Construction machinery

Abstract

To provide a construction machine capable of preventing a work object dropped onto a skylight from blocking an operator's view when a front working machine is operated. [Solution] A hydraulic excavator (1) is provided with a lower running body (101), an upper rotating body (102), a cab (107), and an articulated front working implement (103), the cab (107) having a skylight (170) and a skylight wiper device (200), and is provided with angle sensors (31a-31c) that detect the attitude of the front working implement (103), and a controller (32) that operates the skylight wiper device (200) based on the detection results of the angle sensors (31a-31c), and the controller (32) executes auto-wiper control that automatically operates the skylight wiper device (200) when the height of a reference position (BP) of the front working implement (103) is equal to or greater than a predetermined height (H).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a construction machine having a skylight provided in the cab. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a wiper control device that includes a wiper motor that causes a wiper member to perform a wiping operation, and a controller that drives the wiper motor when a wiper switch is turned on. The controller has an interlocking control unit that drives the wiper motor to perform interlocking control when a washer switch that operates a washer device is turned on, and a rear wiping control unit that drives the wiper motor to perform rear wiping control after a waiting time has elapsed since the end of the interlocking control. If the elapsed time from the end of the interlocking control until the wiper switch is turned on is shorter than the waiting time, the rear wiping control unit sets a time shorter than the elapsed time as the waiting time for the next rear wiping control. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-94629 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In construction machinery in which an articulated front working implement is attached to an upper rotating body provided on the upper part of a lower traveling body, a cab constituting a driver's compartment is provided on the upper rotating body. The cab may also be provided with a skylight to allow the operator to see upward. When the front working implement is operated on a construction machinery with a skylight in the cab, if the front working implement is located higher than the cab, soil or other work objects may fall into the skylight, obstructing the operator's view through the skylight and interfering with work.

[0005] Patent Document 1 does not particularly disclose how to ensure visibility for the operator through the skylight of the construction machine, and does not give sufficient consideration to the above points.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a construction machine that can prevent work objects falling into the skylight from obstructing the operator's view when the front working implement is operated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a construction machine comprising a lower running body, an upper rotating body rotatably mounted on the lower running body, a cab mounted on the upper rotating body, and an articulated front working machine rotatably attached to the upper rotating body, the cab having a skylight provided on the top surface and a skylight wiper device for wiping the skylight, the construction machine further comprising an attitude detection device that detects the attitude of the front working machine, and a controller that operates the skylight wiper device based on the detection result of the attitude detection device, and the controller executes auto-wiper control that automatically operates the skylight wiper device when the height of a predetermined reference portion of the front working machine is equal to or greater than a predetermined height. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, when the front working implement is operated, it is possible to prevent a work object that has fallen onto the skylight from blocking the operator's view. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of a hydraulic excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the surrounding structure of the skylight and shade. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a hydraulic circuit diagram showing a hydraulic drive system of a hydraulic excavator. [Figure 4]FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a predetermined height. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a top view of the interior of the cab box, illustrating the layout of the mode selection switch. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing content of a controller. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the display contents of icons on a display device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. In the following description, the up-down direction, front-rear direction, and left-right direction correspond to the directions of arrows shown in Figure 1.

[0011] <Hydraulic excavator> Fig. 1 shows a hydraulic excavator 1 as a construction machine to which the present invention is applied. The hydraulic excavator 1 is suitable for use in excavation work and the like, and has a self-propelled lower body 101, an upper rotating body 102 rotatably attached to the lower body 101, and an articulated front working mechanism 103.

[0012] The front work implement 103 is attached to the front side of the upper rotating body 102. In this example, the front work implement 103 is configured by rotatably connecting multiple driven members, including a boom 103a attached to the upper rotating body 102 so as to be able to move up and down, an arm 103b connected to the tip of the boom 103a so as to be able to move up and down, and a bucket 103c connected to the tip of the arm 103b so as to be able to move up and down. The boom 103a, arm 103b, and bucket 103c are driven by corresponding hydraulic actuators, namely a boom cylinder 3a, an arm cylinder 3b, and a bucket cylinder 3c, respectively. Note that the attachment is not limited to the bucket 103c, and a grapple, breaker, or the like may be attached. The hydraulic excavator 1 performs work such as excavating earth and sand by rotating the boom 103a, arm 103b, and bucket 103c of the front work implement 103 while rotating the upper rotating body 102. Angle sensors 31a, 31b, and 31c that detect the rotation angles of the boom 103a, arm 103b, and bucket 103c are provided at the rotation fulcrums of the boom 103a, arm 103b, and bucket 103c, respectively (see FIG. 3, described later). Note that angle sensor 31c that detects the rotation angle of the bucket 103c may be omitted. These angle sensors 31a to 31c serve as posture detection devices that detect the posture of the front work implement 103. Note that instead of angle sensors 31a to 31c, stroke sensors that detect the strokes of the boom cylinder 3a, arm cylinder 3b, bucket cylinder 3c, etc., which are the hydraulic actuators described above, may be used, and the posture of the front work implement 103 may be detected by a known method based on the detection results. In this case, the stroke sensors serve as the posture detection devices.

