Construction machine

Abstract

To provide a construction machine that can easily facilitate communication between an occupant and non-occupant of a construction machine when a stop request is received from a remote stop device.SOLUTION: A shovel includes an actuator and a control device 23 that receives a stop request to stop the actuator from an external remote stop device 28. When the control device 23 receives a stop request from the remote stop device 28 while the actuator is in a driving state, the control device 23 requests an operator of the shovel to stop operating the actuator. When the control device 23 receives a stop request from the remote stop device 28 while the actuator is in a stopped state, the control device 23 keeps the actuator in a stopped state without making a request to the operator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a construction machine such as a shovel. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a shovel, which is one type of construction machine. This shovel includes an actuator and a control device that receives a stop request (limitation request) to stop the actuator from an external remote stop device (external terminal).

[0003] When the control device receives a stop request from the remote stop device while the actuator is in a driving state, the control device does not stop the actuator and notifies the remote stop device that the actuator will not be stopped.Then, using the interface unit, the control device requests the occupant (operator) of the excavator to stop operating the actuator.

[0004] When the control device receives a stop request from the remote stop device while the actuator is in a stopped state, the control device uses the interface unit to request the passenger to approve or deny the stop request. If the passenger approves the stop request, the control device keeps the actuator in the stopped state and notifies the remote stop device that the actuator is being kept in the stopped state. On the other hand, if the passenger does not approve the stop request, the control device does not keep the actuator in the stopped state and notifies the remote stop device that the actuator is not being kept in the stopped state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-085451 A (see Fig. 6, Fig. 11, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the excavator of Patent Document 1, when a stop request is received from the remote stopping device while the actuator is in a stopped state, the occupant is requested to approve or decline the stop request, and if the occupant approves the stop request, the actuator is maintained in the stopped state. However, if the occupant does not notice the request for approval or decline to approve the stop request, the actuator is not maintained in the stopped state. Therefore, in a situation where the stop request is not approved, even if a non-occupant holding the remote stopping device sends a stop request and the shovel is in a stopped state, it is impossible to determine whether the shovel has finished its work and is stopped or is in a temporary stopped state, and the occupant cannot approach the shovel. For this reason, it may take some time for the occupant and non-occupant of the shovel to communicate with each other.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a construction machine that allows easy communication between the occupant and non-occupants of the construction machine when a stop request is received from a remote stop device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a construction machine equipped with an actuator and a control device that receives a stop request to stop the actuator from an external remote stop device, wherein when the actuator is in a driving state where it is driven and the control device receives the stop request from the remote stop device, the control device requests the occupant to stop operating the actuator, and when the actuator is in a stopped state where it is stopped and the control device receives the stop request from the remote stop device, the control device keeps the actuator in the stopped state without making a request to the occupant. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when a stop request is received from the remote stop device, communication can be easily achieved between the occupant and non-occupant of the construction machine. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing the structure of a shovel in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a cab of a shovel according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a hydraulic circuit diagram showing the configuration of a drive device of a shovel according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control device and related devices according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a side view showing the structure of a shovel according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a cab of the shovel according to this embodiment.

[0013] The excavator of this embodiment includes a running body 1, a rotating body 2 rotatably provided above the running body 1, and a working device 3 connected to the front side (left side in FIG. 1) of the rotating body 2. The running body 1 travels by rotation of a traveling motor 4A on the left side (near side in the plane of FIG. 1) and a traveling motor 4B (not shown) on the right side (far side in the plane of FIG. 1). The rotating body 2 rotates by rotation of a swing motor 5 (see FIG. 3 described later).

[0014] The work device 3 includes a boom 6 connected to the revolving unit 2 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, an arm 7 connected to the boom 6 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and a bucket 8 connected to the arm 7 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. The boom 6 rotates when a boom cylinder 9 extends and retracts, the arm 7 rotates when an arm cylinder 10 extends and retracts, and the bucket 8 rotates when a bucket cylinder 11 extends and retracts.

[0015] The revolving unit 2 is equipped with a cab 12 in which an operator (passenger) sits. The cab 12 is provided with a driver's seat 13 in which the operator sits. Provided in front of the driver's seat 13 are a left-side travel control lever 14A that is operated in the front-rear direction by the operator to command the drive of the left-side travel motor 4A, and a right-side travel control lever 14B that is operated in the front-rear direction by the operator to command the drive of the right-side travel motor 4B.

[0016] On the left side of the operator's seat 13, there is provided an operation control lever 15A which commands the operation of the arm cylinder 10 when operated in the forward / backward direction by the operator, and commands the operation of the swing motor 5 when operated in the left / right direction by the operator. On the right side of the operator's seat 13, there is provided an operation control lever 15B which commands the operation of the boom cylinder 9 when operated in the forward / backward direction by the operator, and commands the operation of the bucket cylinder 11 when operated in the left / right direction by the operator.

