Controller of holding type pole erecting vehicle

Abstract

To provide a controller of a holding-type pole erecting vehicle capable of supporting proper grip on a columnar object.SOLUTION: A controller of a holding type drilling / pole erecting vehicle includes: a grip part for gripping a utility pole; a camera 160 that is provided to the grip part for picking up the image of the utility pole; an image processing unit 109 that detects the outer contour of the utility pole from the image of the utility pole picked up by the camera 160; and a gripping position / posture calculation unit 110 that identifies the posture of the grip part when holding the utility pole on the basis of the outer contour detected by the image processing unit 109.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for a gripping type pole erection vehicle equipped with a gripping portion for gripping a pole-shaped object such as a utility pole. [Background technology]

[0002] As a type of work vehicle, a pole hole digger vehicle is known that includes a rotating platform provided on the vehicle body so as to be freely rotatable, a boom provided on the rotating platform so as to be freely raised and lowered, an auger device attached to the boom for digging a pole hole for erecting a utility pole, and a gripping device provided at the tip of the boom for gripping a pole-shaped object such as a utility pole (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When digging a pole hole in the ground using this gripping type pole hole digger vehicle, the boom is appropriately operated with the auger device suspended from the tip of the boom, and the auger device is rotated at a predetermined digging position to form a pole hole of a predetermined depth. After the excavation of the pole hole is completed, the auger device is raised and stored on the side of the boom, and the pole is gripped by a gripping part provided on the gripping device that can be opened and closed freely, and with the pole gripped, the boom is operated appropriately and the gripping part is bent, extended, swiveled, and rotated to align the pole in the excavated pole hole and directly erect it. This type of gripping-type pole hole digger vehicle allows the entire pole erection work to be carried out more efficiently than when the pole is hoisted using a winch or crane. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-27190 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above pole erection work, when gripping a utility pole (long object) with the gripping part of the gripping device, it is desirable to grip the center of gravity of the utility pole. However, if there are multiple moving parts (moving joints) such as a boom and a gripping device, it requires skill in operation, making it difficult to move the gripping part to the appropriate position and posture for gripping the utility pole, and it may happen that only a skilled worker can properly grip the utility pole. If this happens, there is a risk that the utility pole will shift or come off when the gripping part is raised, resulting in problems such as damage to structures such as the utility pole and the gripping device, and lost time having to redo gripping the utility pole.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a control device for a gripping-type pole erection vehicle that can assist in proper gripping of pole-shaped objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the control device of the gripping type pole erection vehicle of the present invention comprises a vehicle body capable of traveling, a boom provided on the vehicle body so as to be able to rise and fall, extend and retract, and rotate freely, a gripping section provided at the tip of the boom for gripping a pole-shaped object, a support mechanism provided between the tip of the boom and the gripping section for changing the position and attitude of the gripping section relative to the tip of the boom, an operation device for performing an operation to operate the boom and the support mechanism, an operation control section for operating the boom and the support mechanism in response to an operation of the operation device, an imaging device (e.g., camera 160 in the embodiment) provided at the gripping section for imaging the pole-shaped object, an image processing section for detecting an outer peripheral contour of the pole-shaped object from an image of the pole-shaped object captured by the imaging device, and a control section for detecting an outer peripheral contour of the pole-shaped object based on the detected outer peripheral contour by the image processing section. and a gripping position and orientation calculation unit that specifies the orientation of the gripping unit when gripping an object.

[0007] In the control device of the gripping type pole erection vehicle configured as above, a transmitter (e.g., beacon transmitters 141, 142 in the embodiments) is provided at the center of gravity in the central axis direction of the pole-shaped object and transmits radio signals, a receiver (e.g., beacon receivers 151-153 in the embodiments) is provided on the vehicle body and receives the radio signals transmitted from the transmitter, and a transmission position calculation unit calculates the position of the transmitter based on the reception strength of the radio signal from the transmitter received by the receiving unit, and it is preferable that the gripping position and attitude calculation unit identifies the position of the gripping unit when gripping the pole-shaped object based on the position of the transmitter calculated by the transmission position calculation unit.

[0008] In addition, in the control device of the gripping-type pole erection vehicle configured as described above, the transmitter unit has a pair of radio wave transmitters (e.g., beacon transmitters 141, 142 in the embodiment) arranged at a position point-symmetrical with respect to the central axis of the pole-shaped object at the center of gravity position, and the transmission position calculation unit calculates the positions of the pair of radio wave transmitters based on the reception strength of the radio wave signals from the pair of radio wave transmitters received by the receiving unit, and the gripping position and attitude calculation unit preferably identifies the position of the gripping unit when gripping the pole-shaped object based on the positional relationship of the pair of radio wave transmitters calculated by the transmission position calculation unit.

[0009] In addition, in the control device of the gripping type pole erection vehicle configured as described above, it is preferable to include an imaging position and attitude calculation unit that calculates the position and attitude of the gripping part when imaging the columnar object using the imaging device, based on the position of the gripping part when gripping the columnar object calculated in the gripping position and attitude calculation unit. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the control device of the gripping type pole erection vehicle of the present invention, an imaging device for imaging the utility pole to be gripped is provided in the gripping section, and the gripping posture when the utility pole is gripped by the gripping section is identified based on the posture of the utility pole detected from the image captured by the imaging device. This makes it possible to grip the utility pole in an optimal posture regardless of the worker's level of skill, etc., and supports proper gripping of the utility pole, thereby improving the safety and work efficiency of pole erection work.

[0011] Furthermore, in the control device of the gripping type pole erection vehicle according to the present invention, the gripping position when the gripper grips the utility pole is specified based on the position of the transmitter provided on the utility pole to be gripped (the center of gravity position in the central axis direction of the utility pole), so that the utility pole can be gripped in an optimal position and posture, which further supports proper gripping of the utility pole. Furthermore, by specifying the gripping position and gripping posture when the gripper grips the utility pole, it becomes possible to generate a movement path from the current position and posture of the gripper to the gripping position and gripping posture, and it becomes possible to automate the series of operations of the gripper approaching and gripping the utility pole (realizing automatic gripping).

[0012] In addition, the control device of the gripping-type pole erection vehicle of the present invention can identify the position of the gripping part (imaging position) when imaging the utility pole, thereby ensuring an appropriate imaging range (imaging range near the center of gravity of the utility pole) and making it possible to easily and accurately align the camera with respect to the utility pole. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view of the gripping-type pole hole digging vehicle according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the above-mentioned gripping-type pole hole digging vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the use state of the above-mentioned grip-type hole digging pole construction vehicle. [Figure 4] This is an oblique view of a gripping device provided on the above-mentioned gripping-type hole digging pole construction vehicle. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the gripping device as viewed from the right. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the gripping device as viewed from the left. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the gripping device. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the gripping device. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a gripping control device. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a utility pole detection device. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the mounting position of the camera. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for calculating the center of gravity position of a utility pole. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining image processing by an image processing unit. [Figure 14] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram for explaining a gripping position and a gripping posture, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram for explaining an imaging position and an imaging posture. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of automatic gripping control. [Figure 16] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the gripping portion grips a utility pole at a gripping position and a gripping attitude. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of a grip-type pole-digging vehicle 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the grip-type post hole digger 1 has a driver's cabin 7 at the front of the vehicle body 2, and is constructed based on a truck vehicle that can run on a pair of left and right tires and wheels 5 arranged at the front and rear of the vehicle body 2. Jacks 9 for lifting and supporting the vehicle body 2 are arranged at four points on the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle body 2. Each jack 9 lifts and supports the vehicle body 2 by driving a jack cylinder (not shown) provided inside it to extend downward, thereby stabilizing the entire vehicle body 2. The jacks 9 are operated by operating a jack operating device (not shown) provided at the rear of the vehicle body 2.

