Free-section drilling machine system

Abstract

This system provides a way to operate a free-section excavator more effectively from a remote location. [Solution] The free-section excavator system 5 comprises a free-section excavator 1 deployed at the work site and operating in response to an operation signal, and a remote control device 300 configured to remotely control the free-section excavator 1 by transmitting an operation signal. The free-section excavator 1 comprises a main body 10, a boom 20, a cutting means 31 provided at the tip of the boom 20, a distance measuring device 140 for measuring the distance to the excavation target in front, and an excavator-side terminal 100. The remote control device 300 comprises a remote-side terminal 310 configured to use positional relationship information regarding the positional relationship between the cutting means 31 and the excavation target, calculated based on the distance to the excavation target measured by the distance measuring device 140 and the position of the cutting means 31 due to the movement of the boom 20.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for a remotely operable free-face boring machine.

Background Art

[0002] A free-face boring machine that mainly excavates a wall surface in a mine such as a coal mine or a tunnel is known. Conventionally, for the purpose of obtaining resources such as coal or opening a tunnel for transportation, the wall surface in the mine has been excavated by a boring machine. However, since the excavation work in the mine is a work accompanied by risks such as rock falls and explosions, there has been a demand for a boring machine that does not require an operator at the work site.

[0003] Therefore, a wireless remote control system for a working machine, such as the invention described in Patent Document 1, is known. According to this invention, it is possible to remotely control an unmanned working machine deployed at a work site by wireless communication in a control room provided at a remote location away from the work site. In particular, by providing imaging information generated by an imaging means at the work site and sound information corresponding to the operation of the working machine generated by a sound information generation means in the control room by a display means and a speaker, it is possible to remotely control while obtaining a sense of presence as if operating the working machine inside the working machine.

[0004] However, in a free-face boring machine (roadheader) that excavates a wall surface in a mine by cutting means such as a cutter head or a cutter drum, it is difficult to perform excavation work with an appropriate excavation amount while considering the hardness of the rock mass, etc., relying only on video and audio from a remote location in the presence of strong vibration, noise, and dust.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a system that allows for more appropriate operation of a free-section excavator from a remote location. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The free-section excavator system of the present invention, which was developed to solve the above problems, comprises a free-section excavator deployed at a work site and configured to operate in response to an operation signal, and a remote control device positioned away from the free-section excavator and configured to remotely operate the free-section excavator by transmitting the operation signal. The free-section excavator comprises a main body, a boom extending forward from the main body and having a changeable tip position, a cutting means provided at the tip of the boom, a distance measuring device provided on the main body and configured to measure the distance to an excavation target in front, and an excavator-side terminal configured to operate the boom and the cutting means based on the operation signal and to transmit information based on the distance to the excavation target. The remote control device comprises a remote-side terminal that communicates with the excavator-side terminal and is configured to use positional relationship information regarding the positional relationship between the cutting means and the excavation target calculated based on the distance to the excavation target measured by the distance measuring device and the position of the cutting means due to the operation of the boom. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a system can be provided that allows for more appropriate operation of a free-section excavator from a remote location. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A functional block diagram showing the configuration of an example of a free-section excavator system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows an example configuration of a free-section excavator used in a free-section excavator system, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a front view. [Figure 3] A schematic diagram showing an example of the operation screen for the driving mode (forward) displayed on the remote control device's display. [Figure 4] A schematic diagram showing an example of the operation screen for the driving mode (reverse) displayed on the remote control device's display. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a method for obtaining the distance between the cutting means and the object to be excavated (distance to the object to be excavated). (a) shows the case where a distance sensor capable of measuring the distance to one object is used, and (b) shows the case where a distance sensor capable of measuring the distance to multiple objects is used. [Figure 6] A schematic diagram showing an example of an overhead view operation screen displayed on the display device of a remote control device. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram showing an example of the operation screen for the drilling mode displayed on the remote control device's display unit. [Figure 8] An example of an operation screen displayed on the display device of a remote control device, showing a 3D model of the appearance of the excavating machine during excavation work, and a CG diagram showing the position of the target to be excavated and the excavation range in which the cutting means can be moved by the movement of the boom. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes embodiments for carrying out the present invention based on the drawings.

