Tube posture detection device and tube position detection system

Abstract

To provide a pipe attitude detection device and a pipe position detection system capable of easily confirming that excavation is performed according to a planned line even when a curved part is included in the planned line.SOLUTION: The tube position detection system 100 includes a plurality of tube attitude detection devices 110 and a tube position calculation / display device 120. The tube attitude detector 110 is attached to each of the propulsion tubes 10 and detects attitude data of the attached propulsion tube 10. Further, the tube attitude detector 110 detects an angle in the yaw direction formed by the front propulsion tube 10 with respect to the attached propulsion tube 10. Detection data detected by each of the tube attitude detection devices 110 is sequentially sent to the subsequent tube attitude detection device 110 via the communication cable 30, and is finally sent to the tube position calculation / display device 120. The pipe position calculation / display device 120 calculates the position of each propulsion pipe 10 based on the transmitted attitude data or the like, and displays it on a display part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pipe position detection system for detecting the position of a propulsion pipe or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] The jacking method has long been known as a construction method for laying underground pipelines such as sewerage systems. In the jacking method, shafts (starting shaft and reaching shaft) are built at both ends of the pipeline to be laid, and multiple jacking pipes are sequentially connected (joined) from the starting shaft to the rear of a tunneling machine, and pushed in with jacks to lay the pipeline while excavating the ground. Finally, when the tunneling machine reaches the reaching shaft, a pipeline from the starting shaft to the reaching shaft is completed. With the jacking method, it is also possible to create curved pipelines (curved jacking) by controlling the tunneling direction of the tunneling machine.

[0003] In such a jacking method, for example, it is necessary to excavate the ground along the planned line from the departure shaft to the arrival shaft so as not to interfere with existing buried objects.

[0004] Conventionally, confirmation that excavation is being carried out according to the planned line has been carried out, for example, by surveying using a transit.

[0005] However, when the planned line included curved sections, every time visibility was lost due to a bend in the pipeline, the transit had to be moved to a place where visibility was clear, making the inspection work extremely time-consuming.In addition, for small-diameter pipelines with a diameter of less than 800 mm, where people are generally restricted from entering and working, it was not possible to move the transit into the pipeline in the first place, and inspections were mainly carried out by digging vertical holes for inspection from the surface, called check borings.

[0006] In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-13878 discloses a propulsion position detection method characterized by installing a position detection device having a front light receiving element, a rear light receiving element, and a laser oscillator that can rotate horizontally and vertically at a fixed position on each propulsion tube, and calculating the position of the front propulsion tube from the angle at which the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator is incident on the front light receiving element installed on the rear propulsion tube and the angle at which it is incident on the rear light receiving element installed on the front propulsion tube, and the length of the propulsion tube. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-13878 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a pipe attitude detection device and a pipe position detection system that can easily confirm that excavation is being carried out according to the planned line, even if the planned line includes curved sections. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The pipe attitude detection device of the present invention is a pipe attitude detection device that is attached to a pipe whose attitude is to be detected in a pipeline formed by connecting multiple pipes in series, and is characterized by comprising: an attitude detection unit that detects the attitude of the attached pipe; a receiving processing unit that receives pipe position detection data transmitted from a pipe attitude detection device attached to a front pipe; a detection data processing unit that adds the attitude data detected by the attitude detection unit to the pipe position detection data received by the receiving processing unit; and a transmission processing unit that transmits the pipe position detection data to which the attitude data has been added by the detection data processing unit to a pipe attitude detection device attached to a rear pipe.

[0010] In this case, the device may further include a distance detection unit that detects the distance to a pair of reflecting units provided on the forward pipe, and the detection data processing unit may determine whether the forward pipe is bent relative to the attached pipe based on the distance to the pair of reflecting units detected by the distance detection unit, and if it is bent, determine whether correction processing is necessary based on the attitude data (e.g., yaw angle) of the forward pipe included in the pipe position detection data received by the receiving processing unit and the attitude data (e.g., yaw angle) detected by the attitude detection unit, and perform correction processing depending on whether correction processing is necessary.

[0011] In addition, in the correction process, the detection data processing unit may replace the attitude data (e.g., yaw angle) of the forward pipe contained in the pipe position detection data received by the receiving processing unit with a value (e.g., the sum of the attitude data (e.g., yaw angle) detected by the attitude detection unit and a bending angle calculated based on the distance to the pair of reflecting units.

[0012] In addition, in the correction process, the detection data processing unit may replace the attitude data (e.g., yaw angle) detected by the attitude detection unit with a value (e.g., the difference between the two) calculated based on the attitude data (e.g., yaw angle) of the forward pipe included in the pipe position detection data received by the receiving processing unit and the bending angle calculated based on the distance to the pair of reflecting units.

[0013] The image forming apparatus may further include a restart processing unit that restarts the attitude detection unit, and the detection data processing unit may instruct the restart processing unit to restart the attitude detection unit during the correction process.

[0014] In addition, in the correction process, the detection data processing unit may instruct the transmission processing unit to transmit a restart command to a pipe attitude detection device attached to the front pipe.

[0015] In addition, in the above cases, the distance detection unit may further detect the distance to a pipe attitude detection device attached to the pipe in front, and the detection data processing unit may add the distance data detected by the distance detection unit to the pipe position detection data received by the receiving processing unit.

[0016] In the above case, a pair of reflecting portions may be further provided to be used by the rear pipe position detecting device.

[0017] The pipe position detection system of the present invention is a pipe position detection system that detects the positions of multiple pipes that make up a pipeline formed by connecting multiple pipes in series, and includes multiple pipe attitude detection devices attached to each of the multiple pipes, and a pipe position calculation device that is communicatively connected to the multiple pipe attitude detection devices, wherein the pipe attitude detection device is any of the pipe attitude detection devices described above, and the pipe position calculation device may include a pipe position calculation unit that calculates the position of each pipe based on pipe position detection data received from the pipe attitude detection device.