[0016] A swivel base 12 is provided in a mounting area behind the driver's cabin 7 on the vehicle body 2, and is driven by a swivel motor 14 (see FIG. 9) and configured to be horizontally rotatable about a vertical axis. The swivel base 12 includes a substantially disk-shaped turntable 12a supported on the vehicle body 2 so as to be horizontally rotatable, and a support pillar 12b erected on the turntable 12a. The base end of a boom 13 is attached to the support pillar 12b of the swivel base 12 so as to be vertically swingable (raise and lower).

[0017] The boom 13 has a configuration in which, from the swivel base 12 side, a base end boom 13a, an intermediate boom 13b, and a tip end boom 13c are nested together, and the boom 13 can be extended and retracted in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) by driving a telescopic cylinder 15 (see FIG. 9) provided inside the boom 13 to extend and retract. A hoisting cylinder 16 is provided between the base end boom 13a and the swivel base 12, and by driving the hoisting cylinder 16 to extend and retract, the entire boom 13 can be raised and lowered in the upper and lower planes (vertical planes).

[0018] An auger device 20 for excavating post holes is attached to the boom 13 via an auger support 17 that can be selectively connected to the base boom 13a and the tip boom 13c. The auger device 20 is composed of an auger motor 21 with a reducer, and an earth auger 22 that is rotated about its axis by driving the auger motor 21 to rotate. An auger storage device 18 for holding the auger device 20 in a stored state is disposed on the side of the base boom 13a. The auger device 20 is attached to the auger support 17 so as to be able to swing up and down within a vertical plane, and can be moved between a stored position where the auger device 20 is stored along the side of the base boom 13a by the auger storage device 18 and a stored position where the auger device 20 is removed from the auger storage device 18 and placed in an earth or ... The tool 22 can be swung between a working position in which it is substantially vertical to the ground and a work position in which it is substantially vertical to the ground.

[0019] When the auger device 20 is used, as shown in I of Fig. 3, the auger support 17 is connected to the tip boom 13c, and the auger device 20, detached from the auger storage device 18, is swung to the working position (the earth auger 22 is in a substantially vertical position relative to the ground), and the earth auger 22 is rotated while the boom 13 is moved downward linearly in conjunction with the lowering and retracting operations, thereby enabling excavation work for a pole hole. On the other hand, when the auger device 20 is not used, as shown in II of Fig. 3, the auger support 17 is connected to the base boom 13a, and the auger device 20 is stored and held in a storage position along the side of the base boom 13a by the auger storage device 18. When the auger device 20 is in the storage position, various work such as pole erection work (indicated by the symbol P in Fig. 3: the same applies below) and obstacle relocation work can be performed using the gripping device 50 described later.

[0020] A boom head 19 is fixed to the tip of the tip boom 13c. A gripping device 50 for gripping an object (pillar-shaped object) such as a utility pole P or a tree is attached to this boom head 19. The configuration of this gripping device 50 will be described with additional reference to Figs. 4 to 8. In Figs. 7 to 8, hatching showing cross sections is omitted to make the drawings easier to see. For ease of explanation, the directions of the illustrated front-rear, left-right, and up-down arrows will be referred to as the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction, based on the attitude of the gripping device 50 shown in Fig. 4.

[0021] The gripping device 50 is configured to include an arm 51 attached to the boom head 19 so as to be able to swing up and down (bend and stretch), a first joint member 60 attached to the tip of the arm 51 so as to be able to swing up and down (vertical swing operation), a second joint member 70 attached to the first joint member 60 so as to be able to swing left and right (horizontal swing operation), and a gripper 80 attached to the second joint member 70 so as to be able to rotate. In this embodiment, a support mechanism for changing the attitude of a gripping portion 81 of the gripper 80 is configured by the arm 51, the first joint member 60, the second joint member 70, an arm cylinder 55 described below, a vertical swing cylinder 62, a horizontal swing cylinder 71, a gripper motor 79, etc.

[0022] One axial (longitudinal) end of the arm 51 is pivotally connected to the boom head 19 via a connecting pin 52, and the other axial (longitudinal) end is pivotally connected to a first joint member 60 via a connecting pin 53. An arm cylinder 55 is attached between the boom head 19 and the arm 51. A rod side end of the arm cylinder 55 is pivotally connected to the boom head 19 via a connecting pin 56. A bottom side end of the arm cylinder 55 is pivotally connected to the arm 51 via a connecting pin 57. By driving the arm cylinder 55 to extend and retract, the arm 51 is configured to be able to swing (bend and extend) in the vertical direction around the connecting pin 52 relative to the boom head 19.

[0023] The first joint member 60 is formed in a bifurcated shape with an open tip, and the second joint member 70 is pivotally connected to both ends of the bifurcated shape via a pair of upper and lower connecting pins 61. A vertical swivel cylinder 62 is provided between the first joint member 60 and the arm 51. The bottom side end of the vertical swivel cylinder 62 is pivotally connected to the base end side of the arm 51 via a connecting pin 63. The rod side end of the vertical swivel cylinder 62 is pivotally connected to the upper end side of the first joint member 60 via a connecting pin 64. By driving the vertical swivel cylinder 62 to extend and retract, the first joint member 60 is configured to be able to swing freely in the vertical direction (vertical swivel operable) around the connecting pin 53 relative to the arm 51.

[0024] The second joint member 70 is supported by being sandwiched from above and below by the first joint member 60. In addition, a horizontal swing cylinder 71 is provided at the upper end of the first joint member 60. The horizontal swing cylinder 71 has a bottom side end pivotally connected to the tip end of the first joint member 60, and a rod side end pivotally connected to the rear end of the second joint member 70. By driving the horizontal swing cylinder 71 to extend and retract, the second joint member 70 can be freely swung left and right relative to the first joint member 60 around the connecting pin 61 (horizontally swingable).

[0025] The gripper 80 includes a gripping portion 81 that grips an object, a gripper housing 86 that supports the gripping portion 81 and is rotatably mounted on the second joint member 70, and an opening / closing mechanism 93 that opens and closes the gripping portion 81.

[0026] The gripping portion 81 includes a pair of gripping claws 82 and a pair of upper and lower support plate portions 83 that support the pair of gripping claws 82 so as to be openable and closable in a direction (opening / closing direction) in which the pair of gripping claws 82 approach or move away from each other. The gripping claws 82 are configured to be able to grip various objects (pillar-shaped objects) such as utility poles P and trees. The base ends of the gripping claws 82 are pivotally connected to the upper and lower support plate portions 83 via connecting pins 84. Alternating notches 82a and 82b are formed in the tips of the gripping claws 82, and these tips are configured to be able to cross (overlap) each other. The support plate portion 83 is provided with a flat bracket 85 for detachably mounting an attachment (not shown) (for example, a tree felling device for felling trees).

[0027] The gripper housing 86 includes a support tube portion 87 connected to the upper and lower support plate portions 83 and supported rotatably on the second joint member 70, and a cylinder bracket portion 92 fixed to the base end side of the support tube portion 87 and disposed between the first joint member 60 and the second joint member 70.