[0013] The upper rotating body 102 includes a rotating frame 105. The rotating frame 105 is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body 101. A boom 103a and a boom cylinder 3a of the front working implement 103 are mounted on the front side of the rotating frame 105. A cab 107 including a cab box 107A is provided on the front left side of the rotating frame 105. The cab box 107A has a front surface 107a, a rear surface (not shown), and a top surface 107b, and a driver's cab is formed inside, where a driver's seat (not shown), operating lever devices 4a to 4f (see FIG. 3 described later), etc. are arranged.

[0014] A skylight 170 is provided on the top surface 107b of the cab box 107A, allowing the operator to see above the cab 107. The skylight 170 is provided so that the operator can see above the cab 107, and is configured, for example, by fixing a transparent glass plate or acrylic plate with an H-shaped rubber or the like so as to cover an opening frame provided in the top surface 107b. This allows the operator to check the work status when, for example, the front working implement 103 is raised high to work on a high-place location, or to check whether the boom 103a or the like will come into contact with the ceiling of a building or the like when working indoors. The top surface portion 107b is provided with a skylight wiper device 200 that wipes the skylight 170, a drive device 205 that drives the blade of the skylight wiper device 200 to rotate in the direction a in FIG. 1, and a nozzle 250 that can spray cleaning fluid onto the skylight 170 in conjunction with the operation of the skylight wiper device 200. The nozzle 250 constitutes a spraying device for cleaning fluid, and in addition to the nozzle 250, the spraying device also includes a tank (not shown) that is provided on the upper rotating body 102 and that stores cleaning fluid, a pump (not shown) that is provided on the upper rotating body 102 and that directs the cleaning fluid in the tank to the nozzle 250, and a hose (not shown) that connects the tank, the pump, and the nozzle 250. The skylight 170 may have a structure that can be opened and closed, but it needs to be in a closed state when wiping by the skylight wiper device 200 is performed.

[0015] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 (however, the skylight wiper device 200 and the windshield wiper device 300 are not shown), a shade 171 (protective member) is provided in the cab box 107A to cover the skylight 170 from the inside of the cab 107 as a sunshade when the skylight 170 is not in use, i.e., when there is no need to see above. In this example, the shade 171 is configured as a thin film and is wound around a winding core member 172. When using the shade 171, the operator manually pulls the handle 173 downward and left as shown in the figure to pull the shade 171 out from the winding core member 172, and then unfolds the shade 171 approximately horizontally so as to cover the entire skylight 170 from the driver's cab side, and then fixes it by engaging a hook 174 with a pipe 175 provided on the top surface portion 107b. In this example, a known switch (open / close detection device, not shown) detects whether the hook 174 is engaged with the pipe 175 (=closed position of the shade 171) or not (=open position of the shade 171), and the detection signal is input to the controller 32, which will be described later. The controller 32 is able to determine whether the shade 171 is pulled out (i.e., the shade 171 is in use and covering the skylight 170) based on the detection signal from the switch.

[0016] Returning to FIG. 1, the front portion 107a of the cab box 107A is provided with a front window 270 that allows the operator to see ahead of the cab 107. The front window 270 is provided so that the operator can see ahead of the cab 107, and is configured, for example, by fixing a transparent glass plate or acrylic plate with an H-shaped rubber or the like so as to cover an opening frame provided in the front portion 107a. This allows the operator to check, for example, the status of work being performed by the front work implement 103 in front, and the operating status of an attachment (such as the bucket 103c) provided on the front work implement 103. The front surface 107a is provided with a windshield wiper device 300 that wipes the windshield 270, and a drive device 305 that drives the blade of the windshield wiper device 300 to rotate in the direction b in Fig. 1. Note that the windshield wiper device may be configured such that a blade arranged in a substantially vertical direction wipes in a substantially horizontal direction, as described in JP 2021-139131 A, for example.

