Indication device

Abstract

The purpose is to support the operator's operations. [Solution] This is a display device that shows an object corresponding to the comparison result between the angular velocity of the operating element that is the target of the operation and the target angular velocity, among the operating elements driven by an actuator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various techniques for assisting an operator of a working machine in operation have been known. As an example, for instance, a technique is known in which a display device is installed on an arm to which an end attachment of a working machine is attached, and the relative distance between a target surface and a working portion of the end attachment is displayed on the display device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a working machine, operations are performed for each operating element including a boom, an arm, an end attachment, an upper slewing body, and the like. Therefore, in order for an operator to operate the working machine as intended, it is necessary to perform appropriate operations for each operating element, which is not easy.

[0005] Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, it is an object to assist the operation of an operator.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a display device in which a display object corresponding to a comparison result between an angular velocity of an operating element targeted for operation and a target angular velocity among operating elements driven by an actuator is displayed.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] It is possible to assist the operation of an operator. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a side view of the shovel 100 as an excavator according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram schematically shows an example of the configuration of the excavator 100. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a shovel's drive system. [Figure 4A] This is a diagram of part of the drive system related to the operation of the arm cylinder 8. [Figure 4B] This is a diagram of part of the drive system related to the operation of the boom cylinder 7. [Figure 4C] This is a diagram of part of the drive system related to the operation of the bucket cylinder 9. [Figure 4D] This is a diagram of a part of the drive system related to the operation of the slewing hydraulic motor 2A. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the functions of the shovel controller. [Figure 6] This is the first flowchart explaining the process of the shovel controller. [Figure 7] The first figure shows an example of a display unit. [Figure 8] This is the first diagram illustrating the processing of the display control unit. [Figure 9] This is the second diagram illustrating the processing of the display control unit. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates how this embodiment can be applied to other work machines. [Figure 11] The second figure shows an example of a display unit. [Figure 12] This is the second flowchart explaining the process of the shovel controller. [Figure 13] The third figure shows an example of a display unit. [Figure 14] This diagram shows an example of a system configuration for a remote control system for an excavator. [Figure 15] This is a diagram illustrating the functions of the remote controller. [Figure 16] It is the first flowchart for explaining the processing of the remote controller. [Figure 17] It is the first figure showing an example of the display on the display device in the remote operation room. [Figure 18] It is the second flowchart for explaining the processing of the remote controller. [Figure 19] It is the second figure showing an example of the display on the display device in the remote operation room.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] <Configuration of the Excavator> First, referring to FIG. 1, the outline of the excavator 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a side view of the excavator 100 as a working machine according to the present embodiment.

[0010] The excavator 100 according to the present embodiment includes a lower traveling body 1, an upper revolving body 3 mounted on the lower traveling body 1 so as to be rotatable via a revolving mechanism 2, a boom 4, an arm 5, and a bucket 6 that constitute an attachment (working machine), and a cab 10.

[0011] In the following description of the present embodiment, the excavator 100 having the lower traveling body 1 will be described as an example of a working machine. However, in the present embodiment, it can also be applied to a working machine that does not travel and has a revolving body rotatably mounted on a base. A working machine having a revolving body rotatably mounted on a base may be, for example, a crane or the like.

[0012] The lower traveling body 1 travels the excavator 100 by driving a pair of left and right crawlers hydraulically with traveling hydraulic motors 2ML and 2MR (refer to FIG. 2 described later). That is, the pair of traveling hydraulic motors 2ML and 2MR (an example of traveling motors) drive the lower traveling body 1 (crawler) as a driven part.

[0013] The upper rotating body 3 rotates relative to the lower traveling body 1 when driven by the rotating hydraulic motor 2A (see Figure 2, described later). In other words, the rotating hydraulic motor 2A is a rotating drive unit that drives the upper rotating body 3 as the driven part, and can change the orientation of the upper rotating body 3.

[0014] The upper slewing body 3 may be electrically driven by an electric motor (hereinafter referred to as the "slewing electric motor") instead of the slewing hydraulic motor 2A. In other words, the slewing electric motor, like the slewing hydraulic motor 2A, is a slewing drive unit that drives the upper slewing body 3 as the driven part, and can change the orientation of the upper slewing body 3. The actuator that rotates the upper slewing body 3 may also be electric.

[0015] The boom 4 is pivotally attached to the front center of the upper slewing body 3 so as to be able to move up and down. An arm 5 is pivotally attached to the tip of the boom 4 so as to be able to rotate up and down. A bucket 6, which serves as an end attachment, is pivotally attached to the tip of the arm 5 so as to be able to rotate up and down. The boom 4, arm 5, and bucket 6 are hydraulically driven by a boom cylinder 7, arm cylinder 8, and bucket cylinder 9, respectively, which are hydraulic actuators.

[0016] Note that bucket 6 is just one example of an end attachment, and depending on the work to be done, other end attachments such as a slope bucket, dredging bucket, or breaker may be attached to the tip of arm 5 instead of bucket 6.

[0017] The rod end of the bucket cylinder 9 and the bucket 6 are connected by a bucket link 6a. Specifically, the upper end of the bucket link 6a is rotatably connected to the rod end of the bucket cylinder 9 and the arm link 6c via a bucket cylinder top pin 6b. The lower end of the bucket link 6a is rotatably connected to a bracket on the rear surface of the bucket 6 via a bucket pin 6d.

[0018] Cabin 10 is the operator's cabin and is mounted on the front left side of the upper rotating body 3.

[0019] Furthermore, in the shovel 100 of this embodiment, a display unit 45 is attached to the arm 5. When an operation is performed to bring the working part of the bucket 6 closer to the target construction surface, the display unit 45 displays at least one of the following to the operator in the cabin 10: information indicating the approximate angular velocity of the boom 4 when the boom 4 of the shovel 100 is raised or lowered; information indicating the approximate angular velocity of the arm 5 when the arm 5 is opened or closed; and information indicating the approximate rotational angular velocity when the upper slewing body 3 is rotated.

[0020] The operating elements of this embodiment include the upper slewing body 3, boom 4, arm 5, bucket 6, etc. In the following description, the operation of raising the boom 4 is called the boom raising operation, the operation of lowering the boom 4 is called the boom lowering operation, and the angular velocity of the boom 4 is called the boom angular velocity. In the following description, the operation of opening the arm 5 is called the arm opening operation, the operation of closing the arm 5 is called the arm closing operation, and the angular velocity of the arm 5 is called the arm angular velocity. In the following description, the operation of rotating the upper slewing body 3 is called the rotation operation, the operation of rotating it counterclockwise is called the left rotation operation, and the operation of rotating the upper slewing body 3 clockwise is called the right rotation operation.

[0021] In this embodiment, by providing such a display 45, when an operator in the cabin 10 performs a boom raising operation or a boom lowering operation, information indicating an approximate angular velocity of the boom 4 can be displayed on the display 45. In this embodiment, when an operator performs an arm opening operation or an arm closing operation, information indicating an approximate angular velocity of the arm 5 can be displayed on the display 45. In this embodiment, when an operator performs a slewing operation, information indicating an approximate slewing angular velocity can be displayed on the display 45.

[0022] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the information indicating the approximate angular velocity is a display object that moves at a speed calculated from the angular velocity difference (comparison result) between the target angular velocity of the operating element being operated and the current angular velocity of the operating element. In other words, in this embodiment, the information indicating the approximate angular velocity is displayed on the display unit 45 in a manner in which the display object moves in the direction obtained from the approximate angular velocity and at the speed obtained from the approximate angular velocity. Moreover, the display unit 45 in this embodiment can be said to be an example of a display device that displays a display object corresponding to the comparison result between the angular velocity of the operating element being operated and the target angular velocity, among the operating elements driven by a hydraulic actuator.

[0023] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the operator can intuitively grasp the difference between the approximate angular velocity of the operating element being operated and the current angular velocity of the operating element, thereby supporting the operator's operation.

[0024] Furthermore, in the shovel 100 of this embodiment, assuming that an operation to stop the operation of the operating element is performed on the operating element while it is in operation, the position at which the operation of the operating element will stop is estimated, and information indicating the estimated position (the position at which the operation of the operating element will stop) is displayed on the display unit 45.

[0025] In this case, the operating element may be the upper rotating body 3, and the operation to stop the operation may be an operation to stop the rotation. In other words, in this embodiment, assuming that an operation to stop the rotation of the upper rotating body 3 is performed on the upper rotating body 3, the position at which the rotation of the upper rotating body 3 stops is estimated, and information indicating the estimated position is displayed on the display 45.

[0026] In the shovel 100, the moment of inertia of the upper rotating body 3 changes significantly depending on the posture of the shovel 100 and the weight of the bucket 6. Therefore, even when an operation is performed to stop the rotation of the shovel 100, the rotation of the upper rotating body 3 does not stop immediately, but rotates by an angle corresponding to the rotational velocity and moment of inertia at the time the operation is performed.

[0027] Therefore, in this embodiment, assuming that an operation to stop the rotation is performed at this moment, the rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3 before the rotation stops is estimated based on the rotation angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3 and the moment of inertia. In other words, in this embodiment, assuming that an operation to stop the rotation is performed at this moment, the orientation of the upper rotating body 3 when the rotation stops is estimated. Then, in this embodiment, the information indicating the estimated orientation of the upper rotating body 3 is displayed on the display unit 45 as information indicating the position where the rotation of the upper rotating body 3 stops. That is, the information indicating the position where the rotation of the upper rotating body 3 stops is obtained from the result of estimating the rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3 before the rotation stops, based on the current rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3.

[0028] Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if the operator is not accustomed to predicting the behavior of the shovel 100, which changes depending on the posture of the shovel 100 and the weight of the bucket 6, they can still understand the orientation of the upper slewing body 3 when the slewing stops. Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to make it easier for the operator to perform the operation they intend, and the operator's operation can be supported.

[0029] In the following explanation, the operation to stop the movement will be described as the operation to stop the rotation of the upper slewing body 3, but the operation to stop the movement may also be the operation to stop the movement of the boom 4 or the arm 5. Also, in the following explanation, the operation to stop the rotation of the upper slewing body 3 may be referred to as the rotation stop operation. Details of the rotation stop operation will be described later.

[0030] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 1, the display unit 45 is attached to the arm 5, but this is not the only option. The display unit 45 does not have to be attached to the arm 5.

[0031] Furthermore, the display unit 45 in this embodiment may be provided for each operating element, as shown in Figure 6, which will be described later. Specifically, the display unit 45 includes a display unit 45a for displaying information indicating an approximate angular velocity of the boom 4, a display unit 45b for displaying information indicating an approximate angular velocity of the arm 5, and a display unit 45c for displaying information indicating an approximate rotational angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3. Details of the display unit 45 will be described later.

[0032] Next, with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2, the specific configuration of the shovel 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the shovel 100 according to this embodiment.

[0034] In Figure 2, the mechanical power system, hydraulic fluid lines, pilot lines, and electrical control system are indicated by double lines, solid lines, dashed lines, and dotted lines, respectively.

[0035] The drive system of the excavator 100 according to this embodiment includes an engine 11, a regulator 13, a main pump 14, and a control valve 17. Furthermore, the hydraulic drive system of the excavator 100 according to this embodiment includes hydraulic actuators such as travel hydraulic motors 2ML and 2MR, a slewing hydraulic motor 2A, a boom cylinder 7, an arm cylinder 8, and a bucket cylinder 9, which hydraulically drive the lower travel body 1, the upper slewing body 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6, respectively.

[0036] The engine 11 is the main power source in the hydraulic drive system and is mounted, for example, at the rear of the upper slewing body 3. Specifically, the engine 11 rotates at a constant speed at a preset target speed under direct or indirect control by the controller 30 (described later) and drives the main pump 14 and the pilot pump 15. The engine 11 is, for example, a diesel engine that uses light oil as fuel.

[0037] The regulator 13 controls the discharge rate of the main pump 14. For example, the regulator 13 adjusts the angle (tilt angle) of the swash plate of the main pump 14 in response to a control command from the controller 30. The regulator 13 includes, for example, a left regulator 13L and a right regulator 13R, as described later.

[0038] The main pump 14, for example, is mounted at the rear of the upper slewing body 3, similar to the engine 11, and supplies hydraulic fluid to the control valve 17 through a high-pressure hydraulic line. The main pump 14 is driven by the engine 11, as described above. The main pump 14 is, for example, a variable displacement hydraulic pump, and as described above, under the control of the controller 30, the piston stroke length is adjusted by adjusting the tilt angle of the swash plate by the regulator 13, thereby controlling the discharge flow rate (discharge pressure). The main pump 14 includes, for example, a left main pump 14L and a right main pump 14R, as described later.

