Remote control system for heavy machinery

Abstract

The objective is to provide a remote control device for heavy machinery that can be easily controlled remotely using a joystick or similar device, even by operators with low skill levels. [Solution] A control device for heavy machinery that excavates a vertical hole in the ground by remotely controlling a master unit 10, which is operated by a right lever 24 and a left lever 25, and is equipped with a boom 14, an arm 15 and an excavator 16 connected to each other, via a slave unit 26, wherein the master unit 10 and the slave unit 26 are connected wirelessly or via wire, and the slave unit 26 transmits an excavation command for the vertical hole, the control device comprises a command means for calculating the respective inclination angles of the boom 14, the arm 15 and the excavator 16, a means for calculating the coordinates of each connecting part and the tip of the excavator 16 calculated by the measurement means, and a control means for controlling the coordinates of the tip of the excavator 16 to move along a vertical line using a right lever actuator 32 and a left lever actuator 33 based on the signal from the command means, and the right lever 24 and left lever 25 can be operated based on a single signal from the command means.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote control device for a heavy machine such as an excavator that connects a bucket to the tips of a boom and an arm and remotely controls a specific operation among various operations of the excavator with one hand using one joystick. More specifically, the present invention relates to a remote control device for a heavy machine that enables a specific operation of vertically operating a bucket connected to the tip of a foldable boom and an arm to dig a vertical hole in the ground to be remotely controlled with one hand using one joystick.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, in the case of a JIS pattern as shown in FIG. 6, for an excavator which is a heavy machine, the right lever is operated forward, backward, left, and right with the right hand, the left lever is operated forward, backward, left, and right with the left hand, and the pedals are operated with both feet. With a combination of these multiple operations, the intended work is performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, in the standard operation method, with the right hand, the right lever is tilted forward or backward to move the boom downward or upward, and the right lever is tilted left or right to operate the bucket for digging or dumping. Also, with the left hand, the left lever is tilted forward or backward to operate the arm for dumping or digging, and the left lever is tilted left or right to turn the machine body to the left or right. Furthermore, an operation using the pedals with the feet is performed as needed. With various combinations of operations using the right hand, left hand, and feet, the intended work is performed.

[0003] As described above, an excavator not only operates two levers with both hands to perform operations such as turning of the arm, turning of the machine body, up and down movement of the boom, digging of the bucket, and dumping operation, but also can perform a large number of complex operations by combining a large number of operations such as operating the pedals with both feet. To continuously perform these operations, only highly skilled operators who use both hands and both feet can do so.

[0004] Devices and methods have been proposed that enable the remote operation of such heavy machinery, rather than direct operation on-site (Japanese Patent Publication No. 7205965, First Patent Document, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2023-74351, Second Patent Document). The methods described in these first and second patent documents involve connecting a first actuator for the first control lever and a second actuator for the second control lever to the left and right control levers that are operated manually, thereby enabling remote control of the operation of each of the left and right levers. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7205965. [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-74351. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Conventional devices and methods involve remotely controlling a first and second operating lever, which were previously operated manually, by simply connecting a first actuator to the first operating lever and a second actuator to the second operating lever, thereby enabling remote control of both the first and second actuators. For this reason, operating all the functions of the heavy machinery still required the use of both hands and feet, and there was a problem in that it required a high level of skill to operate it. While a backhoe can perform a wide variety of tasks by manipulating two control levers to rotate the arm, rotate the machine, move the boom up and down, and operate the bucket, it is sometimes necessary to use only a portion of the backhoe's functions to perform specific, relatively simple tasks. When a backhoe is used for certain relatively simple tasks, it is desirable that it can be operated by an inexperienced operator, rather than by a highly skilled operator using both hands.

