Wheel loader in muck discharging system and automatic operation method thereof

Abstract

To provide a wheel loader that can enhance efficiency of muck discharging work by achieving improvement of labor saving and safety and achieve shortening of a construction period of a tunnel.SOLUTION: In a muck discharging system for a tunnel construction: a wheel loader reciprocates between a front of working face and a temporary muck storage place; and an automatic operation control device 140 of the wheel loader recognizes completion of blasting at the working face and muck in front of the working face based on a three-dimensional data obtained by a three-dimensional scanner S11, a visible light image data obtained by a visible light camera S12, and an infrared image data obtained by a thermal camera S13. When recognizing the completion of blasting, the automatic operation control device performs control so as to: load the muck in front of the working face onto a muck loading part; moves the loaded muck to a predetermined spot; and feed the muck loaded on the muck loading part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a debris removal system, and more particularly to an automatic driving technique for a wheel loader that loads debris generated at a tunnel face and transports it to a temporary debris storage area. [Background technology]

[0002] In mountain tunnel construction, the blasting method is used to excavate rock. The debris generated in front of the tunnel face by blasting must be quickly removed to the tunnel entrance. This debris removal work accounts for a large part of the tunnel construction cycle. Therefore, several efficient debris removal systems have been proposed to shorten the construction period of tunnel construction.

[0003] According to the method of removing rubble disclosed in Patent Document 1, a temporary rubble storage area is provided midway between the face and the crusher, a rubble loader is placed there, and a rubble transporter is placed on the tunnel mouth side of the rubble loader. A wheel loader shuttles between the front of the face and the temporary rubble storage area, transporting rubble generated in front of the face by blasting to the temporary rubble storage area and loading it. The rubble loader scoops up the rubble loaded in the temporary rubble storage area and loads it onto the rubble transporter. The rubble transporter shuttles between the rubble loader and the crusher, feeding the loaded rubble into the crusher. The rubble crushed by the crusher is transported toward the tunnel mouth by a continuous belt conveyor.

[0004] In this way, the wheel loader travels back and forth between the tunnel face and the temporary rubble storage area, which significantly reduces the time required for travel back and forth compared to traveling back and forth between the tunnel face and the crusher, thereby shortening the construction period and reducing costs for tunnel construction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-047209 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the wheel loader transports the debris on the tunnel surface immediately after blasting, and the wheel loader is forced to move back and forth in a small, limited space. This places a heavy burden on the wheel loader operator, and the operator is tied up for a long time. In particular, the cycle loss caused by waiting to transport the debris makes it difficult to shorten the construction period of the tunnel construction.