[0018] In this case, the pipe position calculation device may further include a display unit and a pipe position display processing unit that displays each pipe at a corresponding position in the display area of ​​the display unit based on the position of each pipe calculated by the pipe position calculation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, even when the planned line includes a curved section, it is possible to easily confirm that excavation is being carried out in accordance with the planned line. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a pipe position detection system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining the appearance of a pipe attitude detection device 110. FIG. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) for explaining the appearance of the pipe attitude detection device 110. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a pipe attitude detection device 110 is attached to a propulsion pipe 10. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of a pipe attitude detection device 110. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the hardware configuration of a pipe attitude detection device 110. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of an excavator attitude detection device 140. [Figure 8] 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the hardware configuration of an excavator attitude detection device 140. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method for calculating a bending angle γ. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing in the detected data processing microcomputer 630. [Figure 11] 10 is a diagram showing an example of pipe position detection data transmitted from an excavator attitude detection device 120 to a subsequent pipe attitude detection device 110. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of a pipe position calculation and display device 120. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0022] Below, we will explain the application of the present invention to a pipe position detection system for detecting the position of the target jacking pipe when implementing a jacking method in which jacking pipes are added one after another so that multiple jacking pipes are lined up in series behind the tunneling machine and pushed in with a jack, excavating the ground while laying a pipeline, particularly when implementing a jacking method that includes a curved section in the planned line.

[0023] 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a pipe position detection system according to the present invention. For simplicity, the diagram omits jacks and other devices for pushing in the propulsion pipe.

[0024] As shown in the figure, a pipe position detection system 100 according to the present invention comprises a plurality of pipe attitude detection devices 110 and a pipe position calculation and display device 120. The plurality of pipe attitude detection devices 110 and the pipe position calculation and display device 120 are communicably connected via a communication conversion and power supply device 130. Furthermore, in this embodiment, an excavator attitude detection device 140 for detecting the attitude of the leading excavator 20 is provided, and the excavator attitude detection device 140 is also communicably connected to the pipe position calculation and display device 120 via the communication conversion and power supply device 130.

[0025] In this embodiment, the excavator attitude detection device 140, the multiple pipe attitude detection devices 110, and the communication conversion and power supply device 130 are daisy-chain connected via a communication cable 30, and are configured to be able to communicate via an RS-485 communication interface. Also, in this embodiment, the communication cable 30 is configured as a four-core cable, of which two are used as RS-485 signal lines, one is used as a power supply (power supply voltage) line, and the other is used as a GND. Also, the communication conversion and power supply device 130 and the pipe position calculation and display device 120 are connected by a USB cable 40, and are configured to be able to communicate via a USB interface.

[0026] The pipe attitude detection device 110 is attached to a propulsion pipe (target pipe) 10 whose position is to be detected, and detects the attitude of the attached propulsion pipe 10. More specifically, the roll angle φ, pitch angle θ, and yaw angle ψ are detected as attitude data of the attached propulsion pipe 10. Furthermore, the pipe attitude detection device 110 also detects the yaw angle (hereinafter referred to as the "bending angle") γ of the forward propulsion pipe 10 relative to the attached propulsion pipe 10. The detection data (pipe position detection data) detected by each pipe attitude detection device 110 is sequentially sent to the subsequent pipe attitude detection device 110 via the communication cable 30, and finally sent to the pipe position calculation / display device 120. Further details of the pipe attitude detection device 110 will be described later.

[0027] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the pipe attitude detection device 110 is attached to every propulsion pipe 10.

[0028] The pipe position calculation / display device 120 calculates the position of each propulsion pipe 10 based on the pipe position detection data sent from each pipe attitude detection device 110 and displays it on the display unit. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pipe position calculation / display device 120 calculates the position of the tunneling machine 20 based on the attitude data etc. sent from the tunneling machine attitude detection device 140 and displays it on the display unit. The pipe position calculation / display device 120 is made up of a notebook computer, tablet computer or other computer, and is equipped with a central processing unit (CPU), memory such as RAM and ROM, auxiliary storage devices such as SSDs and HDDs, display units such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light-emitting diode displays (OLEDs), and input units such as a keyboard and pointing device.

[0029] The communication conversion and power supply device 130 converts the communication interface and supplies power. That is, first, the data sent from the pipe orientation detection device 110 and the like via the communication cable 30 through the RS-485 interface is converted into a USB interface and transmitted to the pipe position calculation and display device 120 via the USB cable 40. In addition, the power required for the operation of the pipe orientation detection device 110 and the like is supplied to the pipe orientation detection device 110 and the like via the communication cable 30.

[0030] Next, the pipe position detection device 110 will be described in detail.

[0031] 2 and 3 are diagrams for explaining the appearance of the pipe attitude detection device 110. Fig. 2(a) shows a plan view, Fig. 2(b) shows a front view, Fig. 3(a) shows a left side view, and Fig. 3(b) shows a right side view.

[0032] 2 and 3, the pipe orientation detection device 110 includes a main body 111 and a support rod 112. In this embodiment, the pipe orientation detection device 110 further includes a left reflecting unit 113, a right reflecting unit 114, a reflecting unit fixing plate 115, and a central reflecting plate 116.