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a remote control device for heavy machinery that can be easily remotely controlled by even inexperienced operators using a joystick or similar device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The control device for heavy machinery according to the present invention is In a control device for heavy machinery that excavates a vertical hole in the ground by remotely controlling a master unit 10, which is operated by a right lever 24 and a left lever 25, and which is equipped with a boom 14, an arm 15 and an excavator 16 connected to each other, a slave unit 26, The master unit 10 and the slave unit 26 are connected wirelessly or by wire, and a command means is provided to transmit a command for excavating the vertical hole from the slave unit 26. A measuring means for calculating the respective inclination angles of the boom 14, arm 15, and excavator 16, A means for calculating the coordinates of each connecting part and the tip of the excavator 16 calculated by this measurement means, A control means that controls the coordinates of the tip of the excavator 16 to move along a vertical line using the right lever actuator 32 and the left lever actuator 33 based on the signal from the command means. The system is characterized by being equipped with such a mechanism, which allows the right lever 24 and the left lever 25 to be operated based on a single signal from the command means.

[0009] The means for calculating the coordinates of the tip of the excavator 16 is characterized by calculating the coordinates when the tip of the excavator 16 moves between two different points on the vertical line while maintaining the horizontal distance from the connection point of the boom 14 on the master unit 10 to the vertical line.

[0010] The control means is characterized by having a calculation unit that compares the calculated values ​​of inclinometers that detect the respective inclination angles of the boom 14, arm 15, and excavator 16, with the calculated values ​​of the boom 14, arm 15, and excavator 16 measured by the measuring means, and determines that the coordinates of the tip of the excavator 16 coincide with a vertical line when these values ​​match.

[0011] The main unit 10 consists of a backhoe, and the excavator 16 is characterized by having a bucket that performs excavation and dumping work.

[0012] The main unit 10 consists of a backhoe, and the excavator 16 consists of a hole-digging agitator.

[0013] The right lever 24 is characterized by being connected to an actuator 38 for moving the boom up and down and an actuator 39 for excavating and dumping the bucket.

[0014] The left lever 25 is characterized by being connected to an arm excavation / dumping actuator 40 and a left / right rotation actuator 41.

[0015] The main unit 10 is characterized by being equipped with GNSS52.

[0016] The master unit 10 is equipped with a camera 51, and the slave unit 26 is provided with a display unit 28 that displays the image from the camera 51. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the invention described in claim 1, In a control device for heavy machinery that excavates a vertical hole in the ground by remotely controlling a master unit 10, which is operated by a right lever 24 and a left lever 25, and which is equipped with a boom 14, an arm 15 and an excavator 16 connected to each other, a slave unit 26, The master unit 10 and the slave unit 26 are connected wirelessly or by wire, and a command means is provided to transmit a command for excavating the vertical hole from the slave unit 26. A measuring means for calculating the respective inclination angles of the boom 14, arm 15, and excavator 16, means for calculating the coordinates of each connecting part calculated by this measuring means and the tip of the excavator 16, control means for controlling the coordinates of the tip of the excavator 16 to move on a vertical line by the right lever actuator 32 and the left lever actuator 33 based on the signal of the command means, and since the right lever 24 and the left lever 25 can be operated based on a single signal of the command means, a specific operation of operating the excavator connected to the tips of the foldable boom and arm in the vertical direction to dig a vertical hole in the ground can be remotely controlled with one hand using a single slave unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is an explanatory diagram of a heavy machine (master unit) 10 and a joystick (slave unit) 26 showing Example 1 of a control device for a heavy machine according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an explanatory diagram showing the excavation operation from I to VI while maintaining the tip position of the bucket (excavator) 16 by the control device for a heavy machine of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is an explanatory diagram showing the tip position D of the bucket (excavator) 16 calculated by the control device for a heavy machine of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is an explanatory diagram showing that the tip position D of the bucket (excavator) 16 has moved from state 0 to state 1 by the control device for a heavy machine of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view of the driver's cab 11 of the control device for a heavy machine according to the present invention. [Figure 6] It is an explanatory diagram of the standard operation method of the heavy machine (master unit) 10. [Figure 7] It is a block diagram of the control device for a heavy machine according to the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart of the control device for a heavy machine according to the present invention.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] The present invention is, In a control device for heavy machinery that excavates a vertical hole in the ground by remotely controlling a master unit 10, which is operated by a right lever 24 and a left lever 25, and which is equipped with a boom 14, an arm 15 and an excavator 16 connected to each other, a slave unit 26, The master unit 10 and the slave unit 26 are connected wirelessly or by wire, and a command means is provided to transmit a command for excavating the vertical hole from the slave unit 26. A measuring means for calculating the respective inclination angles of the boom 14, arm 15, and excavator 16, A means for calculating the coordinates of each connecting part and the tip of the excavator 16 calculated by this measurement means, A control means that controls the coordinates of the tip of the excavator 16 to move along a vertical line using the right lever actuator 32 and the left lever actuator 33 based on the signal from the command means. The control device for heavy machinery is characterized by being equipped with such a system, and enabling the operation of the right lever 24 and the left lever 25 based on a single signal from the command means.

