Caisson excavation surface shape measuring device

Abstract

This invention provides a caisson excavation surface shape measuring device that can reduce the effort required to delete unnecessary measurement data from work equipment from the measurement data of the excavation surface shape of all soil and sand within the work chamber. [Solution] The caisson excavation surface shape measuring device includes a work chamber 2 installed at the bottom of the caisson body 1, measuring devices 12 or 22 disposed within the work chamber 2 to measure the overall excavation surface shape of the soil within the work chamber 2 at positions spaced apart from each other, and a data synthesis unit 17d which combines the measurement data measured by the measuring devices 12 or 22 at the respective spaced-apart positions. The device is configured such that the measurement data synthesized by the synthesis unit 17d becomes the overall excavation surface shape data of the soil within the work chamber 2.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] , ,

[0006]

[0001] The present invention relates to a caisson excavation surface shape measuring device that measures the shape of an excavation surface in order to perform excavation management of the subsidence excavation situation at the bottom of a caisson in the pneumatic caisson method.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, in the pneumatic caisson method, compressed air is sent into the work chamber to prevent the intrusion of groundwater, and the work chamber is in a high-pressure environment. Therefore, by remotely operating the excavator installed in the work chamber at the bottom of the pneumatic caisson (hereinafter referred to as the caisson body) from a remote operation room installed on the ground, the operator is minimized from being exposed to the high-pressure environment and the excavation work is advanced.

[0003] Therefore, since the work chamber is unmanned, the excavation situation in the work chamber is confirmed from the remote operation room through the photographed images of the cameras installed in the work chamber and the excavator.

[0004] The self-weight of the caisson body is supported by the ground reaction force received by the soil and sand from the caisson blade edge and the bottom plate where the remaining excavation part contacts. When the remaining excavation part is gradually narrowed, the pressure applied to the soil and sand in the remaining excavation part increases and the caisson body sinks. In managing the sinking of this caisson body, it is an important factor to grasp the remaining excavation position and the area opening ratio (area excluding the remaining excavation part / bottom area of the caisson body).

[0005] The technique of Patent Document 1 provides a dedicated rail on the ceiling slab of the work chamber, provides a traveling part that can travel along this rail, attaches a distance measuring device such as a radar to this traveling part, and while scanning the remaining excavation part in the vertical direction with this distance measuring device, the distance measuring device itself is moved through the traveling part in the horizontal direction for measurement.

[0006] The technique of Patent Document 2 calculates the opening ratio by measuring the ground of the caisson blade edge and its lower surface with a measuring instrument (such as a laser) provided on the caisson shovel or the ceiling slab.

[0007] The technology described in Patent Document 3 involves a distance measuring device being attached to a mobile excavator that is mounted on a ceiling slab, and this distance measuring device has a measuring device body and a pressure vessel, with the measuring device body housed inside the pressure vessel. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-229826 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-82463 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-155619 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] By the way, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that, since the radar, which serves as a distance measuring device, is installed on a traveling unit that runs along a rail, it is time-consuming to remove unnecessary data from work equipment such as excavators and buckets from the radar's measurement data.

[0010] Furthermore, the technologies described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 have the problem that, because the measuring instrument is mounted on the excavator, it is time-consuming to delete unnecessary data from the excavator.

[0011] This invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a caisson excavation surface shape measuring device that can reduce the effort required to delete unnecessary measurement data from work equipment from the measurement data of the excavation surface shape of all soil in the work chamber. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] To solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is characterized in that a work chamber is installed at the lower part of the caisson body, a measuring device is disposed in the work chamber and measures the shape of the excavation surface of the soil in the work chamber at positions spaced apart from each other, and a data synthesis means is used to synthesize the measurement data measured at the respective spaced-apart positions by the measuring device, wherein the measurement data synthesized by the data synthesis means is configured to be the data of the shape of the excavation surface of the soil in the work chamber.

[0013] The invention described in claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that a work chamber is installed at the lower part of the caisson body, the measurement area for measuring the overall excavation surface shape of the soil in the work chamber is divided into a plurality of sections, and the excavation surface shape of the soil is measured for each of the plurality of divided measurement areas, and a data synthesis means is used to synthesize the measurement data for each of the plurality of divided measurement areas measured by the measurement device, wherein the measurement data synthesized by the data synthesis means is configured to be the data for the overall excavation surface shape of the soil in the work chamber.

[0014] Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in claim 1 or 2, a filtering means is provided for filtering and removing measurement data of work equipment installed in the work room from the measurement data measured by the measuring device.

[0015] Furthermore, the invention described in claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in claim 1 or 2, the measuring device is a three-dimensional LiDAR or a rotatable two-dimensional LiDAR.

[0016] Furthermore, the invention described in claim 5 of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in claim 3, work equipment is movably arranged in the work chamber, and the position of the work equipment is changed so that the shape of the excavated surface of the soil in the divided measurement area where the work equipment is not arranged is measured by the measuring device, and all of the divided measurement areas where the work equipment is not arranged are measured.

[0017] Furthermore, the invention described in claim 6 of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in claim 5, rails are laid across the plurality of divided measurement areas, and the work equipment is provided to be movable along the rails. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, by measuring the shape of the excavation surface of the soil in the work room at positions spaced apart from each other using measuring devices installed in the work room, and by combining these measured data using a data combining means, and by using the combined measurement data as the data of the excavation surface shape of the soil in the work room, it is possible to reduce the number of measurements taken by the measuring device, reduce blind spots when taking measurements with the measuring device, and reduce the effort required to remove unnecessary measurement data of work equipment such as excavators from the measurement data of the excavation surface shape of all soil in the work room.