[0007] The present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a wheel loader and an automatic driving method thereof that can make muck removal work more efficient by saving labor and improving safety, thereby shortening the construction period for tunnel construction work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a system for transporting debris in tunnel construction, in which at least a debris loader is disposed between a tunnel face and a tunnel entrance, and debris in front of the tunnel face is transported to the tunnel entrance through at least the debris loader. The system comprises a wheel loader having a debris loading unit and traveling between the tunnel face and a predetermined point on the tunnel face side of the debris loader, the wheel loader including a sensor unit including a 3D scanner, a visible light camera, and a thermal camera, a communication unit capable of communicating with at least the debris loader, and a control unit for controlling the travel of the wheel loader and the debris loading unit based on the output of the sensor unit. and an automatic driving control unit that controls driving, wherein the automatic driving control unit a) recognizes the position of the wheel loader, the completion of blasting at the face, and the rubble area in front of the face based on the 3D data obtained by the 3D scanner, the visible light image data obtained by the visible light camera, and the infrared image data obtained by the thermal camera, and b) when it recognizes the completion of blasting, controls the rubble in front of the face to be loaded onto the rubble loading unit, moved to the specified point, and dumped into the specified point. When the automatic operation control unit has dumped a predetermined amount of muck into the predetermined location, it can notify the muck loader of the end of dumping. When the automatic operation control unit finishes dumping the muck in front of the face at the specified point, it can notify the muck loader of the completion of loading. The automatic driving control unit can control the wheel loader to wait at a designated waiting location before blasting, to transport debris by traveling back and forth between the face and the designated point after blasting is completed, and to return to the designated waiting location after the debris in front of the face has been dumped at the designated point. The autonomous driving control unit includes at least one processor and can execute a) using a machine learning model. The muck loading section may adopt a side dump system that is capable of swinging laterally. The predetermined point may be a dirt shoveling area of ​​the dirt loader, or a shuttle car may be provided between the predetermined point and the dirt loader, and the shuttle car may transport the dirt at the predetermined point to the dirt shoveling area of ​​the dirt loader. The muck can also be loaded from the muck loader into a muck carrier, crusher or dump truck. In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a method for automatically controlling the operation of a wheel loader that travels back and forth between the front of the tunnel face and a predetermined point on the face side of the muck loader, the method comprising: disposing at least a muck loader between a tunnel face and a portal; transporting muck in front of the tunnel face to the portal through at least the muck loader; and controlling the automatic operation of the wheel loader. One processor a) uses a machine learning model to recognize the position of the wheel loader, the completion of blasting at the face, and the rubble area in front of the face based on the 3D data obtained by the 3D scanner, the visible light image data obtained by the visible light camera, and the infrared image data obtained by the thermal camera, and b) upon recognizing the completion of blasting, controls the rubble in front of the face to be loaded onto the rubble loading section, moved to the specified point, and controlled so that the rubble loaded on the rubble loading section is dumped into the specified point. The at least one processor may notify the muck loader of completion of dumping when a predetermined amount of muck has been dumped at the predetermined location. When the at least one processor has finished dumping the muck in front of the face at the predetermined point, it can notify the muck loader that loading is complete. The at least one processor can control the wheel loader to wait at a designated waiting location before blasting, to transport debris by traveling back and forth between the face and the designated location after blasting is completed, and to return to the designated waiting location after the debris in front of the face has been dumped at the designated location. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the position of the wheel loader, the completion of blasting at the tunnel face, and the rubble area in front of the tunnel face are recognized based on the 3D data obtained by the 3D scanner, the visible light image data obtained by the visible light camera, and the infrared image data obtained by the thermal camera. After blasting is completed, the rubble in front of the tunnel face is transported to a designated location and dumped. By automating this series of operations, the rubble removal work can be made more efficient, and labor can be reduced, safety can be improved, and the construction period for tunnel construction can be shortened. According to one aspect of the present invention, when the automatic driving control unit dumps a specified amount of muck at the specified point, it notifies the muck loader that dumping is complete, allowing the wheel loader's muck transporting work and the muck loader's muck loading work to be carried out in parallel. According to one aspect of the present invention, when the automatic driving control unit finishes dumping the rubble in front of the face at the specified point, it notifies the rubble loader that loading is complete, allowing the wheel loader to move to a sheltered location, thereby improving the efficiency of the next blasting process and the rubble removal work. According to one aspect of the present invention, the automatic driving control unit wheel loader waits at a designated waiting location before blasting, and after blasting is completed, it travels back and forth between the front of the face and a designated point to transport rubble, and once the rubble in front of the face has been dumped at the designated point, it is controlled to return to the designated waiting location, thereby automating the rubble transportation work up until the rubble is dumped at the designated point. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the autonomous driving control unit includes at least one processor, and by executing a) using a machine learning model, highly accurate image recognition becomes possible, thereby achieving high safety and labor savings. According to one aspect of the present invention, by adopting a side dump system in which the muck loading section can swing laterally, it is possible to efficiently dump muck at a specified location without making large swings of the wheel loader. According to one aspect of the invention, the predetermined location may be a muck shoveling area of ​​a muck loader. According to one aspect of the present invention, a shuttle car can be provided between the specified point and the muck loader, and the shuttle car can transport the muck at the specified point to the muck rake-in area of ​​the muck loader. This allows the wheel loader to only have to travel back and forth between the front of the face and the specified point in front of the shuttle car, shortening the travel distance and enabling efficient muck removal. According to one aspect of the invention, the muck loader may also load muck into a muck carrier, crusher or dump truck. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional side view of a tunnel for explaining the operation of the shear transport system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional plan view of a tunnel for explaining the operation of the shear transport system illustrated in FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a wheel loader according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the wheel loader according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an automatic driving control device for a wheel loader according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image in front of the face recognized by the automatic driving control device according to this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the automatic driving control device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a side configuration diagram of a muck loader in the muck conveying system shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the muck loader shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional side view of a tunnel for explaining the operation of a shear transport system according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the components described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0012] 1. System Configuration As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a wheel loader 100 according to this embodiment, a muck loader 200, a muck transporter 300, a crusher 400 and other equipment are arranged on the floor 11 of a tunnel 10 in this order from the face 12 toward the tunnel mouth. Here, the wheel loader 100, the muck loader 200 and the muck transporter 300 constitute a muck transport system, which communicates wirelessly with each of the following work equipment to enable efficient muck transport work. Alternatively, a monitoring system 500 installed outside the tunnel may monitor the operating status of these equipment via wireless lines.

[0013] One or more wheel loaders 100 are placed near the face 12, and transport the debris 13 in front of the face to the temporary debris storage area 14 while moving back and forth in the direction of arrow A. The temporary debris storage area 14 is provided at a predetermined point on the face side from the debris loader 200. In this embodiment, the temporary debris storage area 14 is the debris rake-in area of ​​the debris loader 200. The wheel loader 100 according to this embodiment is of a side dump type, and the body of the wheel loader is rotated as little as possible in the narrow space in front of the face. As will be described later, the wheel loader 100 can load the debris 13 in front of the face by automatic driving while recognizing the conditions of the face 12 and the debris 13 in front of the face, and transport it to the temporary debris storage area 14 located at a predetermined point.