[0020] The means for calculating the coordinates of the tip of the excavator 16 calculates the coordinates when the tip of the excavator 16 moves between two different points on the vertical line while maintaining the horizontal distance from the connection point of the boom 14 on the master unit 10 to the vertical line.

[0021] The control means includes a calculation unit that compares the calculated values ​​of inclinometers installed on the boom 14, arm 15, and excavator 16, which detect their respective inclination angles, with the calculated values ​​of the boom 14, arm 15, and excavator 16 measured by the measuring means, and determines that the coordinates of the tip of the excavator 16 coincide with a vertical line when these values ​​match.

[0022] The main unit 10 consists of a backhoe, and the excavator 16 consists of a bucket that performs excavation and dumping work.

[0023] The main unit 10 consists of a backhoe, and the excavator 16 consists of a hole-digging agitator.

[0024] The right lever 24 is connected to the boom vertical movement actuator 38 and the bucket digging / dumping actuator 39.

[0025] The left lever 25 is connected to the arm excavation / dumping actuator 40 and the left / right rotation actuator 41.

[0026] The aforementioned master unit 10 is equipped with GNSS52.

[0027] The master unit 10 is equipped with a camera 51, and the slave unit 26 is provided with a display unit 28 that displays the image from the camera 51. [Examples]

[0028] Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In Figure 1, 10 represents a heavy machine (main unit), and in the following example, this heavy machine 10 is a backhoe used for excavation, dumping, leveling, and other tasks. This backhoe 10 is remotely controlled wirelessly or via a wired connection by a sub-unit (joystick) 26. The present invention provides a remote control device for heavy machinery that enables one-handed remote control using a single joystick to perform a specific action: excavating a vertical hole in the ground by moving a bucket connected to the tip of the boom and arm vertically. In the following example, the heavy equipment (master unit) 10 will be described as a backhoe, and the slave unit 26 will be described as a joystick.

[0029] The backhoe 10 is operated by using both hands to operate the right lever 24 and left lever 25 of the driver's seat 11, which is rotatably mounted on the track belt 12 by a slewing device 13. The boom 14 is driven by the boom jack 17, the arm 15 by the arm jack 18, and the bucket 16 by the bucket jack 19, and the operation shown in Figure 6 is performed. As shown in Figures 2I to VI, the present invention allows for the excavation of a vertical hole by performing a vertical excavation operation with one hand using a single joystick 26 while maintaining the tip position of the bucket 16 of the backhoe 10 on a specific vertical line.

[0030] To realize the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, the backhoe 10 is equipped with a control device 44 having a transceiver 46, a GNSS 52, and a camera 51. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the right lever 24 and the left lever 25 are provided with a right lever actuator 32 and a left lever actuator 33 via a right lever connecting rod 42 and a left lever connecting rod 43, respectively. The joystick 26 is connected to the transceiver 45, and operation signals for operating the backhoe 10 are transmitted wirelessly or via wire. These signals are input to the control device 44 provided on the backhoe 10 via the transceiver 46.

[0031] In Figure 1, the joystick 26 is attached to a stick base 27, which is equipped with an emergency stop button 29, a handle 30, and telescopic legs 31. Furthermore, the boom 14, arm 15, and bucket 16 of the backhoe 10 are each provided with a boom inclinometer 20, an arm inclinometer 21, and a bucket inclinometer 22, respectively, which output their respective inclination angles. In addition to the control device 44, the cockpit 11 is equipped with a GNSS 52 and a camera 51.

[0032] The control device 44 that controls the joystick 26 and the backhoe 10 will be explained with reference to Figure 7. The joystick 26, the emergency stop button 29, and the display unit 28 are connected to the transceiver 45. The transceiver 46 on the backhoe 10 side is connected to the control device 44. The control device 44 has an input receiving unit 47 that receives signals from the joystick 26, and a posture calculation unit 48 that calculates the posture by receiving inclination signals from the boom inclinometer 20, the arm inclinometer 21, and the bucket inclinometer 22. The input receiving unit 47 and the posture calculation unit 48 are connected to the control unit 50 via a calculation unit 49.