[0011] <System Configuration> Figure 1 shows an example configuration of the free-section excavator system 5 of this embodiment. The free-section excavator system 5 is equipped with interconnected equipment installed at three locations: the work site, a remote location, and a relay point. A free-section excavator (roadheader) 1 is deployed at the work site. A remote control device 300 for operating the free-section excavator 1 is deployed at the remote location. A relay device 200 for relaying the connection between the work site and the remote location is deployed at the relay point.

[0012] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of the drilling machine 2 of the free-section drilling machine 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the drilling machine 2 has a mobile body 10, a boom 20 that extends forward from the body 10 and whose tip position can be changed, a cutting device 30 provided at the tip of the boom 20, and a control device 40 for control.

[0013] The free-section excavator 1 is equipped with an excavator-side terminal 100, a camera 110, a microphone 120, a measuring device 130, a distance measuring device 140, a stroke sensor 150, a triaxial inclinometer 160, a millimeter-wave radar 170, an alarm device 180, and a first outdoor wireless communication device 190 for communication with a relay station, in order to enable remote operation. The free-section excavator 1 will be described in detail later.

[0014] A relay device 200 is installed at the relay point. The relay device 200 includes a second outdoor wireless communication device 210 for communicating with a first outdoor wireless communication device 190 on the work site side, and a second wired communication device 220 for connecting to network N for communication with the remote location. The relay point can be any location that can connect to network N, and is preferably an office located inside or outside the mine at the work site. By providing a relay point, for example, communication between the remote location and the relay point becomes possible via wired communication, and communication between the relay point and the work site becomes possible via wireless communication, which can be expected to improve communication speed and security. Alternatively, the relay point may be omitted, and the work site and the remote location may be connected directly.

[0015] A remote control device 300 is located at a remote location away from the free-section excavator 1, configured to transmit operation signals to remotely control the free-section excavator 1. The remote control device 300 comprises a remote terminal 310, an input device 320 that outputs operation signals based on the operator's actions, a display device 330 that displays video information and operation information, an audio playback device 340 that plays audio information, and a first wired communication device 350 for network connection to communicate with the relay location. The remote location can be any base that can connect to the network N.

[0016] The remote terminal 310 is preferably, for example, a personal computer. The remote terminal is connected to a wired communication device and can communicate with the excavator-side terminal 100 at the work site via a relay location. The remote terminal 310 is configured to use positional relationship information regarding the positional relationship between the cutting means and the excavation target, which is calculated based on the distance to the excavation target measured by the distance measuring device 140 and the position of the cutting means 31 due to the operation of the boom 20.

[0017] The input device 320 is preferably, for example, a controller for a game machine or a controller for a radio control. A controller for a game machine is particularly desirable because it has a large number of buttons and enables intuitive operation by stick operation. In addition, standard input devices for a personal computer such as a mouse and a keyboard can also be used in combination as the input device.

[0018] The display device 330 is preferably, for example, a monitor. In addition, wearable devices such as an HMD can also be used.

[0019] The audio playback device 340 is preferably, for example, a speaker. In addition, wearable devices such as headphones can also be used. Further, it may also have a built-in microphone.

[0020] The first wired communication device 350 can use, for example, a VPN router. The network line is preferably, for example, an IP-VPN (closed area VPN), but other types such as an Internet VPN can also be used.

[0021] <Free cross-section excavator> Hereinafter, the free cross-section excavator 1 will be described in detail. As described above, the excavating machine 2 of the free cross-section excavator 1 has a travelable main body 10, a boom 20 provided so as to extend forward from the main body 10 and capable of changing the position of the tip, a cutting device 30 provided at the tip of the boom 20, and a control device 40 for control. The cutting device 3 has a cutting means 31 that contacts the excavation target and cuts the excavation target.