[0028] The support cylinder 87 has a double structure including an inner cylinder 88 formed in a hollow rectangular cylinder shape and an outer cylinder 89 formed in a hollow cylindrical shape provided on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 88. A sliding member 95 of an opening / closing mechanism 93 described later is attached to the inner periphery of the inner cylinder 88 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. A worm wheel 90 is attached to the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 89 so as to be concentric with the outer cylinder 89. The worm wheel 90 is engaged with a worm pinion 91 supported rotatably inside the second joint member 70. A gripper motor 79 is attached to the upper end of the second joint member 70, and the worm pinion 91 is connected to the output shaft of the gripper motor 79 via a reducer. When the gripper motor 79 is rotated in the forward direction, the entire gripper 80 rotates in a predetermined direction around the rotation axis J (see FIG. 7) via the worm pinion 91 and the worm wheel 90. On the other hand, when the gripper motor 79 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, the entire gripper 80 rotates in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction around the rotation axis J (see FIG. 7) via the worm pinion 91 and the worm wheel 90. In the posture of the gripping device 50 shown in FIG. 4, the direction of the rotation axis J of the gripper 80 (gripping portion 81) corresponds to the front-rear direction, and the opening / closing direction (gripping direction) of the gripping portion 81 corresponds to the left-right direction.

[0029] The opening / closing mechanism 93 includes a pair of link members 94, a sliding member 95 linked and connected to the pair of link members 94, and a gripper cylinder 99 for sliding the sliding member 95 back and forth. One end of each link member 94 is pivotally connected to the middle part of the gripping claw 81 via a connecting pin 96. The pair of link members 94 are pivotally connected to the tip of the sliding member 95 via a connecting pin 97 with the other ends of the link members 94 overlapping each other vertically. The sliding member 95 is inserted into the hollow part of the inner cylindrical part 88 and is attached so as to be slidable (reciprocating) along the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical part 88. A slider 98 made of synthetic resin is attached between the outer peripheral surface of the sliding member 95 and the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical part 88 to guide the sliding (reciprocating movement) of the sliding member 95. The rod side end of the gripper cylinder 99 is connected to the base end of the sliding member 95. The bottom of the gripper cylinder 99 is connected to the bottom of the gripper cylinder 99. The side end is connected to a cylinder bracket portion 92 of a gripper housing 86. When the gripper cylinder 99 is extended, the sliding member 95 slides in the extension direction, and the link members 94 swing in a direction away from each other. As a result, the gripping claws 82 swing in the opening direction with the connecting pin 84 as a fulcrum (the gripping claws 82 operate in the opening direction (opening operation)), and the grip of a pole-shaped object (object) such as a utility pole P can be released. On the other hand, when the gripper cylinder 99 is contracted, the sliding member 95 slides in the contracting direction, and the link members 94 swing in a direction approaching each other. As a result, the gripping claws 82 swing in the closing direction with the connecting pin 84 as a fulcrum (the gripping claws 82 operate in the closing direction (closing operation)), and the pole-shaped object (object) such as a utility pole P can be gripped. Note that the opening / closing mechanism 93 is configured symmetrically, so that the pair of gripping claws 82 are opened and closed symmetrically.

[0030] An operator's seat 30 for operating each of the working devices (the swivel table 12, the boom 13, the auger device 20, and the gripping device 50) is provided immediately behind the driver's cabin 7 in the vehicle body 2 and in front of the swivel table 12. In front of the operator's seat 30 is provided an operating device 31 that can be operated by an operator while remaining seated. As shown in FIG. 9, the operating device 31 is provided with a boom rotation and hoisting operation lever 32a for rotating and raising the boom 13, a boom extension and contraction operation lever 32b for extending and contracting the boom 13 and bending and extending the arm 51, an auger operation lever 32c for rotating the earth auger 22, a gripper vertical swing operation lever 32d for vertically swinging the gripper 81, a gripper horizontal swing operation lever 32e for horizontally swinging the gripper 81, a gripper rotation operation lever 32f for rotating the gripper 81, and a gripper opening and closing operation lever 32g for opening and closing the gripper 81.

[0031] The operating device 31 is also provided with a mode selection switch 33, as shown in FIG. 9. The mode selection switch 33 is configured as a toggle switch that can be switched to either a neutral position or a tilted position (so that the switched operating position is maintained even if the operator releases his / her hand). When the mode selection switch 33 is selected to the neutral position, a normal mode is set, and when the mode selection switch 33 is selected to the tilted position, a gripper vertical operation mode is set. The normal mode is a mode in which the hydraulic actuators are independently operated in response to the operation of each of the operating levers 32a to 32g, and the boom 13 can be raised, retracted, and rotated, the auger device 20 (earth auger 22) can be rotated, the arm 51 can be bent and extended, and the gripper 81 can be swung vertically, horizontally, rotated, opened, and closed, etc., individually. The gripper vertical operation mode is a mode in which the boom hoisting cylinder 16, the telescopic cylinder 15, and the vertical swing cylinder 62 are linked in response to operation of the boom rotation hoisting operation lever 32a, thereby allowing the gripper 81 to move linearly in the vertical direction (up and down).

[0032] Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the operating mechanisms for the swivel base 12, boom 13, auger device 20, gripping device 50, etc., are configured with a controller 100 that receives operation signals from an operating device 31 and controls the swivel motor 14, telescopic cylinder 15, hoisting cylinder 16, auger motor 21, arm cylinder 55, vertical swing cylinder 62, horizontal swing cylinder 71, gripper motor 79, and gripper cylinder 99 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "hydraulic actuators"), and a hydraulic unit 115 that supplies hydraulic oil to drive these hydraulic actuators.

[0033] An operation signal output by operating the operation device 31 (operation levers 32a to 32g) is input to the controller 100. The controller 100 outputs a command signal corresponding to the operation signal to the hydraulic unit 115 (control valve 117).

[0034] The hydraulic unit 115 includes a hydraulic pump 116 that discharges hydraulic oil, and a control valve 11 that controls the supply direction and supply amount of the hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump 116 to each hydraulic actuator. 7. The hydraulic pump 116 is driven by power extracted from the engine of the vehicle via a PTO mechanism (not shown). The control valves 117 include an electromagnetic proportional control valve V1 corresponding to the swing motor 14, an electromagnetic proportional control valve V2 corresponding to the telescopic cylinder 15, an electromagnetic proportional control valve V3 corresponding to the elevation / depression cylinder 16, an electromagnetic proportional control valve V4 corresponding to the auger motor 21, an electromagnetic proportional control valve V5 corresponding to the arm cylinder 55, an electromagnetic proportional control valve V6 corresponding to the vertical swing cylinder 62, an electromagnetic proportional control valve V7 corresponding to the horizontal swing cylinder 71, an electromagnetic proportional control valve V8 corresponding to the gripper motor 79, and an electromagnetic proportional control valve V9 corresponding to the gripper cylinder 99. Based on a command signal from the controller 100, this control valve 117 electromagnetically drives the spools of each electromagnetic proportional control valve V1 to V9 to control the supply direction and amount of hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump 116 to each hydraulic actuator, and controls the drive direction and drive speed of each hydraulic actuator (controlling the operating direction and operating speed of the swivel table 12, boom 13, auger device 20, and gripping device 50).

[0035] Next, the grip control device of this embodiment will be described with additional reference to Figures 9 to 14. As shown in Figure 9, the grip control device of this embodiment is mainly composed of an automatic grip switch 34, a boom hoisting angle detector 120, a boom extension amount detector 121, a boom rotation angle detector 122, an arm bending / extending angle detector 123, a gripper vertical swing angle detector 124, a gripper horizontal swing angle detector 125, a gripper inclination angle detector 126, a gripper cylinder pressure detector 127, a utility pole detection device 130, a camera 160, and a controller 100.

