Bracket for sensor mounting, sensor cable unit, and sensor unit replacement method

Abstract

To provide a technique relating to a bracket for sensor mounting which enables selective mounting of sensor units having different specifications of bolt pitches for fixation.SOLUTION: There is provided a bracket for sensor mounting for mounting a sensor unit on a construction machine, wherein a plurality of sets of bolt holes for fixation enabling selective fixation of sensor units having different specifications of bolt pitches for fixation are arranged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sensor mounting bracket, a sensor cable unit, and a sensor unit replacement method. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of civil engineering construction, information-based construction technology that utilizes information and communication technology (ICT) to realize highly efficient and highly accurate construction is known. As an example of information-based construction technology, a machine guidance (MG) system that acquires the position of a construction machine (heavy construction machine) using a position measuring device such as a total station or a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and provides information on the difference between design data of a construction site and current topographical data to a monitor in the driver's seat of the construction machine to guide (guide) the manual operation of the construction machine by an operator, and a machine control (MC) system that operates the construction machine automatically or autonomously have been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] An example of a construction machine to which information-based construction technology is applied is a hydraulic excavator equipped with a working device consisting of a boom, an arm, a bucket, etc. When the above-mentioned machine guidance system or machine control system is applied to a hydraulic excavator, it is important to obtain not only the position of the machine but also attitude information regarding the working device in order to present various information to the operator so that the bucket operates along the construction target surface, or to operate the working device automatically or autonomously. Therefore, in the above-mentioned system, sensor units (e.g., angle sensor units) are attached to the working devices such as the boom, arm, and bucket, and attitude information regarding the working device is obtained based on the output signals of each sensor unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-115325 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, the above-mentioned sensor unit is usually attached to a working device such as a boom, an arm, or a bucket via a sensor mounting bracket. For example, the sensor mounting bracket to which the sensor unit is fixed by a fixing bolt is attached to an appropriate position of the construction machine by welding or the like.

[0006] Incidentally, the above-mentioned sensor units vary in size depending on the manufacturer (hereinafter simply referred to as "manufacturer"). As a result, the spacing between the fixing bolts (hereinafter referred to as "fixing bolt pitch") used to fix the sensor unit to the sensor mounting bracket varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and is not standardized.

[0007] Therefore, when replacing a sensor unit already installed on a construction machine with one of a different manufacturer and with different specifications, it is necessary to remove the existing sensor mounting bracket from the construction machine and then attach a new sensor mounting bracket to the construction machine, due to the difference in the fixing bolt pitch specifications between manufacturers. In other words, it is necessary to replace the sensor mounting bracket on the construction machine with one that matches the bolt pitch specifications of the newly installed sensor unit, which is a lot of work and effort. In particular, leasing companies that lease construction machines often need to install sensor units on the construction machines they lease to users (customers). The workload was significant because the parts needed to be replaced according to customer specifications.

[0008] The technology disclosed herein has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide technology relating to a sensor mounting bracket that can selectively mount sensor units with different fixing bolt pitch specifications. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present disclosure solves the above problems in the following aspects. That is, the gist of the technology according to the present disclosure is as follows. [Aspect 1] The technology disclosed herein for solving the above problems is as follows: A sensor mounting bracket for mounting a sensor unit to a construction machine, A plurality of sets of sensor fixing bolt holes are arranged to selectively fix sensor units having different fixing bolt pitch specifications.

[0010] [Aspect 2] A sensor mounting bracket according to aspect 1; A shared sensor cable attached to the construction machine; Equipped with the shared sensor cable is connectable by a connector to a dedicated sensor cable which is directly connected to a sensor unit fixed to the sensor mounting bracket; Sensor cable unit.

[0011] [Aspect 3] A plurality of said sensor mounting brackets; A plurality of the shared sensor cables; Equipped with A plurality of the shared sensor cables are arranged at intervals along a cable arrangement path of the construction machine, and the sensor mounting bracket is arranged between each of the shared sensor cables. 3. The sensor cable unit according to embodiment 2.

[0012] [Aspect 4] The shared sensor cable is longer than the dedicated sensor cable. The sensor cable unit according to embodiment 3.

[0013] [Aspect 5] With the sensor mounting bracket according to aspect 1 attached to the construction machine, the sensor unit fixed to the sensor mounting bracket is replaced with a different type of sensor unit from a different manufacturer. How to replace the sensor unit.