[0014] The temporary rubble storage site 14 is provided at a point between the tunnel face 12 and the crusher 400, preferably at a point closer to the tunnel face 12 than the midpoint. For example, the temporary rubble storage site 14 is provided at a point about 1 / 4 the distance between the tunnel face 12 and the crusher 400, for example, about 30 m away from the tunnel face 12. Therefore, in this case, the transport distance of the wheel loader 100 is about 30 to 50 m. Naturally, the temporary rubble storage site 14 advances in accordance with the excavation of the tunnel face 12.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, the temporary rubble storage area 14 is provided on one side of the tunnel floor 11 in the width direction, extending in a narrow shape along the length of the tunnel, for example, for about 20 m. The temporary rubble storage area 14 may be partitioned off from the tunnel floor 11 by a number of poles or partitions so that it is easy to recognize that it is a temporary rubble storage area. As shown in Fig. 2, the rubble loader 200 and the rubble transporter 300 are also arranged on one side of the tunnel floor 11 in the width direction in accordance with the arrangement of the temporary rubble storage area 14. As will be described later (Fig. 10), it is also possible to arrange a shuttle car on the face side of the rubble loader 200 without providing a temporary rubble storage area 14.

[0016] The muck loader 200 is positioned on the tunnel mouth side of the temporary muck storage site 14. When a loading notification to the temporary muck storage site 14 is received from the wheel loader 100, the muck loader 200 scoops up the muck from the temporary muck storage site 14 and loads it onto a muck transporter 300 waiting on standby on the tunnel mouth side of the muck loader 200. The detailed configuration and operation of the muck loader 200 will be described later.

[0017] When a predetermined amount of rubble has been loaded from the rubble loader 200, the rubble transporter 300 stops the loading operation of the rubble loader 200 by wireless communication. Next, the rubble transporter 300 moves to the crusher 400 in the direction of the mine mouth and dumps the rubble into a hopper 401 of the crusher 400. The rubble transporter 300 repeats the rubble transporting operation while reciprocating in the direction of arrow B. Note that, as will be described later (FIG. 10), the rubble may be directly loaded from the rubble loader 200 to the crusher 400. Alternatively, the rubble may be directly loaded from the rubble loader 200 to a dump truck (not shown) and transported toward the mine mouth.

[0018] The rubble fed into the crusher 400 is crushed. The crushed rubble is loaded onto the conveyor belt 402 of the crusher 400 on a tailpiece dolly 403 onto the conveying path of a continuous belt conveyor device 404, and is transported toward the pit mouth by the continuous conveyor belt 404. Alternatively, as will be described later (FIG. 10), the rubble can be loaded onto a dump truck from the crusher 400.

[0019] In this way, the wheel loader 100 moves back and forth between the tunnel face 12 and the temporary debris storage site 14, the debris loader 200 scrapes off the debris from the temporary debris storage site 14 and loads it onto the debris transporter 300, and the debris transporter 300 moves back and forth between the debris loader 200 and the crusher 400, thereby transporting the debris 13 in front of the tunnel face in the direction of the tunnel mouth. The configuration and functions of the wheel loader 100 in the debris transport system will be described in detail below.

[0020] 2. Wheel loader 2.1) Configuration As shown in FIG. 3, the wheel loader 100 according to this embodiment comprises a main body 120 and an automatic driving control device 140, and the driving and muck conveying operations of the wheel loader 100 are automatically controlled by the automatic driving control device 140.

[0021] In the main body 120, a bucket 122 is rotatably mounted on the tip of a boom 124, and the bucket 122 and the boom 124 are driven by a plurality of hydraulic cylinders 126. The main body 120 has steering wheels (front wheels) and driving wheels (rear wheels) formed by tires 128. The main body 120 further has a control unit 150, a driving / braking system 160, an engine 170, and a hydraulic system 180, and has the following configurations and functions.

[0022] 4, control unit 150 includes a travel control unit 151 and a bucket boom control unit 152, and executes automatic operation of main body 120 under the control of automatic operation control device 140. Typically, control unit 150 is configured, for example, by an electronic control unit, and can realize programmed travel control and bucket boom control.

[0023] The driving control unit 151 controls the drive and braking system 160, and controls the driving of the main body 120. Specifically, it performs on / off control of the engine 170, which is the power source, adjustment of power transmission, rotation speed control, steering amount control, braking control, etc.

[0024] The drive / braking system 160 is equipped with a steering actuator, brakes, and brake actuators, none of which are shown. The steering actuator changes the steering angle of the steering wheels. The brakes brake the steering wheels and drive wheels. The brake actuator drives the brakes. Note that, although a wheel loader has been described in this embodiment, the same applies to heavy machinery whose main body travels by crawlers. The engine 170 provides a rotational drive force to the drive wheels as a power source, and is not limited to an internal combustion engine, but may be a motor (electric motor).