[0019] Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 2 of the present invention, the measurement area for measuring the overall excavation surface shape of the soil in the work chamber is divided into multiple sections, the excavation surface shape of the soil is measured for each of these divided measurement areas by a measuring device, the measurement data for each of the multiple divided measurement areas measured by the measuring device is combined by a data combining means, and the measurement data combined by this data combining means is used as the overall excavation surface shape data for the soil in the work chamber. This eliminates blind spots when measuring with the measuring device and reduces the effort required to delete unnecessary measurement data of work equipment such as excavators from the measurement data of the excavation surface shape of all the soil in the work chamber.

[0020] Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 3 of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, a filtering means is provided that filters and removes measurement data from work equipment installed in the work room from the measurement data measured by the measuring device. Since unnecessary data is removed by this filtering means, the time required for manual removal of unnecessary data can be significantly reduced.

[0021] Further, according to the invention described in claim 4 of the present invention, in addition to the effects described in claim 1 or 2, since the measuring device is a three-dimensional LiDAR or a rotatable two-dimensional LiDAR, accurate data on the shape of the earthwork excavation surface in the work chamber can be obtained.

[0022] Further, according to the invention described in claim 5 of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 3, a working device is movably arranged in the work chamber, and the position of this working device is changed to measure the shape of the earthwork excavation surface in the divided measurement area where the working device is not arranged by the measuring device, and all the divided measurement areas where the working device is not arranged are measured. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to eliminate dead angles when measuring with the measuring device, and reliably reduce the labor for deleting unnecessary measurement data of working devices such as excavators from the measurement data of the shape of the earthwork excavation surface of all the earthwork in the work chamber.

[0023] Further, according to the invention described in claim 6 of the present invention, in addition to the effects described in claim 5, rails are laid across a plurality of divided measurement areas, and the working device is provided movably along these rails. Therefore, it is possible to easily move to and measure all the divided measurement areas where the working device is not arranged.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] [Figure 1] It is a cross-sectional view showing the bottom of the caisson where the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed. [Figure 2] It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state where the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed in the shaft hole and the measuring device is stored in the storage device. [Figure 3] It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state where the measuring device protrudes from the storage device in the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the state where the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed on the ceiling slab and the measuring device is stored in the storage device. [Figure 5]Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device with the measuring device protruding from the storage device. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram showing the control system of a caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram showing the control system of a caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a schematic plan view showing an example in which the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is applied to the caisson body. [Figure 9] (a) and (b) are schematic plan views showing an example in which the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is applied to a circular caisson body. [Figure 10] (a) and (b) are schematic plan views showing an example in which the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is applied to a rectangular caisson body. [Figure 11] (a) and (b) are schematic plan views showing an example in which a caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to a modified example of the third embodiment of the present invention is applied to an oval-shaped caisson body. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0026] [First Embodiment] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the bottom of a caisson with the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention installed. Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention installed in a shaft hole and the measuring device stored in the storage device. Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device of Figure 2 with the measuring device protruding from the storage device.

[0027] The pneumatic caisson (hereinafter referred to as the caisson body) 1 on which the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device of this embodiment is installed is used in the construction of the pneumatic caisson method. The pneumatic caisson method is a construction method in which, for example, a box-shaped structure made of reinforced concrete is constructed on the ground in advance, with a working chamber at the bottom surrounded by a cutting edge, and then the box-shaped structure is submerged by excavating using an excavator within this working chamber, and then layers of the box-shaped structure are constructed sequentially to install the structure in a predetermined position. When excavating soil in the working chamber using the excavator, it is important to accurately grasp the location of remaining excavated soil and the area opening ratio in real time when managing the subsidence of the caisson body 1 using the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device of this embodiment.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1, the caisson body 1 on which the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device of this embodiment is installed has a work chamber 2 at its lower part. This work chamber 2 is formed by being surrounded by a cutting edge section 3 and a ceiling slab 4. Two circular shaft holes 4a are formed in this ceiling slab 4 for installing two outfitting equipment. These shaft holes 4a open into the work chamber 2. The two outfitting equipment consist of a man shaft 5 used when workers enter and exit the work chamber 2, and a material shaft 6 used when transporting excavated soil from the work chamber 2 to the surface or when transporting materials. A man lock (not shown) is installed on the upper part of the man shaft 5, and a material lock (not shown) is installed on the upper part of the material shaft 6.

[0029] A running rail 7 is laid on the underside of the ceiling slab 4, and an excavator 8, which serves as work equipment, is movably mounted along this running rail 7. This excavator 8 is for excavating soil 9 inside the work chamber 2.

[0030] The caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 10 of this embodiment includes, as shown in Figure 2, a storage device 11 attached to a shaft hole 4a in which a manshaft 5 is installed, a measuring device (scanner) 12 that is provided to be able to move in and out of the storage device 11 into the work chamber 2 and measures the shape of the excavation surface of the soil in the work chamber 2, and a drive device 13 that drives the measuring device 12 to move in and out of the storage device 11 into the work chamber 2.