[0039] The control valve 17 is a hydraulic control device that is mounted, for example, in the center of the upper slewing body 3 and controls the hydraulic drive system in response to the operator's operation of the operating device 26. As described above, the control valve 17 is connected to the main pump 14 via a high-pressure hydraulic line and selectively supplies hydraulic fluid from the main pump 14 to the hydraulic actuators (travel hydraulic motors 2ML, 2MR, slewing hydraulic motor 2A, boom cylinder 7, arm cylinder 8, and bucket cylinder 9) according to the operating state of the operating device 26. Specifically, the control valve 17 includes control valves 171 to 176 that control the flow rate and direction of the hydraulic fluid supplied from the main pump 14 to each of the hydraulic actuators. More specifically, control valve 171 corresponds to the travel hydraulic motor 2ML, control valve 172 corresponds to the travel hydraulic motor 2MR, and control valve 173 corresponds to the slewing hydraulic motor 2A. Furthermore, control valve 174 corresponds to the bucket cylinder 9, control valve 175 corresponds to the boom cylinder 7, and control valve 176 corresponds to the arm cylinder 8. Furthermore, control valve 175 includes, for example, control valves 175L and 175R, as described later, and control valve 176 includes, for example, control valves 176L and 176R, as described later. Details of control valves 171 to 176 will be described later.

[0040] The operating system of the shovel 100 according to this embodiment includes a pilot pump 15 and an operating device 26. The operating system of the shovel 100 also includes a shuttle valve 32 as part of the machine control function by the controller 30, which will be described later.

[0041] The pilot pump 15 is mounted, for example, at the rear of the upper rotating body 3 and supplies pilot pressure to the operating device 26 via a pilot line. The pilot pump 15 is, for example, a fixed-displacement hydraulic pump and is driven by the engine 11 as described above.

[0042] The control device 26 is located near the driver's seat in the cabin 10 and is an input means for the operator to operate various operating elements (lower traveling body 1, upper slewing body 3, boom 4, arm 5, bucket 6, etc.). In other words, the control device 26 is an input means for the operator to operate the hydraulic actuators that drive each of the operating elements (i.e., the traveling hydraulic motors 2ML, 2MR, the slewing hydraulic motor 2A, the boom cylinder 7, the arm cylinder 8, the bucket cylinder 9, etc.).

[0043] The operating device 26 is connected to the control valve 17 either directly through its secondary pilot line or indirectly through the shuttle valve 32, described later, which is located on the secondary pilot line. As a result, pilot pressure corresponding to the operating state of the lower traveling body 1, upper slewing body 3, boom 4, arm 5, and bucket 6 of the operating device 26 can be input to the control valve 17.

[0044] Therefore, the control valve 17 can drive each hydraulic actuator according to the operating state of the operating device 26. The operating device 26 includes, for example, a lever device for operating the arm 5 (arm cylinder 8). The operating device 26 also includes, for example, a left operating lever 26L and a right operating lever 26R for operating the boom 4 (boom cylinder 7), bucket 6 (bucket cylinder 9), and upper slewing body 3 (slewing hydraulic motor 2A), respectively (see Figure 4). The operating device 26 also includes, for example, operating levers and pedal devices for operating the left and right pairs of crawlers (travel hydraulic motors 2ML and 2MR) of the lower traveling body 1.

[0045] The shuttle valve 32 has two inlet ports and one outlet port, and outputs hydraulic fluid with the higher of the two pilot pressures input to the two inlet ports to the outlet port. One of the two inlet ports of the shuttle valve 32 is connected to the operating device 26, and the other is connected to the proportional valve 31.

[0046] The outlet port of the shuttle valve 32 is connected to the pilot port of the corresponding control valve in the control valve 17 via a pilot line (see Figure 4 for details). Therefore, the shuttle valve 32 can apply the higher of the pilot pressure generated by the operating device 26 and the pilot pressure generated by the proportional valve 31 to the pilot port of the corresponding control valve. In other words, the controller 30, described later, can control the corresponding control valve and the operation of various operating elements independently of the operator's operation of the operating device 26 by outputting a pilot pressure from the proportional valve 31 that is higher than the secondary pilot pressure output from the operating device 26.

[0047] The operating device 26 (left operating lever, right operating lever, left travel lever, and right travel lever) may be an electric type that outputs an electrical signal, rather than a hydraulic pilot type that outputs pilot pressure. In this case, the electrical signal from the operating device 26 is input to the controller 30, and the controller 30 controls each of the control valves 171 to 176 in the control valve 17 according to the input electrical signal, thereby realizing the operation of various hydraulic actuators according to the operation content of the operating device 26. For example, the control valves 171 to 176 in the control valve 17 may be electromagnetic solenoid spool valves driven by commands from the controller 30. Also, for example, an electromagnetic valve that operates according to an electrical signal from the controller 30 may be placed between the pilot pump 15 and the pilot port of each of the control valves 171 to 176. In this case, when manual operation is performed using the electric operating device 26, the controller 30 controls the solenoid valve by an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of operation (for example, the amount of lever operation), thereby increasing or decreasing the pilot pressure and operating each of the control valves 171 to 176 in accordance with the operation performed on the operating device 26.

[0048] The control system of the shovel 100 according to this embodiment includes a controller 30, a discharge pressure sensor 28, an operating pressure sensor 29, a proportional valve 31, a display device D1, an audio output device 43, an input device 44, a storage device 47, a boom angle sensor S1, an arm angle sensor S2, a bucket angle sensor S3, a machine tilt sensor S4, a slewing state sensor S5, an imaging device S6, a positioning device P1, and a communication device T1.

[0049] The controller 30 (an example of a control device) is installed, for example, inside the cabin 10 and controls the drive of the shovel 100. The functions of the controller 30 may be realized by any hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller 30 is mainly composed of a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), non-volatile auxiliary storage device, and various input / output interfaces. The controller 30 realizes various functions by executing various programs stored in the ROM or non-volatile auxiliary storage device on the CPU.

[0050] For example, the controller 30 sets a target rotational speed based on a work mode or the like that is set in advance by a predetermined operation by an operator or the like, and performs drive control to keep the engine 11 rotating at a constant speed.

[0051] Furthermore, for example, the controller 30 outputs control commands to the regulator 13 as needed, thereby changing the discharge rate of the main pump 14.

[0052] Furthermore, for example, the controller 30 performs control related to a machine guidance function that guides the manual operation of the shovel 100 by the operator through the operating device 26. Also, the controller 30 performs control related to a machine control function that automatically assists the manual operation of the shovel 100 by the operator through the operating device 26.

[0053] Furthermore, some of the functions of controller 30 may be implemented by other controllers (control devices). That is, the functions of controller 30 may be implemented in a manner distributed among multiple controllers. For example, machine guidance functions and machine control functions may be implemented by dedicated controllers (control devices).

[0054] Furthermore, the controller 30 in this embodiment controls the output of information to the display unit 45. In other words, the controller 30 displays information indicating an estimate of the angular velocity of the operating element when operating the operating element. Also, when an operation to stop the rotation is performed, the controller 30 in this embodiment estimates the position where the rotation of the upper rotating body 3 will stop and displays information indicating the estimated position on the display unit 45. Details of the functions of the controller 30 will be described later.

[0055] The discharge pressure sensor 28 detects the discharge pressure of the main pump 14. The detection signal corresponding to the discharge pressure detected by the discharge pressure sensor 28 is input to the controller 30. The discharge pressure sensor 28 includes, for example, discharge pressure sensors 28L and 28R, as described later.

[0056] As described above, the operating pressure sensor 29 detects the pilot pressure on the secondary side of the operating device 26, that is, the pilot pressure corresponding to the operating state (e.g., operating direction, operating amount, etc.) of each operating element (i.e., hydraulic actuator) in the operating device 26. The detection signals of the pilot pressure corresponding to the operating state of the lower traveling body 1, upper slewing body 3, boom 4, arm 5, and bucket 6 in the operating device 26, detected by the operating pressure sensor 29, are input to the controller 30. The operating pressure sensor 29 includes, for example, operating pressure sensors 29LA, 29LB, 29RA, 29RB, 29DL, and 29DR, as described later.

[0057] Alternatively, instead of the operating pressure sensor 29, other sensors capable of detecting the operating state of each operating element in the operating device 26 may be provided, such as encoders or potentiometers capable of detecting the amount of operation (tilt amount) and tilt direction of the left operating lever 26L, the right operating lever 26R, etc.

[0058] The proportional valve 31 is provided in the pilot line connecting the pilot pump 15 and the shuttle valve 32, and is configured to change its flow area (the cross-sectional area through which hydraulic fluid can flow). The proportional valve 31 operates in response to control commands input from the controller 30. This allows the controller 30 to supply hydraulic fluid discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the corresponding control valve's pilot port in the control valve 17 via the proportional valve 31 and the shuttle valve 32, even when the operating device 26 is not operated by the operator. The proportional valve 31 includes, for example, proportional valves 31AL, 31AR, 31BL, 31BR, 31CL, 31CR, 31DL, and 31DR, as described later.

[0059] The display device D1 is located in a place easily visible to a seated operator inside the cabin 10 and displays various information images under the control of the controller 30. The display device D1 may be connected to the controller 30 via an in-vehicle communication network such as CAN (Controller Area Network), or it may be connected to the controller 30 via a one-to-one dedicated line.

[0060] The audio output device 43 is, for example, installed inside the cabin 10 and connected to the controller 30, and outputs sound under the control of the controller 30. The audio output device 43 is, for example, a speaker or a buzzer. The audio output device 43 outputs various information by voice in response to an audio output command from the controller 30.

[0061] The input device 44 is located within reach of a seated operator in the cabin 10 and receives various operation inputs from the operator, outputting signals corresponding to the operation inputs to the controller 30. The input device 44 includes a touch panel mounted on the display of a display device that displays various information images, knob switches provided at the ends of the left operation lever 26L, the right operation lever 26R, etc., and button switches, levers, toggles, rotary dials, etc., installed around the display device D1. Signals corresponding to the operations performed on the input device 44 are received by the controller 30.

[0062] The display unit 45 displays information in a visual manner indicating the approximate speed for each of the following operations: boom raising, boom lowering, arm opening, arm closing, and rotation of the upper slewing body 3. The display unit 45 also displays information indicating the predicted stopping position of the upper slewing body 3 when an operation to stop the rotation is performed. The display unit 45 includes lighting equipment and display devices.

[0063] The lighting equipment may be, for example, a lighting device that arranges multiple light sources in a straight line and can sequentially turn on and off the multiple light sources. The display device may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display. For example, the display unit 45 may be installed on the windshield of the cabin 10 or it may be installed on the outside of the shovel 100. The lighting equipment may also be arranged around the operator OP in the windows, including the front window of the cabin 10.

[0064] The area outside the shovel 100 may, for example, be within the work site where the shovel 100 is located. If the display unit 45 is installed outside the shovel 100, it may be placed in a position that is within the operator's line of sight. Specifically, for example, it is preferable to place it so that the distance from the operator's eyes to the display unit 45 is within 100 meters. The display unit 45 may be installed in any position that allows information to be presented to the operator visually.

[0065] The storage device 47 is, for example, located inside the cabin 10 and stores various information under the control of the controller 30. The storage device 47 is, for example, a non-volatile storage medium such as a semiconductor memory. The storage device 47 may store operational information output by various devices during the operation of the shovel 100, or it may store information acquired via various devices before the operation of the shovel 100 begins.

[0066] The operational information specifically includes position information indicating the current position of the machine, orientation information indicating the orientation of the machine, attitude information indicating the attitude of the machine, work content information indicating the work being done, load rate information indicating the load rate, cumulative time information indicating the cumulative operating time, fuel information including fuel injection amount, detection information detected by various sensors on the shovel 100, and image data captured by the imaging device S6 of the shovel 100. The operational information may be periodically transmitted to an external device by the communication device T1.

[0067] The boom angle sensor S1 is attached to the boom 4 and detects the elevation angle of the boom 4 relative to the upper slewing body 3 (hereinafter referred to as the "boom angle"), for example, in a side view, the angle formed by the straight line connecting the pivot points at both ends of the boom 4 with respect to the slewing plane of the upper slewing body 3. The boom angle sensor S1 may include, for example, a rotary encoder, an acceleration sensor, a 6-axis sensor, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), etc. The boom angle sensor S1 may also include a potentiometer using a variable resistor, a cylinder sensor that detects the stroke amount of the hydraulic cylinder (boom cylinder 7) corresponding to the boom angle, etc. The same applies to the arm angle sensor S2 and the bucket angle sensor S3. The detection signal corresponding to the boom angle from the boom angle sensor S1 is input to the controller 30.

[0068] The arm angle sensor S2 is attached to the arm 5 and detects the rotation angle of the arm 5 relative to the boom 4 (hereinafter referred to as "arm angle"). For example, in a side view, it detects the angle formed by the line connecting the pivot points at both ends of the arm 5 and the line connecting the pivot points at both ends of the boom 4. The detection signal corresponding to the arm angle from the arm angle sensor S2 is input to the controller 30.

[0069] The bucket angle sensor S3 is attached to the bucket 6 and detects the rotation angle of the bucket 6 relative to the arm 5 (hereinafter referred to as the "bucket angle"). For example, in a side view, it detects the angle formed by the line connecting the pivot point and the tip (cutting edge) of the bucket 6 with respect to the line connecting the pivot points at both ends of the arm 5. The detection signal corresponding to the bucket angle from the bucket angle sensor S3 is input to the controller 30.