[0017] <Hydraulic circuit of hydraulic drive system> Fig. 3 is a hydraulic circuit diagram showing the hydraulic drive system of the hydraulic excavator 1. In Fig. 3, this hydraulic drive system includes a hydraulic pump 2 driven by an engine (not shown), a plurality of actuators including a boom cylinder 3a, an arm cylinder 3b, a bucket cylinder 3c, a swing motor 3d, and left and right travel motors 3e, 3f that are driven by pressure oil from the hydraulic pump 2, operation lever devices 4a to 4f that are provided in the operator's cab inside the cab box 107A corresponding to each of these hydraulic actuators 3a to 3f, a plurality of control valves 5a to 5f that are connected between the hydraulic pump 2 and the plurality of hydraulic actuators 3a to 3f and are switched from a neutral position by the operation pilot pressure of the operation lever devices 4a to 4f to control the flow rate of pressure oil supplied to the hydraulic actuators 3a to 3f, and a main relief valve 6 that serves as a safety valve.

[0018] <Boom, arm, bucket cylinder> The boom cylinder 3a receives hydraulic oil at its bottom side, driving it in the extension direction to raise the boom 103a, and receives hydraulic oil at its rod side, driving it in the retraction direction to lower the boom 103a. The arm cylinder 3b performs a crowding operation on the arm 103b by supplying hydraulic oil to the bottom side and driving it in the extension side, and performs a dumping operation on the arm 103b by supplying hydraulic oil to the rod side and driving it in the contraction side. The bucket cylinder 3c is supplied with hydraulic oil on its bottom side, driving it in the extension direction to perform a crowding operation of the bucket 103c, and is supplied with hydraulic oil on its rod side, driving it in the contraction direction to perform a dumping operation of the bucket 103c.

[0019] <Operating lever device> The operating lever devices 4a to 4f are hydraulic pilot type devices with built-in pressure reducing valves, and are connected to a discharge oil passage 7a of a pilot pump 7 (pilot oil pump) driven by the engine via a pilot pressure supply oil passage 7b. A pilot relief valve 8 is provided in the discharge oil passage 7a of the pilot pump 7 to keep the discharge pressure of the pilot pressure oil discharged from the pilot pump 7 constant.

[0020] The control lever devices 4a to 4f each generate a command pilot pressure (secondary pressure) according to the amount and direction of operation of the control lever operated by the operator, based on the hydraulic pressure (primary pressure) generated by the pilot pump 7. These command pilot pressures are guided via pilot lines 10a, 10b to 15a, 15b to the hydraulic drive units 20a, 20b to 25a, 25b of the corresponding control valves 5a to 5f.

[0021] <Control valve> Control valve 5a is operated by a boom-up command pilot pressure or a boom-down command pilot pressure guided via pilot lines 10a, 10b, and controls the flow of hydraulic oil supplied to or discharged from the bottom side or rod side of boom cylinder 3a. The control valve 5b is operated by the arm crowd command pilot pressure or the arm dump command pilot pressure guided through the pilot line 11a or 11b, and controls the flow of hydraulic oil supplied to or discharged from the bottom side or the rod side of the arm cylinder 3b. The control valve 5c is operated by a bucket crowd command pilot pressure or a bucket dump command pilot pressure guided via pilot lines 12a, 12b, and controls the flow of hydraulic oil supplied to or discharged from the bottom side or rod side of the bucket cylinder 3c.

[0022] <Controller and gate lock lever> Furthermore, the hydraulic drive system shown in FIG. 3 is provided with a controller 32 that receives signals from the angle sensors 31a, 31b, and 31c and performs various control calculations described below, an electromagnetic switching valve 120 that is arranged between the discharge oil passage 7a of the pilot pump 7 and the pilot pressure supply oil passage 7b, and a gate lock lever 180.

[0023] The gate lock lever 180 has a known configuration and is provided, for example, beside the seat on which the operator sits in the cab of the cab box 107A (see FIG. 5 described later), and can be switched between an unlocked position and a locked position. When the gate lock lever 180 is in the unlocked position, it functions to prohibit the operator from getting in and out of the cab 107, and when it is in the locked position, it functions to allow the operator to get in and out.