[0033] The main body 111 constitutes the main part of the pipe attitude detection device 110 and includes an attitude detection unit for detecting the attitude and a distance detection unit for detecting the distance to the reflectors 113, 114, etc., provided on the forward propulsion pipe 10. In this embodiment, the main body 111 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a window 117 is provided on its front surface in the propulsion direction (the right surface in FIG. 2) for emitting light for distance detection (laser light in this embodiment) and receiving light reflected by the reflectors 113, 114, etc. In addition, a central reflector 116 is attached to the center of its rear surface in the propulsion direction (the left surface in FIG. 2) for reflecting light emitted from the pipe attitude detection device 110 attached to the rear propulsion pipe 10. Although not shown for simplicity, a connection unit (terminal, etc.) for connecting the communication cable 30 is provided on the rear surface (the top surface in FIG. 2(a)).

[0034] The support rod 112 is a component for attaching the pipe attitude detection device 110 to the propulsion pipe 10, and in this embodiment, the pipe attitude detection device 110 is attached to the propulsion pipe 10 by fixing the upper end of the support rod 112 to the injection hole of the propulsion pipe 10.

[0035] The left reflecting unit 113 and the right reflecting unit 114 are intended to reflect light emitted from a pipe attitude detection device 110 attached to the rear propulsion pipe 10, and in this embodiment, are fixed to the main body 111 by a reflecting unit fixing plate 115. In addition, in this embodiment, the left reflecting unit 113 and the right reflecting unit 114 are arranged so as to be aligned in a direction perpendicular to the propulsion direction. Furthermore, as will be described later, in this embodiment, the distance to the left reflecting unit 113 and the right reflecting unit 114 is detected using a LiDAR system, and therefore, the shape of the reflective surface of the left reflecting unit 113 and the right reflecting unit 114 is formed into a shape that makes it easy to reveal feature points (in this embodiment, a concave shape with a relatively large curvature) so that the distance to the left reflecting unit 113 and the right reflecting unit 114 can be easily extracted from the point cloud data.

[0036] The reflecting unit fixing plate 115 is a member for fixing the left reflecting unit 113 and the right reflecting unit 114 to the main body unit 111, and in this embodiment is composed of a long, thin plate-shaped member extending in a direction perpendicular to the propulsion direction.

[0037] The central reflector 116 is a reflector (reflector) for reflecting light emitted from the pipe attitude detection device 110 attached to the rear propulsion pipe 10, and in this embodiment, is attached to the center of the rear surface of the main body 111. Furthermore, the reflector surface is formed in a concave shape so that sufficient reflection intensity can be obtained even when the front propulsion pipe 10 is bent relative to the rear propulsion pipe 10.

[0038] It should be noted that the tunneling machine attitude detection device 140 does not have a left reflector 113, a right reflector 114, a reflector fixing plate 115, or a central reflector 116, but a left reflector, a right reflector, and a central reflector are attached to the rear of the tunneling machine 20 to reflect light emitted from the pipe attitude detection device 110 attached to the propulsion pipe 10 immediately behind the tunneling machine 20, and these function in the same way as the left reflector 113, right reflector 114, and central reflector 116.

[0039] 4 is a diagram showing the pipe attitude detection device 110 attached to the propulsion pipe 10. FIG. 4(a) shows a left side view, and FIG. 4(b) shows a front view. In FIG. 4(b), the propulsion pipe 10 is shown in cross section.

[0040] As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, a support rod 112 is appropriately fixed to an injection hole 11 on the rear end side of the propulsion pipe 10, and a pipe attitude detection device 110 is attached at the position where the injection hole 11 is formed. By using the injection hole 11, it becomes easy to attach the pipe attitude detection device 110 to the same position for all of the propulsion pipes 10. In this embodiment, a point 401 directly below the pipe attitude detection device 110 and on the central axis of the propulsion pipe 10 is set as the reference point of the propulsion pipe 10, and the pipe position calculation and display device 120 calculates the three-dimensional coordinates (x, y, z coordinates in this embodiment) of the reference point 401 of each propulsion pipe 10 based on the position detection data sent from the pipe attitude detection device 110.

[0041] Next, the internal configuration of the pipe position detection device 110 will be described.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the pipe attitude detection device 110. As shown in FIG.

[0043] As shown in the figure, the pipe attitude detection device 110 includes a distance detection unit 510, an attitude detection unit 520, a reception processing unit 530, a detection data processing unit 540, a transmission processing unit 550, and a restart processing unit 560.

[0044] The distance detection unit 510 detects distances ld and rd to a pair of left and right reflectors 113 and 114 provided in the front propulsion pipe 10, and a distance cd to a central reflector 116 attached to the front pipe attitude detection device 110. In this embodiment, the distance detection unit 510 also calculates the bending angle γ formed between the attached propulsion pipe (propulsion pipe to be detected) 10 and the front propulsion pipe 10 based on the detected distances to the pair of left and right reflectors 113 and 114. A method for calculating the bending angle γ will be described later.

[0045] The attitude detection unit 520 detects the attitude of the detection target propulsion pipe 10 and calculates the roll angle φ, pitch angle θ, and yaw angle ψ as attitude data of the detection target propulsion pipe 10.

[0046] The receiving processing unit 530 receives pipe position detection data transmitted from the front pipe position detection device 110 and a restart command transmitted from the rear pipe position detection device 110. When the receiving processing unit 530 receives pipe position detection data, it passes the data to the detection data processing unit 540, and when it receives a restart command, it instructs the restart processing unit 560 to restart the attitude detection unit 520.