[0070] The machine tilt sensor S4 detects the tilt state of the machine (upper rotating body 3 or lower traveling body 1) relative to the horizontal plane. The machine tilt sensor S4 is, for example, attached to the upper rotating body 3 and detects the tilt angle of the shovel 100 (i.e., the upper rotating body 3) around two axes in the longitudinal and lateral directions (hereinafter referred to as "longitudinal tilt angle" and "lateral tilt angle"). The machine tilt sensor S4 may include, for example, a rotary encoder, an acceleration sensor, a 6-axis sensor, an IMU, etc. The detection signals corresponding to the tilt angles (longitudinal tilt angle and lateral tilt angle) detected by the machine tilt sensor S4 are input to the controller 30.

[0071] The rotation state sensor S5 outputs detection information regarding the rotation state of the upper rotating body 3. The rotation state sensor S5 detects, for example, the rotation angular velocity and rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3. The rotation state sensor S5 may include, for example, a gyro sensor, a resolver, a rotary encoder, etc. The detection signals corresponding to the rotation angle and rotation angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3 detected by the rotation state sensor S5 are input to the controller 30.

[0072] Furthermore, the boom angle sensor S1, arm angle sensor S2, bucket angle sensor S3, machine tilt sensor S4, and slewing state sensor S5 of this embodiment may constitute an attitude detection device for detecting the attitude of the shovel 100. In addition, the boom angle sensor S1 may detect the boom angular velocity, the arm angle sensor S2 may detect the arm angular velocity, and the bucket angle sensor S3 may detect the angular velocity of the bucket 6. The boom angular velocity, arm angular velocity, and bucket angular velocity may be included in attitude information indicating the attitude of the shovel 100.

[0073] The imaging device S6, acting as a spatial recognition device, images the area around the shovel 100. The imaging device S6 includes a front camera S6F that images the area in front of the shovel 100, a left camera S6L that images the area to the left of the shovel 100, a right camera S6R that images the area to the right of the shovel 100, and a rear camera S6B that images the area behind the shovel 100.

[0074] The front camera S6F is mounted, for example, on the ceiling of the cabin 10, i.e., inside the cabin 10. Alternatively, the front camera S6F may be mounted on the roof of the cabin 10, the side of the boom 4, or other external locations within the cabin 10. The left camera S6L is mounted on the upper left end of the upper surface of the upper slewing body 3, the right camera S6R is mounted on the upper right end of the upper surface of the upper slewing body 3, and the rear camera S6B is mounted on the upper rear end of the upper surface of the upper slewing body 3.

[0075] The imaging device S6 (front camera S6F, rear camera S6B, left camera S6L, right camera S6R) is, for example, a monocular wide-angle camera with a very wide field of view. Alternatively, the imaging device S6 may be a stereo camera or a depth-sensing camera. Images captured by the imaging device S6 are received by the controller 30 via the display device D1.

[0076] The imaging device S6, as a spatial recognition device, may also function as an object detection device. In this case, the imaging device S6 may detect objects present around the shovel 100. Objects to be detected may include, for example, people, vehicles, animals, construction machinery, buildings, holes, etc. The imaging device S6 may also calculate the distance from the imaging device S6 or the shovel 100 to the recognized object. The imaging device S6 as an object detection device may include, for example, a stereo camera or a distance image sensor. The spatial recognition device is, for example, a monocular camera having an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS, and outputs the captured image to the display device D1. The spatial recognition device may also be configured to calculate the distance from the spatial recognition device or the shovel 100 to the recognized object. In addition to the imaging device S6, other object detection devices such as an ultrasonic sensor, millimeter-wave radar, LIDAR, or infrared sensor may be provided as spatial recognition devices. When using millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensors, or laser radar as a spatial recognition device, multiple signals (such as laser light) may be transmitted to an object, and the distance and direction of the object may be detected from the reflected signals by receiving the reflected signals.

[0077] The imaging device S6 may also be directly connected to the controller 30 for communication.

[0078] The boom cylinder 7 is equipped with a boom rod pressure sensor S7R and a boom bottom pressure sensor S7B. The arm cylinder 8 is equipped with an arm rod pressure sensor S8R and an arm bottom pressure sensor S8B. The bucket cylinder 9 is equipped with a bucket rod pressure sensor S9R and a bucket bottom pressure sensor S9B. The boom rod pressure sensor S7R, boom bottom pressure sensor S7B, arm rod pressure sensor S8R, arm bottom pressure sensor S8B, bucket rod pressure sensor S9R, and bucket bottom pressure sensor S9B are collectively referred to as "cylinder pressure sensors".

[0079] The boom rod pressure sensor S7R detects the pressure in the rod-side oil chamber of the boom cylinder 7 (hereinafter referred to as "boom rod pressure"), and the boom bottom pressure sensor S7B detects the pressure in the bottom-side oil chamber of the boom cylinder 7 (hereinafter referred to as "boom bottom pressure"). The arm rod pressure sensor S8R detects the pressure in the rod-side oil chamber of the arm cylinder 8 (hereinafter referred to as "arm rod pressure"), and the arm bottom pressure sensor S8B detects the pressure in the bottom-side oil chamber of the arm cylinder 8 (hereinafter referred to as "arm bottom pressure"). The bucket rod pressure sensor S9R detects the pressure in the rod-side oil chamber of the bucket cylinder 9 (hereinafter referred to as "bucket rod pressure"), and the bucket bottom pressure sensor S9B detects the pressure in the bottom-side oil chamber of the bucket cylinder 9 (hereinafter referred to as "bucket bottom pressure").

[0080] The positioning device P1 measures the position and orientation of the upper rotating body 3. The positioning device P1 is, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) compass, which detects the position and orientation of the upper rotating body 3, and the detection signal corresponding to the position and orientation of the upper rotating body 3 is input to the controller 30. In addition, the function of detecting the orientation of the upper rotating body 3, which is one of the functions of the positioning device P1, may be replaced by an orientation sensor attached to the upper rotating body 3.

[0081] The communication device T1 communicates with external devices through a predetermined network, including a mobile communication network with a base station as its endpoint, a satellite communication network, and the Internet network. The communication device T1 is, for example, a mobile communication module that supports mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), and 5G (5th Generation), or a satellite communication module for connecting to a satellite communication network.

[0082] The slewing hydraulic motor 2A has a first port 2A1 and a second port 2A2. Hydraulic sensor 21 detects the hydraulic fluid pressure at the first port 2A1 of the slewing hydraulic motor 2A. Hydraulic sensor 22 detects the hydraulic fluid pressure at the second port 2A2 of the slewing hydraulic motor 2A. Detection signals corresponding to the discharge pressure detected by hydraulic sensors 21 and 22 are input to the controller 30.

[0083] Furthermore, the first port 2A1 is connected to the hydraulic fluid tank via a relief valve 23. The relief valve 23 opens when the pressure on the first port 2A1 side reaches a predetermined relief pressure, and discharges the hydraulic fluid from the first port 2A1 side to the hydraulic fluid tank. Similarly, the second port 2A2 is connected to the hydraulic fluid tank via a relief valve 24. The relief valve 24 opens when the pressure on the second port 2A2 side reaches a predetermined relief pressure, and discharges the hydraulic fluid from the second port 2A2 side to the hydraulic fluid tank.

[0084] Next, with reference to Figure 3, an example of the configuration of the drive system installed on the shovel 100 will be described. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the drive system of the shovel. In Figure 3, the mechanical power transmission system, hydraulic fluid line, pilot line, and electrical control system are shown with double lines, solid lines, dashed lines, and dotted lines, respectively.

[0085] The drive system of the Shovel 100 mainly includes an engine 11, a regulator 13, a main pump 14, a pilot pump 15, a control valve 17, an operating device 26, a discharge pressure sensor 28, an operating pressure sensor 29, a controller 30, etc.

[0086] In Figure 3, the drive system is configured to circulate hydraulic fluid from the main pump 14, driven by the engine 11, to the hydraulic fluid tank via the center bypass pipeline 40 or the parallel pipeline 42.

[0087] Engine 11 is the power source for the shovel 100. In this embodiment, engine 11 is, for example, a diesel engine that operates to maintain a predetermined rotational speed. The output shaft of engine 11 is connected to the input shafts of the main pump 14 and the pilot pump 15.

[0088] The main pump 14 is configured to supply hydraulic fluid to the control valve 17 via a hydraulic fluid line. In this embodiment, the main pump 14 is a swashplate type variable displacement hydraulic pump.

[0089] The regulator 13 is configured to control the discharge rate of the main pump 14. In this embodiment, the regulator 13 controls the discharge rate of the main pump 14 by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the main pump 14 in response to a control command from the controller 30.

[0090] The pilot pump 15 is configured to supply hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic control equipment, including the operating device 26, via a pilot line. In this embodiment, the pilot pump 15 is a fixed-displacement hydraulic pump.

[0091] The control valve 17 is a hydraulic control device that controls the movement of the shovel 100. In this embodiment, the control valve 17 includes control valves 171 to 176. Control valve 175 includes control valves 175L and 175R, and control valve 176 includes control valves 176L and 176R. The control valve 17 is configured to selectively supply hydraulic fluid discharged by the main pump 14 to one or more hydraulic actuators through control valves 171 to 176. Control valves 171 to 176 control, for example, the flow rate of hydraulic fluid flowing from the main pump 14 to the hydraulic actuators, and the flow rate of hydraulic fluid flowing from the hydraulic actuators to the hydraulic fluid tank. The hydraulic actuators include a boom cylinder 7, an arm cylinder 8, a bucket cylinder 9, a left travel hydraulic motor 2ML, a right travel hydraulic motor 2MR, and a slewing hydraulic motor 2A.

[0092] The operating device 26 is a device used by an operator to operate the actuator. The operating device 26 includes, for example, an operating lever and an operating pedal. The actuator includes at least one of a hydraulic actuator and an electric actuator. In this embodiment, the operating device 26 is configured to operate a pilot-operated control valve drive system.

[0093] A pilot-operated control valve drive system is configured to supply hydraulic fluid discharged by a pilot pump 15 to the corresponding pilot port of a control valve in a control valve 17 via a pilot line. The pressure of the hydraulic fluid supplied to each pilot port (pilot pressure) is corresponding to the operating direction and amount of the operating device 26 for each hydraulic actuator. However, the control valve drive system may be electrically controlled instead of pilot-operated as described above. In this case, the control valve in the control valve 17 may be an electromagnetic solenoid spool valve.

[0094] The discharge pressure sensor 28 is configured to detect the discharge pressure of the main pump 14. In this embodiment, the discharge pressure sensor 28 outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

[0095] The operating pressure sensor 29 is configured to detect the operation of the operating device 26 by the operator. In this embodiment, the operating pressure sensor 29 electrically detects the operating direction and amount of the operating device 26 corresponding to each actuator, and outputs the detected values ​​to the controller 30.

[0096] The main pump 14 includes a left main pump 14L and a right main pump 14R. The left main pump 14L circulates the hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic fluid tank via the left center bypass pipeline 40L or the left parallel pipeline 42L, while the right main pump 14R circulates the hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic fluid tank via the right center bypass pipeline 40R or the right parallel pipeline 42R.

[0097] The left center bypass pipeline 40L is a hydraulic fluid line that passes through control valves 171, 173, 175L, and 176L located within the control valve 17. The right center bypass pipeline 40R is a hydraulic fluid line that passes through control valves 172, 174, 175R, and 176R located within the control valve 17.

[0098] The control valve 171 is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic fluid discharged by the left main pump 14L to the left travel hydraulic motor 2ML, and also switches the flow of hydraulic fluid to discharge the hydraulic fluid discharged by the left travel hydraulic motor 2ML to the hydraulic fluid tank.

[0099] The control valve 172 is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic fluid discharged by the right main pump 14R to the right travel hydraulic motor 2MR, and also switches the flow of hydraulic fluid to discharge the hydraulic fluid discharged by the right travel hydraulic motor 2MR to the hydraulic fluid tank.

[0100] The control valve 173 is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic fluid discharged by the left main pump 14L to the swivel hydraulic motor 2A, and also switches the flow of hydraulic fluid to discharge the hydraulic fluid discharged by the swivel hydraulic motor 2A to the hydraulic fluid tank.

[0101] The control valve 174 is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic fluid discharged by the right main pump 14R to the bucket cylinder 9 and switches the flow of the hydraulic fluid in order to discharge the hydraulic fluid in the bucket cylinder 9 to the hydraulic fluid tank.

[0102] Control valve 175L is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic fluid to supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the left main pump 14L to the boom cylinder 7. Control valve 175R is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic fluid discharged by the right main pump 14R to the boom cylinder 7 and also switches the flow of hydraulic fluid to discharge the hydraulic fluid inside the boom cylinder 7 to the hydraulic fluid tank.

[0103] The control valve 176L is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic fluid discharged by the left main pump 14L to the arm cylinder 8, and also switches the flow of the hydraulic fluid in order to discharge the hydraulic fluid in the arm cylinder 8 to the hydraulic fluid tank.

[0104] The control valve 176R is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic fluid discharged by the right main pump 14R to the arm cylinder 8 and switches the flow of the hydraulic fluid in order to discharge the hydraulic fluid in the arm cylinder 8 to the hydraulic fluid tank.