[0031] Specifically, in this embodiment, the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 10 is configured such that the measuring device 12 can be raised and lowered relative to the storage device 11 by driving the drive device 13. As shown in Figure 3, when measuring, the measuring device 12 is lowered from the storage device 11 and protrudes (exposed) into the work chamber 2, while as shown in Figure 2, when not measuring, the measuring device 12 is raised and stored in the storage device 11.

[0032] The storage device 11 of the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 10 in this embodiment may have any shape as long as it surrounds and stores the measuring device 12 when it is not measuring, and lowers the measuring device 12 relative to the storage device 11 and protrudes into the work chamber 2 when it is measuring.

[0033] The measuring device 12 of this embodiment includes, for example, a three-dimensional LiDAR (Light A 3D LiDAR (Detection and Ranging) or rotatable 2D LiDAR is used. This LiDAR works by irradiating a laser beam towards the object to be measured, measuring the distance based on the time it takes for the light to bounce back, and displaying the measurement data collected in this way as a collection of points, i.e., point cloud data, three-dimensionally on a CPU. In this embodiment, a 3D LiDAR or a 2D LiDAR is used, but it is not limited to these, and in addition to an RGB-D sensor, a stereo camera, an ultrasonic rangefinder, or a laser sensor may also be used.

[0034] In this embodiment, the drive unit 13 uses an electric cylinder (electric actuator) that converts the rotational force of the motor into linear motion. In this embodiment, limit switches (not shown) are provided to detect when the measuring device 12 is extended from the storage device 11 by the electric cylinder, and when the measuring device 12 is retracted and stored in the storage device 11. These limit switches enable the measuring device 12 to always stop at the same position.

[0035] In this embodiment, an example using an electric cylinder as the drive device 13 has been described, but it is not limited to this; any mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the motor's output shaft into linear motion may be used, such as a ball screw that converts the rotational motion of the motor's output shaft into linear motion, or a combination of a pinion gear fixed to the motor's output shaft and a rack.

[0036] Next, an example in which the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 20 according to the first embodiment is installed on the bottom surface of the ceiling slab 4 will be described.

[0037] Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention installed on a ceiling slab, with the measuring device stored in the storage device. Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device of Figure 4 with the measuring device protruding from the storage device.

[0038] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 20 of this embodiment includes a storage device 21 attached to the bottom surface of the ceiling slab 4 near the shaft hole 4a in which the material shaft 6 is installed, as shown in Figure 4; a measuring device 22 that is provided to be able to move in and out of the storage device 21 into the work chamber 2 and measures the shape of the excavation surface of the soil in the work chamber 2; and a drive device 23 that drives the measuring device 22 to move in and out of the storage device 21 into the work chamber 2.

[0039] Specifically, in this embodiment, the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 20 is configured such that the measuring device 22 can rotate relative to the storage device 21 by driving the drive device 23. As shown in Figure 5, when measuring, the measuring device 22 is rotated at an angle of approximately 90 degrees counterclockwise (downward) relative to the storage device 21 and protrudes (exposed) into the work chamber 2, while as shown in Figure 4, when not measuring, the measuring device 12 is stored in the storage device 11 with an angle of approximately 90 degrees clockwise (upward).

[0040] The storage device 21 of the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 20 in this embodiment may have any shape as long as it surrounds and stores the measuring device 22 when not measuring, and rotates the measuring device 22 downward relative to the storage device 21 and protrudes into the work chamber 2 when measuring, similar to the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 10 installed in the shaft hole 4a.

[0041] The measuring device 22, like the measuring device 12, uses either a three-dimensional LiDAR or a rotatable two-dimensional LiDAR. The drive device 23 uses, for example, a stepping motor or a servo motor. The measuring device 22 is connected to the output shaft of these motors either directly or via a transmission mechanism. The drive device 23 is configured to rotate the measuring device 22 counterclockwise (downward) or clockwise (upward) around the output shaft of the motor by driving the motor.

[0042] Next, the control system of this embodiment will be described.

[0043] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the control system of a caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] The measuring devices 12, 22 and drive devices 13, 23 shown in Figures 2 and 3 are installed on the workroom 2 side. The lifting switch 15a and the rotating switch 25a, which serve as retraction / intrusion switches, as well as the input unit 16, the control unit 17 having a memory unit 17a and an analysis unit 17b, and the display unit 18, which are provided on the control panel 15 shown in Figure 6, are installed on the ground side. The lifting switch 15a is connected to the storage device 11 on the workroom 2 side via cable 19. Similarly, the rotating switch 25a is connected to the storage device 21 on the workroom 2 side via cable 29. When power is supplied from the control panel 15, this power is supplied to the storage devices 11 and 21 via cables 19 and 29, respectively. Drive current is supplied from these storage devices 11 and 21 to the respective measuring devices 12 and 22.

[0045] The control panel 15 may be installed separately for each storage device 11, 21, or it may be installed as a single unit without being divided.

[0046] Furthermore, the measuring devices 12 and 22 and the ground-based control unit 17 are connected by LAN cables 27, and control signals (scan start signals and scan stop signals from the measuring devices 12 and 22) and various data are transmitted and received through these LAN cables 27. Each LAN cable 27 is routed through the storage devices 11 and 21, partially embedded in the caisson structure (not shown), and then routed to the ground-based control unit 17. If a longer LAN cable 27 is required, a repeater (hub, etc.) is installed along the way to connect it.

[0047] The lifting switch 15a outputs a signal to the drive unit 13 via cable 19 to raise or lower the measuring device 12. The rotation switch 25a outputs a signal to the drive unit 23 via cable 29 to rotate the measuring device 22 downward or upward from the storage device 21, or to lower it.