[0022] To enable remote operation, the free-section excavator 1 is equipped with the devices shown in Figure 1 on the excavator 2. Specifically, it includes a camera 110 for acquiring surrounding video information, a microphone 120 for acquiring surrounding audio information, a measuring device 130 for acquiring operation information that changes according to the operating status of the cutting device, a distance measuring device 140 configured to measure the distance to the excavation target in front, an excavator-side terminal 100 configured to operate the boom 20 and the cutting means based on operation signals and transmit information based on the distance to the excavation target, a triaxial inclinometer 160 for acquiring information regarding the attitude of the main body, a millimeter-wave radar 170 for detecting objects around the main body, and an alarm device 180 for issuing an alarm in the event of a malfunction.

[0023] The main unit 10 includes a drive unit 11 that can move by rotating the left and right crawlers with a drive motor, a slewing unit 12 that can rotate horizontally, an operating unit 13 for direct operation from the driver's seat, an electrically operated hydraulic supply unit 14, a dozer 15 for removing cutting debris, and outriggers 16 for stabilizing the posture during excavation work. Each part is driven by power supplied from the outside via a power cable. The power cable is stored wound on a cable reel 17 at the rear of the main unit and is configured to be unwound automatically or manually.

[0024] The dozer 15 is mounted at the lower front of the main body, and is movable up and down by the extension and retraction of the dozer cylinder 15a. Its purpose is to push away the excavated spoil generated by the excavation work. A stroke sensor is attached to the dozer cylinder 15a, and the detected extension and retraction amount is input as a signal to the control device. Alternatively, instead of the dozer 15, an excavated spoil discharge device consisting of a feeder and a conveyor may be provided to discharge the scraped cut spoil to the rear (not shown).

[0025] The outriggers 16 are provided as a pair on the left and right sides at the rear of the main body and can move up and down by extending and retracting the outrigger cylinders 16a. During excavation work, the outriggers 16 can be extended to stabilize the main body and allow excavation work to be carried out. A stroke sensor is attached to the outrigger cylinder 16a, and the detected amount of extension and retraction is input as a signal to the control device.

[0026] The boom 20 is mounted facing forward on the slewing section 12 of the main body 10, and can rotate left and right by the rotation of the slewing section 12. A boom cylinder 21 and an extension cylinder 22 are interposed between the main body 10 and the boom 20. The boom 20 can move up and down by extending and retracting the boom cylinder 21, and can extend and retract forward and backward by extending and retracting the extension cylinder 22. By combining these movements, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 2, the excavating machine 2 can perform three-dimensional excavation work by moving the cutting means 31 to any coordinate within a predetermined range in front of the main body 10. Hydraulic cylinders are preferred for each cylinder, and the hydraulic cylinders are operated by hydraulic pressure supplied from a hydraulic supply unit 14 provided on the main body. A stroke sensor 150 is attached to each cylinder, and the detected extension and retraction amount is input to the control device 40. Electric cylinders may be used instead of hydraulic cylinders.

[0027] The cutting device 30 consists of a cutting drum, which is a cutting means 31; a cutting electric motor 32, which is the drive source for the cutting means 31; and a reduction gear 33 interposed between the cutting electric motor 32 and the cutting means 31. The cutting means 31 is substantially cylindrical or substantially frustoconical in shape, with multiple cutting bits arranged on its outer circumference. When the cutting electric motor 32 is driven by power supplied from the power cable, power is transmitted to the drive shaft via the reduction gear 33, and the cutting means 31, which is fixed to the drive shaft, rotates in a predetermined direction. The cutting means 31 is pressed against the object to be excavated to perform the excavation work.

[0028] Furthermore, a water spraying device (not shown) is provided near the cutting means 31. The water spraying device prevents dust from scattering by pressurizing water supplied from a predetermined water source and spraying it from a water spraying nozzle at the tip.

[0029] The control device 40 is preferably a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and is housed inside the main unit 10 or mounted on top of the main unit 10. A typical PLC is a combination of an input unit for acquiring signals, a power supply unit for supplying power, a storage unit for storing control programs, a calculation unit for executing control programs, and an output unit for outputting signals to the outside. This embodiment also uses a PLC similar to this. The control device 40 can, for example, switch the operation of the electric motor or the hydraulic supply unit 14, or automate a single cycle of cutting work, such as rotating the cutting device 30 from the right end to the left end of the excavation target, according to a pre-programmed control program. The control device 40 receives signals of the power supply voltage supplied from the power cable, the cutting current supplied to the cutting electric motor 32, the hydraulic current supplied to the hydraulic pump, and the stroke amount detected by the stroke sensors 150 attached to each cylinder.