[0105] The left parallel pipeline 42L is a hydraulic fluid line running parallel to the left center bypass pipeline 40L. The left parallel pipeline 42L can supply hydraulic fluid to a control valve further downstream if the flow of hydraulic fluid through the left center bypass pipeline 40L is restricted or blocked by any of the control valves 171, 173, or 175L. The right parallel pipeline 42R is a hydraulic fluid line running parallel to the right center bypass pipeline 40R. The right parallel pipeline 42R can supply hydraulic fluid to a control valve further downstream if the flow of hydraulic fluid through the right center bypass pipeline 40R is restricted or blocked by any of the control valves 172, 174, or 175R.

[0106] The regulator 13 includes a left regulator 13L and a right regulator 13R. The left regulator 13L controls the discharge volume of the left main pump 14L by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the left main pump 14L in accordance with the discharge pressure of the left main pump 14L. Specifically, the left regulator 13L reduces the discharge volume by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the left main pump 14L in accordance with an increase in the discharge pressure of the left main pump 14L. The same applies to the right regulator 13R. This is to ensure that the absorption horsepower of the main pump 14, which is expressed as the product of the discharge pressure and the discharge volume, does not exceed the output horsepower of the engine 11.

[0107] The operating device 26 includes a left operating lever 26L, a right operating lever 26R, and a travel lever 26D. The travel lever 26D includes a left travel lever 26DL and a right travel lever 26DR.

[0108] The left operating lever 26L is used for slewing and operating the arm 5. When the left operating lever 26L is operated in the forward / backward direction, it uses the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to introduce a control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount into the pilot port of the control valve 176. When it is operated in the left / right direction, it uses the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to introduce a control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount into the pilot port of the control valve 173.

[0109] Specifically, when the left operating lever 26L is operated in the arm closing direction, it introduces hydraulic fluid into the right pilot port of control valve 176L and into the left pilot port of control valve 176R. When the left operating lever 26L is operated in the arm opening direction, it introduces hydraulic fluid into the left pilot port of control valve 176L and into the right pilot port of control valve 176R.

[0110] Furthermore, when the left operating lever 26L is operated in the left turning direction, it introduces hydraulic fluid into the left pilot port of the control valve 173, and when it is operated in the right turning direction, it introduces hydraulic fluid into the right pilot port of the control valve 173.

[0111] The right operating lever 26R is used to operate the boom 4 and the bucket 6. When the right operating lever 26R is operated in the forward / backward direction, it uses the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to introduce a control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount into the pilot port of the control valve 175. When it is operated in the left / right direction, it uses the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to introduce a control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount into the pilot port of the control valve 174.

[0112] Specifically, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom lowering direction, it introduces hydraulic fluid into the left pilot port of the control valve 175R. When the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom raising direction, it introduces hydraulic fluid into the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and into the left pilot port of the control valve 175R. Furthermore, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the bucket closing direction, it introduces hydraulic fluid into the right pilot port of the control valve 174, and when it is operated in the bucket opening direction, it introduces hydraulic fluid into the left pilot port of the control valve 174.

[0113] The travel lever 26D is used to operate the crawler. Specifically, the left travel lever 26DL is used to operate the left crawler. It may be configured to be linked with the left travel pedal. When the left travel lever 26DL is operated in the forward / backward direction, it uses the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to introduce a control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount into the pilot port of the control valve 171. The right travel lever 26DR is used to operate the right crawler. It may be configured to be linked with the right travel pedal. When the right travel lever 26DR is operated in the forward / backward direction, it uses the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to introduce a control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount into the pilot port of the control valve 172. In the following, the left travel lever 26DL, the right travel lever 26DR, the left travel pedal, and the right travel pedal may be collectively referred to as the "travel operation device." Also, the left travel pedal and the right travel pedal may be collectively referred to as the "travel pedal."

[0114] The discharge pressure sensor 28 includes discharge pressure sensors 28L and 28R. Discharge pressure sensor 28L detects the discharge pressure of the left main pump 14L and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The same applies to discharge pressure sensor 28R.

[0115] The operating pressure sensor 29 includes operating pressure sensors 29LA, 29LB, 29RA, 29RB, 29DL, and 29DR. The operating pressure sensor 29LA electrically detects the operation performed by the operator on the left operating lever 26L in the forward and backward directions and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operation details include, for example, the direction of lever operation and the amount of lever operation (lever operation angle).

[0116] Similarly, the operating pressure sensor 29LB electrically detects the operator's operation of the left operating lever 26L in the left-right direction and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operating pressure sensor 29RA electrically detects the operator's operation of the right operating lever 26R in the forward-backward direction and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

[0117] The operating pressure sensor 29RB electrically detects the operator's left-right operation of the right operating lever 26R and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operating pressure sensor 29DL electrically detects the operator's forward-backward operation of the left travel lever 26DL and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operating pressure sensor 29DR electrically detects the operator's forward-backward operation of the right travel lever 26DR and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

[0118] The controller 30 receives the output of the operating pressure sensor 29 and, if necessary, outputs a control command to the regulator 13 to change the discharge amount of the main pump 14. The controller 30 also receives the output of the control pressure sensor 19 located upstream of the throttle 18 and, if necessary, outputs a control command to the regulator 13 to change the discharge amount of the main pump 14. The throttle 18 includes a left throttle 18L and a right throttle 18R, and the control pressure sensor 19 includes a left control pressure sensor 19L and a right control pressure sensor 19R.

[0119] In the left center bypass pipeline 40L, a left throttle 18L is located between the downstream control valve 176L and the hydraulic fluid tank. Therefore, the flow of hydraulic fluid discharged by the left main pump 14L is restricted by the left throttle 18L. The left throttle 18L then generates the control pressure necessary to control the left regulator 13L.

[0120] The left control pressure sensor 19L is a sensor for detecting this control pressure and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The controller 30 controls the discharge volume of the left main pump 14L by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the left main pump 14L in accordance with this control pressure. The controller 30 decreases the discharge volume of the left main pump 14L as the control pressure increases, and increases the discharge volume of the left main pump 14L as the control pressure decreases. The discharge volume of the right main pump 14R is controlled in the same manner.

[0121] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, when none of the hydraulic actuators in the shovel 100 are operated and the system is in standby mode, the hydraulic fluid discharged from the left main pump 14L flows through the left center bypass pipe 40L to the left constrictor 18L. The flow of hydraulic fluid discharged from the left main pump 14L increases the control pressure generated upstream of the left constrictor 18L. As a result, the controller 30 reduces the discharge volume of the left main pump 14L to the minimum allowable discharge volume, suppressing pressure loss (pumping loss) as the discharged hydraulic fluid passes through the left center bypass pipe 40L. On the other hand, when any of the hydraulic actuators are operated, the hydraulic fluid discharged from the left main pump 14L flows into the hydraulic actuator being operated via the control valve corresponding to that actuator.

[0122] The flow of hydraulic fluid discharged by the left main pump 14L is reduced or eliminated as it reaches the left throttle 18L, thereby lowering the control pressure generated upstream of the left throttle 18L. As a result, the controller 30 increases the discharge volume of the left main pump 14L, circulating sufficient hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic actuator being operated, and ensuring reliable operation of the hydraulic actuator. The controller 30 also controls the discharge volume of the right main pump 14R in the same manner.

[0123] With the configuration described above, the drive system in Figure 3 can suppress unnecessary energy consumption in the main pump 14 when in standby mode. Unnecessary energy consumption includes pumping losses caused by the hydraulic fluid discharged by the main pump 14 in the center bypass pipeline 40. Furthermore, when operating a hydraulic actuator, the drive system in Figure 3 can reliably supply the necessary and sufficient hydraulic fluid from the main pump 14 to the hydraulic actuator being operated.

[0124] Next, referring to Figures 4A to 4D, the configuration for the controller 30 to operate the actuators by machine control functions will be described. Figures 4A to 4D are diagrams of parts of the drive system. Specifically, Figure 4A is a diagram of part of the drive system related to the operation of the arm cylinder 8, Figure 4B is a diagram of part of the drive system related to the operation of the boom cylinder 7, Figure 4C is a diagram of part of the drive system related to the operation of the bucket cylinder 9, and Figure 4D is a diagram of part of the drive system related to the operation of the slewing hydraulic motor 2A.

[0125] As shown in Figures 4A to 4D, the drive system includes proportional valves 31. The proportional valves 31 include proportional valves 31AL to 31DL and 31AR to 31DR.

[0126] The proportional valve 31 functions as a control valve for machine control. The proportional valve 31 is located in the pipeline connecting the pilot pump 15 and the control valves 171 to 176, and is configured to change the flow area of ​​the pipeline. In this embodiment, the proportional valve 31 operates in response to control commands output by the controller 30. Therefore, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the pilot port of the corresponding control valve in the control valve 17 via the proportional valve 31, independently of the operation of the operating device 26 by the operator.

[0127] This configuration allows the controller 30 to operate the hydraulic actuator corresponding to a specific operating device 26 even when no operation is being performed on that device. Furthermore, the controller 30 can forcibly stop the operation of the hydraulic actuator corresponding to a specific operating device 26 even when an operation is being performed on that device.

[0128] For example, as shown in Figure 4A, the left operating lever 26L is used to operate the arm 5. Specifically, the left operating lever 26L uses the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to apply pilot pressure to the pilot port of the control valve 176 in accordance with the operation in the forward and backward directions. More specifically, when the left operating lever 26L is operated in the arm closing direction (rearward direction), it applies pilot pressure corresponding to the amount of operation to the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R. Also, when the left operating lever 26L is operated in the arm opening direction (forward direction), it applies pilot pressure corresponding to the amount of operation to the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R.

[0129] The operating pressure sensor 29LA electrically detects the operator's forward and backward movement of the left operating lever 26L and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

[0130] The proportional valve 31AL operates in response to a current command output by the controller 30. The proportional valve 31AL adjusts the pilot pressure using hydraulic fluid introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R via the proportional valve 31AL. The proportional valve 31AR operates in response to a current command output by the controller 30. The proportional valve 31AR adjusts the pilot pressure using hydraulic fluid introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R via the proportional valve 31AR. The proportional valves 31AL and 31AR can adjust the pilot pressure so that the control valves 176L and 176R can be stopped at any valve position.

[0131] With this configuration, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R via the proportional valve 31AL, independently of the arm closing operation by the operator. In other words, the arm 5 can be closed. Furthermore, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R via the proportional valve 31AR, independently of the arm opening operation by the operator. In other words, the arm 5 can be opened.

[0132] Furthermore, even when the operator is performing an arm closing operation, the controller 30 can, if necessary, reduce the pilot pressure acting on the closing pilot ports of the control valve 176 (the left pilot port of control valve 176L and the right pilot port of control valve 176R) to forcibly stop the closing operation of the arm 5. The same applies when the operator is performing an arm opening operation and the opening operation of the arm 5 needs to be forcibly stopped.

[0133] Alternatively, even when the operator is performing an arm closing operation, the controller 30 may, if necessary, control the proportional valve 31AR to increase the pilot pressure acting on the pilot port on the opening side of the control valve 176 (the right pilot port of control valve 176L and the left pilot port of control valve 176R), which is opposite the pilot port on the closing side of the control valve 176, thereby forcibly stopping the closing operation of the arm 5 by forcibly returning the control valve 176 to the neutral position. The same applies when the operator is performing an arm opening operation and the opening operation of the arm 5 is to be forcibly stopped.

[0134] Furthermore, although we will omit the explanation with reference to Figures 4B to 4D below, the same applies when the operation of boom 4 is forcibly stopped when the operator is raising or lowering the boom, when the operation of bucket 6 is forcibly stopped when the operator is closing or opening the bucket, and when the rotational movement of the upper slewing body 3 is forcibly stopped when the operator is performing a slewing operation. The same also applies when the travel movement of the lower traveling body 1 is forcibly stopped when the operator is performing a travel operation.

[0135] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4B, the right operating lever 26R is used to operate the boom 4. Specifically, the right operating lever 26R uses the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to apply pilot pressure to the pilot port of the control valve 175 in accordance with the operation in the forward and backward directions. More specifically, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom-raising direction (rearward direction), it applies pilot pressure corresponding to the amount of operation to the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the left pilot port of the control valve 175R. Also, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom-lower direction (forward direction), it applies pilot pressure corresponding to the amount of operation to the right pilot port of the control valve 175R.

[0136] The operating pressure sensor 29RA electrically detects the forward and backward movement of the right operating lever 26R by the operator and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

[0137] The proportional valve 31BL operates in response to a current command output by the controller 30. The proportional valve 31BL adjusts the pilot pressure using hydraulic fluid introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the left pilot port of the control valve 175R via the proportional valve 31BL. The proportional valve 31BR operates in response to a current command output by the controller 30. The proportional valve 31BR adjusts the pilot pressure using hydraulic fluid introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 175L and the right pilot port of the control valve 175R via the proportional valve 31BR. The proportional valves 31BL and 31BR can adjust the pilot pressure so that the control valves 175L and 175R can be stopped at any valve position.

[0138] With this configuration, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the left pilot port of the control valve 175R via the proportional valve 31BL, independently of the boom raising operation by the operator. In other words, the boom 4 can be raised. Furthermore, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 175R via the proportional valve 31BR, independently of the boom lowering operation by the operator. In other words, the boom 4 can be lowered.