[0014] [Aspect 6] With the sensor mounting bracket and the shared sensor cable according to aspect 2 attached to the construction machine, the sensor unit fixed to the sensor mounting bracket and the dedicated sensor cable directly connected to the sensor unit are replaced with different sensor units and dedicated sensor cables from different manufacturers, respectively. How to replace the sensor unit. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technique relating to a sensor mounting bracket that allows selective mounting of sensor units having different fixing bolt pitch specifications. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sensor mounting bracket according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hydraulic excavator, which is an example of a construction machine to which the sensor cable unit is applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a sensor cable unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which each sensor cable is connected to a connector in the sensing system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the sensor mounting bracket according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a typical manner in which the sensor units of each manufacturer are attached to the sensor attachment bracket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] <Embodiment> The sensor mounting bracket according to this embodiment is A sensor mounting bracket for mounting a sensor unit to a construction machine, A plurality of sets of sensor fixing bolt holes are arranged to selectively fix sensor units having different fixing bolt pitch specifications.

[0019] In addition, the sensor cable unit of this embodiment comprises a sensor mounting bracket and a shared sensor cable that is attached to a construction machine, and the shared sensor cable is a dedicated sensor cable that is directly connected to the sensor unit fixed to the sensor mounting bracket and can be connected via a connector to the dedicated sensor cable dedicated to that sensor unit.

[0020] Hereinafter, a sensor mounting bracket according to an embodiment and a sensor cable unit including the same will be described.

[0021] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sensor mounting bracket 1 according to an embodiment. The shape of the sensor mounting bracket 1 is not particularly limited, but in the example shown in Fig. 1, it has a rectangular plate shape. The sensor mounting bracket 1 is provided with a fixing bolt hole 9 for fixing a sensor unit SU, which will be described later. The fixing bolt hole 9 is provided with, for example, a thread groove into which a fixing bolt can be screwed.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hydraulic excavator 3, which is an example of a construction machine to which a sensor cable unit 2 including a sensor mounting bracket 1 is applied. First, the hydraulic excavator 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The hydraulic excavator 3 includes a machine body (upper rotating body) 32 including a driver's seat 31, a boom 33, an arm 34, a bucket 35, a lower moving body 36 as a traveling device, and the like. The boom 33, the arm 34, and the bucket 35 are driving work devices in the hydraulic excavator 3. The lower moving body 36 has a pair of crawlers and can move by self-propelling at a construction site, and construction such as excavation can be performed on the ground surface at the construction site by operating the machine body 32, the boom 33, the arm 34, and the bucket 35, which are movable parts.

[0023] The hydraulic excavator 3 is configured as a construction machine having a machine guidance (MG) function or a machine control (MC) function using information construction technology, and the back of the machine body 32 A receiver (antenna) 37 for a Global Navigation Satellite System (hereinafter abbreviated as “GNSS”) is attached to the vehicle body, making it possible to determine the position of the hydraulic excavator 3.

[0024] Sensor units SU1, SU2, SU3, and SU4 incorporating sensors are attached to each of the movable parts of the machine body (upper rotating body) 32, boom 33, arm 34, and bucket 35. The type of sensor included in each of the sensor units SU1 to SU4 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, an angle sensor for detecting the tilt angle of each of the movable parts. When there is no need to distinguish between the sensor units SU1 to SU4, they may be simply written as "SU."

[0025] Each sensor unit SU can be fixed with bolts to a sensor mounting bracket 1 shown in Fig. 1, and is attached to the hydraulic excavator 3 via the sensor mounting bracket 1. The sensor mounting bracket 1 is fixed to an appropriate location of the hydraulic excavator 3 (body 32, boom 33, arm 34, bucket 35, etc.) by, for example, welding. However, the method of fixing the sensor mounting bracket 1 to the hydraulic excavator 3 is not particularly limited.

[0026] The output signals (detection results) of each of the sensor units SU1 to SU4 are input to the controller 5 (see FIG. 3) through a sensor cable described later. Based on the detection results of each of the sensor units SU1 to SU4, it is possible to monitor the tip position of the bucket 35 relative to the body 32 of the hydraulic excavator 3. For example, based on the monitoring results of the tip position of the bucket 35 of the hydraulic excavator 3, information on the difference between the design data of the construction site and the current topographical data is displayed on the driver's seat monitor of the operator's seat 31, thereby realizing a machine guidance function that guides the operation of the hydraulic excavator 3 by the operator. Alternatively, based on the monitoring results of the tip position of the bucket 35 of the hydraulic excavator 3, machine control may be performed to automatically or autonomously operate the hydraulic excavator 3. These machine guidance and machine control related controls are publicly known, so detailed explanations will be omitted here.