[0033] The output side of this control unit 50 is connected to the boom up / down actuator 38 and the bucket digging / dumping actuator 39 that constitute the right lever actuator 32, and to the arm digging / dumping actuator 40 and the left / right swivel actuator 41 that constitute the left lever actuator 33. The boom up / down actuator 38 and the bucket digging / dumping actuator 39 operate the right lever 24, and the arm digging / dumping actuator 40 and the left / right swivel actuator 41 operate the left lever 25. The camera 51 is connected to the input receiving unit 47, and its image is displayed on the display unit 28 on the joystick 26.

[0034] Based on the above configuration, the procedure for performing vertical excavation at a target point on the ground will be explained with reference to Figure 8. (a) The joystick 26 is used to command the backhoe 10 to excavate a vertical hole at the target location on the ground. (b) This command is transmitted wirelessly or via wire from the transceiver 45, received by the transceiver 46 on the heavy machine (master unit) 10 side, and sent to the calculation unit 49 via the input receiving unit 47 of the control device 44. Since the target point is the tip D of the joystick 26, the coordinates of this tip D are measured based on Figure 3. To measure the coordinates of tip D, the coordinates of pins A, B, and C, which serve as the pivot points of the movable part of the backhoe 10, and the antenna of the GNSS52 are measured. The survey determines the size of the backhoe 10, the positional relationship between GNSS 52 and pin A at the base of the boom 14, and its current attitude and orientation. More specifically, the coordinates of tip D are calculated based on the following formula.

[0035] In Figure 3, if the horizontal distance from pin A (fixed point) at the base of boom 14 to tip D is d and the vertical distance is h, d=BoLcosθBo+ArLcosθAr+BuLcosθBu h=BoLsinθBo+ArLsinθAr+BuLsinθBu (c) Calculate the target tilt angles of the boom 14, arm 15, and bucket 16 of the backhoe 10. (d) Based on the target inclination angles of the boom 14, arm 15, and bucket 16 of the backhoe 10 calculated by surveying, the control unit 50 issues operation instructions to the boom vertical movement actuator 38, the bucket digging / dumping actuator 39, the arm digging / dumping actuator 40, and the left / right rotation actuator 41. Specifically, the boom vertical movement actuator 38 instructs the right lever 24 to move the boom 14 vertically, and the arm digging / dumping actuator 40 instructs the left lever 25 to dig or dump the arm 15.

[0036] (e) The current inclination angles are calculated using the boom inclinometer 20, the arm inclinometer 21, and the bucket inclinometer 22, and sent to the attitude calculation unit 48 of the control device 44, where the attitude of the backhoe 10 is calculated. (f) The current coordinates of tip D of bucket 16 are calculated. (g) It is determined whether the coordinates of the tip D of the bucket 16 have reached the target point. If NO, the process returns to (d), and the control unit 50 again issues operation instructions to the boom up / down actuator 38, the bucket excavation / dumping actuator 39, the arm excavation / dumping actuator 40, and the left / right rotation actuator 41. In (e), the current inclination angle is calculated using the boom inclinometer 20, the arm inclinometer 21, and the bucket inclinometer 22. In (f), the current coordinates of the tip D of the bucket 16 are calculated, and if the coordinates of the tip D of the bucket 16 have reached the target point, the result is YES. (h) If the answer is YES, the movement is complete.