[0139] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4C, the right operating lever 26R is also used to operate the bucket 6. Specifically, the right operating lever 26R uses the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to apply pilot pressure to the pilot port of the control valve 174 in accordance with the operation in the left or right direction. More specifically, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the bucket closing direction (leftward), it applies pilot pressure to the left pilot port of the control valve 174 in accordance with the amount of operation. Also, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the bucket opening direction (rightward), it applies pilot pressure to the right pilot port of the control valve 174 in accordance with the amount of operation.

[0140] The operating pressure sensor 29RB electrically detects the operation performed by the operator on the right operating lever 26R in the left-right direction and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

[0141] The proportional valve 31CL operates in response to a current command output by the controller 30. The proportional valve 31CL adjusts the pilot pressure using hydraulic fluid introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 174 via the proportional valve 31CL. The proportional valve 31CR operates in response to a current command output by the controller 30. The proportional valve 31CR adjusts the pilot pressure using hydraulic fluid introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 174 via the proportional valve 31CR. The proportional valves 31CL and 31CR can adjust the pilot pressure so that the control valve 174 can be stopped at any valve position.

[0142] With this configuration, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 174 via the proportional valve 31CL, independently of the operator's bucket closing operation. In other words, the bucket 6 can be closed. Also, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 174 via the proportional valve 31CR, independently of the operator's bucket opening operation. In other words, the bucket 6 can be opened.

[0143] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4D, the left operating lever 26L is also used to operate the slewing mechanism 2. Specifically, the left operating lever 26L uses the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to apply pilot pressure to the pilot port of the control valve 173 in accordance with the operation in the left or right direction. More specifically, when the left operating lever 26L is operated in the left slewing direction (leftward), it applies pilot pressure to the left pilot port of the control valve 173 in accordance with the amount of operation. Also, when the left operating lever 26L is operated in the right slewing direction (rightward), it applies pilot pressure to the right pilot port of the control valve 173 in accordance with the amount of operation.

[0144] The operating pressure sensor 29LB electrically detects the left-right movement of the left operating lever 26L by the operator and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

[0145] The proportional valve 31DL operates in response to a current command output by the controller 30. The proportional valve 31DL adjusts the pilot pressure using hydraulic fluid introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 173 via the proportional valve 31DL. The proportional valve 31DR operates in response to a current command output by the controller 30. The proportional valve 31DR adjusts the pilot pressure using hydraulic fluid introduced from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 173 via the proportional valve 31DR. The proportional valves 31DL and 31DR can adjust the pilot pressure so that the control valve 173 can be stopped at any valve position.

[0146] With this configuration, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 173 via the proportional valve 31DL, independently of the operator's leftward rotation operation. In other words, the slewing mechanism 2 can be rotated to the left. Furthermore, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic fluid discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 173 via the proportional valve 31DR, independently of the operator's rightward rotation operation. In other words, the slewing mechanism 2 can be rotated to the right.

[0147] Furthermore, the controller 30 may automatically rotate or brake the slewing hydraulic motor 2A, which is an example of an actuator, in order to align the upper slewing body 3 with the target construction surface by controlling at least one of the proportional valves 31DL and 31DR in accordance with a current command.

[0148] Next, with reference to Figure 5, the functions of the controller 30 of the shovel 100 in this embodiment will be described. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the functions of the shovel controller.

[0149] The controller 30 of this embodiment includes an attitude information acquisition unit 301, an indicated angular velocity calculation unit 302, a load detection unit 303, an inertia moment calculation unit 304, a rotation angle estimation unit 305, an operation determination unit 306, and a display control unit 307.

[0150] The posture information acquisition unit 301 acquires posture information of the shovel 100. The posture information is part of the operational information acquired by the controller 30 and includes the boom angle, arm angle, and slewing angle. The posture information acquisition unit 301 may also calculate the boom angular velocity, arm angular velocity, and slewing angular velocity from the time changes of the boom angle, arm angle, and slewing angle, respectively. The boom angular velocity, arm angular velocity, and slewing angular velocity may also be output from the boom angle sensor S1, arm angle sensor S2, and slewing state sensor S5, respectively.

[0151] The commanded angular velocity calculation unit 302 calculates the commanded angular velocity for each operating element based on attitude information. The commanded angular velocity is the angular velocity required to match the current angular velocity of the operating element being operated to the target angular velocity, and is the difference between the target angular velocity and the current angular velocity of the operating element. The commanded angular velocity also indicates the approximate angular velocity to use when operating the operating element.

[0152] Specifically, the indicated angular velocity calculation unit 302 may compare the boom angular velocity included in the attitude information with the target value of the boom angular velocity and calculate the difference, and use that difference (comparison result) as the indicated angular velocity of the boom 4. The indicated angular velocity calculation unit 302 may also calculate the difference between the arm angular velocity included in the attitude information and the target value of the arm angular velocity, and use that difference as the indicated angular velocity of the arm 5. Furthermore, the indicated angular velocity calculation unit 302 may calculate the difference between the rotational angular velocity of the upper slewing body 3 included in the attitude information and the target value of the upper slewing body 3, and use that difference as the indicated angular velocity of the upper slewing body 3.

[0153] In this embodiment, target values ​​may be set in advance for each of the boom angular velocity, arm angular velocity, and slewing angular velocity. These target values ​​may be set, for example, according to the skill level of the operator operating the shovel 100. Specifically, for example, if an operator unfamiliar with the operation is operating the shovel 100, the target angular velocity may be set to the maximum angular velocity that allows for relatively safe operation.

[0154] Furthermore, the target values ​​for boom angular velocity, arm angular velocity, and slewing angular velocity may be set based on predetermined rules. These predetermined rules may include, for example, rules relating to the type of work, rules relating to the distance between the target surface and the tip of the claw, and rules relating to the work environment.

[0155] Specifically, for example, there may be rules such as setting the target value for excavation work to be slower than the target value for finishing work. Also, there may be rules such as setting the target value faster when excavating at a depth shallower than the target surface than when excavating near the target surface. Furthermore, if there are obstacles such as power lines at the work site, there may be rules such as setting the target value to be slower than usual.

[0156] The load detection unit 303 measures the weight of the load placed in the bucket 6. The load placed in the bucket 6 may be, for example, soil or sand.

[0157] The load detection unit 303 in this embodiment may, for example, calculate the weight of the load in the bucket 6 based on the thrust of the boom cylinder 7 (measured values ​​from the boom rod pressure sensor S7R and boom bottom pressure sensor S7B) derived from the detection signal from the cylinder pressure sensor and the center of gravity of the load.

[0158] The moment of inertia calculation unit 304 calculates the moment of inertia of the pivot axis using attitude information indicating the posture of the shovel 100, the weight of the load on the bucket 6 and the center of gravity of the load detected by the load detection unit 303, and the weight of the bucket 6 itself.

[0159] The rotation angle estimation unit 305 estimates the rotation angle by which the upper rotating body 3 will rotate before rotation stops, based on the rotational velocity assuming that a rotation stop operation to stop rotation has been performed, and the moment of inertia calculated by the moment of inertia calculation unit 304. In other words, the rotation angle estimation unit 305 estimates the difference between the current rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3 and the rotation angle at which the upper rotating body 3 will stop rotating if a rotation stop operation were performed at this point, based on the current rotational velocity and the moment of inertia calculated by the moment of inertia calculation unit 304.

[0160] The rotation angle estimation unit 305 of this embodiment may, for example, store map information that pre-associates rotation angular velocity, moment of inertia, and rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3 from the time a rotation stop operation is performed until the upper rotating body 3 stops. In that case, the rotation angle estimation unit 305 may estimate the rotation angle until the upper rotating body 3 stops by referring to the rotation angular velocity at the time it is assumed that a rotation stop operation has been performed (current rotation angular velocity) and this map information.

[0161] Furthermore, the rotation angle estimation unit 305 of this embodiment may maintain a model that, for example, when rotation angular velocity and moment of inertia are input, estimates and outputs the rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3 until its rotation stops. In that case, the rotation angle estimation unit 305 may input the current rotation angular velocity and moment of inertia into this model to estimate the rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3 until it stops, assuming that a rotation stop operation has been performed.

[0162] In this embodiment, the rotation angle estimated by the rotation angle estimation unit 305 may be the angle of the front-rear axis of the upper rotating body 3 with respect to the reference direction. Also, in this embodiment, a reference point may be set in advance at the construction site or the like, and the reference direction may be the direction in which the reference point is viewed from the rotation axis.

[0163] Here, the rotation stop operation will be explained. In this embodiment, the rotation stop operation is the operation of returning the left operating lever 26L, which has been tilted to the right or left, to the neutral position. Also, in this embodiment, the rotation angular velocity when the rotation stop operation is assumed to have been performed is the current rotation angular velocity.

[0164] Assuming that a rotation stop operation has been performed, the rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3 until it stops will differ depending on how the left operating lever 26L is returned to the neutral position. Therefore, in this embodiment, the operation pattern for how the left operating lever 26L is returned to the neutral position may be set in advance and held in the rotation angle estimation unit 305.

[0165] Here, the operating pattern for returning the left control lever 26L is set to a pattern where the left control lever 26L is moved rapidly to return it to the neutral position.

[0166] Furthermore, as operating patterns for returning the left operating lever 26L, for example, a pattern in which the left operating lever 26L is moved slowly and continuously to return it to the neutral position, or a pattern in which the left operating lever 26L is moved in stages and intermittently to return it to the neutral position may be set.

[0167] In the following explanation, the pattern of rapidly moving the left control lever 26L back to neutral may be referred to as the first operating pattern, the pattern of slowly and continuously moving the left control lever 26L back to neutral as the second operating pattern, and the pattern of moving the left control lever 26L gradually and intermittently back to neutral as the third operating pattern. Note that the pattern of returning the left control lever 26L may be arbitrarily set by the operator of the shovel 100 or a remote operator.

[0168] The rotation angle estimation unit 305 of this embodiment predicts the rotational angular velocity when a rotation stop operation is assumed to have been performed, according to the set operation pattern of how the left operation lever 26L is returned. Then, based on the predicted rotational angular velocity and the moment of inertia, the rotation angle estimation unit 305 estimates the rotational angle from when the rotation stop operation is performed until the rotation of the upper rotating body 3 stops.

[0169] Furthermore, assuming that a rotation stop operation has been performed, the rotation angle estimation unit 305 of this embodiment may estimate the rotation angle until rotation stops when the set operation pattern is the first operation pattern, the rotation angle until rotation stops when the set operation pattern is the second operation pattern, and the rotation angle until rotation stops when the set operation pattern is the third operation pattern.

[0170] In the following explanation, the rotation angle when the set operating pattern is the first operating pattern will be referred to as the first rotation angle, the rotation angle when the set operating pattern is the second operating pattern will be referred to as the second rotation angle, and the rotation angle when the set operating pattern is the third operating pattern will be referred to as the third rotation angle.

[0171] The operation determination unit 306 determines whether or not an operation has been performed by the operator on the operating element. Specifically, the operation determination unit 306 determines whether or not the operator's operation is on the boom 4, whether or not it is on the arm 5, whether or not it is a slewing operation, etc.

[0172] Furthermore, when an operator performs a rotation stop operation, the operation determination unit 306 may determine whether the operation pattern set for the rotation angle estimation unit 305 is one of the first operation pattern, the second operation pattern, or the third operation pattern.

[0173] The display control unit 307 causes the display unit 45 to display information indicating an approximate angular velocity of the operating elements. Specifically, the display control unit 307 causes the display unit 45 to display an object moving at the speed calculated from the indicated angular velocity of the boom 4 calculated by the indicated angular velocity calculation unit 302, the speed calculated from the indicated angular velocity of the arm 5, and the speed calculated from the indicated angular velocity of the upper slewing body 3. In this embodiment, this allows the operator to grasp an approximate angular velocity.

[0174] Furthermore, the display control unit 307 displays information indicating the stopping position of the upper rotating body 3 based on the rotation angle estimation unit 305. The display control unit 307 may, for example, display on the display unit 45 any of the following: information indicating the stopping position based on the first rotation angle, information indicating the stopping position based on the second rotation angle, information indicating the stopping position based on the third rotation angle, or all of them.

[0175] In this embodiment, the display control unit 307 is provided by the controller 30 of the shovel 100, but this is not limited to this. For example, the display unit 45 may have a CPU, and the display unit 45 may implement the functions of the display control unit 307.

[0176] <Regarding the display of angular velocity guidelines on excavator indicators> Next, referring to Figure 6, we will explain the process of displaying information indicating the approximate angular velocity of the operating element on the display unit 45. Figure 6 is the first flowchart explaining the process of the shovel controller.

[0177] The controller 30 of the shovel 100 acquires attitude information included in the operating information using the attitude information acquisition unit 301 (step S601). More specifically, the attitude information acquisition unit 301 acquires the boom angular velocity, arm angular velocity, and slewing angular velocity.

[0178] Next, the controller 30 calculates the target angular velocity for each operating element using the target angular velocity calculation unit 302 (step S602). More specifically, the target angular velocity calculation unit 302 calculates the target angular velocity of the boom 4, the target angular velocity of the arm 5, and the target angular velocity of the upper slewing body 3 from the difference between the boom angular velocity, arm angular velocity, and slewing angular velocity acquired in step S601 and the target values ​​set for each.

[0179] Next, the controller 30 uses the operation determination unit 306 to determine whether or not an operation has been performed on the operating element corresponding to the display unit 45 (step S603). Specifically, the operation determination unit 306 determines whether or not an operation has been performed on the boom 4, the arm 5, or the upper slewing body 3.