[0036] The gripping control device of this embodiment, which will be described in detail later, is equipped with an automatic gripping function that automatically makes the gripping unit 81 approach and grip the utility pole P to be gripped. Here, the utility pole P to be gripped is in a state of being laid horizontally (laid on its side) on the ground at the work site before the start of pole erection work (before being gripped by the gripping unit 81), as shown in Fig. 10. This utility pole P is formed in a long cylindrical shape extending along the central axis CL, and has a tapered shape that tapers from the base end side to the tip end side of this central axis CL at a predetermined ratio (for example, 1 / 75).

[0037] The automatic gripping switch 34 is provided on the operating device 31. This automatic gripping switch 34 is operated to make the gripping part 81 automatically approach and grip the center of gravity of the utility pole P (to execute automatic gripping). The automatic gripping switch 34 is configured as a toggle switch that can be switched to either an on position or an off position (it is configured to hold the switched operation position even if the worker releases his / her hand). When the automatic gripping switch 34 is operated to the on position, its operation signal (on signal) is output to the controller 100, and automatic gripping is executed based on the control of the controller 100.

[0038] The boom hoisting angle detector 120 is provided in the base end boom 13a and detects the hoisting angle of the boom 13. The boom extension amount detector 121 is provided at the base end of the base end boom 13a and detects the length (extension amount) of the boom 13. The boom rotation angle detector 122 is provided on the vehicle body 2 and detects the rotation angle of the boom 13 (swivel base 12) relative to the vehicle body 2. The arm bending / extending angle detector 123 is provided in the vicinity of the connection part (connecting pin 52) between the boom head 19 and the arm 51 and detects the bending / extending angle of the arm 51 relative to the boom head 19 (the sandwiching angle formed by the boom head 19 and the arm 51). The gripper vertical swing angle detector 124 is provided in the vicinity of the connection part (connecting pin 53) between the arm 51 and the first joint member 60 and detects the vertical swing angle (swing angle) of the first joint member 60 relative to the arm 51. The gripper horizontal swing angle detector 125 is provided in the vicinity of the connection (connection pin 61) between the first joint member 60 and the second joint member 70, and detects the horizontal swing angle (swing angle) of the second joint member 70 relative to the first joint member 60. These detectors 120 to 125 are electrically connected to the controller 100, and the detected information (boom 1 The controller 100 outputs a voltage signal (detection signal) according to the angle of extension, amount of extension, and rotation angle of the arm 51, the vertical and horizontal swing angles of the gripping portion 81, of the arm 51.

[0039] The grip part inclination angle detector 126 is attached to the upper surface of the grip part 81 (support plate part 83). The grip part inclination angle detector 126 is a two-axis inclination angle detector that detects the inclination angle in the left-right direction and the inclination angle in the front-back direction as the inclination angle of the grip part 81 with respect to the horizontal plane. The grip part inclination angle detector 126 is electrically connected to the controller 100, detects the inclination angle in the left-right direction and the inclination angle in the front-back direction of the grip part 81, and outputs a voltage signal (detection signal) according to the detected inclination angle to the controller 100. Note that, as a modified example, instead of the grip part inclination angle detector 126, a grip part rotation angle detector that detects the rotation angle of the grip part 81 around the rotation axis J may be provided.

[0040] The gripper cylinder pressure detector 127 is provided in an oil passage connecting the electromagnetic proportional control valve V9 and the rod side oil chamber of the gripper cylinder 99, and detects the pressure of the hydraulic oil supplied to the rod side oil chamber of the gripper cylinder 99 (the pressure of the rod side oil chamber). This gripper cylinder pressure detector 141 detects the pressure of the rod side oil chamber of the gripper cylinder 99, and outputs a voltage signal (detection signal) corresponding to the detected pressure to the controller 100. Here, the detected pressure detected by this gripper cylinder pressure detector 141 is in a proportional relationship with the gripping force of the gripping portion 81 (the force with which the gripping portion 81 grips the utility pole P). Therefore, as will be described in detail later, the grip determination unit 103 of the controller 100 determines whether or not the gripping portion 81 is gripping the utility pole P based on this detected pressure.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 10, the utility pole detection device 130 includes a transmitting device 140 provided on the utility pole P to be erected, and a receiving device 150 provided on the swivel base 12.

[0042] The transmitting device 140 has a first beacon transmitter 141 and a second beacon transmitter 142 attached to the center of gravity in the central axis direction of the utility pole P. The first beacon transmitter 141 and the second beacon transmitter 142 are attached at point-symmetric positions separated by 180 degrees around the central axis at the center of gravity in the central axis direction of the utility pole P.

[0043] Each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 is, for example, a small transmission module incorporating a transmission circuit and a battery. Each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 transmits a beacon signal in a frequency band based on a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or ZigBee (registered trademark) as a radio signal at a predetermined time interval. The beacon signal includes unique identification information (beacon ID) for identifying the beacon transmitter 141, 142 itself. Each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 may be attached to the outer periphery of the utility pole P or may be attached inside the utility pole P (hollow portion). The beacon transmitters 141, 142 can be attached in any suitable manner, such as by screwing the beacon transmitters 141, 142 into place using the screw holes in a center of gravity marker member (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 55-172559) provided at the center of gravity of the utility pole P, by wrapping a belt member (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-208901) to which the beacon transmitters 141, 142 are attached around the outer periphery of the utility pole P and fixing it, by gluing the beacon transmitters 141, 142 to the utility pole P, by removably fixing the beacon transmitters 141, 142 to the utility pole P using hook-and-loop fastener or the like, or by burying the beacon transmitters 141, 142 inside the utility pole P.

[0044] The receiving device 150 has three beacon receivers (a first beacon receiver 151, a second beacon receiver 152, and a third beacon receiver 153) attached to the turntable 12a of the rotating base 12. The beacon receivers 151 to 153 are arranged at equal intervals (120 degree intervals) in the circumferential direction around the center of rotation of the turntable 12a. Note that the beacon receivers 151 to 153 can be identified by any means, provided that their positions relative to the center of rotation can be specified. The beacon receivers 151-153 may be disposed at other positions above the beacon transmitters 141, 142, for example, at the operator's seat 30. Each of the beacon receivers 151-153 includes a radio wave sensor (not shown) that detects radio wave intensity (received radio wave intensity) when a beacon signal is received from each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142. Each of the beacon receivers 151-153 receives a beacon signal transmitted from the beacon transmitters 141, 142, and detects the radio wave intensity (received radio wave intensity) of the beacon signal to obtain a beacon ID added to the beacon signal and radio wave intensity information (received radio wave intensity) when the beacon signal is received, and transmits the obtained information to the controller 100 as beacon information.

[0045] The camera 160 is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) The camera 160 is an imaging device having an imaging element such as a semiconductor laser diode (Semiconductor Laser Diode) and capable of capturing still or moving images. As shown in FIG. 11, the camera 160 is attached to the upper surface of the support plate 83 of the gripping unit 80, and an optical axis 161 of the lens is arranged parallel to the rotation axis J (see FIG. 7) of the gripping unit 80. The camera 160 obtains a captured image IM (see FIG. 13) obtained by capturing an image of an imaging area in front of the camera (the utility pole to be gripped) as a moving or still image under the control of the controller 100. The camera 160 outputs the captured image IM obtained by capturing an image of the utility pole to be gripped to the controller 100. The camera 160 may output the captured image (image data) IM to the controller 100 by a wired connection such as an electric cable, or may output the captured image (image data) IM to the controller 100 by wireless communication. The camera 160 is not limited to a two-dimensional camera, and may be a three-dimensional camera (stereo camera, ToF camera).

