Construction machinery and information processing methods

Abstract

This invention provides construction machinery and information processing methods that can improve the efficiency of earth and sand transportation operations. [Solution] The construction machine 1 for transporting earth and sand comprises a traveling body 10, a slewing body 20 provided above the traveling body 10 and rotating relative to the traveling body 10, and an operating unit 30 having a boom 36 attached to the slewing body 20, an arm 32 pivotally supported at the tip of the boom 36, and a bucket 34 provided at the tip of the arm 32 for excavating earth and sand. The slewing body 20 is provided with a first detection unit 22 for detecting objects in a first field of view, and a second detection unit 24 for detecting objects in a second field of view that is different from the first field of view in the horizontal direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a construction machine and an information processing method. [Background Art]

[0002] As a construction machine for carrying out earth and sand transporting work, one disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 is known. In recent years, backhoes and the like that perform autonomous driving have been used as such construction machines. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2021-188258 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] In conventional construction machines such as backhoes that operate by autonomous driving, a single sensor installed on a revolving superstructure (cabin) that is provided above a traveling body and revolves relative to the traveling body is used to separately sense masses of earth and sand and vehicles such as trucks. Using information on the mass of earth and sand and the vehicle obtained by this sensor, work has been performed in which earth and sand is excavated from the mass of earth and sand by a bucket, the revolving superstructure is rotated, and then the earth and sand is loaded onto the vehicle by the bucket. However, with this method, it takes time for the sensor to check the scheduled excavation position of earth and sand from the mass of earth and sand and to check the scheduled loading position of earth and sand onto the vehicle, which causes a problem that work efficiency decreases.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such points, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a construction machine and an information processing method that can improve the efficiency of earth and sand transporting work. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0006] The construction machine of the present disclosure is a construction machine that performs earth and sand transporting work, The vehicle and A rotating body is provided above the aforementioned traveling body and rotates relative to the aforementioned traveling body, An operating unit having a boom attached to the slewing body, an arm pivotally supported at the tip of the boom, and a bucket provided at the tip of the arm for excavating soil and sand, Equipped with, The rotating body is characterized by being provided with a first detection unit for detecting objects in a first field of view and a second detection unit for detecting objects in a second field of view that is different from the first field of view in the horizontal direction.

[0007] The construction machinery disclosed herein is A direction information acquisition unit that acquires information on the orientation of the turning body relative to the traveling body, A storage unit that stores the orientation of the turning body relative to the traveling body and the relationship between the detection target by the first detection unit and the second detection unit, A control unit that identifies the detection target by at least one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit based on the orientation information of the turning body relative to the traveling body acquired by the orientation information acquisition unit, It may also be equipped with the following features.

[0008] Furthermore, when the control unit detects an object using the first detection unit and performs work on that object using the operating unit, the control unit may also detect an object other than the one detected by the first detection unit using the second detection unit, and then, after rotating the rotating unit relative to the traveling body, perform work on the other object using the operating unit.

[0009] Furthermore, the object to be detected may be either a mass of soil excavated by the bucket, or a vehicle on which soil is loaded by the bucket.

[0010] Furthermore, the control unit may, while the first detection unit detects the mass of soil and the operating unit excavates soil from the mass of soil, detect the vehicle with the second detection unit, and then control the rotating body and the operating unit to rotate the rotating body relative to the traveling body, and then load the soil onto the vehicle with the operating unit.

[0011] Furthermore, the control unit may, while detecting the vehicle with the first detection unit, load soil onto the vehicle with the operating unit, detect the lump of soil with the second detection unit, and then, after rotating the rotating unit relative to the traveling body, control the rotating unit and the operating unit to excavate soil from the lump of soil.

[0012] Furthermore, the memory unit stores situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass and the vehicle, the orientation of the turning body relative to the traveling body, and the relationship between the detection targets of the first detection unit and the second detection unit, When the control unit receives situational information indicating the positional relationship between the pile of soil and the vehicle, it may identify the detection target by at least one of the first and second detection units based on the information on the orientation of the rotating body relative to the vehicle, which is acquired by the orientation information acquisition unit, and the relationship between the orientation of the rotating body relative to the vehicle and the detection targets of the first and second detection units, which corresponds to the input situational information.

[0013] Furthermore, the first detection unit and the second detection unit may be of different types.

[0014] Furthermore, the rotating body may be provided with a third detection unit that detects objects in a third field of view that is different from the first and second fields of view in the horizontal direction.