[0180] If it is determined in step S603 that no operation has been performed on the operating element corresponding to the display 45, the controller 30 waits until an operation is performed on the operating element corresponding to the display 45.

[0181] In step S603, if it is determined that an operation has been performed on the operating element corresponding to the display unit 45, the operation determination unit 306 identifies the operating element on which the operation was performed (step S604).

[0182] Next, the controller 30, using the display control unit 307, displays the indicated angular velocity of the operating element calculated in step S602 on the display unit 45 corresponding to the operating element that was operated (step S605).

[0183] Specifically, the display control unit 307, for example, if the operating element being operated is the boom 4, will display information indicating an approximate angular velocity of the boom 4 on the display unit 45 corresponding to the boom 4. Furthermore, if the operating elements being operated are both the boom 4 and the upper slewing body 3, the display control unit 307 will display information indicating an approximate angular velocity of the boom 4 on the display unit 45 corresponding to the boom 4, and display information indicating an approximate slewing angular velocity of the upper slewing body 3 on the display unit 45 corresponding to the upper slewing body 3.

[0184] Next, the controller 30 determines whether or not the operation on the operating element has been completed using the operation determination unit 306 (step S606).

[0185] If it is determined in step S606 that the operation is not yet complete, the controller 30 returns to step S601.

[0186] In step S606, if it is determined that the operation has been completed, the controller 30, via the display control unit 307, hides the display of information indicating the approximate angular velocity on the display unit 45 corresponding to the operating element (step S607).

[0187] In this embodiment, the controller 30 may continuously execute the process shown in Figure 6 while the shovel 100 is turned on.

[0188] Next, the display unit 45 will be described with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is the first diagram showing an example of a display unit.

[0189] As shown in Figure 7, the cabin 10 has a driver's seat 10a in the center, with a left control lever 26L and a right control lever 26R positioned on either side of it. The operator sits in the driver's seat 10a and moves the bucket 6 to the desired position by operating the left control lever 26L with their left hand and the right control lever 26R with their right hand. A display device D1 and an input device 44 are located to the right front of the driver's seat 10a (below the right of the front window).

[0190] In this embodiment, a display unit 45 is attached to the front side of the arm 5. The display unit 45 includes a display unit 45a for displaying information indicating an approximate angular velocity of the boom 4, a display unit 45b for displaying an approximate angular velocity of the arm 5, and a display unit 45c for displaying an approximate rotational angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3. The display units 45a, 45b, and 45c may each be formed independently and individually attached to the arm 5, or the display units 45a, 45b, and 45c may be formed integrally.

[0191] The indicators 45a, 45b, and 45c are installed in a position that is within the field of view of the operator seated in the driver's seat 10a. In other words, each of the indicators 45a, 45b, and 45c has a surface that is within the operator's field of view.

[0192] In the following description, the displays 45a, 45b, and 45c are assumed to have displays mounted on the surface within the operator's field of view. Furthermore, in the following description, as information indicating an approximate angular velocity of the operating element, an image of an object moving at a speed calculated from the indicated angular velocity of the operating element is displayed on the display of the display 45. In this embodiment, the images displayed on each of the displays 45a, 45b, and 45c are examples of information indicating an approximate angular velocity of the operating element.

[0193] Furthermore, the cabin 10 of the shovel 100 is positioned to the right of the centerline of the attachment. As a result, the bucket 6 (end attachment) moves diagonally within the operator's field of view. Therefore, the indicator 45b, which is the operating arm 5 to which the bucket 6 is attached, is mounted diagonally.

[0194] In this embodiment, the display control unit 307 determines the speed and direction corresponding to the indicated angular velocity of the boom 4 when the operation determination unit 306 determines that the operator's operation is an operation on the boom 4. The display control unit 307 then displays an image on the display unit 45a showing the display object moving in the determined direction and at the determined speed.

[0195] Specifically, the display control unit 307 generates an image in which each of the multiple display objects 45a1 displayed at predetermined intervals moves in the direction indicated by the indicated angular velocity (upward or downward) at a speed based on the indicated angular velocity, which is the result of comparing the angular velocity of the boom 4 with the target angular velocity, and displays this image on the display unit 45a.

[0196] Furthermore, when the display control unit 307 determines that the operation on the boom 4 has been completed, it hides the image displayed on the display unit 45a.

[0197] Furthermore, if the operation determination unit 306 determines that the operator's operation is directed at the arm 5, the display control unit 307 determines the indicated angular velocity of the arm 5 and the corresponding velocity and direction. The display control unit 307 then displays an image on the display unit 45b showing the display object moving in the determined direction and at the determined velocity.

[0198] Specifically, the display control unit 307 generates an image in which each of the multiple display objects 45b1 displayed at predetermined intervals moves in the direction indicated by the indicated angular velocity (upper left or lower right) at a speed based on the indicated angular velocity, which is the result of comparing the angular velocity of the arm 5 with the target angular velocity, and displays this image on the display unit 45b.

[0199] Furthermore, when the display control unit 307 determines that the operation on the arm 5 has been completed, it hides the image display on the display unit 45b.

[0200] Furthermore, if the operation determination unit 306 determines that the operator's operation is directed at the upper rotating body 3, the display control unit 307 determines the speed and direction corresponding to the indicated angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3. The display control unit 307 then displays an image on the display unit 45c showing the display object moving in the determined direction and at the determined speed.

[0201] Specifically, the display control unit 307 generates an image in which multiple display objects 45c1, displayed at predetermined intervals, move in the direction indicated by the indicated angular velocity (left or right) at a speed based on the indicated angular velocity, which is the result of comparing the rotational angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3 with the target angular velocity, and displays this image on the display unit 45c.

[0202] Furthermore, when the display control unit 307 determines that the operation on the upper rotating body 3 has been completed, it hides the image displayed on the display unit 45c.

[0203] In this embodiment, operating elements that are not the target of operation are not displayed on the display unit 45. Therefore, in this embodiment, only the necessary information can be transmitted to the operator, and excessive information can be prevented from being presented to the operator. In addition, in this embodiment, by mounting the display unit 45 on the inside of the arm 5, the display unit 45 can always be within the operator's line of sight.

[0204] In the example shown in Figure 7, images are displayed on all three displays 45a, 45b, and 45c, indicating that the operator is performing operations on the boom 4 and arm 5 while rotating the machine.

[0205] In this embodiment, the angular velocity of the operating element being manipulated is adjusted to a target angular velocity, an indicated angular velocity is calculated, the indicated angular velocity is converted to the velocity of the displayed object, and an image of the displayed object moving at the converted velocity is displayed on the display 45.

[0206] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the operator can be made to recognize the direction and magnitude of the inclination of the operating device 26 for setting the angular velocity of the operating element being operated to a target value.

[0207] In the example shown in Figure 7, the display unit 45 is described as a display, but it is not limited to this. The display unit 45 may, for example, be configured with multiple light sources. In that case, the display control unit 307 can sequentially turn on and off the multiple light sources so that the light moves at a speed calculated from the indicated angular velocity. In other words, the display unit 45 may be multiple light sources arranged in a straight line. Furthermore, the display object may be such that the lit light sources move in the direction obtained from the comparison result between the angular velocity of the operating element and the target angular velocity, at a speed obtained from the comparison result.

[0208] The processing of the display control unit 307 will be further explained below with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 is the first diagram illustrating the processing of the display control unit.

[0209] Figure 8 illustrates the process for displaying an approximate rotational angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3. In the example in Figure 8, arrow Y11 indicates the current rotational angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3, arrow Y12 indicates the target angular velocity, and arrow Y13 indicates the indicated angular velocity. Arrow Y14 also indicates the direction of movement of the display object 45c1 calculated from the indicated angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3, and the direction of movement of the display object 45c1 based on the indicated angular velocity.

[0210] The angular velocity indicated by arrow Y13 is the angular velocity around the rotation axis of the aircraft. Therefore, the display control unit 307 in this embodiment replaces the indicated angular velocity with the angular velocity around the seated position of the operator OP. The display control unit 307 then generates an image in which multiple display objects 45c1, displayed at predetermined intervals, move in the direction indicated by the indicated angular velocity at a speed calculated from the replaced angular velocity, and displays this image on the display unit 45c.

[0211] The display unit 45c may be installed, for example, around the cabin 10. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, the display unit 45c may be positioned around the operator OP in a window, including the front window of the cabin 10.

[0212] Furthermore, the shovel 100 of this embodiment may have a projection device that projects a display object 45c1 instead of the indicator 45c. In that case, the shovel 100 may project the display object 45c1, which moves at a speed calculated from the indicated angular velocity, onto the wall HM or the like in front of the shovel 100 at the work site where the shovel 100 is located, using the projection device.

[0213] In this embodiment, the indicated angular velocity around the rotation axis of the aircraft is replaced with the angular velocity around the seating position of the operator OP, and the display object 45c1 on the display unit 45c is moved at the speed calculated from this angular velocity.

[0214] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the operator OP can easily determine which side and to what extent the operating device 26 should be tilted.

[0215] In this embodiment, the seating position of the operator OP may be the center of the driver's seat 10a.

[0216] Figure 9 is a second diagram illustrating the processing of the display control unit. Figure 9 describes the process of displaying an estimate of the angular velocity of boom 4. In the example in Figure 9, arrow Y21 indicates the current angular velocity of boom 4, arrow Y22 indicates the target angular velocity of boom 4, and arrow Y23 indicates the indicated angular velocity of boom 4. Arrow Y24 indicates the movement speed of the display object 45b1 calculated from the indicated angular velocity of boom 4, and the movement direction of the display object 45a1 based on the indicated angular velocity.

[0217] In this embodiment, the display control unit 307 determines an indicated angular velocity corresponding to the ratio of the distance from the operator OP to the tip of the bucket 6 and the distance from the operator OP to the display unit 45a. The display control unit 307 then generates an image in which multiple display objects 45a1, displayed at predetermined intervals, move in the direction indicated by this indicated angular velocity at a speed calculated from this indicated angular velocity, and displays this image on the display unit 45b.

[0218] The distance from the operator OP to the display unit 45a may be measured in advance. Furthermore, the distance from the operator OP to the display unit 45a may be, for example, the distance from the driver's seat 10a to the display unit 45a.

[0219] The display unit 45A may be placed on the front window of the cabin 10, for example, as shown in Figure 9.

[0220] Furthermore, the display control unit 307 displays an image on the display unit 45b in the same manner as on the display unit 45a, showing the display object 45b1 moving at a speed calculated from the indicated angular velocity of the arm 5.

[0221] In this embodiment, this allows the operator to easily understand in which direction and by how much to tilt the operating device 26 when operating the boom 4 or arm 5.

[0222] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the target angular velocity is set as the maximum value of the angular velocity of the operating element, and the indicated angular velocity, which is the difference between the current angular velocity and the target angular velocity, is presented to the operator as a guideline for operation. In this case, compared to the case where the angular velocity of the operating element is limited so as not to exceed the maximum value, it is possible to support operation without impairing the degree of freedom of operation.

[0223] Although Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the operation of the operating elements of the shovel 100, this embodiment can also be applied to the operation of the operating elements of other work machines. Specifically, for example, this embodiment can be applied to operations that raise and lower suspended loads.

[0224] The following describes how this embodiment can be applied to other work machines, with reference to Figure 10.

[0225] Figure 10 illustrates the application of this embodiment to other work machines. Figure 10 shows a case where operator OP of crane 100A operates boom 4A to lift load 6A suspended from hook 6F. In addition, crane 100A has a display unit 45d mounted on the outside of the front window of the operator's cab.

[0226] In this case, the controller of crane 100A obtains the speed at which the suspended load 6A rises from the operating information of crane 100A, calculates the difference between this speed and a preset target speed, and sets this as the instructed speed.

[0227] In the example in Figure 10, arrow Y31 indicates the current speed of the suspended load 6A, arrow Y32 indicates the target speed of the suspended load 6A, and arrow Y33 indicates the indicated speed of the suspended load 6A. Arrow Y34 indicates the movement speed of the display object, calculated from the indicated angular velocity of the suspended load 6A, and the movement direction of the display object based on the finger angular velocity.

[0228] The controller of crane 100A determines the instruction speed and direction according to the ratio of the distance from operator OP to the suspended load 6A and the distance from operator OP to the display unit 45d. It then generates an image on the display unit 45d in which multiple display objects, displayed at predetermined intervals, move in the direction determined by the instruction speed.

[0229] In this embodiment, when the object to be operated (suspended load 6A) is moved vertically with respect to the ground, the indicated speed is calculated from the current speed of the object to be operated and the target speed, and the display is moved according to the indicated speed. In this way, the operator can understand in which direction and by how much the operating device 26 should be tilted in order to raise or lower the object to be operated at the target speed.

[0230] Next, with reference to Figure 11, another example of the display unit 45 will be described. Figure 11 is a second diagram showing an example of a display unit.

[0231] In the example shown in Figure 11, the display unit 45 is mounted on the front windshield of the cabin 10. The display unit 45 may be located on the outside of the front windshield or on the inside (inside the cabin 10).

[0232] In this way, by mounting the display unit 45 on the front windshield, the contents of the display unit 45 can always be seen by the operator.