[0046] The controller 100 includes a position calculation unit 101, an operation control unit 102, a grasping determination unit 103, a distance calculation unit 104, a transmission position calculation unit 105, a midpoint position calculation unit 106, a center of gravity position calculation unit 107, an imaging control unit 108, an image processing unit 109, a grasping position / posture calculation unit 110, an imaging position / posture calculation unit 111, and a movement path generation unit 112.

[0047] The position calculation unit 101 calculates the position of the tip of the boom 30 relative to the vehicle body 2 based on detection information from the boom hoisting angle detector 120, the boom extension amount detector 121, and the boom rotation angle detector 122. The position calculation unit 101 also calculates the position and attitude (direction) of the gripper 81 relative to the vehicle body 2 based on detection information from the boom hoisting angle detector 120, the boom extension amount detector 121, the boom rotation angle detector 122, the arm bending / extending angle detector 123, the gripper vertical swing angle detector 124, the gripper horizontal swing angle detector 125, and the gripper tilt angle detector 126. Here, "the position of grip portion 81" refers to the position of grip portion 81 (more specifically, the position of center C of grip portion 81 shown in FIG. 7) expressed in an XYZ coordinate system (orthogonal three-axis coordinate system) with the rotation center of turntable 12a as the origin, the vehicle width direction (left and right direction) of vehicle body 2 as the X axis, the vehicle length direction (front and rear direction) of vehicle body 2 as the Y axis, and the vehicle height direction (up and down direction) of vehicle body 2 as the Z axis. "The attitude (orientation) of grip portion 81" refers to the attitude (orientation) of grip portion 81 in the above-mentioned XYZ coordinate system with the rotation center of turntable 12a as the origin.

[0048] The operation control section 102 controls the driving of each hydraulic actuator in accordance with an operation signal (operation command) output from the operation device 31, based on the operation mode selected by the mode selection switch 33. Each operation mode will be described below.

[0049] When the mode selection switch 33 is set to the normal mode and the operation levers 32a-32g are operated, the operation control section 102 independently drives the corresponding hydraulic actuators in response to the operation of each of the operation levers 32a-32g. Specifically, when the boom rotation / hoisting operation lever 32a is tilted forward (front / back / left / right directions based on the operator operating the boom 13; the same applies below), the hoisting cylinder 16 is retracted to lower the boom 13, and when the boom rotation / hoisting operation lever 32a is tilted backward, the hoisting cylinder 16 is retracted to lower the boom 13. When the boom telescopic / flexible / extension operation lever 32b is tilted forward, the telescopic cylinder 15 is driven to extend and the boom 13 is extended, and when the boom telescopic / flexible / extension operation lever 32b is tilted backward, the telescopic cylinder 15 is driven to retract and the boom 13 is retracted. When the boom swing / hoisting operation lever 32a is tilted leftward, the swing motor 14 is driven to rotate forward and the boom 13 is rotated counterclockwise, and when the boom swing / hoisting operation lever 32a is tilted rightward, the swing motor 14 is driven to rotate reverse and the boom 13 is rotated clockwise. Furthermore, when the auger operation lever 32c is tilted forward, the auger motor 21 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction to rotate the earth auger 22 in the reverse direction, and when the auger operation lever 32c is tilted backward, the auger motor 21 is driven to rotate in the forward direction to rotate the earth auger 22 in the forward direction. Furthermore, when the boom extension / contraction bending / extension operation lever 32b is tilted leftward, the arm cylinder 55 is driven to contract and the arm 51 is bent and extended downward relative to the tip of the boom 13, and when the boom extension / contraction bending / extension operation lever 32b is tilted rightward, the arm cylinder 55 is driven to extend and the arm 51 is bent and extended upward relative to the tip of the boom 13. When the gripper vertical swing operation lever 32d is tilted forward, the vertical swing cylinder 62 is extended to swing the gripper 81 downward (vertical swing operation), and when the gripper vertical swing operation lever 32d is tilted backward, the vertical swing cylinder 62 is contracted to swing the gripper 81 upward (vertical swing operation). When the gripper horizontal swing operation lever 32e is tilted leftward, the horizontal swing cylinder 71 is extended to swing the gripper 81 leftward (horizontal swing operation), and when the gripper horizontal swing operation lever 32e is tilted rightward, the horizontal swing cylinder 71 is contracted to swing the gripper 81 rightward (horizontal swing operation). In addition, when the gripper rotation operating lever 32f is tilted forward, the gripper motor 79 is driven in a forward direction to rotate the gripper 81 in a clockwise direction, and when the gripper rotation operating lever 32f is tilted backward, the gripper motor 79 is driven in a reverse direction to rotate the gripper 81 in a counterclockwise direction.In addition, when the gripping unit opening / closing operating lever 32g is tilted forward, the gripper cylinder 99 is retracted to operate the gripping unit 81 in the closing direction (in the direction to grip the target object), and when the gripping unit opening / closing operating lever 32g is tilted backward, the gripper cylinder 99 is extended to operate the gripping unit 81 in the opening direction (in the direction to release the grip of the target object).

[0050] In addition, when the mode selection switch 33 is set to the gripper vertical operation mode and the boom rotation and hoisting operation lever 32a (in the gripper vertical operation mode, the boom rotation and hoisting operation lever 32a functions as a vertical operation lever) is operated, the operation control unit 102 moves the gripper 81 (object gripped by the gripper 81) vertically within the hoisting plane in accordance with the operation of the boom rotation and hoisting operation lever 32a by linking the telescopic drive of the hoisting cylinder 16, the telescopic drive of the telescopic cylinder 15, and the telescopic drive of the vertical swing cylinder 62 based on the position information (current position) of the gripper 81 relative to the vehicle body 2 calculated by the position calculation unit 101 and the inclination angle of the gripper 81 relative to the horizontal plane detected by the gripper inclination angle detector 126. For example, when the boom rotation hoisting operation lever 32a is tilted forward, the retraction drive of the hoisting cylinder 16, the retraction drive of the telescopic cylinder 15, and the retraction drive of the vertical swing cylinder 62 are all linked to move the gripping part 81 vertically downward, and when the boom rotation hoisting operation lever 32a is tilted backward, the extension drive of the hoisting cylinder 16, the extension drive of the telescopic cylinder 15, and the extension drive of the vertical swing cylinder 62 are all linked to move the gripping part 81 vertically upward. Specifically, the vertical operation control of the gripper 81 is performed by combining control for moving the gripper 81 vertically within the hoisting surface by combining the telescopic drive of the hoisting cylinder 16 and the telescopic drive of the telescopic cylinder 15 based on the position information of the gripper 81 relative to the vehicle body 2 calculated by the position calculation unit 101, and control for maintaining the gripper 81 (rotation axis X of the gripper 81) in a horizontal state by the telescopic drive of the vertical swivel cylinder 62 based on the inclination angle of the gripper 81 relative to the horizontal plane detected by the gripper inclination angle detector 126. Here, in the vertical operation control of the gripper 81, control for bending and extending the arm 51 is not performed. The arm 51 is held at the maximum bending and extending angle relative to the tip of the boom 13. In other words, in controlling the vertical operation of the gripper 81, when the boom 13 is operated to be raised or lowered with the bending and extending angle of the arm 51 kept constant (maximum bending and extending angle), the position of the tip of the boom 13 relative to the vehicle body 2 within the hoisting surface moves in the front-to-rear direction, and the angle of the arm 51 relative to the horizontal plane changes, so that the position of the gripper 81 relative to the tip of the boom 13 within the hoisting surface also moves in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, by combining the extension and contraction operation of the boom 13 to complement the front-to-rear movement (amount of deviation) of the tip of the boom 13 and the gripper 81, the gripper 81 is controlled to move linearly in the vertical direction.