[0047] The detection data processing unit 540 creates pipe position detection data to be transmitted to the rear pipe attitude detection device 110 and corrects the attitude data detected by the attitude detection unit 520 based on the detection data detected by the distance detection unit 510 and the attitude detection unit 520 and the pipe position detection data received by the receiving processing unit 530. In this embodiment, based on the distance to the pair of left and right reflecting units 113, 114 detected by the distance detection unit 510, it determines whether the forward propulsion pipe 10 is bent relative to the propulsion pipe 10 to be detected. If the forward propulsion pipe 10 is bent, it determines whether correction processing is necessary based on the yaw angle of the forward propulsion pipe (forward pipe yaw angle) included in the pipe position detection data received from the forward pipe attitude detection device 110 and the yaw angle (own pipe yaw angle) detected by the attitude detection unit 520. In this embodiment, whether or not correction processing is required is determined based on whether the difference between the forward tube yaw angle and the own tube yaw angle is normal. If correction processing is required, the forward tube yaw angle is replaced with a value (the sum of the own tube yaw angle and the refraction angle γ calculated by the distance detection unit 510) calculated based on the own tube yaw angle and the refraction angle γ calculated by the distance detection unit 510. Depending on whether correction processing is required, the detection data processing unit 540 adds attitude data of the target propulsion pipe 10 detected by the attitude detection unit 520 and distance data detected by the distance detection unit 510 (e.g., the distance cd to the center reflector 116) to the pipe position detection data in which the forward tube yaw angle has been replaced, and passes this data to the transmission processing unit 550 as pipe position detection data. Furthermore, if correction processing is required, the detection data processing unit 540 instructs the restart processing unit 560 to restart the attitude detection unit 520 and instructs the transmission processing unit 550 to transmit a restart command.

[0048] The transmission processing unit 550 transmits the pipe position detection data passed from the detection data processing unit 540 to the rear pipe attitude detection device 110, and in response to instructions from the detection data processing unit 540, transmits a restart command to the front pipe attitude detection device 110 instructing the front pipe attitude detection device 110 to restart the attitude detection unit 520.

[0049] The restart processing unit 560 restarts the attitude detection unit 520 in response to an instruction from the detection data processing unit 540 or a restart command sent from the rear pipe attitude detection device 110. In this embodiment, the attitude detection unit 520 is restarted by controlling the power supply voltage supplied to the attitude detection unit 520.

[0050] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the pipe attitude detection device 110. As shown in FIG.

[0051] As shown in the same figure, the pipe posture detection device 110 includes a left LiDAR sensor 611, a right LiDAR sensor 612, a laser distance sensor 613, a distance detection microcomputer 614, an inertial sensor 621, a posture detection microcomputer 622, a detection data processing microcomputer 630, and a communication interface unit 640.

[0052] The left LiDAR sensor 611, the right LiDAR sensor 612, the laser distance sensor 613, and the distance detection microcomputer 614 constitute the distance detection unit 510. The left LiDAR sensor 611, the right LiDAR sensor 612, the laser distance sensor 613, and the distance detection microcomputer 614 are connected via a serial interface (in this embodiment, 2 The inertial sensor 621 and the attitude detection microcomputer 622 constitute the attitude detection unit 520, and the inertial sensor 621 and the attitude detection microcomputer 622 are connected to each other via a serial interface (in this embodiment, an I / F). 2 C interface).

[0053] The left LiDAR sensor 611 and the right LiDAR sensor 612 each scan a predetermined range including the left reflector 113 and the right reflector 114 provided on the front propulsion pipe 10 with laser light, and output the distance to anything (reflecting object) included within the scanning range as point cloud data, and in this embodiment are configured as two-dimensional LiDAR sensors.

[0054] The laser distance sensor 613 detects the distance cd to the central reflector 116 of the pipe attitude detection device 110 attached to the front propulsion pipe 10. The distance cd is used to indicate the distance to the pipe attitude detection device 110 attached to the front propulsion pipe 10 (the inter-device distance). The detected distance cd to the central reflector 116 is sent to a distance detection microcomputer 614.

[0055] The distance detection microcomputer 614 is a microcontroller that calculates the distance to the left reflector 113 and the right reflector 114 based on the output data from the left LiDAR sensor 611 and the right LiDAR sensor 612, respectively.

[0056] As described above, in this embodiment, the reflective surfaces of the left reflective section 113 and the right reflective section 114 are concave surfaces with a relatively large curvature, so the distance detection microcomputer 614 identifies both ends of the reflective surface (the two points with the closest distance) and then calculates the distance to the reflective surface located midway between these ends as the distance to the left reflective section 113 or the right reflective section 114.

[0057] Furthermore, the distance detection microcomputer 614 calculates the bending angle γ between the attached propulsion tube 10 and the forward propulsion tube 10 based on the calculated distance to the left reflector 113 and the calculated distance to the right reflector 114. A method for calculating the bending angle γ will be described later.

[0058] The distance and bending angle to the left and right reflectors 113, 114 calculated by the distance detection microcomputer 614, and the distance to the central reflector 116 detected by the laser distance sensor 513 are transmitted to the detection data processing microcomputer 630. In this embodiment, the distance detection microcomputer 614 and the detection data processing microcomputer 630 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a serial interface (e.g., UART).

[0059] The inertial sensor 621 is for detecting the acceleration and angular velocity of the attached propulsion pipe 10, and in this embodiment is configured as a six-axis inertial sensor equipped with a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis gyro sensor.

[0060] The attitude detecting microcomputer 622 is a microcontroller for calculating a roll angle φ, a pitch angle θ, and a yaw angle ψ as attitude data of the attached propulsion pipe 10 based on the acceleration and angular velocity detected by the inertial sensor 621. The attitude data φ, θ, and ψ calculated by the attitude detecting microcomputer 622 are transmitted to the detected data processing microcomputer 630. In this embodiment, the attitude detecting microcomputer 622 and the detected data processing microcomputer 630 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a serial interface (e.g., UART).

[0061] The detection data processing microcomputer 630 is a microcontroller for performing various processes on the data detected by the distance detection unit 510 and the attitude detection unit 520, and the pipe position detection data received from the front pipe attitude detection device 110. Details of the processing in the detection data processing microcomputer 630 will be described later.