[0025] The hydraulic system 180 has hydraulic cylinders 181 including the multiple hydraulic cylinders 126, hydraulic motors 182, control valves 183, hydraulic pumps 184, and hydraulic oil tanks 185. The control valves 183 control the operations of the bucket booms 122 and 124 through the bucket boom control unit 152. That is, the control valves 183 control the operations of the bucket booms, such as extension, revolving, and raising and lowering, by changing the hydraulic cylinder to which the pressure oil is supplied. The hydraulic pumps 184 are driven by the engine 170, which is the power source, and supply pressure oil from the hydraulic oil tank 185 to the control valves 183. The pressure oil is supplied to the desired hydraulic cylinders 181 and hydraulic motors 182 through the control valves 183, and is then collected in the hydraulic oil tank 185, and circulates within the hydraulic system 180.

[0026] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the automatic driving control device 140 uses the output signal of the sensor unit S1 to perform automatic driving control of the main body 120 of the wheel loader. The sensor unit S1 includes a three-dimensional scanner S11, a video camera S12, and a thermal camera S13. The three-dimensional scanner S11 outputs three-dimensional data (X, Y, Z point cloud data) of the front of the main body 120 (the direction in which the three-dimensional scanner S11 faces, here the face direction) or the surroundings. The video camera S12 is a visible light camera, and outputs visible light image data of the front of the main body 120 (the direction in which the video camera S12 faces, here the face direction). The thermal camera S13 is an infrared camera, and outputs infrared image (temperature distribution image) data of the front of the main body 120 (the direction in which the thermal camera S13 faces, here the face direction). For example, the three-dimensional data of the three-dimensional scanner S11 can be used to recognize water flow, unevenness (protrusions), depth, distance, etc. In addition, the visible light image data from the video camera S12 can be used to recognize wall surfaces, debris areas, etc., and the infrared image data from the thermal camera S13 can be used to distinguish between debris and machinery and to recognize water areas, etc.

[0027] The automatic driving control device 140 has an interface 141 for inputting output data from the sensor unit S1, and further has a processor unit 142 consisting of at least one processor including a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a data storage unit 143, a communication control unit 144, and a wireless communication unit 145. The communication control unit 144 is connected to the control unit 150 of the main body 120, and transmits control signals from the processor unit 142 and receives detection signals from the control unit 150 of the main body 120 indicating various states.

[0028] The wireless communication unit 145 notifies the following muck loader 200 of the end of muck dumping or muck loading in accordance with a command from the processor unit 142. This notification of the end of muck dumping or loading also serves as a start command to start the loading operation of the muck loader 200, as will be described later. Alternatively, the wireless communication unit 145 may be of a type that performs wireless communication with the monitoring system 500.

[0029] The processor unit 142 can realize various functions by executing programs stored in a memory (not shown). In this embodiment, the processor unit 142 is equipped with a control unit 142.1, a blasting completion recognition unit 142.2, a rubble area recognition unit 142.3, a position detection unit 142.4, and an automatic control unit 142.5.

[0030] The blasting completion recognition unit 142.2 recognizes that the blasting process is completed mainly using visible light image data from the video camera S12. The rubble area recognition unit 142.3 recognizes the rubble area in front of the tunnel face after blasting mainly using visible light image data and infrared image data from the video camera S12 and the thermal camera S13. The position detection unit 142.4 detects how far the main body 120 is from the tunnel face 12 and the tunnel wall using three-dimensional data from the three-dimensional scanner S11. More specifically, the recognition of the tunnel face and wall, whether or not blasting is completed, and the rubble area in front of the tunnel face are possible based on the information from the video camera S12. In addition, the recognition of water (spring water) and the recognition of the machine and rubble are possible based on the information from the thermal camera S12, and the recognition of the distance from the main body 120 to surrounding objects such as the tunnel face and rubble are possible based on the information from the three-dimensional scanner.

[0031] The automatic control unit 142.5 controls the control unit 150 of the main body 120 while referring to the position of the main body 120 detected by the position detection unit 142.4 and the position of the rubble area in front of the face recognized by the rubble area recognition unit 142.3, and executes a series of automatic operation operations, such as loading rubble 13 in front of the face, transporting it to the temporary rubble storage area 14, dumping rubble into the temporary rubble storage area 14, and moving to the front of the face. However, when blasting, the machine is required to retreat in advance to a location at least about 100 m away from the face 12 toward the mine mouth.

[0032] In this embodiment, the blasting completion recognition unit 142.2, the rubble area recognition unit 142.3, and the position detection unit 142.4 are AI recognition units using a learning model constructed by deep learning. As is well known, deep learning technology has excellent image recognition capabilities, and by providing many characteristic image data such as actual blasting completion images and rubble images in front of the face obtained by a video camera and a thermal camera, and 3D data obtained by the 3D scanner S11 as teacher data, it is possible to adjust neuron parameters and construct a learning model with sufficiently small errors.