[0030] The imaging device 110 consists of eight cameras, each pointed in eight directions around the main unit 10: a front camera 111, a left front camera 112, a right front camera 113, a left camera 114, a right camera 115, a rear camera 116, a left rear camera 117, and a right rear camera 118. The angle of each camera can be adjusted as needed, both in terms of azimuth and elevation. Video information acquired by each camera is transmitted to a remote terminal 310, and some or all of the video information is simultaneously displayed on a display device 330. The orientation and number of cameras are not limited to these and may be increased or decreased as needed.

[0031] The microphone 120 is attached to the main unit 10. An omnidirectional microphone is preferable to pick up ambient sounds evenly. It may also have a built-in speaker. The microphone 120 may be housed inside the main unit 10 (inside the storage compartment).

[0032] The measuring device 130 includes a pressure transmitter 131 that measures and converts the pressure applied to the cutting means 31 and the pressure applied to the traveling unit 11 into a signal, a voltmeter 132 that measures and converts the power supply voltage into a signal, an ammeter 133 that measures and converts the supply current of the electric motor of the hydraulic supply unit 14 into a signal, and an ammeter 134 that measures and converts the supply current of the cutting electric motor 32 into a signal.

[0033] The distance measuring device 140 consists of a non-contact distance sensor located on the upper front of the main body, and the distance between the distance sensor and the target to be excavated is input as a signal to the excavator-side terminal 100. As the non-contact distance sensor, for example, an optical distance sensor is preferred, and a laser rangefinder is particularly desirable. Alternatively, a LiDAR may be used as the distance measuring device 140. When a distance measuring device capable of measuring the distance to multiple objects, such as a LiDAR, is used, the distance between the cutting means 31 and the target to be excavated can also be directly acquired.

[0034] The stroke sensor 150 is attached to the cylinder and outputs a stroke amount signal to the control device 40. In this embodiment, it is attached to the dozer cylinder 15a, outrigger cylinder 16a, boom cylinder 21, and telescopic cylinder 22 and is used to detect the stroke amount of each cylinder.

[0035] The triaxial inclinometer 160 is installed on the main unit 10 for attitude detection and outputs the detected roll, pitch, and yaw inclination information of the main unit 10 to the excavator-side terminal 100.

[0036] The millimeter-wave radar 170 is installed at four locations on the outer circumference of the main unit 10 for object detection and outputs distance information to the surrounding objects to the excavator terminal 100. By using the millimeter-wave radar 170, it is possible to issue an alarm or stop the operation of the free-section excavator 1 when an object is detected within a predetermined distance. For example, an alarm may be issued when an object is detected within 2m of the millimeter-wave radar, and the operation of the free-section excavator 1 may be stopped when an object is detected within 1m of the millimeter-wave radar.

[0037] The alarm device 180 can be equipped with features such as a speaker or buzzer to emit an audible alarm, or a lamp to emit an audible alarm. Furthermore, the type of alarm can be changed depending on the type and severity of the malfunction. For example, the alarm sound can be switched between minor malfunctions such as low-speed / high-speed overload of the cutting motor and insufficient water supply, and serious malfunctions such as rising oil temperature, low oil level, reverse or phase loss of the power supply, and PLC malfunction.

[0038] The excavator-side terminal 100 can, for example, be an industrial PC and is connected to the control device 40 so that signals can be input and output to and from each other. The excavator-side terminal 100 is connected to the first outdoor wireless communication device 190. The first outdoor wireless communication device 190 of the excavator-side terminal 100 and the second outdoor wireless communication device 210 at the relay station can communicate with each other. The excavator-side terminal 100 receives input including ambient video information acquired by the camera 110, ambient audio information acquired by the microphone 120, operation information acquired by the measuring device 130, distance information to the excavation target ahead acquired by the distance measuring device 140, tilt information of the main unit 10 detected by the triaxial inclinometer 160, and distance information to surrounding objects detected by the millimeter-wave radar 170.

