaining amount" of "work i" recorded in the work DB.

[0120] In step S18 following step S17, the work state management section 452 determines whether the "work remaining amount" of "work i" calculated in step S17 has reached 0%. When it is determined that it has reached 0%, the control processing proceeds to step S19. On the other hand, when it is determined that it has not reached 0%, the control processing returns to step S11.

[0121] In step S19, the work state management section 452 updates the "work state" of "work i" recorded in the work DB 456 to "completed".

[0122] In step S20 following step S19, the work state management section 452 determines whether there is a work in which the "work state" is "not started" among the work plans stored in the work DB 456. When it is determined that there is a work in which the "work state" is "not started", the control processing proceeds to step S21. In step S21, i is updated to i = i + 1 (i.e., i = 52). Then, the control processing returns to step S11. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no work in which the "work state" is "not started", the work state management section 452 instructs the vehicle body control section 411 that all work is completed. Thus, the series of control processing is ended.

[0123] As described above, if an abnormal object is determined to exist in step S15, the control process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, the job status management unit 452 determines whether the "excavation site i" can be divided into "the area where an obstruction element exists" (i.e., the area containing the abnormal object) and "the area where no obstruction element exists" (i.e., the area not containing the abnormal object). Specifically, the job status management unit 452 determines whether the data recorded in the job DB456 can be transferred to the work DB456. FIG. 6 The “digging site i” in “Operation i” shown is as follows: FIG. 7 As shown, it is divided into "the area containing the abnormal object 7", namely "excavation site i_1" and "the area not containing the abnormal object 7", namely "excavation site i_2".

[0124] For example in FIG. 7 In the example shown, since the abnormal object 7 is excavated from the slope 72 of the work site 5, the work status management unit 452 divides the slope 72 into "excavation site i_1" and the plane 73 into "excavation site i_2" along the Y-axis. Furthermore, "excavation site i_1," which is the "area containing the abnormal object 7," is... FIG. 5 In the X and Y coordinates shown, a rectangular area with a "certain margin" relative to the anomaly 7 is cut out. This "certain margin" can be determined based on the type of anomaly 7 recorded in the anomaly information, or it can be predetermined as a certain value common to all anomalies 7. The result of cutting out "excavation site i_1" from "excavation site i" is... FIG. 5 , FIG. 7 Within the range shown, "Dig site i_2" is generated as "the range that does not contain anomalous object 7".

[0125] Furthermore, regarding the determination of whether "excavation site i" can be divided into "excavation site i_1" and "excavation site i_2", for example, a threshold is determined in advance based on the "workload". If "excavation site i_2" is above the threshold, it is determined that it can be divided, and if it is below the threshold, it is determined that it cannot be divided.

[0126] Then, if it is determined in step S22 that the task is indivisible, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the job status management unit 452 changes the "job status" of "job i" to "interrupted". After that, the control process returns to step S20.

[0127] On the other hand, in a case where it is determined that the division is possible in step S22, the control process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the work status management section 452 gives the "excavation site i" of the "work i" recorded in the work DB 456 an excavation site ID of the name "excavation site i_1" for the "range where the obstructive element exists" and "excavation site i_2" for the "range where the obstructive element does not exist", respectively. That is, the work status management section 452 gives the "excavation site i_1" of the name "excavation site i_1" for the "range where the abnormal object 7 exists" and "excavation site i_2" for the "range where the abnormal object 7 does not exist".

[0128] In the process here, for example, as shown in Table 2 below, in a case where it is determined that the "excavation site 52" can be divided into "excavation site 52_1" and "excavation site 52_2", the work status management section 452 gives the "excavation site i_1" of the name "excavation site 52_1" for the "range where the abnormal object 7 exists" and "excavation site 52_2" for the "range where the abnormal object 7 does not exist".

[0129] In step S25 following step S24, the work status management section 452 updates the work ID of the "work i" recorded in the work DB 456 to "work i_1", the excavation site ID to "excavation site i_1", and the work status to "interrupted". The process here, for example, as shown in Table 2 below, the work status management section 452 updates the work ID of the "work 52" recorded in the work DB 456 to "work 52_1", the excavation site ID to "excavation site 52_1", and the work status to "interrupted".