[0048] The drive unit 13 receives a signal from the lifting switch 15a to raise or lower and drives the measuring device 12 up or down. The drive unit 23 receives a signal from the rotation switch 25a to rotate downward or upward and drives the measuring device 22 downward or upward. The rotation switch 25a is a switch that rotates the motor of the drive unit 23, for example, by switching it to forward rotation or reverse rotation.

[0049] In this embodiment, a drive signal is output from the lifting switch 15a or the rotation switch 25a to the drive unit 13 or 23 via cable 19 or 29, but the drive signal may also be transmitted wirelessly.

[0050] Furthermore, cables 19 and 29 may each be one cable with a high number of cores, or multiple cables with a low number of cores. If multiple cables are used, they may be bundled together.

[0051] When measuring the shape of the excavated soil surface in the work chamber 2 using the measuring device 12, the measuring device 12 descends from the storage device 11 and protrudes into the work chamber 2. When not measuring the shape of the excavated soil surface in the work chamber 2 using the measuring device 12, the measuring device 12 rises from inside the work chamber 2 and is stored in the storage device 11.

[0052] Similarly, when measuring the shape of the excavated surface of the soil in the work chamber 2 using the measuring device 22, the measuring device 22 rotates downward from the storage device 21 and protrudes into the work chamber 2. When not measuring the shape of the excavated surface of the soil in the work chamber 2 using the measuring device 22, the measuring device 12 rotates upward and is stored in the storage device 21.

[0053] The input unit 16 is used to input various information to the control unit 17, such as the three-dimensional coordinates of the measuring devices 12 and 22 during measurement, the bottom shape of the work chamber 2, and the bottom area. This information is pre-stored in the ROM (Read Only Memory) of the storage unit 17a of the control unit 17.

[0054] The control unit 17 is primarily composed of a well-known microcomputer that includes a storage unit 17a having ROM and RAM (Random Access Memory), an analysis unit 17b consisting of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and the like.

[0055] Of these, the RAM in the memory unit 17a temporarily stores data. The ROM stores the necessary data and programs mentioned above, which retain their contents even when the power is turned off. The CPU, which is the analysis unit 17b, implements each function by executing the programs installed in the ROM. In addition to ROM, the memory unit 17a includes computer-readable electronic media such as DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), and hard disk. Note that the above data may be stored in a separate database instead of being stored in ROM. Also, the above programs may be pre-installed on the hard disk.

[0056] The control unit 17 sequentially collects measurement data of the excavation surface shape of the soil in the work chamber 2 scanned by the measuring devices 12 and 22, and sequentially stores this measurement data in the RAM of the storage unit 17a as a collection of points on the analysis unit 17b, i.e., as point cloud data, which can be displayed three-dimensionally, and also displays it on the display unit 18. The analysis unit 17b of the control unit 17 analyzes the three-dimensional coordinate data to calculate the volume of soil and the area opening ratio (area excluding the unexcavated portion / caisson body bottom area) in the work chamber 2.

[0057] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

[0058] First, when measuring the shape of the excavated surface of the soil in the work chamber 2, the lifting switch 15a is operated to drive the drive unit 13, causing the measuring device 12 to descend from the storage unit 11 and protrude into the work chamber 2. Also, by operating the rotation switch 25a to drive the drive unit 23, the measuring device 22 is rotated downward from the storage unit 11 and protrudes into the work chamber 2. Then, the measuring devices 12 and 22 scan the shape of the excavated surface of the soil in the work chamber 2 and collect measurement data.

[0059] Then, the measuring devices 12 and 22 scan the shape of the excavated soil surface in the work chamber 2 and sequentially collect measurement data. This data is stored in the RAM of the storage unit 22a as three-dimensional coordinate data that can be displayed three-dimensionally as point cloud data on the analysis unit 22b, and is also displayed on the display unit 18. This three-dimensional coordinate data is analyzed by the analysis unit 17b of the control unit 17 to calculate the volume of soil and the area opening ratio in the work chamber 2. The display unit 18 displays a three-dimensional image of the shape of the excavated soil surface in the work chamber 2, an arbitrary two-dimensional cross-sectional image, the area opening ratio, the volume of soil, etc.

[0060] Furthermore, when the measuring device 12 is not being used for measurement after measuring the shape of the excavated surface of the soil in the work chamber 2, the lifting switch 15a is operated to drive the drive unit 13, thereby raising the measuring device 12 and storing it in the storage device 11. Similarly, when the measuring device 22 is not being used for measurement, the rotation switch 25a is operated to drive the drive unit 23, thereby rotating the measuring device 22 upward and storing it in the storage device 11.

[0061] Therefore, in this embodiment, the measuring devices 12 and 22 are stored in the storage devices 11 and 21 when not measuring, while when measuring, the lifting switch 15a or rotation switch 25a of the control panel 15 is operated from the ground to output a drive signal through the cable 19 or 29, causing the measuring devices 12 and 22 to be lowered or rotated downward from the storage device 11 and protrude into the work chamber 2 for measurement. This eliminates the need for work in the high-pressure environment inside the work chamber 2, reduces the risk of damage to the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 10, and allows measurement results of the excavation surface shape to be obtained in real time.