[0033] The AI ​​recognition units of the blasting completion recognition unit 142.2, the rubble area recognition unit 142.3 and the position detection unit 142.4 can be constructed on a general-purpose server or a personal computer, but it is preferable to use a GPU to perform deep learning calculations. For example, the rubble area recognition unit 142.3 can recognize the situation in front of the face and estimate the rubble area based on the three-dimensional data of the position of the main body 120 from the position detection unit 142.4 and the visible light image data and infrared image data from the video camera and thermal camera from the rubble area recognition unit 142.3, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0034] As shown diagrammatically in Fig. 6, the rubble area recognition unit 142.3 uses a learning model to segment an image area 600 in the face direction into a face area 601, a tunnel wall area 602, a rubble area in front of the face 603, and a possible area 604 of the tunnel floor. Based on this segmented image, the automatic control unit 142.5 moves the wheel loader 100 in front of the rubble area 603, and executes a series of tasks including loading, transporting, and dumping the rubble. The overall control flow of the wheel loader 100 will now be described with reference to Fig. 7.

[0035] 2.2) Automatic Driving Control In FIG. 7, the control unit 142.1 of the automatic operation control device 140 controls the control unit 150 of the main body 120 to move to a location at least about 100 m away from the face 12 toward the mine entrance and wait before blasting the face 12 (operation 701).

[0036] The blasting completion recognition unit 142.2 detects that the blasting work has been safely completed from the data of the three-dimensional scanner S11, the video camera S12, and the thermal camera S13 (operation 702). It is extremely important for safety to estimate the possibility of the collapse of the tunnel or the outflow of spring water after blasting. The blasting completion recognition unit 142.2 can estimate the possibility of collapse near the face and the side of the tunnel by recognizing deformation of the shape from the three-dimensional data, infrared image data, and visible light image data, and can also estimate the possibility of spring water from the temperature distribution of the infrared image data.

[0037] Next, the rubble area recognition unit 142.3 recognizes the rubble area 603 in front of the face mainly from image data of the video camera S12 and the thermal camera S13, and identifies the position of the wheel loader body 120 relative to the rubble area 603 from the three-dimensional data acquired by the three-dimensional scanner S11 (operation S703). At that time, the amount of rubble in front of the face may be estimated.

[0038] When the position of the wheel loader's main body 120 relative to the rubble area 603 in front of the face is identified, the automatic control unit 142.5 controls the travel control unit 151 of the main body 120 to move the main body 120 to the front of the rubble area 603, and controls the bucket and boom control unit 152 to load rubble into the bucket 122 (operation 704). Next, the automatic control unit 142.5 moves the main body 120 in the direction of the tunnel mouth to the temporary rubble storage area 14, and the bucket and boom control unit 152 dumps the rubble in the bucket 122 into the temporary rubble storage area 14 (operation 705). The above operations 703 to 705 are repeated until all the rubble in the rubble area 603 has been transported to the temporary rubble storage area 14 (YES in operation 706).

[0039] When the debris area recognition unit 142.3 determines that there is no debris remaining in the debris area 603 (NO in operation 706), the control unit 142.1 transmits a debris loading completion notification from the wireless communication unit 145 via the communication control unit 144 to the debris loader 200 (operation 707). After transmitting the debris loading completion notification, the wheel loader 100 returns to the waiting area before the next blasting operation is performed (operation 708). The debris loading machine 200 can start debris loading operation in response to the debris loading completion notification.

[0040] In this embodiment, the completion of rubble loading is notified when all the rubble in front of the face is transported to the temporary rubble storage site 14, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the completion of rubble loading notification may be sent to the rubble loader 200 when a predetermined amount of rubble has been loaded into the temporary rubble storage site 14. In this case, the rubble transporting operation of the wheel loader 100 and the rubble loading operation of the rubble loader 200 proceed in parallel, enabling efficient removal of rubble.

[0041] 2.3) Effects The wheel loader of this embodiment can automate a series of operations, such as recognizing the completion of blasting at the face using the blasting completion recognition unit 142.2 (3D data in the face direction, infrared image data, and visible light image), recognizing the rubble area in front of the face using the rubble area recognition unit 142.3 (3D data, visible light image data, and infrared image data), and transporting the rubble in front of the face to the temporary rubble storage area after blasting is completed and dumping it there, thereby making the rubble removal work more efficient.

[0042] 3. Muck loader As described above, when the muck loader 200 receives a muck loading completion notification from the wheel loader 100, it starts the muck loading operation of loading the muck from the temporary muck storage site 14 in the muck scooping area onto the muck transporter 300. The configuration and functions of the muck loader 200 will be described below.

[0043] 8, the muck loader 200 includes a running body 210, a muck rake-in mechanism 220, a loading mechanism 240, and an automatic driving control device 250. The running body 210 includes a pair of left and right crawlers 212, a drive unit 214 that rotates the crawlers 212 forward and backward, and a machine body 216 supported by the pair of left and right crawlers 212. Note that the running body 210 can be configured in a variety of conventionally known ways.