[0062] The communication interface unit 640 is an interface unit for controlling communication (in this embodiment, communication via an RS-485 interface) between the detection data processing microcomputer 630 and the front or rear pipe attitude detection device 110.

[0063] Next, the configuration of the excavator attitude detection device 140 will be described.

[0064] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the excavator attitude detection device 140. As shown in FIG.

[0065] As shown in the figure, the excavator attitude detection device 140 includes an attitude detection unit 720, a reception processing unit 730, a transmission processing unit 750, and a restart processing unit 760.

[0066] The attitude detection unit 720 detects the attitude of the tunneling machine 20, and calculates the roll angle φ, pitch angle θ, and yaw angle ψ as attitude data of the tunneling machine 20.

[0067] The reception processing unit 730 receives the restart command transmitted from the rear pipe attitude detection device 110. Upon receiving the restart command, the reception processing unit 730 instructs the restart processing unit 760 to restart the attitude detection unit 720.

[0068] The transmission processing unit 750 transmits the attitude data φ, θ, ψ detected by the attitude detection unit 720 to the pipe attitude detection device 110 at the rear as pipe position detection data.

[0069] The restart processing unit 760 restarts the attitude detection unit 720 in response to a restart command sent from the rear pipe attitude detection device 110. In this embodiment, the attitude detection unit 720 is restarted by controlling the power supply voltage supplied to the attitude detection unit 720.

[0070] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of the hardware configuration of the excavator attitude detection device 140. As shown in FIG.

[0071] As shown in the figure, the excavator attitude detection device 140 includes an inertial sensor 821, an attitude detection microcomputer 822, a communication processing microcomputer 830, and a communication interface unit 840.

[0072] The inertial sensor 821 and the attitude detection microcomputer 822 constitute the attitude detection unit 720, and the inertial sensor 821 and the attitude detection microcomputer 822 are connected via a serial interface (in this embodiment, 2 C interface).

[0073] The inertial sensor 821 is for detecting the acceleration and angular velocity of the excavator 20, and in this embodiment is configured as a six-axis inertial sensor equipped with a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis gyro sensor.

[0074] The attitude detection microcomputer 822 is a microcontroller for calculating the roll angle φ, pitch angle θ, and yaw angle ψ as attitude data of the excavator 20 based on the acceleration and angular velocity detected by the inertial sensor 821. The attitude data φ, θ, and ψ calculated by the attitude detection microcomputer 822 is transmitted to the communication processing microcomputer 830. In this embodiment, the attitude detection microcomputer 822 and the communication processing microcomputer 830 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a serial interface (e.g., UART).

[0075] The communication processing microcomputer 830 is a microcontroller that transmits the attitude data detected by the attitude detection unit 720 as pipe position detection data to the rear pipe attitude detection device 110 and receives a restart command from the rear pipe attitude detection device 110. Furthermore, when the communication processing microcomputer 830 receives a restart command from the rear pipe attitude detection device 110, it restarts the attitude detection unit 720. In this embodiment, the communication processing microcomputer 830 is configured to be able to control the on / off of the power supply voltage supplied to the attitude detection unit 720, and when restarting the attitude detection unit 720, the power supply voltage supplied to the attitude detection unit 720 is turned off for a predetermined time (for example, about several seconds) and then turned on after the predetermined time has elapsed, thereby restarting the attitude detection unit 720.

[0076] The communication interface unit 840 is an interface unit for controlling communication between the communication processing microcomputer 830 and the rear pipe attitude detection device 110 (communication via an RS-485 interface in this embodiment).

[0077] Next, a method for calculating the bending angle γ will be described.

[0078] 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining a method for calculating the bending angle γ. Fig. 9A shows a state in which the adjacent thrust pipes 10a and 10b are aligned in a straight line, and Fig. 9B shows a state in which the adjacent thrust pipes 10a and 10b are aligned in a bent state.

[0079] As shown in the same figure (a), when adjacent propulsion pipes 10a, 10b are lined up in a straight line, that is, when they are in a straight section, if the distance to the left reflector 113 is a0, the distance to the right reflector 114 is b0, the distance between the left reflector 113 and the right reflector 114 is c, and the angle formed by the side with length b0 and the side with length c is S1, the following equations 1 and 2 hold. Conversely, when adjacent propulsion pipes 10a, 10b are lined up in a straight line, the left reflector 113 and the right reflector 114 are disposed at positions where the following equations 1 and 2 hold.

[0080] a0=b0 (1)

[0081]

number

[0082] On the other hand, as shown in the same figure (b), when adjacent propulsion pipes 10a, 10b are bent and lined up, that is, when they are in a curved section, if the distance to the left reflecting section 113 is a, the distance to the right reflecting section 114 is b, the distance between the left reflecting section 113 and the right reflecting section 114 is c, and the angle between the side with length b and the side with length c is S2, then the following equation 3 holds true according to the cosine theorem.

[0083]

number

[0084] Furthermore, as shown in Figure (b), if the angle formed by the side of length b and the vertical line in the figure (a line perpendicular to the axial direction of the propulsion pipe 10b) is S1', and the angle (bending angle) formed by adjacent propulsion pipes 10a and 10b is γ, the following equation 4 holds:

[0085] γ=S2-S1' (4)

[0086] Here, within the range of the bending angle γ that occurs in actual curved propulsion, it is considered that S1'≒S1, so if S1' is replaced with S1, the following equation 5 holds.

[0087] γ=S2-S1 (5)

[0088] From the above, S1 is calculated from equation 2, S2 is calculated from equation 3, and these are substituted into equation 5 to obtain the following equation 6.