[0062] As described above, according to this embodiment, the measuring devices 12 and 22 are configured to move out of the storage devices 11 and 21 into the work chamber 2 by the drive devices 13 and 23 to measure the shape of the excavated surface when measuring, and to be stored in the storage devices 11 and 21 by the drive devices 13 and 23 when not measuring. This prevents damage to the measuring devices 12 and 22 during excavation or other operations, and prevents the measuring devices 12 and 22 from becoming an obstacle to excavation or other operations.

[0063] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the storage device 11 is attached to the shaft hole 4a, and the measuring device 12 protrudes into the work chamber 2 in a lowered state from the storage device 11 during measurement, while the measuring device 12 is stored in the storage device 11 in an elevated state when not measuring. This prevents damage to the measuring device during excavation or other operations, and prevents the measuring device 12 from becoming an obstacle to excavation or other operations.

[0064] Similarly, according to this embodiment, the storage device 21 is attached to the ceiling slab 4, and when measurement is performed, the measuring device 22 rotates downward from the storage device 21 and protrudes into the work room 2, while when not measuring, the measuring device 22 rotates upward and is stored in the storage device 21. This prevents damage to the measuring device 22 during excavation or other work, and prevents the measuring device 22 from becoming an obstacle to excavation or other work.

[0065] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the lifting switch 15a for raising and lowering the measuring device 12 from the storage device 11 into the workroom 2, and the rotating switch 25a for rotating the measuring device 22 downward or upward from the storage device 21 are both provided on the ground, the lifting and lowering operation of the measuring device 12 from the storage device 11 can be performed on the ground, improving operability and eliminating the need to work in the high-pressure environment inside the workroom 2.

[0066] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the measuring devices 12 and 22 are three-dimensional LiDAR or rotatable two-dimensional LiDAR, accurate data on the excavation surface shape of the soil in the work chamber 2 can be obtained.

[0067] In this embodiment, an example was described in which the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 10 is attached to the shaft hole 4a where the manshaft 5 is installed. However, it may also be attached to the shaft hole 4a where the material shaft 6 is installed.

[0068] [Second Embodiment] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the control system of a caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a schematic plan view showing an example of applying the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention to a caisson body. In this embodiment, an example is described in which measuring device 12 and measuring device 22 are installed in the work chamber at positions spaced apart from each other. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to describe parts that are the same as or corresponding to those in the first embodiment.

[0069] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, multiple (two) measuring devices 12 and 22 are arranged in the workroom 2 at positions spaced apart from each other. These measuring devices 12 and 22 are either three-dimensional LiDARs or rotatable two-dimensional LiDARs, respectively, as in the first embodiment.

[0070] The measuring devices 12 and 22 each partially scan approximately half of the total area on the XY coordinate system of the bottom surface of the work chamber 2 to capture the overall shape of the excavated soil surface within the work chamber 2. As shown in Figure 7, the measurement data measured by the measuring devices 12 and 22 is output to the control unit 17. The control unit 17 reads the respective measurement data measured by the measuring devices 12 and 22 and converts it into three-dimensional point cloud data.

[0071] The control unit 17 has a filter unit 17c, which removes unnecessary data from each point cloud data, such as the excavator 8 and bucket (not shown) within the work chamber 2, by filtering. The amount of point cloud data after removing this unnecessary data is less than the total amount of point cloud data. Unnecessary data of work equipment is determined, for example, based on whether or not there is point cloud data in the overall point cloud data of the work chamber 2 where the amount of change of adjacent point cloud data changes more rapidly than a preset threshold.

[0072] Furthermore, filtering to remove unnecessary data from each point cloud data, such as the excavator 8 and bucket (not shown) within the work chamber 2, may be performed using analysis software implemented in the measurement devices 12 and 22, respectively.

[0073] Furthermore, the control unit 17 has a data synthesis unit 17d, which synthesizes the point cloud data measured by the measuring devices 12 and 22. The control unit 17 uses the point cloud data synthesized by the synthesis unit 17d as the overall excavation surface shape data of the soil in the workroom 2.

[0074] Furthermore, the process of combining the point cloud data measured by the measurement devices 12 and 22 may be handled by the control software implemented in each of the measurement devices 12 and 22. In this case, by pre-setting the coordinate data of each measurement device 12 and 22 and their respective coordinate transformation matrices, the data can be transformed into a common coordinate system before being combined. When the combining process is performed in the combining unit 17d described above, the coordinate transformation using the coordinate transformation matrix is ​​performed as a process that can be executed in the combining unit 17d.

[0075] Here, the point cloud data synthesized by the synthesis unit 17d may contain a mixture of three-dimensional point cloud data measured by the measurement device 12 and three-dimensional point cloud data measured by the measurement device 22. In this case, point cloud data with a high density of three-dimensional point cloud data will be thinned out. Whether or not the point cloud data is high density can be determined, for example, by calculating the average of all point cloud data and determining that the density is high if it is higher than this average density, or by determining that the density is high if it is higher than a predetermined threshold.

[0076] Furthermore, the control unit 17 analyzes the point cloud data to obtain a three-dimensional image of the excavation surface shape of the entire soil in the work chamber 2, the opening ratio, the volume of soil, etc., using the analysis unit 17b, and displays this three-dimensional image of the excavation surface shape of the entire soil in the work chamber 2, the opening ratio, the volume of soil, etc. on the display unit 18.