[0044] The debris shoveling mechanism 220 includes a boom 230 and a debris shoveling bucket 221. The boom 230 includes a rear boom 234 swingably supported on the machine body 216 via a boom support frame 231, a horizontal rotating section 232, and a bracket 233, a front boom 235 swingably supported on the rear boom 234, a rear hydraulic cylinder 236 that swings the rear boom 234 up and down, and a front hydraulic cylinder 237 that swings the front boom 235 up and down.

[0045] The bucket 221 is provided at the tip of a front boom 235 so as to be able to swing up and down, and a bucket hydraulic cylinder 238 for swinging the bucket 221 up and down is provided on the front boom 235. Note that various conventionally known configurations can be adopted for the configuration of such a boom 230 and bucket 221. Note that a horizontal swivel part 232 to which the rear end of the rear boom 234 is connected is provided on one side of the machine body 216 in the width direction.

[0046] The loading mechanism 240 is composed of a conveyor device, and therefore, hereinafter, the conveyor device will be denoted by the reference number 240. The conveyor device 240 is supported on the vehicle body 216 and extends along the extension direction of the tunnel 10. The conveyor device 240 includes a conveyor frame 241, a driving roller 242, a driven roller 243, a belt 244 wound around the rollers 242 and 243, a tension device (not shown) for the belt 244, a pair of conveyor side plates 245, and a conveyor front plate 246. The conveyor device 240 is provided at the center of the vehicle body 216 in the vehicle width direction.

[0047] The conveyor frame 241 is supported by the machine body 216, and the drive roller 242, the driven roller 243, and the tension device for the belt 244 are supported by the conveyor frame 241. The belt 244 is wound around the drive roller 242 and the driven roller 243 to form a first conveying path 244A (outgoing path) for conveying the shear by the running of the belt 244, and a return path 244B below the first conveying path 244A, and a plurality of guide rollers (not shown) are arranged on the underside of the first conveying path 244A.

[0048] A pair of conveyor side panels 245 are provided on either side of the first conveying path 244A and have a slope in the width direction of the first conveying path 244A such that the height gradually increases from both sides of the first conveying path 244A, thereby ensuring smooth transport of debris along the first conveying path 244A.

[0049] In plan view, the first conveying path 244A passes through the center of the machine body 216 in the width direction, and the upstream end 247 of the first conveying path 244A protrudes toward the face 12 side more than the running body 210 and the machine body 216, and the downstream end 248 of the first conveying path 244A protrudes farther toward the tunnel mouth side than the running body 210 and the machine body 216. In addition, in a side view, the first conveying path 244A is provided with an upstream end 247 located near the tunnel floor surface 11, and with an inclination that gradually rises from the upstream end 247 toward the downstream end 248. The height of the downstream end 248 is set so that the front part of the muck transport vehicle 300 can enter below the downstream end 248 and muck can be dropped from the downstream end 248 onto the muck transport vehicle 300 described later. The conveyor rear plate 246 is provided at the upstream end 247 of the first transport path 244A and connects the rear ends of the conveyor side plates 245 on both sides, and the driven roller 243 is located on the face 12 side of the conveyor rear plate 246.

[0050] The rubble scraped off by the bucket 221 is loaded onto the upstream end 247 of the first transport path 244A on the inside of the conveyor rear plate 246 and both side conveyor side plates 245, and the rubble is dropped from the downstream end 248 onto the rubble loading section of the rubble transport cart 300. Note that the conveyor device can be configured in a variety of conventionally known ways.

[0051] 9, the operation of the muck loader 200 is controlled by a control unit 260. More specifically, the control unit 260 includes a loading control unit 261, a traveling control unit 262, and a packet boom control unit 263, the loading control unit 261 controls the conveyor device 240, the traveling control unit 262 controls the traveling body 210 and the drive unit 214, and the packet boom control unit 263 controls the muck rake mechanism 220 through a hydraulic gauge 270. The control unit 260 is controlled by an automatic driving control device 250, which will be described later.

[0052] The automatic operation control device 250 performs automatic operation control of the muck loader 200 using the output signal of the sensor unit S2. The sensor unit S2 includes a three-dimensional scanner S21, a video camera S22, and a thermal camera S23. The three-dimensional scanner S21 outputs three-dimensional data (X, Y, Z point cloud data) of the front of the muck loader 200 (the direction in which the three-dimensional scanner S21 faces, here the face direction) or its surroundings. The video camera S22 is a visible light camera, and outputs visible light image data of the front of the muck loader 200 (the direction in which the video camera S22 faces, here the face direction). The thermal camera S23 is an infrared camera, and outputs infrared image (temperature distribution image) data of the front of the muck loader 200 (the direction in which the thermal camera S23 faces, here the face direction). For example, the three-dimensional data from the three-dimensional scanner S21 can be used to detect the distance between the pile of rubble and the rubble loader 200, the distance between the pile of rubble and the wheel loader 100, etc. Also, visible light image data from the video camera S22 can be used to detect the pile of rubble and machines such as the wheel loader 100, etc. Furthermore, infrared image data from the thermal camera S13 can be used to distinguish between rubble and machines and to detect machines such as the wheel loader 100, etc.