[0130] In step S26 following step S25, the work status management section 452 appends "work i_2" to the work ID, "excavation site i_2" to the excavation site ID, and "not started" to the work status of the work DB 456. The process here, for example, as shown in Table 2 below, the work status management section 452 appends "work 52_2" to the work ID, "excavation site 52_2" to the excavation site ID, and "not started" to the work status of the work DB 456.

[0131] [Table 2]

[0132]

[0133]

[0134] In step S27 following step S26, the work ID number (work i) is updated to "i_2". Then, the process returns to step S11.

[0135] In the automatic work system 10 of the present embodiment, upon detection of the abnormal object 7, the work state management section 452 determines whether or not the implementation of the work plan is obstructed by the presence of the abnormal object 7, and in the case where it is determined that the implementation of the work plan is obstructed by the presence of the abnormal object 7, further determines whether or not it is possible to divide into a "range including the abnormal object" and a "range not including the abnormal object 7". And, in the case where it is determined that it is possible to divide, the work state management section 452 selects a work within the "range not including the abnormal object", creates a work plan of the selected work, and continues the work based on the automatic driving of the hydraulic excavator 1. In this way, even in the case where the abnormal object 7 that obstructs the work of the hydraulic excavator 1 appears in the work site 5, it is not necessary for the operator to perform a response, and the work state management section 452 is able to continue the work based on the automatic driving by selecting another work that can be implemented (i.e., a work within the "range not including the abnormal object 7"), and thus is able to prevent a decrease in productivity.

[0136] [Second Embodiment]

[0137] Hereinafter, the automatic work system of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8 , FIG. 10 , and FIG. 11 . The structure of the automatic work system of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but differs from the first embodiment in the control process. Hereinafter, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0138] That is, in the present embodiment, in the case where the abnormal object 7 that obstructs the work of the hydraulic excavator 1 is present in the work site 5, the content of the work implemented by the hydraulic excavator 1 is decided by the selection operation of the work manager. In addition, the work state management section 452 outputs work state management information for continuing the work in the "range not including the abnormal object 7" after receiving the approval of the work manager to the vehicle body control section 411. In addition, by the selection operation of the work manager, the unmanned automatic driving state of the hydraulic excavator 1 is switched to the manned operation state. And, after the abnormal object 7 is removed from the work site 5 by the work manager, the hydraulic excavator 1 is switched from the manned operation state to the unmanned automatic driving state, whereby the work of the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the automatic driving is continued.

[0139] The work manager only needs to be a person who masters the use method of the monitor 42 and the switching switch 43. In addition, the work manager only needs to be present inside the cab of the upper swing body 3, or in a place where the work of the hydraulic excavator 1 can be monitored inside and outside the work site 5. And, the monitor 42 and the switching switch 43 are disposed in a place where the work manager can visually confirm and operate.

[0140] In the control processing of the automatic work system of the second embodiment, the steps S10 to S27 are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the steps S28 to S37 are newly added processing. Hereinafter, only the newly added steps S28 to S37 based on the determination of the presence of the person will be described. In this embodiment, the abnormal object detection section 454 determines whether a person is present around the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the measurement results of the laser scanner 34, and outputs the gist of the case to the work state management section 452 in the case where it is determined that a person is present. FIG. 10

[0141] As shown in Fig. 22, in the case where it is determined in the step S22 that the "excavation site i" cannot be divided into the "range in which the obstructive element is present" and the "range in which the obstructive element is not present", the control processing proceeds to the step S23 as in the first embodiment, and the "work state" of the "work i" is changed to "interrupted". Thereafter, the control processing returns to the step S20. FIG. 10

[0142] On the other hand, in the case where it is determined in the step S22 that the "excavation site i" can be divided into the "range in which the obstructive element is present" and the "range in which the obstructive element is not present", the control processing proceeds to the step S28. In the step S28, as shown in Fig. 23, the work state management section 452 displays the abnormal object information related to the abnormal object 7 that obstructs the work on the monitor 42, thereby notifying the work manager of the presence of the abnormal object 7. Also, as shown in Fig. 24, the work state management section 452 displays the "excavation site i_1" that is the "range including the abnormal object 7" and the "excavation site i_2" that is the "range not including the abnormal object 7" on the monitor 42, thereby notifying the work manager that the "excavation site i_1" and the "excavation site i_2" can be divided. FIG. 11 FIG. 11 In the step S29 following the step S28, the work manager selects whether to continue the work in the divided "excavation site i_2" via the monitor 42 (see Fig. 25). In the case where the work manager selects to continue the work, the control processing proceeds to the step S24 described above. On the other hand, in the case where the work manager selects not to continue the work, the processing proceeds to the step S30.