[0077] As described above, according to this embodiment, two measuring devices 12 and 22 are arranged at spaced-apart positions within the work chamber 2 to measure the overall excavation surface shape of the soil in the work chamber 2. The measurement data measured by these measuring devices 12 and 22 is combined by the synthesis unit 17d, and the measurement data synthesized by this synthesis unit 17d is used as the overall excavation surface shape data for the soil in the work chamber 2. This reduces blind spots when scanning with the measuring devices 12 and 22 and reduces the effort required to delete unnecessary measurement data of work equipment such as the excavator 8 from the measurement data of the excavation surface shape of all the soil in the work chamber 2.

[0078] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a filter unit 17c is provided as a filtering means for filtering and removing measurement data from work equipment such as the excavator 8 installed in the work chamber 2 from the measurement data measured by the measuring devices 12 and 22. Since unnecessary data is removed by this filter unit 17c, the amount of point cloud data is reduced, and the time required for manual removal of unnecessary data can be significantly reduced.

[0079] In this embodiment, an example was described in which the measuring device 12 is placed in the shaft hole 4a where the manshaft 5 is installed, and the measuring device 22 is placed on the bottom surface of the ceiling slab 4. However, the invention is not limited to this, and three or more measuring devices 22 may be placed at positions spaced apart from each other on the bottom surface of the ceiling slab 4.

[0080] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes an example in which two measuring devices, measuring device 12 and measuring device 22, are installed, the invention is not limited to this. For example, one measuring device, either measuring device 12 or measuring device 22, may be installed and configured to be movable within the work chamber 2 so that the overall excavation surface shape of the soil within the work chamber 2 is measured at positions spaced apart from each other.

[0081] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example was described in which the measuring device 12 is placed in the shaft hole 4a where the manshaft 5 is installed, and the measuring device 22 is placed on the bottom surface of the ceiling slab 4, with the measuring devices 12 and 22 placed at a distance from each other. However, the measuring devices 12 and 22 should be placed at a distance from each other so as to minimize blind spots at the measurement location.

[0082] [Third Embodiment] Figures 9(a) and 9(b) are schematic plan views showing an example of applying the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the third embodiment of the present invention to a circular caisson body. The configuration of the control system in this embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment in Figure 7, except that one measuring device 12 is provided, and therefore the same reference numerals as in Figure 7 will be used for explanation.

[0083] The caisson body 1A shown in Figures 9(a) and 9(b) is formed in a circular shape in plan view, and the measurement area for measuring the overall excavation surface shape of the soil in the work chamber 2 installed at the bottom of the caisson body 1A is divided into multiple, for example, two, measurement areas on the XY coordinate system. Specifically, data of the bottom area of ​​the work chamber 2 is input from the input unit 16 to the control unit 17, and the control unit 17 calculates to divide the bottom area data into two on the XY coordinate system, and the XY coordinates of the two divided measurement areas A1 and A2 are stored in advance in the storage unit 17a of the control unit 17.

[0084] The measuring device 12 is configured to measure the shape of the excavated surface of soil for each of the XY coordinates of the two divided measurement areas A1 and A2, which are pre-stored in the memory unit 17a. Specifically, the measuring device 12 is configured to be swivelable by being mounted on a rotating device, or to be movable by being mounted on a moving rail. Similar to the first embodiment, the measuring device 12 uses either a three-dimensional LiDAR or a rotatable two-dimensional LiDAR.

[0085] Rails 30 are laid across the divided measurement areas A1 and A2 on the caisson body 1A, and an excavator 8, which serves as work equipment, is movably mounted along these rails 30. The measurement device 12 scans the shape of the excavation surface of the soil in each of these two divided measurement areas A1 and A2, and outputs the respective measurement data to the control unit 17.

[0086] In other words, this embodiment is configured to change the position of the excavator 8 and sequentially measure the shape of the excavation surface of the soil in the divided measurement areas A1 and / or A2 where the excavator 8 is not installed using the measuring device 12, thereby measuring all divided measurement areas A1 and A2 where the excavator 8 is not installed.

[0087] The measurement data from all divided measurement areas A1 and A2 where the excavator 8 is not located, measured by the measurement device 12, is output to the control unit 17. The control unit 17 reads the measurement data from all divided measurement areas A1 and A2 and converts it into point cloud data. From this point cloud data, unnecessary data related to the excavator 8 is filtered out by the filter unit 17c as needed.

[0088] The point cloud data from the divided measurement areas A1 and A2 are then combined by the combining unit 17d, and the point cloud data combined by the combining unit 17d is used as the three-dimensional excavation surface shape data for the entire soil in the work chamber 2.

[0089] Here, the point cloud data synthesized by the synthesis unit 17d may contain a mixture of three-dimensional point cloud data measured by the measurement device 12 and three-dimensional point cloud data measured by the measurement device 22. In this case, point cloud data with a high density of three-dimensional point cloud data will be thinned out. Whether or not the point cloud data is high density can be determined, for example, by calculating the average of all point cloud data and determining that the density is high if it is higher than this average density, or by determining that the density is high if it is higher than a predetermined threshold.

[0090] Furthermore, the control unit 17 analyzes the combined point cloud data to obtain a three-dimensional image of the excavation surface shape of the entire soil in the work chamber 2, the opening ratio, the volume of soil, etc., using the analysis unit 17b, and displays this three-dimensional image of the excavation surface shape of the entire soil in the work chamber 2, the opening ratio, the volume of soil, etc., on the display unit 18.