[0053] The automatic driving control device 250 has a wireless communication unit and can wirelessly connect with the wheel loader 100 at the front stage and the muck transport vehicle 300 at the rear stage. The automatic driving control device 250 also has an AI recognition unit that recognizes the situation in the direction in which the video camera S22 of the muck loader 200 is facing (here, the face direction) using three-dimensional data and visible light images, and recognizes the muck area in the muck temporary storage site 14 using three-dimensional data, visible light images, and infrared images. When the automatic driving control device 250 receives a muck loading completion notification from the wheel loader 100, it controls the control unit 260 while referring to the position of the muck loader 200 and the position of the muck area in the muck temporary storage site 14, operates the muck rake-in mechanism 220 to rake in the muck in the muck temporary storage site 14 into the conveyor device 240, and feeds the rake-in muck into the muck transport vehicle 300 by the conveyor device 240. The automatic driving control device 250 executes this series of automatic driving operations.

[0054] As described above, the muck loader 200 according to this embodiment can collect the excavated muck transported to the temporary muck storage area 14 by the muck rake-in mechanism 220, and feed it directly into the muck transport vehicle 300 arranged at the rear by the conveyor device 240. In this embodiment, the sensor unit S2 and the automatic operation control device 250 can realize automatic muck loading work without the need for an operator. This not only enables labor and manpower saving during the excavation muck loading work, but also allows the face working area to be released early by quickly processing the face muck after blasting, and makes it easy to move to the next process of support work, thereby achieving a smooth tunnel excavation cycle.

[0055] The muck transporter 300 can start the transporting operation of transporting the loaded muck to the crusher 400 upon receiving a notification of the end of muck input from the muck loader 200 .

[0056] 4. Muck removal system The wheel loader 100, muck loader 200 and muck transporter 300 described above operate while communicating wirelessly with each other or according to instructions from the monitoring system 500, and can efficiently and automatically transport the muck 13 in front of the face to the crusher 400.

[0057] The wheel loader recognizes the completion of blasting and the debris area in front of the face based on visible light images, infrared images, and 3D data, and after blasting is completed, transports the debris in front of the face to the temporary debris storage area and dumps it there. The debris loader 200 uses the debris dumping mechanism 220 to scrape together the excavated debris transported to the temporary debris storage area 14, and dumps it directly into the debris transport vehicle 300 located behind it by the conveyor device 240. The debris transport vehicle 300 transports the loaded debris to the crusher 400.

[0058] The rubble fed into the hopper 401 of the crusher 400 is crushed in the crushing section of the crusher 400, transferred from the belt conveyor 402 to a tailpiece cart 403, which loads the rubble onto the upstream end of the conveying path of a continuous belt conveyor device 404, and transported by the continuous conveyor belt 404 toward the mine mouth.

[0059] 5. Other embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can also be applied to a muck discharge system exemplified in Fig. 10. The muck discharge system in Fig. 10 will be described below, with the same reference numerals being used to designate components having the same functions as those in the above-described embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0060] In Fig. 10, a shuttle car 800 and an L-shaped retaining wall 801 are placed on the face side of the muck loader 200. Here, the L-shaped retaining wall 801 is the muck rake-in area of ​​the muck loader 200. The shuttle car 800 has a chain conveyor inside the box, and transports the muck loaded by the wheel loader 100 in the direction of the mine mouth to the L-shaped retaining wall 801. Therefore, the wheel loader 100 only needs to move back and forth between the face 12 and the shuttle car 800. This makes the travel distance of the wheel loader 100 shorter than in the muck removal system exemplified in Fig. 1, improving work efficiency.

[0061] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the rubble transported by the rubble loader 200 is directly loaded onto the crusher 400. The rubble fed into the crusher 400 is crushed, and the crushed rubble is loaded onto a dump truck 900 from the belt conveyor 402 of the crusher 400 and transported in the direction of the mine mouth.