[0027] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a sensor cable unit 2 according to an embodiment. The sensor cable unit 2 includes a sensor mounting bracket 1 and a shared sensor cable 4. As an example, the sensor cable unit 2 includes a plurality of sensor mounting brackets 1 and a plurality of shared sensor cables 4. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the sensor cable unit 2 includes four sensor mounting brackets 1A to 1D and three shared sensor cables 4A to 4C. In this embodiment, a sensing system S is constructed including the above-mentioned sensor cable unit 2, each of the sensor units SU1 to SU4, a controller 5, a sensor cable 6 for the controller, and the like.

[0028] In the sensing system S, the controller 5 is installed, for example, in the operator's seat 31 of the hydraulic excavator 3. One end of a controller sensor cable 6 is connected to the controller 5, and the other end of the controller sensor cable 6 is connected via a connector to a dedicated sensor cable 7 which is directly connected to the sensor unit SU1 fixed to the sensor mounting bracket 1A.

[0029] The dedicated sensor cable 7 is a sensor cable that is directly connected to the sensor unit SU and is a dedicated sensor cable prepared to match the specifications of the sensor unit SU. For example, the specifications of the dedicated sensor cable 7 may differ depending on the manufacturer of the sensor unit SU.

[0030] 3, the sensor mounting brackets 1 are arranged in the order of 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D from the side closest to the controller 5. Also, the shared sensor cables 4 are arranged in the order of 4A, 4B, and 4C from the side closest to the controller 5.

[0031] In this embodiment, the shared sensor cable 4 is a sensor cable that can be used in common regardless of the manufacturer of the sensor unit SU attached to the sensor attachment bracket 1, unlike the dedicated sensor cable 7 described above. The shared sensor cables 4A to 4C are attached to appropriate positions of the hydraulic excavator 3, which is a construction machine, by cable attachment fittings or the like so as to extend along the cable arrangement path of the hydraulic excavator 3. The cable arrangement path is not limited to a specific path, but is set along the extension direction of the boom 33 and arm 34, which are driving work devices of the hydraulic excavator 3, in the example shown in FIG. 2. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the shared sensor cables 4A to 4C are intermittently arranged along the cable arrangement path. In other words, the shared sensor cables 4A to 4C are attached to the hydraulic excavator 3 so as to be arranged at intervals (spaced) from each other along the cable arrangement path, and the sensor attachment brackets 1A to 1C (and the sensor units SU1 to SU3 attached thereto) are arranged between the shared sensor cables 4A to 4C.

[0032] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which each sensor cable is connected to a connector in a sensing system S according to the embodiment. In Fig. 4, one dedicated sensor cable 7 is connected to a connector in the sensor unit SU4 located at the forefront, and two dedicated sensor cables 7 are connected to connectors in the other sensor units SU1 to SU3. Also, reference numeral 8 in Figs. 3 and 4 denotes a connector for connecting the sensor cables together.

[0033] In this embodiment, the shared sensor cables 4A to 4C are longer than the dedicated sensor cable 7, as shown in FIGS.

[0034] Next, an arrangement of the fixing bolt holes 9 in the sensor mounting bracket 1 will be described. Fig. 5 is a front view of the sensor mounting bracket 1 according to the embodiment. The sensor mounting bracket 1 has a plurality of sets of fixing bolt holes 9 arranged therein, which can selectively fix sensor units SU having different fixing bolt pitch specifications due to differences in manufacturers. The arrangement of the fixing bolt holes 9 shown in Fig. 5 is one example, and here, an example arrangement of the fixing bolt holes 9 will be described, which can selectively attach three types of sensor units SU (manufacturers A, B, and C) having different fixing bolt pitch specifications for each manufacturer.

[0035] In the drawing, reference symbol 9A denotes a fixing bolt hole (hereinafter referred to as a "first fixing bolt hole") used when fixing the sensor unit SU of manufacturer A to the sensor mounting bracket 1. A plurality of first fixing bolt holes 9A are collectively referred to as a "first fixing bolt hole set." The number of first fixing bolt holes 9A included in the first fixing bolt hole set is not particularly limited as long as it is more than one.