[0039] The control device 40 and the excavator terminal 100 may constantly exchange communication signals, and if this communication signal exchange is interrupted for any reason, the control device 40 may automatically execute a stop program to stop the operation of the free-section excavator 1.

[0040] In addition to the surrounding cameras mounted on the main unit 10, the system also includes an overhead camera 119 installed inside the tunnel at the work site for overall monitoring. Video information acquired by the overhead camera 119 can also be displayed on the remote display device 330. The overhead camera 119 is preferably an IP camera and is connected to the first outdoor wireless communication device 190 to transmit video information to the remote terminal 310.

[0041] In this embodiment, a distance sensor may be used as a distance measuring device 140 to acquire the distance from the main body 10 to the target to be excavated. A stroke sensor 150 may be used as a cutting means position acquisition device to acquire the position of the cutting means 31 due to the movement of the boom 20. In addition, a pressure transmitter 131, a voltmeter 132, and ammeters 133 and 134 may be used as a measuring device 130 to acquire operation information that changes according to the operating status of the cutting device 30.

[0042] <Operation of the remote control system> The operation of the remote control system for the free-section excavator system 5, including the free-section excavator 1, will be explained below with reference to the drawings. The free-section excavator 1 is deployed at underground work sites such as coal mines and tunnels, and excavates the wall (working face) to be excavated by remote control. Figures 3, 4, and 6 to 8 show the operation screen displayed on the display device 330 of the remote control device 300 at a remote location.

[0043] The free-section excavator system 5 is configured to allow switching between two main modes: a travel mode and an excavation mode. The free-section excavator 1 operates in travel mode when moving, and in excavation mode when excavating after the free-section excavator 1 has arrived at the excavation target.

[0044] Figure 3 shows the operation screen for the driving mode (forward). When the free-section excavator 1 moves forward, video information acquired by each of the eight cameras—forward camera 111, left front camera 112, right front camera 113, left camera 114, right camera 115, rear camera 116, left rear camera 117, and right rear camera 118—which are pointed in eight directions around the main body, is simultaneously displayed on the display device 330. Note that the display of video information from the rear camera 116, left rear camera 117, and right rear camera 118 may be omitted.

[0045] Figure 4 shows the operation screen for the driving mode (reverse). When the free-section excavator 1 is moving in reverse, video information acquired by each of the five cameras—rear camera 116, left rear camera 117, right rear camera 118, left camera 114, and right camera 115—is simultaneously displayed on the display device 330.

[0046] In this way, by simultaneously displaying video information from various directions around the main unit 10 that needs to be checked when moving forward and backward on the display device 330, the operator can appropriately move the free-section excavator 1 while checking the safety of the surroundings. In addition, positional relationship information regarding the positional relationship between the cutting means 31 and the excavation target, calculated based on the distance to the excavation target measured by the distance measuring device 140 and the position of the cutting means 31 due to the movement of the boom 20, is displayed on the display means. Specifically, the numerical value of the distance between the cutting means 31 and the excavation target is displayed at the top of the operation screen, so it is possible to appropriately grasp the distance and prevent accidents such as unexpected collisions.

[0047] The distance between the cutting means 31 and the target to be excavated T will be explained with reference to Figure 5. The distance between the cutting means 31 and the target to be excavated T is calculated from the distance D1 to the target to be excavated T measured by the distance measuring device 140 (distance sensor) fixed to the main body 10 and the position D2 of the cutting means 31 due to the movement of the boom 20. That is, the position of the cutting means 31 relative to the main body 10 changes due to the left and right rotation of the boom 20 by the slewing unit 12, the up and down elevation by the boom cylinder 21, and the forward and backward extension by the telescopic cylinder 22, and this position is known based on the information of the boom 20's operation control. By subtracting the position D2 of the cutting means 31 from the measured distance D1 to the target to be excavated T, the distance D3 between the cutting means 31 and the target to be excavated T can be calculated (see Figure 5(a)). At this time, if the traveling unit 11 is driven to move the main body 10 forward and reduce the distance to the target to be excavated, the distance between the cutting means 31 and the target to be excavated T will naturally decrease. Furthermore, if the distance measuring device 140 is capable of measuring distances to multiple locations, such as with LiDAR, the distance D3 between the cutting means 31 and the target to be excavated T can also be directly obtained from the measured distance (see Figure 5(b)).