[0091] Figures 10(a) and 10(b) are schematic plan views showing an example in which the caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is applied to a rectangular caisson body.

[0092] The caisson body 1B shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b) is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, and the measurement area for measuring the overall shape of the excavated surface of the soil in the work chamber 2 installed at the bottom of the caisson body 1B is divided into two on the XY coordinate system, similar to Figures 9(a) and 9(b). The measuring device 12 is configured to measure the shape of the excavated surface of the soil for each of the two divided measurement areas A1 and A2, which are pre-stored in the memory unit 17a. Specifically, the measuring device 12 is configured to be swivelable by being mounted on a rotating device, or to be movable by being mounted on a moving rail, similar to the measuring device 12 shown in Figures 9(a) and 9(b).

[0093] A rail 31 is laid across the divided measurement areas A1 and A2 on the caisson body 1A, and an excavator 8, which serves as work equipment, is movably mounted along this rail 31. The shape of the excavation surface of the soil is measured by the measuring device 12 for each of these two divided measurement areas A1 and A2, and the respective measurement data is output to the control unit 17. The other configurations and operations are as described for the caisson body 1A shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), so their explanation is omitted.

[0094] As described above, according to this embodiment, the measurement area for measuring the overall excavation surface shape of the soil in the work chamber 2 is divided into, for example, two sections. The measurement device 12 measures the excavation surface shape of the soil in each of these two divided measurement areas A1 and A2. The measurement data for each of the two divided measurement areas A1 and A2 measured by the measurement device 12 is combined by the combining unit 17d. The combined measurement data from the combining unit 17d is then used as the overall excavation surface shape data for the soil in the work chamber 2. This eliminates blind spots when measuring with the measurement device 12 and reduces the effort required to remove unnecessary measurement data from work equipment such as the excavator 8 from the measurement data of the excavation surface shape of all the soil in the work chamber 2.

[0095] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the excavator 8 is movably positioned within the work chamber 2, and the position of the excavator 8 is changed to measure the excavation surface shape of the soil in the divided measurement areas A1 and / or A2 where the excavator 8 is not positioned, thereby measuring all divided measurement areas A1 and A2 where the excavator 8 is not positioned. This configuration eliminates blind spots when measuring with the measuring device 12 and reliably reduces the effort required to delete unnecessary measurement data of the excavator 8 from the measurement data of the excavation surface shape of all soil in the work chamber 2.

[0096] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a rail 30 is laid across the two divided measurement areas A1 and A2, and the excavator 8 is movably mounted along this rail 30, making it possible to easily move and take measurements in all divided measurement areas A1 and A2 where the excavator 8 is not installed.

[0097] Furthermore, in order to create the overall excavation surface shape data of the soil in the work chamber 2, in addition to the third embodiment described above, for example, with the excavator 8 positioned at the locations shown in Figures 9(a) and 10(a), the entire measurement area in the work chamber 2 is scanned using the measuring device 12, and then the excavator 8 is moved to the locations shown in Figures 9(b) and 10(b) and the entire measurement area in the work chamber 2 is scanned again. Then, by processing with the analysis software implemented in the measuring device 12, the entire measurement area in the work chamber 2 is divided into two, and the side on which the excavator 8 is not positioned at the locations shown in Figures 9(a) and 10(a) is selected and registered.

[0098] Furthermore, by processing with the above software, the entire measurement area within the workroom 2 is divided into two parts, and the side where the excavator 8 is not positioned as shown in Figures 9(b) and 10(b) is selected and registered. In addition, by combining (combining) the measurement areas within the workroom 2 using the above software, it is possible to create point cloud data of the excavation surface shape of the entire soil within the workroom 2, free from unnecessary point cloud data. This reduces the effort required to remove unnecessary point cloud data of work equipment such as the excavator 8 from the measurement data of the excavation surface shape of all the soil within the workroom 2.

[0099] Figures 11(a) and (b) are schematic plan views showing an example in which a caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to a modification of the third embodiment of the present invention is applied to an oval-shaped caisson body.

[0100] The caisson body 1C shown in Figures 11(a) and (b) is formed in an oval shape in plan view, and the measurement area for measuring the overall excavation surface shape of the soil in the work chamber 2 installed at the bottom of the caisson body 1C is divided into four sections on the XY coordinate system. Similarly, data of the bottom area of ​​the work chamber 2 is input from the input unit 16 to the control unit 17, and the control unit 17 calculates to divide the bottom area data into four sections on the XY coordinate system, and the XY coordinates of these four divided measurement areas A1, A2, A3, and A4 are stored in advance in the storage unit 17a of the control unit 17.

[0101] The measuring device 12 is configured to measure the excavation surface shape of soil in two of the four divided measurement areas A1 and A2, respectively. Similarly, the measuring device 22 is configured to measure the excavation surface shape of soil in two of the four divided measurement areas A3 and A4, respectively.

[0102] The measuring devices 12 and 22 are configured to be swivelable by being mounted on a rotating device, similar to the measuring device 12 shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), or to be movable by being mounted on a moving rail.

[0103] Rails 32 are installed on the caisson body 1C, spanning divided measurement areas A1 and A2, and rails 32 are laid spanning divided measurement areas A3 and A4. Excavators 8, which serve as work equipment, are movably mounted along these rails 32. The shape of the excavation surface of the soil in each of these four divided measurement areas A1 to A4 is measured by measuring devices 12 and 22, and the measurement data is output to the control unit 17.