[0051] The gripping determination unit 103 determines that the gripping portion 81 is gripping the utility pole P (the gripping portion 81 is in a state of gripping the utility pole P) when the pressure (detected pressure) detected by the gripper cylinder pressure detector 127 is equal to or greater than a predetermined set pressure.

[0052] The distance calculation unit 104 calculates the distance (separation distance) between each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 and each of the beacon receivers 151-153 based on the beacon information transmitted from the three beacon receivers 151-153. Here, the received radio wave intensity (radio wave level) received by each of the beacon receivers 151-153 has a property of being inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the beacon transmitter 141, 142 that is the source of the radio wave (the closer the distance to the source, the stronger the radio wave, and the farther the distance from the source, the weaker the radio wave). In this embodiment, by utilizing this property of the received radio wave intensity, the distance between each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 and each of the beacon receivers 151-153 is calculated based on the received radio wave intensity from each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 received by each of the beacon receivers 151-153. Specifically, the distance calculation unit 104 calculates the distance between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the first beacon receiver 151 based on the strength of the radio wave received from the first beacon transmitter 141 at the first beacon receiver 151, and calculates the distance between the second beacon transmitter 142 and the first beacon receiver 151 based on the strength of the radio wave received from the second beacon transmitter 142 at the first beacon receiver 151. The distance calculation unit 104 also calculates the distance between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the second beacon receiver 152 based on the strength of the radio wave received from the first beacon transmitter 141 at the second beacon receiver 152, and calculates the distance between the second beacon transmitter 142 and the second beacon receiver 152 based on the strength of the radio wave received from the second beacon transmitter 142 at the second beacon receiver 152. In addition, the distance calculation unit 104 calculates the distance between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the third beacon receiver 153 based on the received radio wave intensity from the first beacon transmitter 141 received at the third beacon receiver 153, and calculates the distance between the second beacon transmitter 142 and the third beacon receiver 153 based on the received radio wave intensity from the second beacon transmitter 142 received at the third beacon receiver 153.

[0053] The transmission position calculation unit 105 calculates the position (relative position) of each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 with respect to the turning center based on the distance information (the distance between each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 and each of the beacon receivers 151 to 153) calculated in the distance calculation unit 104. Specifically, the transmission position calculation unit 105 calculates the position of the first beacon transmitter 141 with respect to the turning center based on the distance between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the first beacon receiver 151, the distance between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the second beacon receiver 152, and the distance between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the third beacon receiver 153 as the distance information of the first beacon transmitter 141 calculated in the distance calculation unit 104. Similarly, the transmission position calculation unit 105 calculates the position (relative position) of the second beacon transmitter 142 with respect to the turning center based on the distance between the second beacon transmitter 142 and the first beacon receiver 151, the distance between the second beacon transmitter 142 and the second beacon receiver 152, and the distance between the second beacon transmitter 142 and the third beacon receiver 153 as the distance information of the second beacon transmitter 142 calculated by the distance calculation unit 104. Since the positions of the three beacon receivers 151-153 relative to the center of rotation are pre-stored as known information, the distance calculation unit 104 can calculate the distance between each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 and the three beacon receivers 151-153, and thereby the position (relative position) of each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 relative to the center of rotation can be calculated using the principle of so-called three-point positioning.

[0054] As shown in Figure 12, the midpoint position calculation unit 106 calculates the midpoint position M1 between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the second beacon transmitter 142 based on the positions of the first beacon transmitter 141 and the second beacon transmitter 142 relative to the turning center calculated by the transmission position calculation unit 105.

[0055] 12, the center of gravity position calculation unit 107 calculates the midpoint position M1 between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the second beacon transmitter 142 as the center of gravity position G of the utility pole P. In this embodiment, the first beacon transmitter 141 and the second beacon transmitter 142 are arranged at positions point-symmetrical with respect to the center of gravity position G of the utility pole P, so that the midpoint position M1 between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the second beacon transmitter 142 can be regarded as the center of gravity position G of the utility pole P.

[0056] The imaging control unit 108 transmits an imaging command signal to the camera 160 to control the imaging operation of the camera 160. When the position and orientation of the gripping unit 81 calculated by the position calculation unit 101 match an imaging position and imaging orientation described below, the imaging control unit 108 transmits an imaging command signal to the camera 160 to generate an image IM (see FIG. 13) capturing an image of the utility pole P to be gripped.

[0057] The image processing unit 109 acquires the captured image (image data) IM output from the camera 160 and performs predetermined image processing (image analysis) on the captured image IM to calculate the posture (orientation) of the utility pole P to be grasped. Here, the procedure of image processing by the image processing unit 109 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 shows the captured image IM when the utility pole P is imaged by the camera 160. Note that in this embodiment, since the inclination angle of the central axis CL of the utility pole P with respect to the horizontal plane is sufficiently small, the following image processing is performed assuming that the central axis CL of the utility pole P is located within the horizontal plane.

[0058] First, the image processing unit 109 detects a pair of contour lines (outer peripheral contour lines) L1, L2 formed by the outer peripheral surface of the utility pole P from the captured image IM, and extracts an area E surrounded by the pair of contour lines L1, L2 as an area corresponding to the utility pole P. Next, the image processing unit 109 detects a virtual line segment (axis of linear symmetry) L3 that has a linear symmetric relationship with the pair of contour lines L1, L2, and specifies the axis of linear symmetry L3 as a line segment corresponding to the central axis CL of the utility pole P. Note that since the captured image IM is captured with the camera 160 and the utility pole P facing each other substantially directly in the vertical direction, the axis of linear symmetry L3 and the central axis CL of the utility pole P approximately coincide with each other in the captured image IM. Then, based on the width of the interval D between the pair of contour lines L1, L2 (the interval in the direction perpendicular to the linear symmetry axis L3), the image processing unit 109 determines that the side where the interval D (D1) is narrower is the tip side of the utility pole P and the side where the interval D (D2) is wider is the base side of the utility pole P, and calculates the angle (tilt angle) between the central axis CL and the horizontal reference line HL or the vertical reference line VL to calculate the orientation of the central axis CL of the utility pole P and identify the orientation of the central axis CL of the utility pole P as the attitude of the utility pole P. Note that in this embodiment, the center of gravity G of the utility pole P is located on the optical axis 161 (see FIG. 14) of the camera 160, and therefore the center of gravity G of the utility pole P is located at the intersection (center point of the captured image IM) of the reference line HL and the reference line VL.

[0059] The gripping position and orientation calculation unit 110 determines the position of the gripping unit 81 when the gripping unit 81 grips the center of gravity G of the utility pole P, based on the center of gravity G of the utility pole P calculated by the center of gravity position calculation unit 107 and the orientation of the utility pole P (the direction of the central axis CL of the utility pole P) calculated by the image processing unit 109. The gripping position (referred to as the "gripping position") and the posture (referred to as the "gripping posture") of the gripping part 81 are calculated. FIG. 14(A) shows a state in which the gripping part 81 is in the gripping position and the gripping posture. The gripping position is set to a position where the center C of the gripping part 81 coincides with the center of gravity G of the utility pole P (a position where the center C of the gripping part 81 coincides with the center of gravity G of the utility pole P when the pair of gripping claws 82 grips the outer circumferential surface of the utility pole P). The gripping posture is set to a posture in which the rotation axis J (see FIG. 7) of the gripping part 81 faces in a direction perpendicular to the central axis CL of the utility pole P (the up-down direction in this embodiment). The gripping position is specified by the position of the gripping part 81 in an XYZ coordinate system based on the center of rotation. The gripping posture is specified by the orientation of the gripping part 81 in an XYZ coordinate system based on the center of rotation.