[0024] The solenoid directional control valve 120 switches between communication and cut-off between the discharge oil passage 7a and the pilot pressure supply oil passage 7b in response to a command from the controller 32. The controller 32 inputs the switching status of the gate lock lever 180 and outputs an open / close command to the solenoid directional control valve 120 depending on the position of the gate lock lever 180. That is, when the gate lock lever 180 is in the unlocked position, the controller 32 switches the solenoid directional control valve 120 to the communication position shown on the left in FIG. 3. This allows pressure oil from the pilot pump 7 to be guided to the operating lever devices 4a to 4f, enabling operation of the control valves 5a to 5f via the operating levers provided on the operating lever devices 4a to 4f. When the gate lock lever 180 is in the locked position, the solenoid directional control valve 120 remains switched to the cut-off position shown on the right in FIG. 3, preventing pressure oil from the pilot pump 7 from being introduced into the operating lever devices 4a to 4f. This disables operation of the control valves 5a to 5f via the operating levers. That is, even if the control lever of each of the control lever devices 4a to 4f is operated, command pilot pressure cannot be generated, and the hydraulic drive system becomes inoperable, resulting in all operations of the hydraulic excavator 1 coming to a halt.

[0025] <Operation of roof window and front window wiper devices> Also provided within the operator's cab of the cab box 107A (see FIG. 5 described later) are a roof window wiper operation switch 210 (first operation device) for manually operating the above-mentioned roof window wiper device 200, and a windshield wiper operation switch 310 (second operation device) for manually operating the above-mentioned windshield wiper device 300. When the operator operates the roof window wiper operation switch 210, a corresponding operation signal is input to the controller 32. In response to this, a control signal from the controller 32 is output to the motor of the drive device 205, which drives the blades of the roof window wiper device 200 to rotate and wipe the roof window 170. When the operator operates the windshield wiper operation switch 310, a corresponding operation signal is input to the controller 32. In response to this, a control signal from the controller 32 is output to the motor of the drive device 305, which drives the blades of the windshield wiper device 300 to rotate and wipe the windshield 270.

[0026] <Display device> A display device 190 is also connected to the controller 32. The display device 190 is provided at an appropriate location inside the cab box 107A so as to be visible to the operator. When the roof window wiper device 200 is in an auto-wiper mode, which will be described later, the controller 32 causes the display device 190 to display a corresponding icon (hereinafter referred to as an "auto-mode icon" as appropriate; see FIG. 7(a)).

[0027] <Main parts of the embodiment> As described above, when the front working implement 103 is operated in a configuration in which the cab 107 is provided with a skylight 170, if the front working implement 103 is located higher than the cab 107, there is a risk that work materials such as earth and sand will fall into the skylight 170, blocking the operator's view through the skylight 170 and interfering with the operator's work.

[0028] To avoid the above, the main feature of this embodiment is to perform auto-wiper control that automatically operates the roof window wiper device 200 when the height of a predetermined reference portion (described later) of the front working implement 103 in the posture of the front working implement 103 reaches or exceeds a predetermined height H (see FIG. 4 described later). Details of this will be explained below in order.

[0029] <Prescribed height> 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the predetermined height. In FIG. 4, a non-controlled area X and a controlled area Y are respectively set above and below a boundary surface E located at the predetermined height H in this example around the cab 107. In other words, the non-controlled area X and the controlled area Y are separated by the boundary surface E. The height position of the boundary surface E coincides with the height position of the top surface 107b of the cab box 107A, in other words, the height position of the skylight 170.

[0030] While the front attachment 103, more specifically, a predetermined reference portion (described later), is located in the non-control region X, the roof window wiper device 200 operates only when the roof window wiper operating device 210 is manually operated. If the reference portion of the front attachment 103 enters the control region Y from the non-control region X, the roof window wiper device 200 automatically operates under the control of the controller 32, even without manual operation of the roof window wiper operating device 210. In this embodiment, the controller 32 has two modes: a roof window auto-wiper mode in which the auto-wiper control is executed to operate the roof window wiper device 200 when the reference portion enters the control region Y, as described above, and a normal mode in which such auto-wiper control is not executed. A mode selection switch 400 (see FIG. 5 described later and FIG. 3 described above) is provided inside the cab box 107A to select one of these two modes. When the operator operates the mode selection switch 400 to select one of the modes, the selection result is input to the controller 32 and the corresponding control is executed. In addition to the mode selection switch 400, the cab box 107A is also provided with the above-mentioned roof window wiper operation switch 210 and windshield wiper operation switch 310.

[0031] <Driver's cab> Fig. 5 shows a view from above of the cab in the cab box 107A, in which the mode selection switch 400 and the like are provided. As shown in Fig. 5, the cab is provided with a driver's seat 110 where the operator sits. Also, a left console device 111 is provided on the door side of the cab box 107A, i.e., on the left side of the driver's seat 110. A right console device 124 is provided on the opposite side, to the right of the driver's seat 110.