[0037] Next, in state 0 shown in Figure 4, let d0 be the horizontal distance from pin A to the vertical line passing through tip D of bucket 16, and let h0 be the height from pin A to the horizontal line passing through tip D of bucket 16. Similarly, in state 1, let d1 be the horizontal distance from pin A to the vertical line passing through tip D of bucket 16, and let h1 be the height from pin A to the horizontal line passing through tip D of bucket 16. When moving the tip D of the bucket (excavator) 16 vertically from state 0 to state 1 while maintaining a horizontal distance d1 and the inclination angle of the bucket (excavator) 16 downwards. Distance1 = Distance0 Height1 = Height0 + Δheight θBucket1 = θBucket Therefore, the arm height (HeightArm) and arm horizontal distance (DistanceArm) are Let HeightArm1 = HeightArm0 + Δheight → HA DistanceArm1 = DistanceArm0 → Let's call it DA The line connecting the base of the boom and the tip of the arm is d. The perpendicular line drawn from the boom arm joint to d is h. If we let c be the line connecting the intersection of d and h from the tip of the boom, then from the diagram of state 1... θBoom1=arcsin(h / BoomLength)+arctan(HeightArm1 / DistanceArm1) θArm1=arccos(c / ArmLength)+arctan(HeightArm1 / DistanceArm1) This is the result.

[0038] As shown in Figure 2, the control device for the heavy machinery according to the present invention excavates a vertical hole with the bucket 16 while maintaining the tip position D of the bucket 16 on a vertical line in the order I→II→III→IV→V→VI. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 10...Heavy machinery (main unit / backhoe), 11...Driver's seat, 12...Track belt, 13...Slewing mechanism, 14...Boom, 15...Arm, 16...Bucket (excavator), 17...Boom jack, 18...Arm jack, 19...Bucket jack, 20...Boom inclinometer, 21...Arm inclinometer, 22...Bucket inclinometer, 24...Right lever, 25...Left lever, 26...Joystick (slave unit), 27...Stick base, 28...Display unit, 29...Emergency stop button, 30...Handle, 31...Telescopic legs 32...Right lever actuator, 33...Left lever actuator, 38...Boom up and down actuator, 39...Bucket excavation / dumping actuator, 40...Arm excavation / dumping actuator, 41...Left and right rotation actuator, 42...Right lever connecting rod, 43...Left lever connecting rod, 44...Control device, 45...Transmitter / receiver, 46...Transmitter / receiver, 47...Input receiving unit, 48...Attitude calculation unit, 49...Calculation unit, 50...Control unit, 51...Camera, 52...GNSS.

Claims

1. In a control system for heavy machinery that excavates vertical holes in the ground by remotely controlling a master unit, which is operated by a right lever and a left lever, and which is equipped with a boom, arm and excavator connected to each other, A command means that connects the master unit and the slave unit wirelessly or by wire, and transmits a command to excavate the vertical hole from the slave unit, A measuring means for calculating the respective inclination angles of the boom, arm, and excavator, A means for calculating the coordinates of each connecting part and the tip of the excavator calculated by this measurement means, A control means that controls the coordinates of the tip of the excavator to move along a vertical line using a right lever actuator and a left lever actuator based on the signal from the command means. A control device for heavy machinery, characterized in that it includes a mechanism that allows the right lever and the left lever to be operated based on a single signal from the command means.

2. The control device for heavy machinery according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for calculating the coordinates of the tip of the excavator is configured to calculate the coordinates when the tip of the excavator moves between two different points on the vertical line while maintaining the horizontal distance from the connection point of the boom of the main unit to the vertical line.

3. The control means is a control device for heavy machinery according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a calculation unit that compares the calculated value of an inclinometer installed on the boom, arm, and excavator for detecting the respective inclination angles with the calculated value of the boom, arm, and excavator measured by the measuring means, and determines that the coordinates of the tip of the excavator coincide with a vertical line when these values ​​match.

4. The control device for heavy machinery according to claim 1, characterized in that the master unit consists of a backhoe, and the excavator consists of a bucket for excavation and dumping work.

5. The control device for heavy machinery according to claim 1, characterized in that the master unit consists of a backhoe, and the excavator consists of a hole-excavating agitator.

6. The control device for heavy machinery according to claim 1, characterized in that an actuator for raising and lowering the boom and an actuator for excavating and dumping the bucket are connected to the right lever.

7. The control device for heavy machinery according to claim 1, characterized in that an actuator for arm excavation and dumping and an actuator for left and right rotation are connected to the left lever.

8. The control device for heavy machinery according to claim 1, characterized in that the master unit is equipped with a GNSS.

9. The control device for heavy machinery according to claim 1, characterized in that the master unit is equipped with a camera and the slave unit is provided with a display unit for displaying the image from the camera.

Images