[0060] The imaging position and orientation calculation unit 111 calculates the position (referred to as the "imaging position") and orientation (referred to as the "imaging orientation") of the gripping unit 81 when the camera 160 captures an image of the utility pole P, based on the gripping position and gripping orientation calculated by the gripping position and orientation calculation unit 110. FIG. 14(B) shows a state in which the gripping unit 81 is in the imaging position and imaging orientation. The imaging position is set to a position that is a predetermined height H above the gripping position, and at a position where the center of gravity position G of the utility pole P is located on the optical axis 161 of the camera 160. The imaging orientation is set to an orientation in which the optical axis 161 of the camera 160 faces downward. In this embodiment, when the gripping unit 81 is in the imaging position and imaging orientation, the optical axis 161 of the camera 160 is approximately perpendicular to the central axis CL of the utility pole P (the camera 160 and the outer circumferential surface of the utility pole P are approximately directly facing each other in the vertical direction). The imaging position is specified by the position of the grip part 81 in an XYZ coordinate system based on the center of rotation. The imaging attitude is specified by the orientation of the grip part 81 in an XYZ coordinate system based on the center of rotation.

[0061] The movement path generating unit 112 generates a first movement path (including a via position and via posture) for moving the gripping unit 81 from the current position and posture to the imaging position and imaging posture, and a second movement path (including a via position and via posture) for moving the gripping unit 81 from the imaging position and imaging posture to the gripping position and gripping posture. This movement path generating unit 112 stores in advance interference areas of the vehicle body 2, mounted objects (jack 9, tool box, etc.), etc., and calculates movement paths (first movement path, second movement path) for moving the gripping unit 81 without entering the interference areas.

[0062] The controller 100 thus configured stores an automatic gripping program, and when an operation signal output from the automatic gripping switch 34 is input, the controller 100 executes the automatic gripping control described below in accordance with the automatic gripping program.

[0063] Next, the pole erection operation (including automatic gripping control) of the gripping type hole digging pole erection vehicle 1 will be described. Figure 15 is a flow chart for explaining the procedure of the automatic gripping control of this embodiment. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the mode selection switch 33 is assumed to be selected in the normal mode.

[0064] First, at the start of pole erection work, the gripping-type hole digging pole erection vehicle 1 is in a state in which the boom 13 and the gripping device 50 are stored in the vehicle body 2 (see FIG. 1), and the utility pole P to be erected is placed horizontally on the ground around the gripping-type hole digging pole erection vehicle 1. At this time, beacon signals are transmitted at predetermined time intervals from the beacon transmitters 141, 142 mounted on the utility pole P to the beacon receivers 151-153 mounted on the swivel base 12, and the beacon signals transmitted from the beacon transmitters 141, 142 are received by the beacon receivers 151-153. Each beacon receiver 151-153 detects the radio wave intensity (received radio wave intensity) transmitted from each beacon transmitter 141, 142, acquires the ID information (beacon ID) added to the beacon signal and the radio wave intensity information (received radio wave intensity) when the beacon signal is received, and transmits the acquired information to the controller 100 as beacon information.

[0065] When the operator turns the automatic gripping switch 34 to the ON position, the controller 100 Based on the control, automatic gripping control is started.

[0066] First, the distance calculation unit 104 calculates the distance between each of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 and each of the beacon receivers 151-153 based on the beacon information (ID information, radio wave intensity information) transmitted from each of the beacon receivers 151-153 (step S1).

[0067] Next, the transmission position calculation unit 105 calculates the positions of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 relative to the turning center based on the distances between the beacon transmitters 141, 142 and the beacon receivers 151 to 153 calculated in step S1 (step S2).

[0068] Next, the midpoint position calculation unit 106 calculates the midpoint position M1 between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the second beacon transmitter 142 based on the positions of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 calculated in step S2 (step S3).

[0069] Next, based on the midpoint position M1 between the first beacon transmitter 141 and the second beacon transmitter 142 calculated in step S3, the center of gravity position calculation unit 107 calculates this midpoint position M1 as the center of gravity position G of the utility pole P (step S4).

[0070] Next, the gripping position / posture calculation unit 110 calculates a gripping position when the gripping unit 81 grips the center of gravity G of the utility pole P, based on the center of gravity G of the utility pole P calculated in step S4 (step S5).

[0071] Next, the image capturing position and orientation calculation unit 111 calculates the image capturing position and image capturing orientation when the camera 160 captures an image of the vicinity of the center of gravity position of the utility pole P, based on the gripping position calculated in step S5 (step S6).

[0072] Next, the movement path generation unit 112 generates a first movement path (including a via position and via posture) for moving the gripping unit 81 from the current position and posture to the imaging position and imaging posture based on the imaging position and imaging posture calculated in step S6 (step S7).

[0073] Next, the operation control unit 102 controls the operation of the support mechanism of the boom 13 and the gripping device 50 based on the first movement path generated in step S7 to move the gripping unit 81 to the imaging position and imaging posture (step S8). When the gripping unit 81 is in the imaging position and imaging posture, the outer circumferential surface of the utility pole P around the center of gravity position is within the imaging range of the camera 160.

[0074] Next, the imaging control unit 108 transmits an imaging command signal to the camera 160 to capture an image of the utility pole by the camera 160 (step S9).

[0075] Next, the image processing unit 109 performs the above-mentioned image processing on the captured image (image data) output from the camera 160, and calculates the attitude of the utility pole P (the direction of the central axis CL of the utility pole P) (step S10).

[0076] Next, the gripping position / posture calculation unit 110 calculates the gripping posture when the gripping unit 81 grips the center of gravity position G of the utility pole P, based on the posture of the utility pole P calculated in step S10 (the orientation of the central axis CL of the utility pole P) (step S11).

[0077] Next, the movement path generating unit 109 calculates the gripping positions and Based on the gripping posture, a second movement path (including a via position and a via posture) for moving the gripping portion 81 from the current position and posture to the gripping position and gripping posture is generated (step S12).

[0078] Next, the operation control unit 102 controls the operation of the boom 13 and the support mechanism of the gripping device 50 based on the second movement path generated in step S12 to move the gripping unit 81 to the gripping position and gripping posture (step S13). As a result, a positional relationship is achieved in which the center of gravity G of the utility pole P is located between the pair of gripping claws 82.

[0079] Next, the operation control unit 102 operates the pair of gripping claws 82 in the closing direction (gripping direction) to cause the gripping portion 81 to grip the center of gravity G of the utility pole P (step S14).

[0080] Next, the grip determination unit 103 determines that the detected pressure detected by the gripper cylinder pressure detector 127 is equal to or higher than a predetermined set pressure, thereby determining that the gripping unit 81 has gripped the utility pole P (step S15). As a result, as shown in Fig. 16, the gripping unit 81 grips the center of gravity G of the utility pole P, and the automatic grip control from steps S1 to S15 ends.