[0017] A lock lever 16 is provided on the left side of the driver's seat 13 (in other words, at the entrance to the driver's cab 12) and can be operated by the operator to a raised position (in other words, a position permitting boarding and alighting) or a lowered position (in other words, a position restricting boarding and alighting). A monitor 17 is provided in front of the driver's seat 13.

[0018] The excavator of this embodiment is equipped with a drive unit that drives a plurality of actuators (more specifically, the above-mentioned traveling motor 4A, traveling motor 4B, swing motor 5, boom cylinder 9, arm cylinder 10, and bucket cylinder 11). The details will be explained using Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a hydraulic circuit diagram showing the configuration of the drive unit of the excavator of this embodiment. For convenience, Fig. 3 shows only the configuration related to the swing motor 5 out of the plurality of actuators. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the control device and related equipment of this embodiment.

[0019] The drive device of this embodiment includes an engine 18, a hydraulic pump 19 and a pilot pump 20 driven by the engine 18, a control valve 21 that controls the flow (more specifically, the direction and flow rate) of pressurized oil from the hydraulic pump 19 to the swing motor 5, an operating device 22 that operates the control valve 21 (and thus the swing motor 5), and a control device 23. Although not shown, the control device 23 has a processor that executes processing according to a program and a memory that stores the program and data.

[0020] The operating device 22 has the above-mentioned work operation lever 15A, a pilot valve 24A that uses the discharge pressure of the pilot pump 20 as a source pressure to generate a pilot pressure corresponding to the amount of operation of the left side of the work operation lever 15A, and a pilot valve 24B that uses the discharge pressure of the pilot pump 20 as a source pressure to generate a pilot pressure corresponding to the amount of operation of the right side of the work operation lever 15A.

[0021] When the operator operates the work operation lever 15A to the left, pilot pressure generated by the pilot valve 24A according to the amount of operation is output to the control valve 21, and the control valve 21 is switched to the switching position on the right side in the figure. As a result, pressure oil discharged from the hydraulic pump 19 is supplied to a port on one side of the swing motor 5, and the swing motor 5 rotates in one direction. When the operator operates the work operation lever 15A to the right, pilot pressure generated by the pilot valve 24B according to the amount of operation is output to the control valve 21, and the control valve 21 is switched to the switching position on the left side in the figure. As a result, pressure oil discharged from the hydraulic pump 19 is supplied to a port on the other side of the swing motor 5, and the swing motor 5 rotates in the opposite direction.

[0022] In addition, the configurations related to the other actuators (specifically, the travel motor 4A, travel motor 4B, boom cylinder 9, arm cylinder 10, or bucket cylinder 11) are also similar to the configuration related to the swing motor 5, and include a control valve and a pair of pilot valves.

[0023] A lock valve 25 is provided between all pilot valves, including the pilot valves 24A and 24B, and the pilot pump 20. The lock valve 25 is usually switched in response to the operation of the lock lever 16 described above.

[0024] More specifically, when the lock lever 16 is operated to the raised position, the lock switch 26 is opened. As a result, no signal is output from the lock switch 26 to the solenoid of the lock valve 25 via the control device 23, and the lock valve 25 is switched to the lower switching position shown in the figure (more specifically, a blocking state in which all pilot valves and the pilot pump 20 are blocked). As a result, all pilot valves are unable to generate pilot pressure, and operation of all actuators is disabled. When the lock lever 16 is operated to the lower position, the lock switch 26 is closed. As a result, a signal is output from the lock switch 26 to the solenoid of the lock valve 25 via the control device 23, and the lock valve 25 is switched to the upper switching position shown in the figure (more specifically, a communicating state in which all pilot valves and the pilot pump 20 are connected). As a result, all pilot valves are able to generate pilot pressure, and operation of all actuators is enabled.

[0025] The lock lever 16 and the lock switch 26 constitute a lock device that switches between valid and invalid operation of the actuator described in the claims.

[0026] The drive device of this embodiment is equipped with multiple shuttle valves (not shown) that extract the maximum value (maximum pilot pressure) of the pilot pressures output from all the pilot valves, and a pilot pressure sensor 27 that detects the extracted maximum pilot pressure.

[0027] The control device 23 of this embodiment receives a stop request to stop all actuators or a stop release request from an external remote stop device 28 via a wireless receiver 29, and executes control based on this. The remote stop device 28 is held, for example, by a worker (non-rider) near the shovel, and has an alternate push button switch (not shown) and a wireless transmitter (not shown) that transmits a stop request or a stop release request in response to operation of the push button switch.

[0028] The control procedure of the control device 23 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the control device in this embodiment.