[0089]

number

[0090] The distance detection microcomputer 614 calculates the bending angle γ based on Equation 6. Note that b0 and c are constants that do not change after the start of use, so in this embodiment, a value calculated in advance using a design value or the like is used for the second term on the right side of Equation 6 (the value of S1). Also, in this embodiment, the angle unit is not radians (rad) but degrees (°), so the bending angle γ is also ultimately calculated as a value converted into degrees.

[0091] Next, the processing in the detection data processing microcomputer 630 will be described.

[0092] 10 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing in the detection data processing microcomputer 630. The processing shown in the figure is realized, for example, by the CPU of the detection data processing microcomputer 630 executing a program recorded in a ROM or the like.

[0093] As shown in the figure, the detection data processing microcomputer 630 first determines whether or not it has received pipe position detection data from the forward pipe posture detection device 110 (S1), and if it has not received data (S1: No), it repeats the determination process S1 until it receives data.

[0094] On the other hand, if pipe position detection data has been received from the forward pipe attitude detection device 110 (S1: Yes), then it is determined whether the forward propulsion pipe (hereinafter referred to as the "forefront pipe") 10 is bent relative to the attached propulsion pipe (hereinafter referred to as the "own pipe") 10 (S2). Specifically, based on the above-mentioned formula 1, if the distance ld to the left reflector 113 detected by the distance detection unit 510 and the distance rd to the right reflector 114 are not equal, i.e., ld ≠ rd, it is determined that the pipe is bent. If the distance ld to the left reflector 113 detected by the distance detection unit 510 and the distance rd to the right reflector 114 are equal, i.e., ld = rd, it is determined that the pipe is not bent. Note that in this embodiment, whether the pipe is bent is determined not by whether the distance ld and the distance rd exactly match, but by whether the absolute value of the difference between the distance ld and the distance rd (|ld - rd|) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. That is, if |ld-rd| is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the body is bent, and if |ld-rd| is less than the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the body is not bent.

[0095] As a result of the determination, as shown in Figure 9(a), if the front pipe 10a is not bent relative to the own pipe 10b (S2: No), that is, if both are in a straight section and aligned in a straight line, the device adds its own detected detection data to the pipe position detection data received from the front pipe position detection device 110 and transmits it to the rear pipe position detection device 110 (S3). When adding its own detected detection data to the pipe position detection data received from the front pipe position detection device 110, its own device number is added to the detected detection data as information for identifying the device that detected it.

[0096] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 9(b), if the front tube 10a is bent relative to the own tube 10b (S2: Yes), that is, if at least one of them is within a curved section and is arranged in a curved manner, the difference Δψ between the yaw angle ψa of the front tube 10a and the yaw angle ψb of the own tube 10b is calculated according to the following equation 7 (S4). (Number 7)

[0097] Δψ=ψa-ψb (7)

[0098] Next, it is determined whether the value of Δψ is normal (S5). Theoretically, Δψ = γ when the vehicle is stationary. Therefore, in this embodiment, if |Δψ| is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold and equal to or less than a maximum allowable value γmax, it is determined to be normal. If |Δψ| is less than the predetermined threshold or exceeds the maximum allowable value γmax, it is determined to be abnormal. Note that the maximum allowable value γmax is selected in advance, taking into account the maximum value of the bending angle γ that occurs when the vehicle is actually propelled around a curve.

[0099] If the result of the judgment is that the value of Δψ is normal (S5: Yes), as in the case where the front pipe 10a is not bent relative to the aforementioned own pipe 10b, the detection data detected by the device itself is added to the pipe position detection data received from the front pipe posture detection device 110 and transmitted to the rear pipe posture detection device 110 (S3).

[0100] On the other hand, if the value of Δψ is not normal (S5: No), a correction process is performed (S6). In the correction process, it is assumed that errors have accumulated in the attitude detection unit due to continued use of the pipe attitude detection device 110, and the yaw angle detected by the front pipe attitude detection device 110, etc. is corrected (replaced), and the own and front attitude detection units are restarted. That is, in this embodiment, first, the front pipe yaw angle ψa included in the pipe position detection data received from the front pipe attitude detection device 110, etc. is replaced with ψb + γ, and then the detection data detected by the own device is added and transmitted to the rear pipe attitude detection device 110.

[0101] The microcomputer 630 also restarts its own attitude detection unit 520. In this embodiment, the detected data processing microcomputer 630 is configured to be able to control the on / off of the power supply voltage supplied to the attitude detection unit 520, and when restarting the attitude detection unit 520, the power supply voltage supplied to the attitude detection unit 520 is turned off for a predetermined time (for example, about several seconds), and then turned on after the predetermined time has elapsed, thereby restarting the attitude detection unit 520.

[0102] Furthermore, in order to restart the attitude detection units 520, etc. of the front pipe attitude detection devices 110, etc., the detection data processing microcomputer 630 transmits a restart command to the front pipe attitude detection devices 110, etc., instructing them to restart the attitude detection units 520, etc. When the detection data processing microcomputer 630, etc. of the front pipe attitude detection devices 110, etc. receives the restart command, it restarts the attitude detection units 520, etc. by controlling the power supply voltage supplied to the attitude detection units 520, etc.

[0103] As described above, when the correction process S6 is completed or the pipe position detection data transmission process S3 is completed, the process returns to step S1 and the above-described processes S1 to S6 are repeated.

[0104] By performing the above-described processing, it is possible to minimize the influence of accumulated errors that occur with continuous use of the pipe orientation detection device 110 (orientation detection unit 520) and the like.

[0105] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of pipe position detection data transmitted from the leading tunneling machine attitude detection device 120 to the following pipe attitude detection device 110 in the pipe position detection system 100 shown in FIG.