[0032] The right console device 124 has an operation lever 125 and a switch box 167 provided with a plurality of switches. In this example, the mode selection switch 400 is arranged in the left region of the switch box 167, and the roof window wiper operation switch 210 and the windshield wiper operation switch 310 are arranged in the right region. Operating the control lever 125 in the forward and backward directions commands the boom cylinder 3a to lower and raise the boom, and operating the control lever 125 in the right and left directions commands the bucket cylinder 3c to dump and crowd the bucket. In other words, the control lever 125 functions as the control lever of the control lever devices 4a and 4c described above with reference to Figure 3.

[0033] The left console device 111 has an operation lever 114 and the shut-off lever 180 (not shown). Operating the operation lever 114 to the right or left commands the arm crowding and arm dumping operations of the arm cylinder 3b, and operating the operation lever 114 to the forward or backward commands the right-swinging and left-swinging operations of the swing motor 3d. In other words, the operation lever 114 functions as the operation lever of the operation lever devices 4b and 4d described above with reference to Figure 3.

[0034] Furthermore, operating levers 154a and 155a are disposed in front of the seat 110. Operating the operating lever 154a in the forward and backward directions commands the forward and backward movement of the left traveling motor 3f, and operating the operating lever 155a in the forward and backward directions commands the forward and backward movement of the right traveling motor 3e. In other words, the operating levers 154a and 155a function as the operating levers of the operating lever devices 4f and 4e described above with reference to FIG. 3, respectively.

[0035] <Controller functions> Next, the function of the controller 32 that realizes the above-mentioned automatic wiper control will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0036] <Processing flow by the controller> FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the controller 32. First, in S5, the controller 32 determines whether or not the roof window auto wiper mode has been selected by the operator operating the mode selection switch 400. If the roof window auto wiper mode has been selected, a Yes determination is made, and the process proceeds to S10, which will be described later. When the roof window auto wiper mode has been selected and a Yes determination is made, the display device 190 displays the above-mentioned auto mode icon IC1, as shown in FIG. 7(a). When the auto mode icon IC1 is displayed, an audio notification may also be made from a sound generating device (such as a buzzer or speaker) appropriately provided in the cab box 107A.

[0037] If normal mode is selected in S5, a No determination is made, and the process proceeds to S30. In S30, the controller 32 determines whether or not the operator has manually operated the skylight wiper operation switch 210. If the skylight wiper operation switch 210 has been operated, a Yes determination is made, and the process proceeds to S35, which will be described later, but if the skylight wiper operation switch 210 has not been operated, a No determination is made, and the process returns to S5, and the same procedure is repeated.

[0038] On the other hand, in S10, to which the process proceeds after a Yes judgment in S5, the controller calculates the position of a reference point of the front working implement 103 based on the rotation angles of the boom 103a, arm 103b, and bucket 103c input from the angle sensors 31a, 31b, and 31c, and the dimensions of each part of the front working implement 103 stored in advance in a memory or the like. In this example, the controller 32 uses the connecting pin BP (see FIG. 4) between the bucket 103c and the arm 103b as the reference point (hereinafter, appropriately, simply referred to as the "reference point BP"). More specifically, the reference point is the axial center of the connecting pin BP.

[0039] Subsequently, in S20, the controller 32 determines, based on the calculation result in S10, whether the height position of the reference position BP is equal to or higher than the height position of the boundary surface E (in other words, whether the reference position BP is within the control region Y). Note that information about the height position of the boundary surface E is a value set based on, for example, the vehicle specifications of the hydraulic excavator 1 and is stored in advance in the memory of the controller 32. If the position of the reference position BP is lower than the boundary surface E, a "No" determination is made in S20, and the process returns to S5, where the same processing is repeated. If the position of the reference position BP is equal to or higher than the boundary surface E, a "Yes" determination is made, and the process proceeds to S25. As described above, the height of the boundary surface E corresponds to the predetermined height H in this embodiment. Note that, in this specification, "height" refers to the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the contact surface LA of the crawler 101A of the undercarriage 101, as shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, when the entire hydraulic excavator 1 is tilted, such as when working on a slope, the direction of the "height" has a certain angle (diagonal direction) with respect to the so-called vertical up-down direction.