[0104] In other words, this embodiment is configured to measure all divided measurement areas A1 to A4 by first changing the position of the excavator 8 as shown in Figure 11(a) to measure the shape of the excavated surface of the soil in divided measurement areas A2 and / or A3 where the excavator 8 is not installed using the measuring device 12, and then changing the position of the excavator 8 as shown in Figure 11(b) to measure the shape of the excavated surface of the soil in divided measurement areas A1 and / or A4 where the excavator 8 is not installed using the measuring device 12.

[0105] Measurement data from all divided measurement areas A1 to A4 where the excavator 8 is not located, measured by the measuring device 12, is output to the control unit 17. The control unit 17 reads the measurement data from all divided measurement areas A1 to A4 and converts it into point cloud data. From this point cloud data, unnecessary data related to the excavator 8 is filtered out by the filter unit 17c as needed.

[0106] The point cloud data from the divided measurement areas A1 to A4 are then combined by the combining unit 17d, and the point cloud data combined by the combining unit 17d is used as the overall excavation surface shape data for the soil in the work chamber 2. The other configurations and operations are as described for the caisson body 1A shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), so their explanation is omitted here.

[0107] As shown in Figures 11(a) and (b), the same effect as above can be obtained even if the four divided measurement areas A1 to A4 are configured to be measured by measuring devices 12 and 22, respectively, to measure the shape of the excavated surface of the soil.

[0108] Although Figures 11(a) and (b) illustrate an example where two measuring devices 12 and 22 are arranged, this is not the only example; by installing rails to allow the measuring device to move, it is possible to use just one measuring device.

[0109] In this modified example, as in the third embodiment described above, the entire measurement area within the work chamber 2 is scanned using the measuring devices 12 and 22 with the excavator 8 positioned at the location shown in Figure 11(a), and then the excavator 8 is moved to the location shown in Figure 11(b) and the entire measurement area within the work chamber 2 is scanned again. Then, by processing with the analysis software implemented in the measuring devices 12 and 22, the entire measurement area within the work chamber 2 is divided into four sections, and the side where the excavator 8 is not positioned at the location shown in Figure 11(a) is selected and registered.

[0110] Furthermore, by processing with the above software, the entire measurement area within the workroom 2 is divided into four sections, and the side where the excavator 8 is not positioned at the location shown in Figure 11(b) is selected and registered. In addition, by combining (combining) the measurement areas within the workroom 2 using the above software, it is possible to create point cloud data of the overall excavation surface shape of the soil within the workroom 2, free from unnecessary point cloud data.

[0111] [Other embodiments of the invention] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

[0112] For example, although the above embodiments described an example in which two shaft holes 4a are provided, it is also possible to apply the same method to one or more shaft holes 4a.

[0113] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the features of the first embodiment and the features of the second embodiment may be combined, or the features of the first embodiment and the features of the third embodiment may be combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1. Pneumatic caisson (caisson body) 2. Workroom 3 Blade mouth part 4. Ceiling slab 4a Shaft hole 5 Manshaft 6 Material Shaft 7 Rails 8. Excavators (work equipment) 9. Soil and sediment 10. Caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 11. Storage device 12 Measuring devices 13 Drive unit 15 Control Panel 15a Lifting switch (for opening and closing) 16 Input section 17 Control Unit 17a Storage section 17b Analysis section 17c Filter section (filtering means) 17d Synthesis section (composition means) 18 Display 19 Cables 20. Caisson excavation surface shape measuring device 21 Storage device 22 Measuring devices 23 Drive unit 25a Rotary switch (for opening and closing) 27 LAN cables 29 Cables 30 rails 31 rails 32 rails A1 Divided measurement area A2 divided measurement area A3 Divided measurement area A4 divided measurement area

Claims

1. A work chamber is installed at the bottom of the caisson body, and a measuring device is placed inside the work chamber to measure the shape of the excavation surface of the soil within the work chamber at positions spaced apart from each other. The device comprises a data synthesis means for synthesizing measurement data measured at separately separated positions by the aforementioned measuring device, A caisson excavation surface shape measuring device characterized in that the measurement data synthesized by the data synthesis means is configured to be used as data for the overall excavation surface shape of soil in the work chamber.

2. A work chamber is installed at the bottom of the caisson body, and the measurement area for measuring the overall excavation surface shape of the soil within the work chamber is divided into multiple sections, and a measuring device measures the excavation surface shape of the soil in each of these divided measurement areas. The device comprises a data synthesis means for synthesizing measurement data for each of the plurality of divided measurement regions measured by the measuring device, A caisson excavation surface shape measuring device characterized in that the measurement data synthesized by the data synthesis means is configured to be used as data for the overall excavation surface shape of soil in the work chamber.

3. The caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a filtering means is provided for filtering and removing measurement data of work equipment installed in the work chamber from the measurement data measured by the measuring device.

4. The caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the measuring device is a three-dimensional LiDAR or a rotatable two-dimensional LiDAR.

5. The caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to claim 3, characterized in that the work equipment is movably arranged in the work chamber, and the position of the work equipment is changed to measure the shape of the excavated surface of the soil in the divided measurement area where the work equipment is not arranged using the measuring device, thereby measuring all of the divided measurement areas where the work equipment is not arranged.

6. The caisson excavation surface shape measuring device according to claim 5, characterized in that rails are arranged across the plurality of divided measurement areas, and the work equipment is movably mounted along the rails.

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