[0106] Figure (a) shows pipe position detection data 1100a transmitted from the tunneling machine attitude detection device 120 to the pipe attitude detection device 110 immediately thereafter, Figure (b) shows pipe position detection data 1100b transmitted immediately after the tunneling machine attitude detection device 120, i.e., from the first pipe attitude detection device 110 to the second pipe attitude detection device 110 immediately thereafter, Figure (c) shows pipe position detection data 1100c transmitted from the second pipe attitude detection device 110 to the third pipe attitude detection device 110 immediately thereafter, and Figure (d) shows pipe position detection data 1100d transmitted from the third pipe attitude detection device 110 to the pipe position calculation / display device 120.

[0107] As shown in the figure, pipe position detection data 1100a to 1100d include a device number section 1101 and a detection data section 1102. The device number section 1101 is a section that stores a number for identifying the device by which the detection data stored in the corresponding detection data section 1102 was detected. The detection data section 1102 is a section that stores the detection data detected by the device whose device number is stored in the corresponding device number section.

[0108] In this embodiment, the pipe position detection data having the above-described structure is transmitted as follows.

[0109] First, as shown in the same figure (a), the tunneling machine attitude detection device 120 adds its own device number (0 in this embodiment) to the beginning of the detection data (detection data 0) detected by its own attitude detection unit 720, and transmits this data to the pipe attitude detection device 110 immediately following it as pipe position detection data.

[0110] The first pipe position detection device 110 receives the pipe position detection data 1100a shown in FIG. 1(a), and appends its own device number (1 in this embodiment) and the detection data (detection data 1) detected by its own distance detection unit 510 and position detection unit 520 to the end of the received pipe position detection data 1100a, as shown in FIG. 1(b), and transmits this data to the next pipe position detection device 110. In this embodiment, each pipe position detection device 110 reads the device number stored in the device number field 1101 located at the end of the received pipe position detection data and increments (+1) this device number to use as its own device number. By performing this process, it is not necessary to assign device numbers to each pipe position detection device 110 in advance.

[0111] The second pipe posture detection device 110 that receives the pipe position detection data 1100b shown in Figure 1(b) adds its own device number (2 in this embodiment) and the detection data (detection data 2) detected by its own distance detection unit 510 and posture detection unit 520 to the end of the received pipe position detection data 1100b, as shown in Figure 1(c), and transmits this as pipe position detection data to the third pipe posture detection device 110 that follows immediately after it.

[0112] In this way, every time pipe position detection data is transmitted to the next pipe position detection device 110, the next pipe position detection device 110 adds the detection data detected by the next pipe position detection device 110, and eventually, the detection data detected by all pipe position detection devices 110 are transmitted to the pipe position calculation / display device 120. For example, in the state shown in Figure 1, the pipe position detection data 1100d shown in Figure 11(d) is transmitted to the pipe position calculation / display device 120.

[0113] Next, the pipe position calculation and display device 120 will be described in detail.

[0114] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the pipe position calculation and display device 120. As shown in FIG.

[0115] As shown in the figure, the pipe position calculation and display device 120 includes a pipe position detection data receiving unit 121, a pipe position detection data storage unit 122, a pipe position calculation unit 123, and a pipe position display processing unit 124. The pipe position detection data receiving unit 121, the pipe position calculation unit 123, and the pipe position display processing unit 124 are basically realized by a CPU included in a computer constituting the pipe position calculation and display device 120 executing a program loaded onto memory (RAM). Furthermore, the pipe position detection data storage unit 122 is realized by an auxiliary storage device (for example, an SSD or HDD) included in the computer constituting the pipe position calculation and display device 120.

[0116] The pipe position detection data reception processing unit 121 is for receiving pipe position detection data sent from the rearmost pipe posture detection device 110. The pipe position detection data received by the pipe position detection data reception processing unit 121 is stored in the pipe position detection data storage unit 122. In this embodiment, the pipe position detection data reception processing unit 122 stores the received pipe position detection data in a file having a file name indicating the reception time (for example, a file name in the YYMMDDHHMMSS format).

[0117] The pipe position detection data storage unit 122 stores the pipe position detection data received by the pipe position detection data reception processing unit 121 .

[0118] The pipe position calculation unit 123 calculates the position of each jacking pipe 10 (and the tunneling machine 20) based on the pipe position detection data stored in the pipe position detection data storage unit 122. In this embodiment, when a user issues an instruction to display (plot) the position of each jacking pipe (and the tunneling machine) via an input unit provided in the computer that constitutes the pipe position calculation and display device 120, the pipe position calculation unit 123 reads out the latest pipe position detection data stored in the pipe position detection data storage unit 122, calculates the current position of each jacking pipe (and the tunneling machine) based on the latest pipe position detection data that has been read out, and passes the calculated position of each jacking pipe (and the tunneling machine) to the pipe position display processing unit 124.

[0119] The pipe position display processing unit 124 displays (e.g., graphically displays) each propulsion pipe (and tunneling machine) at a corresponding position in the display area of ​​the display unit provided in the computer constituting the pipe position calculation / display device 120 based on the position of each propulsion pipe (and tunneling machine) calculated by the pipe position calculation unit 123.

[0120] As the pipe position calculation and display device 120 has the above-described configuration, it is possible to calculate and display the position of each propulsion pipe, etc., based on the latest pipe position detection data at the time when the plot is instructed. For example, even if the position of each propulsion pipe has moved (from the position at the time the tunneling machine passed) due to earth pressure, etc., it is possible to easily grasp the current position of each propulsion pipe.