[0029] In step S1, the control device 23 determines whether or not a stop request has been received from the remote stopping device 28. If a stop request has been received from the remote stopping device 28, the process proceeds to step S2.

[0030] In step S2, control device 23 determines whether any of the multiple actuators is in a driven state, in which it is being driven, based on whether the maximum pilot pressure detected by pilot pressure sensor 27 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Control device 23 also determines whether any of the multiple actuators is in a driven state, based on whether a predetermined time (e.g., several seconds) has elapsed since the maximum pilot pressure detected by pilot pressure sensor 27 transitioned from a state where it was equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold to a state where it was less than the predetermined threshold. If any of the multiple actuators is in a driven state, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0031] In step S3, the control device 23 displays a message on the monitor 17, for example, to request the operator to stop operating all the actuators.

[0032] Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S4, where the control device 23 determines whether all the actuators have transitioned to a stopped state in which they are stopped (more specifically, a state in which none of the operating levers 14A, 14B, 15A, and 15B are being operated, or the lock lever 16 is being operated to the raised position) based on whether the maximum pilot pressure detected by the pilot pressure sensor 27 has decreased to below the threshold value. If all the actuators have transitioned to a stopped state, the process proceeds to step S5. If all the actuators are in a stopped state in step S2, the process also proceeds to step S5.

[0033] In step S5, the control device 23 keeps all the actuators stopped without making a request to the operator (more specifically, whether the stop request should be approved or not). More specifically, regardless of whether the operation of the actuators is enabled or disabled by the lock lever 16, the control device 23 controls the lock valve 25 to the shut-off state, thereby keeping all the actuators stopped. The control device 23 also outputs, for example, to the monitor 17, a message that all the actuators are being kept stopped. This causes the monitor 17 to display a message notifying the operator that all the actuators are being kept stopped.

[0034] Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S6, where the control device 23 determines whether or not a stop release request has been received from the remote stopping device 28. If a stop release request has been received from the remote stopping device 28, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0035] In step S7, the control device 23 releases all the actuators from being held in a stopped state, and switches between enabling and disabling the operation of the actuators according to the state of the lock lever 16. That is, when the lock lever 16 is in the raised position, the lock valve 25 is controlled to a blocked state to disable the operation of the actuators, and when the lock lever 16 is in the lowered position, the lock valve 25 is controlled to a connected state to enable the operation of the actuators.

[0036] As described above, when the excavator of this embodiment receives a stop request from the remote stop device 28 while the actuator is in a stopped state, it keeps the actuator in the stopped state without making a request to the operator. This allows workers around the excavator to approach the excavator safely and easily communicate with the operator.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the control device 23 requests the operator to stop operating the actuators by displaying a message on the monitor 17, but this is not limiting. The control device 23 may request the operator to stop operating the actuators by, for example, lighting an indicator light, sounding a buzzer, or outputting audio from a speaker. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the control device 23 notifies the operator that all the actuators are being kept stopped by displaying a message on the monitor 17, but this is not limiting. The control device 23 may notify the operator that all the actuators are being kept stopped by, for example, lighting an indicator light, sounding a buzzer, or outputting audio from a speaker.

[0038] Although the above description has been given taking as an example a case where the present invention is applied to a shovel, which is one type of construction machine, the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to other construction machines. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 4A, 4B Travel motor 5 Swing motor 9 Boom cylinder 10 Arm Cylinder 11 Bucket cylinder 16 Lock lever (locking device) 26 Lock switch (locking device) 23 Control device 28 Remote shutdown device

Claims

1. An actuator; a control device that receives a stop request to stop the actuator from an external remote stop device, The control device When the stop request is received from the remote stop device while the actuator is in a driving state, the remote stop device requests a passenger to stop operating the actuator; A construction machine characterized in that, when the actuator is in a stopped state and the stop request is received from the remote stop device, the actuator is maintained in the stopped state without making a request to the occupant.

2. The construction machine according to claim 1, The control device is characterized in that, when the actuator is in the driving state and receives the stop request from the remote stopping device, the control device keeps the actuator in the stopped state when the actuator transitions from the driving state to the stopped state.

3. The construction machine according to claim 1, The construction machine is characterized in that, when the control device is maintaining the actuator in the stopped state, it outputs to a monitor a message that the actuator is being maintained in the stopped state.

4. The construction machine according to claim 1, a locking device that switches between enabling and disabling operation of the actuator; The control device When the actuator is held in the stopped state, the stopped state of the actuator is maintained regardless of whether the operation of the actuator is switched between enabled and disabled by the locking device, A construction machine characterized in that, when a request to release the stop is received from the remote stop device while the actuator is being held in the stopped state, the stopped state of the actuator is released and the operation of the actuator is enabled or disabled depending on the state of the locking device.

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