[0081] Next, after confirming that the automatic gripping has been completed (the gripping unit 81 has gripped the utility pole P), the worker operates the operating device 31 to appropriately operate the support mechanism of the boom 13 and the gripping device 50 to lift the utility pole P gripped by the gripping unit 81 upward and move it to a height position where it does not interfere with the ground or the like even if the direction of the utility pole P is changed. Next, the operator operates the operating device 31 to appropriately operate the support mechanism of the boom 13 and the gripping device 50 to bring the utility pole P gripped by the gripping unit 81 into a vertical position with respect to the ground and approach it to an upper position of the post hole. Next, after positioning the utility pole P gripped by the gripping unit 81 at a position above the post hole, the operator operates the mode selection switch 33 to switch from the normal mode to the gripping unit vertical operation mode in order to move the utility pole P in this vertical position vertically downward toward the post hole. After the mode selection switch 33 is switched to the gripper vertical operation mode, the lifting and telescopic operation of the boom 13 is linked to the vertical swing operation of the gripper 81 in response to the operation of the boom rotation lifting operation lever 32a, and the gripper 81 is moved vertically downward, thereby inserting the utility pole P gripped by the gripper 81 into the pole hole.

[0082] Then, after inserting the utility pole P to the bottom of the post hole, the gap between the utility pole P and the post hole is filled with soil and sand, etc., and compacted (by backfilling with excavated soil, broken stones, etc.), so that the lower end of the utility pole P can be buried in the post hole and compacted. This completes the pole installation work of installing the utility pole P in the post hole.

[0083] As described above, according to this embodiment, a camera 160 for capturing an image of the utility pole P to be grasped is provided in the gripping unit 81, and the gripping posture when gripping the utility pole P with the gripping unit 81 is identified based on the posture of the utility pole P detected from the image captured by the camera 160. This makes it possible to grip the utility pole P in an optimal posture regardless of the worker's level of skill, etc., thereby supporting proper gripping of the utility pole P and improving the safety and work efficiency of pole erection work.

[0084] Also, in this embodiment, by specifying the gripping position when the gripping unit 81 grips the utility pole P based on the positions (center of gravity position in the central axis direction of the utility pole P) of the beacon transmitters 141, 142 provided on the utility pole P to be gripped, it is possible to grip the utility pole P in an optimal position and posture, and it becomes possible to further support proper gripping of the utility pole P. Furthermore, by specifying the gripping position and gripping posture when the gripping unit 81 grips the utility pole P, it becomes possible to generate a movement path from the current position and posture of the gripping unit 81 to the gripping position and gripping posture, and it becomes possible to automate a series of operations in which the gripping unit 81 approaches and grips the utility pole P (realizing automatic gripping).

[0085] In addition, in this embodiment, by identifying the position (imaging position) of the gripping portion 81 when imaging the utility pole P, it is possible to ensure an appropriate imaging range (imaging range near the center of gravity of the utility pole P) and to easily and accurately align the camera 160 with the utility pole P.

[0086] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0087] In the above embodiment, two beacon transmitters 141, 142 are arranged at the center of gravity of the utility pole P in the central axis direction, but this configuration is not limited to this, and one beacon transmitter or three or more beacon transmitters may be arranged at the center of gravity of the utility pole P in the central axis direction.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the camera 160 is disposed on the upper surface of the gripping portion 81, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the camera 160 may be disposed at other positions, such as the lower surface or side surface of the gripping portion 81, as long as the camera 160 and the utility pole P do not interfere with each other when the utility pole P is gripped by the gripping portion 81. In addition, in the above embodiment, only a single camera 160 is provided on the gripping portion 81, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and multiple cameras 160 may be provided on the gripping portion 81 to obtain captured images with different viewpoints (for example, a left viewpoint image and a right viewpoint image). Also, multiple captured images may be obtained by using a single camera 160 while changing the imaging position or imaging attitude.

[0089] In addition, in the above embodiment, the grip portion 81 stored in the vehicle body 2 is automatically moved to the imaging position and imaging posture, but this configuration is not limited to this, and the grip portion 81 may be manually operated by an operator to approach the imaging position and imaging posture, and then the grip portion 81 may be automatically moved to the imaging position and imaging posture.

[0090] In addition, in the above embodiment, the operating device 31 is provided on the operating seat 30 on the vehicle body 2, but this configuration is not limited to this, and for example, the operating device 31 may be configured as a wired or wireless remote control operating device (portable operating device).

[0091] In addition, in the above embodiment, a PTO-driven gripper type pole hole digger vehicle is exemplified, in which engine power is extracted by a PTO mechanism (power take-off mechanism) to drive a hydraulic pump. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and may also be an electrically powered (battery-powered) gripper type pole hole digger vehicle, or a hybrid type gripper type pole hole digger vehicle that has both and can selectively switch between power sources. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1 Gripping type hole digging pole erecting vehicle 2. Body 12 Swivel table 13. Boom 31 Operating device 34 Automatic gripping switch 50 Gripping device 51 Arm (support mechanism) 60 First joint member (support mechanism) 70 Second joint member (support mechanism) 81 Gripping part 100 Controller 101 Position calculation section 102 Operation control section 103 Grip determination section 104 Distance calculation unit 105 Transmission position calculation unit 106 Midpoint position calculation section 107 Center of gravity position calculation section 108 Imaging control unit 109 Image Processing Unit 110 Grip position / orientation calculation unit 111 Image capture position and orientation calculation unit 112 Movement path generation unit 130 Utility pole detection device 140 Transmitting device (transmitting unit) 141 First beacon transmitter (radio transmitter) 142 Second beacon transmitter (radio transmitter) 150 Receiving device (receiving section) 151 First beacon receiver (receiving unit) 152 Second beacon receiver (receiving unit) 153 3rd beacon receiver (receiving section) 160 Camera (imaging device) P Utility pole (pillar-shaped object) G Center of gravity position CL center axis M1 midpoint L1 Contour line (outer contour) L2 Contour line (periphery contour)

Claims

1. A drivable vehicle body; A boom provided on the vehicle body so as to be capable of rising, falling, extending and rotating; A gripping portion provided at a tip of the boom for gripping a columnar object; a support mechanism provided between the tip of the boom and the gripping part, the support mechanism changing a position and a posture of the gripping part relative to the tip of the boom; an operating device for operating the boom and the support mechanism; an operation control unit that operates the boom and the support mechanism in response to an operation of the operation device; An imaging device provided in the gripping portion for imaging the columnar object; an image processing unit that detects an outer circumferential contour of the columnar object from an image of the columnar object captured by the imaging device; A control device for a gripping-type pole erection vehicle, characterized in that it is equipped with a gripping position and posture calculation unit that identifies the posture of the gripping part when gripping the pole-shaped object based on the outer peripheral contour detected by the image processing unit.

2. A transmitter provided at a center of gravity of the columnar object in a central axis direction and transmitting a radio wave signal; a receiving unit provided on the vehicle body for receiving the radio signal transmitted from the transmitting unit; a transmission position calculation unit that calculates a position of the transmission unit based on a reception strength of a radio wave signal from the transmission unit received by the reception unit, The control device for a gripping-type pole erection vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that the gripping position and attitude calculation unit determines the position of the gripping unit when gripping the pole-shaped object based on the position of the transmitter calculated by the transmission position calculation unit.

3. the transmitting unit has a pair of radio wave transmitters provided at positions point-symmetrical with respect to a central axis of the columnar object at the center of gravity, the transmission position calculation unit calculates positions of the pair of radio wave transmitters based on reception strengths of radio wave signals from the pair of radio wave transmitters received by the receiving unit; The control device for a gripping-type pole erection vehicle as described in claim 2, characterized in that the gripping position and attitude calculation unit determines the position of the gripping unit when gripping the pole-shaped object based on the positional relationship of the pair of radio wave transmitters calculated by the transmission position calculation unit.

4. A control device for a gripping-type pole erection vehicle as described in claim 3, characterized in that it is further equipped with an imaging position and attitude calculation unit that calculates the position and attitude of the gripping part when imaging the pole using the imaging device, based on the position of the gripping part when gripping the pole calculated by the gripping position and attitude calculation unit.

Images