[0233] <Regarding the display of the stopping position during rotation on the excavator's indicator.> Next, referring to Figure 12, we will explain the process of displaying information indicating the stopping position of the upper rotating body 3, assuming that a rotation stop operation has been performed. Figure 12 is a second flowchart explaining the process of the excavator controller.

[0234] The controller 30 of the shovel 100 acquires attitude information using the attitude information acquisition unit 301 (step S1201). Subsequently, the controller 30 measures the weight of the load placed in the bucket 6 using the load detection unit 303 (step S1202).

[0235] Next, the controller 30 uses the inertia moment calculation unit 304 to calculate the current moment of inertia of the pivot axis using the weight of the load in the bucket 6, the center of gravity, attitude information, the weight of the bucket 6, etc. (step S1203).

[0236] Next, the controller 30 obtains the current rotational angular velocity using the rotational angle estimation unit 305 (step S1204). The rotational angular velocity obtained here may be calculated according to the time change of the rotational angle obtained in step S1201, or it may be obtained as the output value of the rotational state sensor S5.

[0237] Next, the rotation angle estimation unit 305 estimates the rotation angle until the rotation of the upper rotating body 3 stops, based on the moment of inertia calculated in step S1203, the rotation angular velocity obtained in step S1204, and the operation pattern of how the left operation lever 26L is returned (step S1205).

[0238] In this case, the rotation angle estimation unit 305 may estimate the first rotation angle if the set operation pattern is the first operation pattern, estimate the second rotation angle if the set operation pattern is the second operation pattern, and estimate the third rotation angle if the set operation pattern is the third operation pattern.

[0239] Next, the controller 30, via the display control unit 307, displays information on the display unit 45 indicating the stopping position of the upper rotating body 3 based on the rotation angle estimated in step S1204 (step S1206).

[0240] The controller 30 in this embodiment may repeatedly execute the process shown in Figure 12 while the shovel 100 is ignited.

[0241] By doing so, the display unit 45 will always show information indicating the stopping position of the slewing mechanism, allowing the operator to always know the stopping position of the upper slewing body 3 when a slewing stop operation is assumed to have been performed.

[0242] In the above description, the process shown in Figure 12 is assumed to be executed at all times, but this is not the case. In this embodiment, the controller 30 may execute the process shown in Figure 12 when the operation determination unit 306 determines that a rotation stop operation has been performed by the operator. In that case, the operation determination unit 306 may determine which of the first to third operation patterns corresponds to the rotation stop operation pattern, and in steps S1204 and S1205, the rotation angular velocity and rotation angle corresponding to the rotation stop operation pattern should be estimated.

[0243] In this embodiment, by doing so, the operator can indicate the stopping position of the upper rotating body 3 when a dam breaks after performing a rotation stop operation.

[0244] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the method of displaying information indicating the stopping position of the turn may be configured. Specifically, the operator may configure the display 45 to always display information indicating the stopping position of the turn, or to display it only when a turn stop operation is performed.

[0245] Furthermore, although the above description assumes that the weight of the load placed in bucket 6 is measured in step S1202 of Figure 12, the system is not limited to this. The controller 30 does not need to perform the process in step S1202 of Figure 12 if there is no load placed in bucket 6. Also, if display accuracy is not required, the weight of the load may be set to a representative fixed value without performing the process in step S1202 of Figure 12. In addition, in this embodiment, the moment of inertia may be identified by methods such as system identification.

[0246] The following describes an example of displaying information indicating the stopping position during a turn, with reference to Figure 13. Figure 13 is the third diagram showing an example of a display unit.

[0247] In the example shown in Figure 13, a display unit 45f is mounted on the front window of the cabin 10. The display unit 45f is a display unit that has a horizontal length in the operator's field of view. The display unit 45f may be a display that shows images, or it may be a configuration in which multiple light sources are arranged in a straight line. If the display unit 45f is a display, the display objects 45f1 and 45f2, described later, are displayed as images. If the display unit 45f is a configuration in which multiple light sources are arranged in a straight line, the display objects 45f1 and 45f2 are the light from the light sources that are positioned at the positions corresponding to the display objects 45f1 and 45f2, respectively. In this embodiment, by providing such a display unit 45f on the front window (forward) of the cabin 10, the display unit 45f can always be kept in the operator's field of view.

[0248] In the example shown in Figure 13, an indicator 45f1 showing the stopping position of the slewing and an indicator 45f2 showing the reference direction of the upper slewing body 3 are displayed. The reference direction of the upper slewing body 3 may be the direction in which the upper slewing body 3 is facing when the operator performs the slewing stop operation.

[0249] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 13, the display object 45f1 is displayed to the left of the display object 45f2. In this case, the display unit 45f indicates that if the operator performs a rotation stop operation, the upper rotating body 3 will rotate counterclockwise until the display object 45f1 moves to a position where it overlaps with the display object 45f2, and the rotation will stop when the display object 45f1 moves to the position of the display object 45f2.

[0250] In other words, the distance from display object 45f1 to display object 45f2 on the display unit 45f corresponds to the rotation angle from the time it is assumed that the operator has performed a rotation stop operation until the rotation of the upper rotating body 3 stops. Display object 45f1 on the display unit 45f is an example of information indicating the rotation stop position. Display object 45f2 on the display unit 45f is an example of information indicating the orientation of the upper rotating body 3 when it is assumed that the rotation stop operation has been performed.

[0251] In this embodiment, by displaying information indicating the stopping position of the slewing, the operator can easily understand how far the upper slewing body 3 will slewing after the slewing stop operation is performed. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even operators who are not accustomed to predicting the operating behavior that changes depending on the posture and load of the shovel 100 can stop the slewing of the upper slewing body 3 at their intended position, thereby improving safety and productivity in the work. Furthermore, in this embodiment, by displaying both information indicating the stopping position of the slewing and information indicating the current orientation of the upper slewing body 3, the operator can visually understand the slewing angle from the current slewing angle of the upper slewing body 3 until the slewing of the upper slewing body 3 stops, assuming that the slewing stop operation is performed at this moment.

[0252] In the example shown in Figure 13, there is one indicator showing the stopping position of the turn, but this is not limited to this. For example, the display unit 45f may display an indicator showing the stopping position of the turn estimated based on the first operation pattern, an indicator showing the stopping position of the turn estimated based on the second operation pattern, and an indicator showing the stopping position of the turn estimated based on the third operation pattern, together with the indicator 45f2.

[0253] In this case, the indicators showing each stopping position may be displayed in a manner that differs from one another. This allows the operator to understand the stopping position for each operation pattern of the swing stop operation, and the operator can use this as a reference when performing the swing stop operation.

[0254] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 13, an indicator 45f2 showing the reference direction of the upper rotating body 3 is displayed, but this is not limited to this. The indicator 45f2 showing the reference direction of the upper rotating body 3 does not have to be displayed.

[0255] Furthermore, the indicator 45f shown in Figure 13 may be the same indicator as the indicator 45c in Figures 7 and 11. Also, although indicators corresponding to indicators 45a and 45b are not provided in Figure 13, indicator 45f may be provided together with indicators 45a and 45b as a substitute for indicator 45c. In addition, indicator 45f may be provided as a separate indicator from indicator 45, together with indicator 45 which includes indicators 45a, 45b and 45c. Furthermore, indicator 45c included in indicator 45 may also serve as indicator 45f. In other words, in this embodiment, the indicator showing the approximate rotational velocity of the upper rotating body 3 and the indicator showing the rotational stopping position may be displayed using the same indicator. In that case, for example, the color of the indicator showing the approximate rotational velocity and the indicator showing the rotational stopping position may be different.

[0256] In this embodiment, by attaching the display unit 45f to the shovel 100 in this manner, the display unit 45f can always be kept within the operator's line of sight.

[0257] <Configuration of the remote control system for the excavator> Next, we will explain the case where the functions of the controller 30 of the excavator 100 described above are provided in the remote controller 30R of the remote control room RC, and the excavator 100 is operated remotely.

[0258] Figure 14 shows an example of a system configuration for a remote control system for an excavator.

[0259] The remote control system SYS for the excavator in this embodiment includes the excavator 100 and the remote control room RC. In the following description, the remote control system SYS for the excavator will be simply referred to as the remote control system SYS.

[0260] In the remote control system SYS of this embodiment, the shovel 100 and the remote control room RC are connected via a network or the like. In the remote control system SYS of this embodiment, the shovel 100 receives remote control from the remote control room RC. The remote control system SYS may also include a management device and a support device, which are not shown. The management device is a management device for managing the shovel 100 and may mediate communication between the shovel 100 and the remote control room RC. The support device may be a portable terminal device carried by a worker or the like who assists in the operation of the shovel 100 at the work site where the shovel 100 is located.

[0261] The following describes the remote control room RC for remotely operating the shovel 100. The remote control room RC is equipped with a remote controller 30R, a sound output device A2, an indoor imaging device C2, a display device D2, an operating device 56, an operating amount sensor 59, and a communication device T2, etc. The remote control room RC also has a driver's seat DS where the operator OP who remotely operates the shovel 100 sits.

[0262] The remote controller 30R is a computing device that performs various calculations. In this embodiment, the remote controller 30R, like the controller 30, is composed of a microcomputer including a CPU and memory. The various functions of the remote controller 30R are realized by the CPU executing a program stored in memory.

[0263] The sound output device A2 is configured to output sound. In this embodiment, the sound output device A2 is a speaker and is configured to reproduce the sound collected by the sound collection device attached to the shovel 100.

[0264] The indoor imaging device C2 is configured to image the inside of the remote control room RC. In this embodiment, the indoor imaging device C2 is a camera installed inside the remote control room RC and is configured to image the operator OP seated in the driver's seat DS.

[0265] Communication device T2 is configured to control wireless communication with communication device T1, which is attached to the shovel 100. In this embodiment, communication device T1 and communication device T2 are configured to send and receive information via a fifth-generation mobile communication line (5G line), LTE line, or satellite line, etc.

[0266] Operator OP, seated in the driver's seat DS of the remote control room RC, performs operations on the control device 56. The operation amount sensor 59 detects the operation received by the control device 56, and the remote controller 30R generates a control signal corresponding to the operation. The communication device T2 then transmits the generated control signal to the shovel 100. By transmitting the control signal to the shovel 100, the remote controller 30R enables remote control of the shovel 100.

[0267] The operating device 56 includes a left operating lever 56L and a right operating lever 56R. The left operating lever 56L is linked to the left operating lever 26L of the shovel 100, and the right operating lever 56R is linked to the right operating lever 26R of the shovel 100.

[0268] Furthermore, the remote control room (RC) can communicate with each of the multiple excavators 100, and can remotely control multiple excavators 100 alternately.

[0269] Furthermore, in the remote control room RC of this embodiment, the remote controller 30R displays on the display device D2 display image data corresponding to the display unit 45, along with remote control image data including camera image data captured by the imaging device S6 of the shovel 100. In other words, the remote controller 30R of this embodiment displays on the display device D2 an image in which the remote control image and the display image are superimposed.

[0270] Furthermore, when the operator OP operates a moving element, the remote controller 30R displays information indicating the approximate angular velocity of the operated moving element as part of the display image.

[0271] In this embodiment, by doing so, the operator OP can intuitively grasp the difference between the preset target angular velocity and the angular velocity of the current operating element.

[0272] Further, the remote controller 30R estimates the turning stop position when it is assumed that the turning stop operation of the upper swing body 3 is performed. At this time, the remote controller 30R estimates the turning stop position in consideration of the delay time caused by the communication between the excavator 100 and the remote operation cab RC.

[0273] Then, the remote controller 30R causes information indicating the estimated turning stop position to be displayed as part of the display image.

[0274] In this embodiment, by doing so, even when the operator OP is not accustomed to predicting the behavior of the operation due to the delay time occurring in the remote operation, the operator OP can stop the turning of the upper swing body 3 at the position intended by himself / herself, and the safety and productivity in the work can be improved.

[0275] Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 15, the functions of the remote controller 30R will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the functions of the remote controller.

[0276] The remote controller 30R of this embodiment includes an attitude information acquisition unit 301, an instructed angular velocity calculation unit 302, a load detection unit 303, a moment of inertia calculation unit 304, a turning angle estimation unit 305, an operation determination unit 306, a display control unit 307A, a communication control unit 308, and a delay acquisition unit 309.

[0277] Among these units, the functions of the attitude information acquisition unit 301, the instructed angular velocity calculation unit 302, the load detection unit 303, the moment of inertia calculation unit 304, the turning angle estimation unit 305, and the operation determination unit 306 are the same as the functions of the units described in FIG. 5, so the description is omitted. Note that the excavator 100 included in the remote operation system SYS of this embodiment does not necessarily have the functions of these units.

[0278] The display control unit 307A controls the display on the display device D2 in the remote operation room RC. Specifically, the display control unit 307A uses the camera image data captured by the imaging device S6 of the excavator 100 to display a screen for remote operation on the display device D2.

[0279] In addition, the display control unit 307A causes a display image to be displayed on the screen for remote operation. Further, the display control unit 307A displays information indicating a standard of the angular velocity of the operating element in the display image. Further, the display control unit 307A displays information indicating the stop position of the swing of the upper swing body 3 in the display image.