[0048] The distance between the cutting means 31 and the target to be excavated T can be calculated either at the excavator terminal 100 or at the remote terminal 310.

[0049] In travel mode, the free-section excavator 1 is operated by an operator using an input device 320 such as a controller, mouse, or keyboard. The operation signal is transmitted from the remote terminal 310 to the excavator terminal 100, and input to the control device 40, which drives the travel unit 11 to move.

[0050] Figure 6 shows the operation screen in an overhead view. When the operator wants to check the surrounding situation, for example, they switch the operation screen to this overhead view. In the overhead view, video information acquired by each of the eight cameras—front camera 111, rear camera 116, left camera 114, right camera 115, left front camera 112, right front camera 113, left rear camera 117, and right rear camera 118—which are pointed in eight directions around the main unit, is simultaneously displayed on the display device 330.

[0051] In the overhead view operation screen, an image showing the external appearance of the free-section excavator 1 is displayed. This image showing the external appearance of the free-section excavator 1 includes three views: a front view, a side view, and a top view. The images are tilted according to the roll, pitch, and yaw inclination information of the main body 10 of the excavator 2 detected by the triaxial inclinometer 160. Specifically, the front view image is tilted left and right to reflect the rolling inclination, the side view image is tilted left and right to reflect the pitching inclination, and the top view image is tilted left and right to reflect the yawing inclination. In addition, the numerical values ​​of the roll, pitch, and yaw inclination information of the main body detected by the triaxial inclinometer 160 may also be displayed on the display device 330.

[0052] In the overhead view operation screen, the cutting means portion of the diagram showing the external appearance of the free-section excavator 1 displayed on the operation screen is moved according to the position of the cutting means 31. Since it is possible to depict along two axes (vertical and horizontal) or three axes (including depth), it is preferable to move the cutting means portion in the front view image of the free-section excavator 1. By illustrating the position of the cutting means 31 in this way, the operator can easily grasp the position of the cutting means 31. When moving the cutting means portion in the front view image of the free-section excavator 1, for example, the movable range of the cutting means, indicated by a dashed line, may be divided into nine sections, and the movement to one of these sections may be depicted.

[0053] Figure 7 shows the operation screen for the drilling mode. In drilling mode, there is no need to move the free-section drilling machine 1, so in order to keep the drilling target in front, the video information acquired by each of the three cameras—the front camera, the left front camera, and the right front camera—is simultaneously displayed on the display device.

[0054] The center of the control screen features displays for millimeter-wave radar warning, millimeter-wave radar stop, and millimeter-wave radar detection. When an object is detected in the vicinity by the millimeter-wave radar surrounding the main unit, the millimeter-wave radar detection display lights up. If an object is detected at an even closer distance, the millimeter-wave radar warning or millimeter-wave radar stop display lights up depending on the distance, triggering an alarm or stopping the operation of the free-section excavator 1.

[0055] In excavation mode, the operation of the free-section excavator 1 is performed when the operator operates the input device 320, and the operation signal is transmitted from the remote terminal 310 to the excavator terminal 100, and input to the control device 40, which then executes actions such as rotating the boom 20 and rotating the cutting device 30.

[0056] In drilling mode, operational information that fluctuates according to the operating status of the free-section drilling machine 1 is displayed on the left side of the operation screen. Specifically, the power supply voltage acquired by the voltmeter 132, the supply current of the electric motor of the hydraulic supply unit 14 acquired by the ammeter 133, the supply current of the cutting electric motor 32 acquired by the ammeter 134, and the drum vertical pressure, drum horizontal pressure, drum expansion / contraction pressure, and pressure applied to the traveling unit 11 applied to the cutting means 31, acquired by the pressure transmitter 131 are displayed at the top of the operation screen, allowing for proper understanding of the operating status of each part during drilling. In this example, the operational information is displayed using both meter and numerical displays to improve readability, but either one or the other may be used.