[0143] In the step S30, the work manager selects whether to exclude the abnormal object 7 from the work site 5 via the monitor 42 (see Fig. 26). In the case where the work manager selects not to exclude the abnormal object, the control processing proceeds to the step S23 described above. On the other hand, in the case where the work manager selects to exclude the abnormal object, the control processing proceeds to the step S31. FIG. 11

[0144] FIG. 11

[0145] ​​​​​​In step S31, the work manager switches the hydraulic excavator 1 from the unmanned autonomous driving state to the manned operation state by operating the switch 43. In step S32 following step S31, the work state management section 452 issues the release password of the manned operation state to the work manager via the monitor 42.

[0146] In step S33 following step S32, the work manager removes the abnormal object 7 from the work site 5. As a method of removing the abnormal object 7 from the work site 5, the hydraulic excavator 1 can be operated by the work manager operating the lever 30, or can be performed by manual work by the work manager.

[0147] In step S34 following step S33, the work manager inputs the release password of the manned operation state to the monitor 42 and operates the switch 43. In step S35 following step S34, the work state management section 452 determines whether a person is present around the hydraulic excavator 1 based on the result from the abnormal object detection section 454. In the case where it is determined that a person is present, the process proceeds to step S36. In step S36, the work state management section 452 suggests to the work manager via the monitor 42 that the person retreat from around the hydraulic excavator 1 on the monitor 42. Then, the control process returns to step S34.

[0148] On the other hand, in the case where it is determined in step S35 that no person is present around, the control process proceeds to step S37. In step S37, the switch 43 switches the hydraulic excavator 1 from the manned operation state to the unmanned autonomous driving state. Thereafter, the control process returns to the above-described step S17, and the work based on the autonomous driving of the hydraulic excavator 1 is continued.

[0149] According to the automatic work system of the present embodiment, in addition to being able to obtain the same operational effects as the first embodiment described above, the following operational effects can also be obtained. That is, in the case where it is determined that it is possible to divide into the "range including the abnormal object" and the "range not including the abnormal object", after the work manager switches the hydraulic excavator 1 from the unmanned autonomous driving state to the manned operation state and removes the abnormal object 7 from the work site 5, in the case where the work manager performs the work start instruction of the hydraulic excavator 1 and no person is detected around the hydraulic excavator 1, the work state management section 452 is able to continue the work based on the autonomous driving by selecting other work from the work plan. Thus, it is possible to completely implement the work plan described in the work DB 456, and thus it is possible to further prevent a decrease in productivity.

[0150] [Third Embodiment]

[0151] FIG. 12is a block diagram showing the structure of the automatic work system of the third embodiment. The automatic work system 10A of the present embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in that the object DB 461 and the work DB 462 are provided to the server 46, but is the same as the first embodiment in other structures.

[0152] As shown in FIG. 12 , in the automatic work system 10A of the present embodiment, the object DB 461 and the work DB 462 are provided to the server 46 independently of the automatic driving controller 45A. The server 46 is configured to be able to communicate with the automatic driving controller 45, for example, by being disposed in a management center. Further, the object DB 461 has the same structure as the object DB 455 of the first embodiment, and the work DB 462 has the same structure as the work DB 456 of the first embodiment.

[0153] According to the automatic work system 10A of the present embodiment, in addition to being able to obtain the same effects as the first embodiment described above, since the object DB 461 and the work DB 462 are provided to the server 46, it is possible to achieve compactness of the automatic driving controller 45A.

[0154] Further, in the embodiments shown thus far, a scenario in which an abnormal object is exposed from the excavation site at the start of work is assumed, but it is also possible to apply to a scenario in which an abnormal object is unearthed in the excavation of the hydraulic excavator. In addition, the hydraulic excavator in which the operating lever is mounted in the work machine is described as an example, but it is also possible to apply to a hydraulic excavator in which the operating lever is provided in the remote operation room independently of the hydraulic excavator and remote operation is possible.

[0155] The embodiments of the present application have been described above, but the present application is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various design changes can be made within the scope of the present application recited in the scope of the claims.