[0036] Reference symbol 9B denotes a fixing bolt hole (hereinafter referred to as a "second fixing bolt hole") used when fixing the sensor unit SU of manufacturer B to the sensor mounting bracket 1. A plurality of second fixing bolt holes 9B are collectively referred to as a "second fixing bolt hole set." The number of second fixing bolt holes 9B included in the second fixing bolt hole set is not particularly limited as long as it is plural.

[0037] Reference symbol 9C denotes a fixing bolt hole (hereinafter referred to as the "third fixing bolt hole") used when fixing the sensor unit SU of manufacturer C to the sensor mounting bracket 1. Reference symbol 9D denotes a fixing bolt hole (hereinafter referred to as the "cover mounting bolt hole") used when fixing the cover of the sensor unit SU of manufacturer C to the sensor mounting bracket 1. The multiple third fixing bolt holes 9C are also collectively referred to as a "third fixing bolt hole set." The number of third fixing bolt holes 9C included in the third fixing bolt hole set is not particularly limited as long as there is more than one. Moreover, the multiple fourth fixing bolt holes 9D are also collectively referred to as a "fourth fixing bolt hole set." The number of fourth fixing bolt holes 9D included in the fourth fixing bolt hole set is not particularly limited as long as there is more than one.

[0038] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the manner in which sensor units SU of manufacturers A to C are attached to a sensor attachment bracket 1. The manner in which each sensor unit SU of manufacturer A is attached is shown in the upper row, the middle row is shown in the middle row, and the lower row is shown in the lower row. Symbol BT in Fig. 6 denotes a bolt for fixing the housing of each sensor unit SU or a cover (not shown) that protects the housing to the sensor attachment bracket 1. Of course, the external shape of the housing of the sensor unit SU shown in Fig. 6, such as the size, is merely an example and is not particularly limited.

[0039] As described above, the sensor mounting bracket 1 according to this embodiment can selectively mount a plurality of types of sensor units SU having different fixing bolt pitch specifications depending on the manufacturer, thereby providing a highly versatile sensor mounting bracket 1. Therefore, for example, the sensor unit SU can be easily replaced with a different type of sensor unit without removing the sensor mounting bracket 1 welded to the boom 33, arm 34, bucket 35, etc. of the hydraulic excavator 3. In other words, according to the sensor mounting bracket 1 according to this embodiment, when replacing the sensor unit SU used in the hydraulic excavator 3, it is not necessary to remove or replace the sensor mounting bracket 1 from the hydraulic excavator 3, thereby eliminating the time and effort required for these operations.

[0040] For example, when a leasing company ships a hydraulic excavator 3 (construction machine) to a user (customer), it is necessary to replace the sensor unit SU mounted on the hydraulic excavator 3 with one of a type (manufacturer) specified by the user (customer). In response to this, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a sensor unit replacement method in which the sensor unit SU fixed to the sensor mounting bracket 1 is replaced with a different type of sensor unit from a different manufacturer while the sensor mounting bracket 1 is attached to the hydraulic excavator 3 (construction machine). This makes it unnecessary to replace the sensor unit together with the sensor mounting bracket as in the conventional method, and allows the sensor unit SU to be easily replaced as a single unit, which contributes to reducing the labor required for the sensor unit SU replacement work.

[0041] In the sensor cable unit 2 including the sensor mounting bracket 1 and the shared sensor cable 4 according to this embodiment, the shared sensor cable 4 is configured to be connectable to the dedicated sensor cable 7 via a connector. Here, the dedicated sensor cable 7 is a dedicated cable configured to conform to the specifications of the sensor unit SU. Therefore, the specifications of the dedicated sensor cable 7 may differ depending on the manufacturer of the sensor unit SU, and when the sensor unit SU attached to the sensor mounting bracket 1 is replaced with one from another manufacturer, the dedicated sensor cable 7 is also replaced accordingly. In contrast, the shared sensor cable 4 that can be connected to the dedicated sensor cable 7 via a connector can be used as a shared cable regardless of the specifications of the sensor unit SU attached to the sensor mounting bracket 1. In other words, unlike the dedicated sensor cable 7, the shared sensor cable 4 can continue to be used even when the sensor unit SU attached to the sensor mounting bracket 1 is replaced with one from another manufacturer. In other words, when the sensor unit SU attached to the sensor mounting bracket 1 is replaced with one from another manufacturer, there is no need to replace the shared sensor cable 4 accordingly, which contributes to reducing labor. As described above, according to this embodiment, when the sensor mounting bracket 1 and the shared sensor cable 4 are attached to the hydraulic excavator 3 (construction machine), In this case, it is possible to provide a sensor unit replacement method for replacing the sensor unit SU fixed to the sensor mounting bracket 1 and the dedicated sensor cable 7 directly connected to the sensor unit SU with a different type of sensor unit SU and dedicated sensor cable 7 from a different manufacturer. This not only eliminates the need to reattach the sensor mounting bracket 1 to the hydraulic excavator 3 (construction machine) when replacing the sensor unit SU, but also eliminates the need to reattach the shared sensor cable 4, which contributes to a significant reduction in labor.