[0040] In S25, the controller 32 determines whether or not a predetermined operation exclusion condition is met for the skylight wiper device 200. The operation exclusion condition includes, for example, any of the following four conditions.

[0041] <Operation exclusion condition 1: Continued non-operation state> For example, this occurs when none of the operating levers of the operating lever devices 4a to 4f are operated (in the neutral position) for a predetermined period of time (for example, several seconds to several minutes). Specifically, the command pilots in the pilot lines 10a, 10b to 15a, 15b are detected by, for example, a pressure sensor, and the detection result is input to the controller 32. When the controller 32 determines that the above-mentioned non-operating state exists based on the input detection result, it makes a Yes determination in S25. Note that, instead of the above, a method may be used in which the controller determines that the front working implement 103 is in the non-operating state when there is no movement of the front working implement 103 for the predetermined period of time based on the detection results of the angle sensors 31a to 31c.

[0042] If none of the operating levers of the operating lever devices 4a to 4f have been operated for a certain period of time, even if the reference position BP is at or above a predetermined height, it is likely that the aircraft is in a parking position and wiping of the skylight 170 is not necessary.

[0043] <Operation exclusion condition 2: Gate lock lever is in the locked position> That is, when the gate lock lever 180 is operated to the lock position, the controller 32 makes a Yes determination in S25. This is because when the gate lock lever 180 is operated to the lock position, it is not possible to operate the hydraulic actuators using the operating lever devices 4a to 4f, and work such as excavation cannot be performed, so it is highly likely that wiping of the skylight 170 is not necessary.

[0044] <Operation exclusion condition 3: When using a shade> That is, if the controller 32 determines that the shade 171 is in use based on the detection result of the aforementioned switch that detects engagement of the hook 174 provided on the shade 171 with the pipe 175 (that is, if the switch detects that the shade 171 is covering the skylight 170 from inside the cab 107), the controller 32 makes a Yes determination in S25. This is because when the skylight 170 is covered by the shade 171, the operator cannot use the skylight, and therefore it is highly likely that wiping of the skylight 170 is not necessary.

[0045] <Action Exclusion Condition 4: Running or turning only> That is, the controller 32 makes a Yes determination in S25 when at least one of the right travel operation lever device 4e, the left travel operation lever device 4f, and the swing operation lever device 4d among the operation lever devices 4a to 4f is operated, and the other operation lever devices 4a to 4c are not operated. This is because, when operating the hydraulic excavator 1 to travel or when operating the upper rotating body 102 of the hydraulic excavator 1 to swing, the operator normally looks forward, backward, left, or right, and does not need to look upward through the skylight 170.

[0046] If none of the above operation exclusion conditions are met in S25, a No determination is made in S25, and the process proceeds to S35.

[0047] In S35, the controller 32 outputs a drive control signal to the drive device 205 to operate the skylight wiper device 200. This causes the blade of the skylight wiper device 200 to wipe the skylight 170. At this time, by using the connecting pin BP as the reference position as described above, the auto-wiper control is executed only when there is a high possibility that soil adhering to the attachment (bucket 103c) will fall onto the skylight.

[0048] When the automatic operation of the roof window wiper device 200 is started in S35, an auto-wiping icon IC2, which indicates that the roof window wiper device 200 is in automatic operation, is displayed on the display device 190, in addition to the auto mode icon IC1, as shown in Fig. 7(b). As described above, when the auto-wiping icon IC2 is displayed, an audio notification may also be given from a sound generating device (buzzer, speaker, etc.) appropriately provided inside the cab box 107A.

[0049] When S35 is completed, this flow ends.

[0050] On the other hand, if the above-mentioned operation exclusion condition is met in S25, a Yes determination is made, and the controller 32 ends this flow without executing S35. In this case, even though the roof window auto-wiper mode is selected in S5, the automatic operation of the roof window wiper device 200 is not executed in S35, so that the auto-wiper control is, so to speak, disabled.

[0051] <Effects of the embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, when the front working implement 103, which is made up of the boom 103a, arm 103b, bucket 103c, etc., operates, the posture of the front working implement 103 is detected by the angle sensors 31a to 31c. Then, when the height of a predetermined reference position BP of the front working implement 103 is equal to or greater than a predetermined height H, the controller 32 executes auto-wiper control and automatically operates the skylight wiper device 200 (S35).

[0052] This allows the roof window wiper device 200 to be automatically operated when the front working implement 103 is in a position where there is a risk of the work object falling into the roof window 170, such as when part of the front working implement 103 is positioned above the cab 107. As a result, according to this embodiment, when the front working implement 103 is operated, it is possible to prevent the operator's view from being obstructed by the work object falling into the roof window 170, which would hinder the operator's work.