[0015] Furthermore, the construction machinery disclosed herein is A direction information acquisition unit that acquires information on the orientation of the turning body relative to the traveling body, A storage unit that stores the orientation of the rotating body relative to the traveling body and the relationship between the detection target by the first detection unit, the second detection unit, and the third detection unit, A control unit that identifies the detection target by at least one of the first detection unit, the second detection unit, and the third detection unit based on the orientation information of the rotating body relative to the traveling body acquired by the orientation information acquisition unit, Furthermore, The object to be detected is either a mass of soil being excavated by the bucket, or a vehicle on which soil is loaded by the bucket. The control unit, while detecting the mass of soil with the first detection unit and excavating soil from the mass of soil with the operating unit, detects the vehicle with the second detection unit, and after rotating the rotating unit relative to the traveling body, controls the rotating unit and the operating unit to load soil onto the vehicle. The control unit may, while detecting the vehicle with the first detection unit, load soil onto the vehicle with the operating unit, detect the lump of soil with the third detection unit, and then, after rotating the rotating unit relative to the traveling body, control the rotating unit and the operating unit to excavate soil from the lump of soil.

[0016] The information processing method disclosed herein is an information processing method for a construction machine comprising: a traveling body; a slewing body provided above the traveling body and rotating relative to the traveling body; an operating unit having a boom attached to the slewing body, an arm pivotally supported at the tip of the boom, and a bucket provided at the tip of the arm for excavating soil and sand, wherein the slewing body is provided with a first detection unit for detecting objects in a first field of view and a second detection unit for detecting objects in a second field of view different from the first field of view in the horizontal direction, A step of acquiring information on the orientation of the rotating body relative to the traveling body, identifying the detection target detected by at least one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit from the acquired information on the orientation of the rotating body with respect to the traveling body, based on information of the relationship between the orientation of the rotating body with respect to the traveling body and the respective detection targets of the first detection unit and the second detection unit, which is stored in a storage unit; characterized by comprising the above steps.

[0017] In the information processing method of the present disclosure, when working on an object by the operating unit while detecting the object by the first detection unit, an object different from the object detected by the first detection unit may be detected by the second detection unit, and after rotating the rotating body relative to the traveling body, working on the other object by the operating unit may be performed.

[0018] Further, the detection target may be any one of a mass of earth and sand excavated by the bucket and a vehicle on which earth and sand is loaded by the bucket.

[0019] Further, the storage unit stores the relationship between situation information indicating the positional relationship between a mass of earth and sand and a vehicle, the orientation of the rotating body with respect to the traveling body, and the respective detection targets of the first detection unit and the second detection unit, In the step of identifying the detection target, when situation information indicating the positional relationship between a mass of earth and sand and a vehicle is input, the detection target detected by at least one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit may be identified from the acquired information on the orientation of the rotating body with respect to the traveling body based on the relationship between the orientation of the rotating body with respect to the traveling body and the respective detection targets of the first detection unit and the second detection unit corresponding to the input situation information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the construction machine and the information processing method of the present disclosure, earth and sand transporting work can be made more efficient. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a construction machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a top view showing construction machinery, blocks of soil, and a vehicle on which the soil is loaded. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the fields of view of the first, second, and third detection units installed on the rotating body of the construction machine shown. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the control system for the construction machinery shown. [Figure 5] Figure 1 shows a table containing situational information stored in the construction machine, indicating the relative positions of the soil clumps and the vehicle, the orientation of the rotating body relative to the traveling body, and the relationship between these and the targets detected by the first, second, and third detection units. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is a flowchart showing the sequence of excavation operations performed by the construction machinery shown. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a top view showing the construction machinery, soil chunks, and vehicles when excavation work begins using the construction machinery shown. [Figure 8] Figure 1 is a top view showing the construction machine, the pile of soil, and the vehicle when excavating soil from a pile of soil using the bucket of the construction machine. [Figure 9] Figure 1 is a top view showing the construction machine, the pile of soil, and the vehicle when loading soil from the bucket onto the vehicle using the construction machine shown. [Figure 10] Figure 1 is a top view showing the construction machine, the pile of soil, and the vehicle when the construction machine excavates soil again from the pile of soil using the bucket of the construction machine. [Figure 11] Figure 1 is a top view showing the construction machinery, soil mass, and vehicles after the excavation work by the construction machinery has been completed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 11 are diagrams showing a construction machine 1 according to this embodiment and an information processing method using the construction machine 1.