[0156] Explanation of symbols

[0157] 1 Hydraulic excavator

[0158] 2 Work machine

[0159] 3 Upper swing body

[0160] 4 Lower traveling body

[0161] 10, 10A Automatic work system

[0162] 28a Vehicle body IMU

[0163] 28b Boom IMU

[0164] 28c Stick IMU

[0165] 28d bucket imu

[0166] 30 operation lever

[0167] 31a, 31b GNSS antenna

[0168] 32 GNSS controller

[0169] 33 rotation angle sensor

[0170] 34 laser scanner (surrounding environment measuring device)

[0171] 39 shutoff valve

[0172] 40 control valve

[0173] 41 vehicle body controller

[0174] 42 monitor (information input device, information display device)

[0175] 43 switching switch

[0176] 45, 45A automatic driving controller (automatic driving control device)

[0177] 46 server

[0178] 411 vehicle body control section

[0179] 451 measurement data processing section

[0180] 452 work state management section

[0181] 453 arithmetic section

[0182] 454 abnormal object detection section

[0183] 455 object DB (object recording section)

[0184] 456 work DB (work recording section)

[0185] 461 object DB

[0186] 462 work DB.

Claims

1. An automatic work system comprising: a surrounding environment measuring device that measures a surrounding environment of a work machine; and an automatic driving control device that controls automatic driving of the work machine, characterized by the automatic driving control device comprising: a work state management section that, in order to manage a work state of the work machine, selects a work content in accordance with a work order in a work plan acquired, generates a movement plan of the work machine based on the selected work content and information of the surrounding environment measured by the surrounding environment measuring device, and outputs a control signal to a vehicle body controller provided to the work machine based on the generated movement plan; and an abnormal object detection section that detects an abnormal object present in a work site where the work plan is implemented, based on the information of the surrounding environment measured by the surrounding environment measuring device, when the abnormal object is detected by the abnormal object detection section, the work state management section determines whether implementation of the movement plan is hindered by the presence of the abnormal object, and in a case where it is determined that implementation of the movement plan is hindered by the presence of the abnormal object, selects another work content from the work plan, the work state management section, in a case where it is determined that implementation of the movement plan is hindered by the presence of the abnormal object, further determines whether the hindered work can be divided into a range including the abnormal object and a range not including the abnormal object, and in a case where it is determined that the division is possible, generates a movement plan of the range not including the abnormal object.

2. The automatic work system according to claim 1, characterized in that the work machine comprises a traveling body and a work machine, the automatic driving control device further comprises a calculation section that calculates a target trajectory of a front end of the work machine and a target trajectory of the traveling body based on the movement plan, in a case where the abnormal object that hinders at least one of the target trajectory of the front end of the work machine and the target trajectory of the traveling body calculated by the calculation section is present, the work state management section determines that implementation of the movement plan is hindered by the presence of the abnormal object.

3. The automatic work system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the automatic work system further comprises an object recording section that records at least one of information of a predicted presence object predicted to be present in the work site and information of a non-predicted presence object other than the predicted presence object, the object recording section is provided to the automatic driving control device or a server.

4. The automatic work system according to claim 3, characterized in that the abnormal object detection section detects the abnormal object present in the work site based on a coincidence rate of information of an object in the surrounding environment measured by the surrounding environment measuring device and information of an object recorded in the object recording section.

5. The automatic work system according to claim 1, characterized in that The automatic work system further includes an information display device that displays information on the work content selected by the work state management unit, the implementation range of the work, and the abnormal object that hinders implementation of the action plan.

6. The automatic work system according to claim 5, wherein The automatic work system further includes an information input device that accepts at least input from a work manager, In a case where it is determined that implementation of the action plan is hindered due to the presence of the abnormal object, when continuation of the work is instructed by input to the information input device by the work manager, the work state management unit generates a work plan that does not include the range of the abnormal object.

7. The automatic work system according to claim 6, wherein After the work manager switches the work machine to manual operation and removes the abnormal object from the work site, in a case where the work manager makes a work start instruction of the work machine and no person is detected in the surroundings of the work machine based on information on the surroundings measured by the surroundings measurement device, the work state management unit selects other work from the work plan.

8. The automatic work system according to claim 1, wherein The automatic work system further includes a work recording unit that records the work plan, The work plan includes work content and work order implemented by at least one work machine, and the work recording unit is provided to the automatic driving control device or a server.

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