[0121] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described above. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the left and right reflectors 113, 114 (used by the rear pipe position detection device 110) are fixed to each pipe position detection device 110. However, the left and right reflectors may be attached to each propulsion pipe separately from the pipe position detection device. Furthermore, if each propulsion pipe is equipped with an attachment or the like that can be used as the left and right reflectors, the attachment or the like may be used as the left and right reflectors.

[0122] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the distance detection unit 510 is equipped with left and right LiDAR sensors 611, 612 and a laser distance sensor 613, but it is also possible to detect the distance to the left and right reflectors and the central reflector using a single LiDAR sensor with a wide scanning range.

[0123] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the refraction angle γ is calculated by the distance detection microcomputer 614, but it is also possible to have the detection data processing microcomputer 630 calculate it.

[0124] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when correction processing is required, the front tube yaw angle is replaced with a value calculated based on the front tube yaw angle and the refraction angle γ (the sum of both). However, it is also conceivable to replace the front tube yaw angle with a value calculated based on the front tube yaw angle and the refraction angle γ (the difference between both).

[0125] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the pipe attitude detection device 110 was attached to all the propulsion pipes 10, but it is also possible to thin out the propulsion pipes (for example, every other pipe) in the pipe array portion that constitutes a straight section and does not pass through a curved section. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 10,10a,10b Propulsion tube 11 Injection hole 20 excavator 30 Communication Cable 40 USB cable 100 Pipe Position Detection System 110 Pipe position detection device 111 Main body 112 Support rod 113 Left reflector 114 Right reflector 115 Reflector fixing plate 116 Central reflector 117 Window 120 Pipe position calculation / display device 121 Pipe position detection data receiving processing unit 122 Pipe position detection data storage unit 123 Pipe position calculation section 124 Pipe position display processing unit 130 Communication conversion and power supply equipment 140 Excavator attitude detection device 401 Propulsion pipe reference point 510 Distance detection unit 520 Attitude detection unit 530 Receiving processing unit 540 Detection data processing section 550 Transmission Processing Unit 560 Reboot processing section 611 Left LiDAR sensor 612 Right LiDAR sensor 613 Laser Distance Sensor 614 Distance detection microcomputer 621 Inertial Sensor 622 Microcomputer for posture detection 630 Microcomputer for processing detected data 640 Communication Interface Unit 720 Attitude detection unit 730 Receiving Processing Unit 750 Transmission Processing Unit 760 Restart processing section 821 Inertial Sensor 822 Microcomputer for posture detection 830 Communication processing microcomputer 840 Communication interface section 1100a, 1100b, 1100c, 1100d Pipe position detection data 1101 Device number part 1102 Detection data section

Claims

1. A pipe orientation detection device is attached to a pipe whose orientation is to be detected in a pipeline formed by connecting a plurality of pipes in series, an attitude detection unit that detects the attitude of the attached pipe; a receiving processing unit that receives pipe position detection data transmitted from a pipe attitude detection device attached to the front pipe; a detection data processing unit that adds posture data detected by the posture detection unit to the pipe position detection data received by the reception processing unit; a transmission processing unit that transmits the pipe position detection data to which the posture data has been added by the detection data processing unit to a pipe posture detection device attached to a rear pipe; A pipe position detection device comprising:

2. a distance detection unit that detects the distance to a pair of reflecting units provided on the front tube; The detection data processing unit determining whether a pipe in front of the vehicle is bent relative to the attached pipe based on the distances to the pair of reflecting portions detected by the distance detection unit; If the pipe is bent, the necessity of correction processing is determined based on the posture data of the front pipe included in the pipe position detection data received by the reception processing unit and the posture data detected by the posture detection unit, and correction processing is performed depending on the necessity of correction processing.

2. The pipe position detection device according to claim 1.

3. In the correction process, the detection data processing unit replaces the posture data of the forward pipe included in the pipe position detection data received by the reception processing unit with a value calculated based on the posture data detected by the posture detection unit and a bending angle calculated based on the distance to the pair of reflecting units.

3. The pipe position detection device according to claim 2.

4. In the correction process, the detection data processing unit replaces the attitude data detected by the attitude detection unit with a value calculated based on attitude data of the forward pipe included in the pipe position detection data received by the reception processing unit and a bending angle calculated based on the distance to the pair of reflecting units.

3. The pipe position detection device according to claim 2.

5. a restart processing unit that restarts the attitude detection unit, The detection data processing unit instructs the restart processing unit to restart the attitude detection unit in the correction processing.

3. The pipe position detection device according to claim 2.

6. In the correction process, the detection data processing unit instructs the transmission processing unit to transmit a restart command to a pipe attitude detection device attached to a front pipe.

3. The pipe position detection device according to claim 2.

7. The distance detection unit further detects the distance to a pipe attitude detection device attached to a front pipe, The detection data processing unit adds the distance data detected by the distance detection unit to the pipe position detection data received by the reception processing unit.

2. The pipe position detection device according to claim 1.

8. Further provided with a pair of reflectors used by the rear pipe position detection device.

8. The pipe position detection device according to claim 1, wherein the pipe position detection device is a pipe position detection device.

9. A pipe position detection system for detecting positions of a plurality of pipes constituting a pipeline formed by connecting a plurality of pipes in series, comprising: a plurality of pipe attitude detection devices attached to the plurality of pipes, respectively; a pipe position calculation device communicably connected to the plurality of pipe attitude detection devices; Equipped with The pipe attitude detection device is a pipe attitude detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The pipe position calculation device A pipe position calculation unit is provided to calculate the position of each pipe based on the pipe position detection data received from the pipe attitude detection device. A pipe position detection system comprising:

10. The pipe position calculation device A display unit; a pipe position display processing unit that displays each pipe at a corresponding position in a display area of ​​the display unit based on the position of each pipe calculated by the pipe position calculation unit; 10. The tube position detection system of claim 9, further comprising:

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