[0023] First, the configuration of the construction machine 1 will be explained using Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the construction machine 1 according to the embodiment of this disclosure, and Figure 2 is a top view showing the construction machine 1, the pile of earth and sand 70, and the vehicle 80 on which the earth and sand is loaded, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the fields of view of the first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26, which are provided on the rotating body 20 of the construction machine 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, the construction machine 1 comprises a traveling body 10, a slewing body 20 mounted above the traveling body 10 and rotating relative to the traveling body 10, and an operating unit 30 having a boom 36 attached to the slewing body 20, an arm 32 pivotally supported at the tip of the boom 36, and a bucket 34 provided at the tip of the arm 32 for excavating soil and sand. The slewing body 20 is also provided with a first detection unit 22 for detecting objects in a first field of view (indicated by reference numeral P1 in Figure 3), a second detection unit 24 for detecting objects in a second field of view (indicated by reference numeral P2 in Figure 3) that is different from the first field of view in the horizontal direction, and a third detection unit 26 for detecting objects in a third field of view (indicated by reference numeral P3 in Figure 3) that is different from the first and second fields of view in the horizontal direction. Note that the construction machine 1 used is an automated type that is operated from the outside without a worker riding on the construction machine 1. Details of each component will be described below.

[0025] The vehicle 10 is equipped with a structure for moving the construction machine 1 on the ground. The vehicle 10 is fitted with wheels, caterpillar tracks, crawlers, or link chains, enabling stable movement that can adapt to uneven ground and inclines. Furthermore, by mounting devices such as motors, sensors, and controllers, it is possible to perform automatic driving and automatic control.

[0026] The slewing body 20 is mounted above the traveling body 10 and is capable of rotational movement relative to the traveling body 10. The slewing body 20 is equipped with a slewing motor for rotational movement relative to the traveling body 10, and a slewing mechanism (not shown) using a rotating bearing, gear, or ball sling is provided at the connection point with the traveling body 10. With such a slewing mechanism, the rotation angle and slewing speed of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 can be freely controlled.

[0027] The operating unit 30 is provided on the slewing body 20 and is designed to excavate soil and sand. Specifically, the operating unit 30 consists of a boom 36 attached to the slewing body 20, an arm 32 pivotally supported at the tip of the boom 36, and a bucket 34 provided at the tip of the arm 32. The boom 36 is provided so as to be able to swing up and down relative to the slewing body 20. Cylinder links, pinch cylinders, tube cylinders, etc., are used between the boom 36 and the arm 32, and between the arm 32 and the bucket 34, allowing the operating unit 30 to move the bucket 34 freely. The bucket 34 has a thick metal plate and is capable of freely excavating soil and sand.

[0028] The first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26 are each composed of, for example, an image sensor, a camera, a video camera, a stereo camera, or a LiDAR. The first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26 detect the chunks of soil 70 to be excavated by the bucket 34 of the construction machine 1, and the vehicle 80, such as a dump truck, on which the excavated soil is loaded, by imaging the chunks of soil 70 and the vehicle 80 (including the soil 82 already loaded on the vehicle 80). As shown in Figure 3, when the rotating body 20 is facing forward (the X direction in Figure 3) relative to the traveling body 10, the first field of view of the first detection unit 22 extends in front of the construction machine 1, the second field of view of the second detection unit 24 extends to the left of the construction machine 1, and the third field of view of the third detection unit 26 extends to the right of the construction machine 1.

[0029] Furthermore, the first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26 may be of the same type or of different types. For example, the first detection unit 22, which is provided on the front of the rotating body 20, may be one that can take appropriate images even under strong light sources, in other words, one that can acquire appropriate images even under strong light environments such as sunlight, compared to the second detection unit 24 and the third detection unit 26 provided on both sides of the rotating body 20. For example, a TOF (Time-of-flight) camera can be used. In this case, when the operating unit 30 performs work on the soil mass 70 or the vehicle 80, even in the case of strong sunlight, the first detection unit 22 can perform highly accurate detection, while the operating unit 30 can pre-detect the target to be worked on next using the second detection unit 24 or the third detection unit 26. As a result, compared to a case where all detection units 22, 24, and 26 are capable of taking appropriate images even under strong light sources, the construction machine 1 can be made less expensive by making only one detection unit (first detection unit 22) capable of taking appropriate images even under strong light sources. Alternatively, although the first detection unit 22, second detection unit 24, and third detection unit 26 are of the same type, a polarizing filter may be attached to only one of the detection units (for example, the first detection unit 22) to reduce the effects of strong light sources.