[0280] The communication control unit 308 controls communication with the excavator l00. Specifically, the communication control unit 308 receives operation information from the excavator 100. The operation information includes information necessary for executing the processes described later.

[0281] The delay acquisition unit 309 acquires information indicating the communication delay time caused by communication. For example, the delay acquisition unit 309 may perform communication between the excavator 100 and the remote operation room RC before performing remote operation and measure the communication delay time. The communication delay time may also be set in advance.

[0282] In addition, the delay acquisition unit 309 may acquire information indicating a response delay time that is a delay in response by the operator. The response delay time indicates the time from when the operator visually recognizes an image until starting an operation. The response delay time may be acquired in advance based on the past operation history and held by the delay acquisition unit 309. Further, the response delay time may be acquired and held for each operator.

[0283] <Regarding the display of the standard of the angular velocity on the display device in the remote operation room> Next, referring to FIG. 16, a process of displaying information indicating a standard of the angular velocity of the operating element on the display device D2 in the remote operation room RC will be described. FIG. 16 is a first flowchart for explaining the process of the remote controller.

[0284] In this embodiment, the remote controller 30R causes the display control unit 307A to display a remote operation screen including a display image on the display device D2 (step S1601).

[0285] Specifically, the display control unit 307A combines the camera image data included in the operating information received from the shovel 100 by the communication control unit 308 with the display image data showing the display unit image, and displays a remote control screen on the display device D2 that includes an image in which the display image is superimposed on the camera image. Note that the display image data may be stored in advance in the remote controller 30R.

[0286] Next, the remote controller 30R acquires attitude information included in the operation information using the attitude information acquisition unit 301 (step S1602). The processes from step S1602 to step S1605 in Figure 16 are the same as the processes from step S601 to step S604 in Figure 6, so the explanation is omitted.

[0287] In step S1605, once the operating element that was operated on is identified, the display control unit 307A sets the display image corresponding to the operated operating element to a display image that includes an image of a moving object moving at a speed calculated from the indicated angular velocity of the operated operating element (step S1606).

[0288] Next, the remote controller 30R uses the operation determination unit 306 to determine whether or not the operation on the operating element has been completed (step S1607). If it is determined in step S1607 that the operation has not been completed, the remote controller 30R returns to step S1602.

[0289] In step S1607, if it is determined that the operation has finished, the remote controller 30R, using the display control unit 307A, changes the display image corresponding to the operating element to a display image that does not include the moving display object (step S1608). This prevents excessive information from being presented to the operator.

[0290] The following describes an example of the display on the display device D2, with reference to Figure 17. Figure 17 is the first diagram showing an example of the display on the display device in the remote control room.

[0291] Display device D2 is a multi-display consisting of nine monitors arranged in three vertical rows and three horizontal columns, as shown in Figure 17, for example. Specifically, display device D2 includes the center monitor D2a, the upper monitor D2b, the lower monitor D2c, the left monitor D2d, the right monitor D2e, the upper left monitor D2f, the upper right monitor D2g, the lower left monitor D2h, and the lower right monitor D2i.

[0292] The display device D2 displays a camera image, which is, for example, an image from the front camera S6F transmitted via the communication device T1 of the shovel 100 and received by the communication device T2 of the remote control room RC.

[0293] The display device D2 may display at least one camera image selected by the operator OP from, for example, the forward image from the front camera S6F, the left image from the left camera S6L, the right image from the right camera S6R, or the rear image from the rear camera S6B.

[0294] In other words, the display device D2 may simultaneously display two or more images from, for example, the front image, left image, right image, and rear image, or it may display all images simultaneously. Furthermore, when the display device D2 displays multiple images simultaneously, it displays the multiple images in a manner that does not obstruct the forward view. Specifically, the display device D2 may, for example, constantly display the front image of the front camera S6F on the central monitor D2a and the upper monitor D2b.

[0295] In the example shown in Figure 17, the display device D2 displays a forward image captured by the front camera S6F. The forward image includes, for example, an image G1 of the attachment of the shovel 100. Alternatively, the display device D2 may display the forward image in the center and, at the operator OP's discretion, display left, right, and rear images in the periphery.

[0296] Also, in the example shown in FIG. 17, the display device D2 displays, for example, a surrounding image G3, which is an image around the excavator 100, superimposed on a camera image taken by the imaging device S6. Further, the display device D2 causes a state display image G4, which displays the state of the excavator 100, such as measurement results of the instruments of the excavator 100, to be displayed, for example, superimposed on the camera image.

[0297] Also, the display device D2 causes a display image 45G to be displayed superimposed on the camera image. The display image 45G includes a display image 45Ga, a display image 45Gb, and a display image 45Gc. That is, the display device D2 displays a remote operation image in which an image in front of the excavator 100 and the display image 45G are superimposed.

[0298] The display image 45Ga is a display image including information indicating a standard of the angular velocity of the boom 4, and includes a display object 45Ga1. The display object 45Ga1 is an image superimposed on the display image 45Ga, and is an image that moves at a speed converted from the indicated angular velocity of the boom 4 in the direction indicated by the indicated angular velocity. The display object 45Ga1 is an example of information indicating a standard of the angular velocity of the boom 4.

[0299] The display image 45Gb is a display image including information indicating a standard of the angular velocity of the arm 5, and includes a display object 45Gb1. The display object 45Gb1 is an image superimposed on the display image 45Gb, and is an image that moves at a speed converted from the indicated angular velocity of the arm 5 in the direction indicated by the indicated angular velocity. The display object 45Gb1 is an example of information indicating a standard of the angular velocity of the arm 5.

[0300] The display image 45Gc is a display image including information indicating a standard of the turning angular velocity of the upper swing body 3, and includes a display object 45Gc1. The display object 45Gc1 is an image superimposed on the display image 45Gc, and is an image that moves at a speed converted from the indicated angular velocity of the upper swing body 3 in the direction indicated by the indicated angular velocity. The display object 45Gc1 is an example of information indicating a standard of the turning angular velocity of the upper swing body 3.

[0301] In this embodiment, by displaying information indicating the approximate angular velocity of each operating element of the shovel 100 on the display device D2 of the remote control room RC, the operator OP operating the shovel 100 in the remote control room RC can intuitively grasp the difference between the approximate angular velocity of the operating element being operated and the current angular velocity of the operating element. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the operator OP can easily visualize in which direction and by how much the operating device 56 should be tilted when operating the operating elements.

[0302] <Regarding the display of the rotation stop position on the display device in the remote control room> Next, referring to Figure 18, we will explain the process of displaying information indicating the stopping position of the upper rotating body 3, assuming that a rotation stop operation has been performed in the remote control room RC. Figure 18 is a second flowchart explaining the process of the remote controller.

[0303] In this embodiment, the remote controller 30R displays a remote operation screen including a display image on the display device D2 using the display control unit 307A (step S1801). Subsequently, the remote controller 30R acquires the communication delay time and the response delay time using the delay acquisition unit 309 (step S1802).

[0304] Next, the remote controller 30R acquires attitude information using the attitude information acquisition unit 301. The process from step S1803 to step S1808 is the same as the process from step S1201 to step S1206 in Figure 12, except that the rotation angle estimation unit 305 in step S1807 estimates the rotation angle including the communication delay time and response delay time, so the explanation is omitted.

[0305] Furthermore, when the rotation angle estimation unit 305 estimates the rotation angle in step S1807, it is sufficient to estimate the rotation angle by delaying it by the sum of the communication delay time and the response delay time from the current time.

[0306] In this embodiment, by displaying information on the display device D2 of the remote control room RC indicating the stopping position of the upper slewing body 3 when a slewing stop operation is assumed to have been performed, the operator OP operating the shovel 100 in the remote control room RC can intuitively grasp the stopping position of the upper slewing body 3.

[0307] Next, with reference to Figure 19, an example of the display on the display device D2 will be described. Figure 19 is a second diagram showing an example of the display on the display device in the remote control room.

[0308] In the example shown in Figure 19, the display control unit 307A displays the display unit image 45Gf on the display device D2 by superimposing it on the camera image. In other words, the display control unit 307A displays a remote control image on the display device D2, which is an image of the front of the shovel 100 with the display unit image 45Gf superimposed on it.

[0309] The display image 45Gf is a display that has a horizontal length in the operator's field of view. In the example in Figure 19, a display object 45Gf1 indicating the rotation stop position and a display object 45f2 indicating the reference direction of the upper rotating body 3 are displayed. The reference direction of the upper rotating body 3 may be the direction the upper rotating body 3 is facing when the operator performs the rotation stop operation.

[0310] Display objects 45Gf1 and 45Gf2 are images superimposed on the display image 45Gf, and are examples of information indicating the stopping position during a turn.

[0311] Here, we will explain the distance from display object 45f1 to display object 45f2 in Figure 19. In Figure 19, it is assumed that the operator has visually identified the dump truck image G5 displayed on the surrounding image G3.

[0312] In this case, the delay acquisition unit 309 acquires the response delay time that is currently associated with the operator performing the operation in the remote control room RC. The delay acquisition unit 309 also acquires the communication delay time required for communication between the remote control room RC and the excavator 100.

[0313] In this embodiment, the communication delay time includes the time required to transmit operation information, etc., from the shovel 100 to the remote control room RC, and the time required to transmit control signals corresponding to the operation content from the remote control room RC to the shovel 100.

[0314] Next, the rotation angle estimation unit 305 assumes that the upper rotating body 3 rotates at the rotation angular velocity at the time the rotation stop operation is initiated (current rotation angular velocity) during the total time of the response delay time and the communication delay time. Therefore, the rotation speed estimated by the rotation angle estimation unit 305 is the rotation angle obtained by adding the rotation angle that the upper rotating body 3 will rotate from the current rotation angle until the rotation stops, to the rotation angle that would result if it rotated at the current rotation angular velocity for the total time of the response delay time and the communication delay time.

[0315] Therefore, in the example shown in Figure 19, the distance from indicator 45f1 to indicator 45f2 is longer compared to, for example, the case where an operator riding on the shovel 100 performs a rotation stop operation under the same conditions.

[0316] In this embodiment, the stopping position of the upper rotating body 3 can be estimated with high accuracy, including the response delay time and the communication delay time. Furthermore, in this embodiment, even with remote operation, the operator can easily understand how far the upper rotating body 3 will rotate after the rotation stop operation is performed.

[0317] In this embodiment, the delay acquisition unit 309 acquires both the response delay time and the communication delay time, but it is not limited to this. The delay acquisition unit 309 may acquire only the communication delay time.

[0318] Furthermore, although the shovel 100 was described as an example of a work machine in this embodiment, the work machine is not limited to the shovel 100. This embodiment may be applied to work machines other than the shovel 100, and can be applied to any work machine that has an attachment or a rotating body.

[0319] Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications, substitutions, etc., can be applied to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, features described separately can be combined as long as no technical inconsistencies arise. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0320] 1. Lower running body 2. Swivel mechanism 3. Upper rotating body 10 cabins 30 controllers 100 Shovel 301 Posture information acquisition unit 302 Indicated angular velocity calculation section 303 Load detection unit 304 Moment of Inertia Calculation Unit 305 Swing Angle Estimation Unit 306 Operation judgment section 307 Display Control Unit 308 Communication Control Unit 309 Delay acquisition unit

Claims

1. A display device that shows an object corresponding to the comparison result between the angular velocity of a moving element driven by an actuator and a target angular velocity.

2. The comparison results above show that This is the angular velocity of the difference between the angular velocity of the operating element subjected to the operation and the target angular velocity of the operating element subjected to the operation. The aforementioned display is The display device according to claim 1, wherein the image is displayed in a manner in which it moves in the direction obtained from the angular velocity of the difference and at the velocity obtained from the angular velocity of the difference.

3. It has multiple light sources arranged in a straight line, The comparison results above show that This is the angular velocity of the difference between the angular velocity of the operating element subjected to the operation and the target angular velocity of the operating element subjected to the operation. The display corresponding to the above comparison results is: The display device according to claim 1, which is a light source that sequentially lights up and turns off in the direction obtained from the angular velocity difference, at a speed obtained from the angular velocity difference.

4. The aforementioned display device is A work machine having multiple operating elements driven by the actuator is provided with a component attached to each of the multiple operating elements. The display device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a display object corresponding to the comparison result is displayed on the display device corresponding to the operating element on which the operation was performed among the plurality of operating elements.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the display device is attached to the work machine or to the operator's cab.

6. The aforementioned display device is A display device that displays remote control images for remotely controlling a work machine having an operating element driven by the actuator, The comparison results above show that This is the angular velocity of the difference between the angular velocity of the operating element subjected to the operation and the target angular velocity of the operating element subjected to the operation. The aforementioned display is The image is displayed in a manner in which it moves in the direction obtained from the angular velocity of the difference, and at the velocity obtained from the angular velocity of the difference. The aforementioned remote control image is The display device according to claim 1, which is an image obtained by superimposing an image of the front of the work machine, captured by an imaging device of the work machine, and the display object.

7. The aforementioned display is An image displayed for each of the multiple operating elements of the aforementioned work machine, The aforementioned display device is The display device according to claim 6, wherein when an operation is performed on the operating element, it displays an object corresponding to the comparison result that corresponds to the operating element on which the operation was performed.

Images