[0042] In particular, in the sensor cable unit 2 according to this embodiment, the lengths of both cables are adjusted so that the shared sensor cable 4 is longer than the dedicated sensor cable 7. In this way, by making the length of the shared sensor cable 4, which does not need to be replaced, longer than the length of the dedicated sensor cable 7, which is associated with the sensor unit SU and needs to be replaced, it is possible to increase the proportion of the length of the shared sensor cable 4 to the overall length of the sensor cable. As a result, it is possible to further reduce the labor involved when replacing the sensor unit SU attached to the sensor mounting bracket 1.

[0043] Moreover, the sensor cable unit 2 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of sensor mounting brackets 1 and a plurality of shared sensor cables 4, and is configured such that the plurality of shared sensor cables 4 are arranged at intervals along a cable arrangement path of a hydraulic excavator 3, which is a construction machine, and the sensor mounting bracket 1 is arranged between each of the shared sensor cables 4. By attaching the plurality of shared sensor cables 4 along the cable arrangement path, it is possible to prevent the length of the sensor cables in the sensing system S from becoming unnecessarily long. Furthermore, by arranging the sensor mounting brackets 1 between each of the shared sensor cables 4, it becomes easier to interconnect the dedicated sensor cable 7 and the shared sensor cable 4 via the connector 8 when replacing the sensor unit SU attached to the sensor mounting bracket 1.

[0044] The above describes the embodiments of the present disclosure, but each configuration and their combinations in the embodiments are merely examples, and the configurations can be added, omitted, replaced, and otherwise modified as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments, but is limited only by the claims. For example, in the above embodiment, a hydraulic excavator 3 is used as a construction machine (heavy machine) to which the sensor mounting bracket 1 and the like are applied, but the sensor mounting bracket 1 and the like may be applied to other construction machines (heavy machines). Furthermore, the number of sensor mounting brackets 1 and shared sensor cables 4 included in the sensing system S (sensor cable unit 2) is not particularly limited. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Sensor mounting bracket 2. Sensor cable unit 3. Hydraulic excavator 4. Shared sensor cable 5. Controller 7. Dedicated sensor cable 8···Connector 9 Fixing bolt hole

Claims

1. A sensor mounting bracket for mounting a sensor unit to a construction machine, A plurality of sets of fixing bolt holes are arranged so that sensor units having different fixing bolt pitch specifications can be selectively fixed. Sensor mounting bracket.

2. The sensor mounting bracket according to claim 1 ; A shared sensor cable attached to the construction machine; Equipped with the shared sensor cable is connectable by a connector to a dedicated sensor cable which is directly connected to a sensor unit fixed to the sensor mounting bracket; Sensor cable unit.

3. A plurality of said sensor mounting brackets; A plurality of the shared sensor cables; Equipped with A plurality of the shared sensor cables are arranged at intervals along a cable arrangement path of the construction machine, and the sensor mounting bracket is arranged between each of the shared sensor cables. The sensor cable unit according to claim 2 .

4. The shared sensor cable is longer than the dedicated sensor cable. The sensor cable unit according to claim 3 .

5. With the sensor mounting bracket according to claim 1 attached to the construction machine, the sensor unit fixed to the sensor mounting bracket is replaced with a different type of sensor unit made by a different manufacturer. How to replace the sensor unit.

6. With the sensor mounting bracket and the shared sensor cable according to claim 2 attached to the construction machine, the sensor unit fixed to the sensor mounting bracket and the dedicated sensor cable directly connected to the sensor unit are replaced with different types of sensor units and dedicated sensor cables from different manufacturers, respectively. How to replace the sensor unit.

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