[0057] Furthermore, in excavation mode, positional relationship information regarding the positional relationship between the cutting means 31 and the excavation target T, calculated based on the distance to the excavation target T measured by the distance measuring device 140 and the position of the cutting means 31 due to the movement of the boom 20, is displayed on the display device 330. Specifically, the numerical value of the distance between the cutting means 31 and the excavation target T is displayed at the top of the operation screen. The method for calculating this numerical value is the same as described above, as shown in Figure 5, so it is omitted here. In addition, information indicating the position of the cutting means 31, detected by the stroke sensors 150 attached to each cylinder of the boom, is displayed as a stroke amount on the right side of the operation screen. Specifically, the stroke amount of the drum vertical stroke due to the extension and retraction of the boom cylinder 21, the stroke amount of the drum horizontal stroke due to the extension and retraction of the cylinder of the slewing section 12, and the stroke amount of the drum extension and retraction stroke due to the extension and retraction of the telescopic cylinder 22 are displayed. In this way, by combining the positional relationship information and the information indicating the position of the cutting means 31, the operator can appropriately grasp the positional relationship between the cutting means 31 and the excavation target T using the quantified indicators, and operate the free-section excavator 1 to perform excavation work.

[0058] Furthermore, the right side of the operation screen displays the stroke amount of the dozer cylinder 15a and the stroke amounts of the left and right outrigger cylinders 16a, as detected by the stroke sensor. When ending the digging mode and switching to the travel mode, or vice versa, the dozer 15 and outriggers 16 need to be extended or retracted, so the operator can refer to these stroke amounts as needed.

[0059] The operation screen can display a 3D model image showing the appearance of the excavator 2, the position of the excavation target T, and the excavation range that can be performed by the cutting means 31 when the boom 20 is rotated, superimposed using computer graphics (see Figure 8). The position of the excavation target T can be displayed according to the distance to the excavation target T measured by the distance measuring device 140. The 3D model showing the appearance of the excavator 2 can be tilted according to the roll, pitch, and yaw inclination information of the main body 10 of the excavator 2 detected by the triaxial inclinometer 160. The position of the cutting means 31 in the 3D model showing the appearance of the excavator 2 can be changed based on information indicating the position of the cutting means 31 detected by stroke sensors 150 attached to each cylinder of the boom 20. By displaying the 3D model showing the appearance of the excavator 2 in this way, it is easy to check the posture of the excavator 2, the position of the cutting means 31 relative to the main body 10, and the remaining movable range of the cutting means 31.

[0060] During excavation work, audio information acquired by the microphone 120 at the work site is played back by the audio playback device 340 at the remote location, allowing the operator to recognize in real time the driving sound of the cutting motor 32 and the cutting sound of the cutting means 31.

[0061] As described above, in this embodiment, video information, audio information, operation information, information indicating the position of the cutting means, and positional relationship information between the cutting means and the target to be excavated are simultaneously transmitted to the operator via the remote display device 330 and audio playback device 340, allowing the operator to perform excavation work with comparable performance to that performed by the operator riding the free-section excavator 1 at the work site.

[0062] Furthermore, various operations can be switched by pressing the buttons displayed in the upper left part of the operation screen. Specifically, pressing the "Hydraulic" stop / start button switches the supply of hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic supply unit to stop or start. Pressing the "Cutting Speed" low / high speed button switches the rotation speed of the cutting device to low or high. Pressing the "Alarm" button sounds the alarm installed on the drilling machine, and for example, the alarm can emit a synthesized voice warning to draw attention. Pressing the "Cutting" stop / start button switches the rotation of the cutting device to stop or start. The "Cutting" start button may be made unusable until the "Alarm" button has been pressed. Pressing the "Watering" stop / start button switches the watering device to stop or start. Pressing the "Cable Reel" manual / automatic button switches the manual operation of the power cable payout by the cable reel to automatic operation.

[0063] In this way, by using input devices for PC operation, such as a mouse, to press buttons on the operation screen to switch between various operations, it is possible to prevent accidental operation while avoiding the situation where the number of operation buttons on the controller would be unnecessarily increased and button assignments would become complicated.