[0062] In this way, the wheel loader 100 transports the debris in front of the face after blasting to the shuttle car 800, and the debris is transported by the shuttle car 800 to the L-shaped retaining wall 801 in front of the debris loader 200. The debris in the L-shaped retaining wall 801 is dumped into the crusher 400 by the debris loader 200, and the debris crushed by the crusher 400 is transported by the dump truck 900 in the direction of the mine mouth. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 10. Tunnel 11 Tunnel floor 12 Cutting Edge 13 Cutting edge forward 14 Temporary rubble storage area 100 Wheel Loader 120 Body 122 Bucket 124 Boom 140 Automatic Driving Control Device 141 Interface 142 Processor section 142.1 Controls 142.2 Blasting completion recognition section 142.3 Shear area recognition part 142.4 Position detector 142.5 Automatic Control Units 143 Data Storage Unit 144 Communication control section 145 Wireless Communication Department 150 Control section 151 Driving control unit 152 Bucket boom control unit 160 Drive and braking system 170 Engine 180 Hydraulic System 200 Muck Loader 300 Muck Carrier 400 Crusher 800 Shuttle Car 900 Dump

Claims

1. A system for transporting debris in tunnel construction, comprising: a debris loader disposed between a tunnel face and a tunnel entrance; and transporting debris in front of the tunnel face to the tunnel entrance through the debris loader; A wheel loader having a muck loading unit and reciprocating between the front of the face and a predetermined point on the face side from the muck loading machine, a sensor unit including a 3D scanner, a visible light camera, and a thermal camera; A communication unit capable of communicating with at least the muck loader; an automatic driving control unit that controls the traveling of the wheel loader and the driving of the muck loading unit based on the output of the sensor unit; having The automatic driving control unit, a) based on the three-dimensional data obtained by the three-dimensional scanner, the visible light image data obtained by the visible light camera, and the infrared image data obtained by the thermal camera, the position of the wheel loader, the completion of blasting at the face, and the rubble area in front of the face are recognized, b) When the completion of blasting is recognized, the debris in front of the face is loaded onto the debris loading section, moved to the specified point, and the debris loaded onto the debris loading section is dumped into the specified point. A wheel loader characterized by the above.

2. 2. The wheel loader according to claim 1, wherein the automatic operation control unit notifies the muck loader of completion of dumping when a predetermined amount of muck has been dumped at the predetermined point.

3. 2. The wheel loader according to claim 1, wherein the automatic operation control unit notifies the muck loader of completion of loading when the muck in front of the face has been dumped at the predetermined point.

4. The wheel loader according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the automatic driving control unit controls the wheel loader to wait at a designated waiting location before blasting, to transport debris by moving back and forth between the face and the designated point after blasting is completed, and to return to the designated waiting location after the debris in front of the face has been dumped at the designated point.

5. The wheel loader according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the automatic driving control unit includes at least one processor and executes a) using a machine learning model.

6. 4. The wheel loader according to claim 1, wherein the muck loading section is of a side dump type that can swing laterally.

7. 4. The wheel loader according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined point is a rubble shoveling area of ​​the rubble loader.

8. The wheel loader according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a shuttle car is provided between the specified point and the muck loader, and the shuttle car transports the muck at the specified point to a muck shoveling area of ​​the muck loader.

9. 4. The wheel loader according to claim 1, wherein the debris is loaded from the debris loader onto a debris transport vehicle, a crusher or a dump truck.

10. A method for automatically controlling operation of a wheel loader that travels back and forth between the tunnel face and a predetermined point on the tunnel face side from the muck loader, the method comprising: disposing at least a muck loader between a tunnel face and a tunnel entrance; transporting muck in front of the tunnel face to the tunnel entrance through at least the muck loader; a muck loading unit; a sensor unit including a 3D scanner, a visible light camera, and a thermal camera; a communication unit capable of communicating with at least the muck loader; and at least one processor; The at least one processor: a) Using a machine learning model, the position of the wheel loader, the completion of blasting at the face, and the debris area in front of the face are recognized based on the three-dimensional data obtained by the three-dimensional scanner, the visible light image data obtained by the visible light camera, and the infrared image data obtained by the thermal camera; b) When the completion of blasting is recognized, the debris in front of the face is loaded onto the debris loading section, moved to the specified point, and the debris loaded onto the debris loading section is dumped into the specified point. A method for automatically controlling operation of a wheel loader.

11. 11. The method for controlling automatic operation of a wheel loader according to claim 10, wherein the at least one processor notifies the muck loader of completion of dumping when a predetermined amount of muck has been dumped at the predetermined point.

12. 11. The method for controlling automatic operation of a wheel loader according to claim 10, wherein the at least one processor notifies the muck loader of completion of loading when the muck in front of the face is finished being dumped at the predetermined point.

13. The automatic driving control method for a wheel loader according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the at least one processor controls the wheel loader to wait at a designated waiting location before blasting, to transport debris by traveling back and forth between the face and the designated point after blasting is completed, and to return to the designated waiting location after the debris in front of the face has been dumped at the designated point.

14. 13. The method for controlling automatic driving of a wheel loader according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the predetermined point is a rubble shoveling area of ​​the rubble loader.

15. The method for controlling automatic driving of a wheel loader according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that a shuttle car is provided between the specified point and the muck loader, and the shuttle car transports the muck at the specified point to a muck shoveling area of ​​the muck loader.

16. The method for controlling automatic operation of a wheel loader according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the muck from the muck loader is loaded onto a muck transport vehicle, a crusher or a dump truck.

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