[0053] Furthermore, even if the skylight 170 becomes dirty for some reason, there may be cases where the front work implement 103 is located forward of the cab 107 and the operator performs work based on the visibility through the front window 270, and therefore does not particularly need to see through the skylight 170. In such cases, there is no point in operating the skylight wiper device 200, and rather, unnecessary operation will wear out the wiper blades, increasing the frequency of wiper blade replacement. Furthermore, the operation of the blades of the roof window wiper device 200 may sweep out dirt, sand, rainwater, etc. from the roof window 170 onto the windshield 270 side, the right window side, and the left window side. That is, dirt, sand, rainwater, etc. may fall onto the windshield 270 side, the right window side, and the left window side, which may impair visibility through the windows provided in the cab 107. Furthermore, when cleaning fluid is sprayed from the nozzle 250 of the spraying device in accordance with the operation of the blade of the skylight wiper device 200, the cleaning fluid may drip from the skylight 170 onto the front window 270, which may impair visibility through the front window 270.

[0054] Therefore, in this embodiment, the operating conditions of the roof window wiper device 200 are limited to when the reference position BP of the front working implement 103 is at or above a predetermined height H, which means that there is a high possibility that the operator will need visibility through the roof window 170. This makes it possible to avoid the above-mentioned problems of waste and increased replacement frequency, and also prevents a deterioration in visibility through the windshield 270.

[0055] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, operation exclusion conditions are set in advance (operation exclusion conditions 1 to 4, etc.) that do not require wiping of the roof window 170 even if the height of the reference position BP of the front working implement 103 is equal to or greater than the predetermined height H. If any of these operation exclusion conditions is met (S25: Yes), the auto-wiper control by the controller 32 is disabled. This makes it possible to reliably avoid the adverse effects of unnecessary wiping operations, such as increased replacement frequency.

[0056] In this embodiment, particularly, when operation exclusion condition 1 (continuation of non-operation state) is met, the controller 32 disables the auto-wiper control. This prevents unnecessary operation when wiping the skylight 170 is not required in the parked position, and reliably avoids the adverse effects such as the increased replacement frequency mentioned above.

[0057] In this embodiment, particularly, when operation exclusion condition 2 (the gate lock lever is in the locked position) is met, the controller 32 disables the auto-wiper control. This prevents unnecessary operation when excavation work or the like cannot be performed and wiping of the skylight 170 is not necessary, and reliably avoids adverse effects such as an increase in the replacement frequency described above.

[0058] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, when operation exclusion condition 3 (when a shade is in use) is met, controller 32 disables auto-wiper control. This prevents unnecessary operation when skylight 170 is covered by shade 171 and wiping of skylight 170 is not necessary, and reliably avoids adverse effects such as an increase in the replacement frequency described above.

[0059] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the spraying device is automatically operated in conjunction with the auto-wiper control of the skylight wiper device 200, and washer fluid is sprayed from the nozzle 250. In this case, the washer fluid may drip from the skylight 170 onto the front window 270, impairing visibility through the front window 270. For this reason, it is particularly effective to limit the operating conditions of the skylight wiper device 200 to when the height of the reference position BP of the front implement 103 is equal to or greater than a predetermined height H, which is a situation in which the operator is likely to need visibility through the skylight 170.

[0060] <Other variations> In the above, if the height direction position of the reference position BP is equal to or higher than the boundary surface E (= height is equal to or higher than the predetermined height H) in S20 in Fig. 6 and the above-mentioned operation exclusion condition is not met in S25, the skylight wiper device 200 is automatically operated in S35, but this is not limited to this. That is, in addition to not meeting the operation exclusion condition of S25, a condition may also be added in which a predetermined level of dirt on the skylight 170 is detected by a known optical method, for example, and if this condition is met, the skylight wiper device 200 is automatically operated in S35.

[0061] Furthermore, when the roof window wiper device 200 is automatically operated in S35, the windshield wiper device 300 may also be automatically operated in conjunction with this (without the operator manually operating the windshield wiper device 300). In this case, for example, when the front working implement 103 is in a relatively high position and the operator is performing work based on not only the view through the roof window 170 but also the view through the windshield 270, there is an advantage in that the operator's view through both the roof window 170 and the windshield 270 can be maintained good.