[0064] As described above, with the free-section excavator system 5 of this embodiment, by using the distance measuring device 140, the operator can easily grasp the positional relationship between the cutting means 31 and the excavation target T, such as the distance, which is difficult to grasp from the video acquired by the imaging device 110 alone. For this reason, it is possible to provide a system that allows for remote operation of the free-section excavator 1 with comparable ease to when an operator is on board and operating it at the work site.

[0065] Furthermore, by using the distance measuring device 140 described above to acquire positional relationship information such as the distance between the cutting means 31 and the target to be excavated T, this can be utilized for the automatic operation of the free-section excavator 1 from a remote location without operation by an operator. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Free-section excavator 2. Excavation Machine 5. Free-section drilling machine system 10 Main Unit 11. Running section 12. Swivel section 13 Control section 14. Hydraulic supply unit 15 Dozer 15a Dozer Cylinder 16 Outriggers 16a Outrigger Cylinder 17 Cable reels 20 Boom 21 Boom Cylinder 22 stretchable proteins 30 Cutting equipment 31 Cutting means 32 Cutting electric motor 33 Reducer 40 Control device 100 Excavator-side terminal 110 Imaging device 111 Front Camera 112 Left front camera 113 Right front camera 114 Left-hand camera 115 Right-hand camera 116 Rear camera 117 Left rear camera 118 Right rear camera 119 Overhead Camera 120 Microphones 130 Measuring devices 131 Pressure Transmitter 132 Voltmeter 133 Ammeter 134 Ammeter 140 Ranging device 150 stroke sensor 160 Triaxial Inclinometer 170 mm wave radar 180 Alarm device 190 No. 1 outdoor wireless communication equipment 200 relay devices 210 2nd outdoor wireless communication equipment 220 2nd wired communication equipment 300 Remote control devices 310 Remote terminal 320 Input Devices 330 Display device 340 Audio playback device 350 1st wired communication equipment

Claims

1. A free-section excavator deployed at a work site and configured to operate in response to control signals, A remote control device is positioned at a distance from the free-section excavator and configured to transmit the operation signal to remotely control the free-section excavator. A free-section excavator system comprising: The aforementioned free-section excavator is The main unit and A boom is provided that extends forward from the main body and whose tip position can be changed, A cutting means provided at the tip of the boom, A distance measuring device is provided on the main body and configured to measure the distance to the excavation target in front of it. An excavator terminal configured to operate the boom and the cutting means based on the aforementioned operation signal and to transmit information based on the distance to the excavation target, Equipped with, The remote control device includes a remote terminal configured to communicate with the excavator-side terminal and to use positional relationship information regarding the positional relationship between the cutting means and the excavation target, calculated based on the distance to the excavation target measured by the distance measuring device and the position of the cutting means due to the movement of the boom. Free-section excavation machine system.

2. The aforementioned free-section excavator further includes a camera that acquires video information of the area surrounding the main body, The remote control device further comprises a display device and an input device. The aforementioned remote terminal is The display device is configured to display the video information and the positional relationship information, The system is configured to output the operation signal based on the operation performed by the operator using the input device. The free-section excavator system according to claim 1.

3. The free-section excavator system according to claim 2, wherein the remote terminal is configured to cause the display device to further display information regarding the position of the cutting means due to the operation of the boom.

4. The free-section excavator system according to claim 3, wherein the remote terminal is configured to display an image showing the appearance of the free-section excavator on the display device and to move the portion of the cutting means in the image according to the position of the cutting means.

5. The aforementioned free-section excavator is further equipped with a triaxial inclinometer on the main body, The remote terminal is configured to display an image showing the appearance of the free-section excavator on the display device and to tilt the image according to the tilt information of the main body acquired by the triaxial inclinometer. The free-section excavator system according to claim 2.

6. The free-section excavator system according to claim 2, wherein the remote terminal is configured to superimpose an image showing the appearance of the free-section excavator and the excavable range in which the cutting means can be moved by the operation of the boom onto the display device.

7. The free-section excavator system according to claim 1, wherein the distance measuring device includes a laser rangefinder or LiDAR.

8. The boom is configured to be able to swing up and down and extend and retract using multiple cylinders, The free-section excavator further comprises stroke sensors provided in each of the plurality of cylinders, The position of the cutting means is calculated based on the output of the stroke sensor. The free-section excavator system according to claim 1.

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