[0062] Furthermore, while the control valves 5a to 5f are hydraulic pilot type in the above description, this is not limiting. For example, the method of the present invention may be applied to a configuration in which a controller outputs a control signal to an electromagnetic actuator (solenoid) of a control valve based on an electric operation signal from a so-called electric lever type operating lever, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-315126, to control the supply and discharge of hydraulic oil. In this case, the determination of the continuation of the non-operation state of the above-mentioned operation exclusion condition 1 can be made, for example, by the controller 32 directly detecting the presence or absence of the electric operation signal or the magnitude of the operation value, and making a determination based on the detection result.

[0063] <About the problem to be solved and the effects of the invention> The problems to be solved by the invention and the effects of the invention are not limited to those described above. That is, the present invention may solve problems or achieve effects not described above, or may solve only some of the problems or achieve only some of the effects described above.

[0064] <About shape, numbers, structure, and time series> The components illustrated in the embodiments and drawings may be modified and improved as desired within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention in terms of shape, numerical value, or the structure or chronological relationship of multiple components.

[0065] <Other> In the above, the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 does not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the above flow, and steps may be added or deleted or the order may be changed within the scope that does not deviate from the spirit and technical concept of the invention.

[0066] In addition to the above, the methods according to the above embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

[0067] Although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1. Hydraulic excavator (construction machinery) 3a Boom cylinder (hydraulic actuator) 3b Arm cylinder (hydraulic actuator) 3c Bucket cylinder (hydraulic actuator) 7 Pilot pump (pilot oil pump) 31a Angle sensor (attitude detection device) 31b Angle sensor (attitude detection device) 31c Angle sensor (attitude detection device) 32 Controller 101 Lower running body 102 Upper rotating body 103 Front work equipment 103a Boom 103b Arm 103c Bucket 107 Cab 107a Front part 107b Top section 170 Skylight 171 Shade (protective material) 180 Gate lock lever 190 Display device 200 Skylight wiper device 210 Skylight wiper operation switch (first operation device) 250 nozzles 270 Front window 300 Windshield wiper device 310 Windshield wiper operation switch (second operation device) BP connecting pin (reference part) H specified height

Claims

1. a lower running body; an upper rotating body rotatably provided on the lower traveling body; A cab provided on the upper rotating body; a multi-joint front working machine rotatably attached to the upper rotating body; Equipped with The cab is A skylight on the top surface, a roof window wiper device that wipes the roof window; In construction machinery having a posture detection device for detecting the posture of the front working implement; a controller that operates the roof window wiper device based on the detection result of the attitude detection device; The construction machine is characterized in that the controller executes auto-wiper control to automatically operate the skylight wiper device when the height of a predetermined reference portion of the front working implement is equal to or greater than a predetermined height.

2. 2. The construction machine according to claim 1, The controller Even if the height of the reference portion of the front working implement is equal to or greater than the predetermined height, the auto wiper control is disabled when a predetermined operation exclusion condition is met. Construction machinery characterized by:

3. 3. The construction machine according to claim 2, a hydraulic actuator that drives the front working implement; an operating lever provided in the cab for operating the hydraulic actuator, The controller disables the auto-wiper control when the operation lever has not been operated for a predetermined period of time as the operation exclusion condition. Construction machinery characterized by:

4. 3. The construction machine according to claim 2, a hydraulic actuator that drives the front working implement; an operating lever provided in the cab for operating the hydraulic actuator; a gate lock lever that is provided in the cab and is switchable between a lock position that disables operation of the operation lever and an unlock position that enables operation of the operation lever; and The controller disables the auto wiper control when the gate lock lever is in the lock position as the operation exclusion condition. Construction machinery characterized by:

5. 3. The construction machine according to claim 2, a protective member that can be switched between a closed state that covers the skylight from inside the cab and an open state that opens the skylight to the inside of the cab; an open / close detection device that detects the open / close state of the protective member, The controller When the opening / closing detection device detects that the protection member is in the closed state as the operation exclusion condition, the auto-wiper control is disabled. Construction machinery characterized by:

6. 2. The construction machine according to claim 1, further comprising a spraying device for spraying a cleaning liquid onto the skylight, The controller automatically operates the injection device in conjunction with the automatic wiper control. Construction machinery characterized by:

7. 2. The construction machine according to claim 1, The cab has a front window provided at a front portion thereof, a windshield wiper device that wipes the windshield, The controller When the height of the reference portion of the front attachment is equal to or greater than the predetermined height, The automatic wiper control automatically operates the roof window wiper device and the windshield wiper device. Construction machinery characterized by:

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