[0030] Next, the configuration of the control system for construction machine 1 will be explained using Figure 4. Figure 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the control system for construction machine 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, the construction machine 1 includes a control unit 40 that controls each component of the construction machine 1, a direction information acquisition unit 42 that acquires information on the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10, a storage unit 44, and an input unit 46. The control unit 40 is composed of, for example, a combination of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and controls the operation of each component such as the traveling body 10, the slewing body 20, and the operating unit 30 by transmitting command signals to these components. In addition, the detection results from the first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26 are sent to the control unit 40. The control unit 40 may be provided on the traveling body 10 or the slewing body 20, or it may be provided in a location separate from the main body of the construction machine 1.

[0032] The orientation information acquisition unit 42 is composed of, for example, a rotary encoder, a gyro sensor, a magnetic sensor, an angle sensor, etc., and is capable of acquiring the rotation angle and rotation speed of the rotating body 20 relative to the running body 10. The information acquired by the orientation information acquisition unit 42 is sent to the control unit 40. For example, when a rotary encoder is used as the orientation information acquisition unit 42, the rotary encoder detects the rotational motion of the rotating body 20 relative to the running body 10 and outputs the acquired data as an electrical signal. When this signal is transmitted from the orientation information acquisition unit 42 to the control unit 40, the control unit 40 can determine the current orientation of the rotating body 20 relative to the running body 10 with high accuracy. Furthermore, when the orientation information acquisition unit 42 is combined with GPS or IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), it becomes possible to acquire orientation with even higher accuracy in conjunction with position information.

[0033] The memory unit 44 stores a table showing the relationship between situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80, the orientation of the rotating body 20 relative to the vehicle 10, and the respective detection targets of the first detection unit 22, second detection unit 24, and third detection unit 26. An example of a table stored in the memory unit 44 is shown in Figure 5. Specifically, multiple patterns are set for the combination of situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 and the orientation of the rotating body 20 relative to the vehicle 10, and for each pattern, the respective detection targets of the first detection unit 22, second detection unit 24, and third detection unit 26 are determined. Based on the table stored in the memory unit 44, when the control unit 40 acquires situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 and information regarding the orientation of the rotating body 20 relative to the vehicle 10, the control unit 40 can determine the respective detection targets of the first detection unit 22, second detection unit 24, and third detection unit 26. Details of this operation will be described later.

[0034] The input unit 46 is for the operator to input various information to the control unit 40. Such an input unit 46 may be provided on the traveling body 10 or the rotating body 20, or it may be provided in a location separate from the main body of the construction machine 1. The input unit 46 allows the construction machine 1 to receive commands to start excavation work, commands to end excavation work, and situational information indicating the relative positions of the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80.

[0035] Next, the excavation work performed by the construction machine 1 will be explained using Figures 6 to 11. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the sequence of excavation work performed by the construction machine 1 shown in Figure 1. Figure 7 is a top view showing the construction machine 1, the pile of soil 70, and the vehicle 80 when the construction machine 1 shown in Figure 1 starts excavating soil from the pile of soil 70 using the bucket 34 of the construction machine 1. Figure 8 is a top view showing the construction machine 1, the pile of soil 70, and the vehicle 80 when the construction machine 1 shown in Figure 1 loads soil from the bucket 34 into the vehicle 80. Figure 9 is a top view showing the construction machine 1, the pile of soil 70, and the vehicle 80 when the construction machine 1 shown in Figure 1 starts excavating soil again from the pile of soil 70 using the bucket 34 of the construction machine 1. Figure 11 is a top view showing the construction machine 1, the pile of soil 70, and the vehicle 80 after the excavation work by the construction machine 1 shown in Figure 1 has been completed. The following operations are performed by the control unit 40 controlling the traveling body 10, the rotating body 20, the operating unit 30, etc.

[0036] When a construction machine 1 excavates soil from a pile of soil 70 using a bucket 34 and loads the excavated soil onto a vehicle 80, there are cases where the relative positions of the soil pile 70 and the vehicle 80 are predetermined, and cases where the relative positions of the soil pile 70 and the vehicle 80 are not predetermined. When the relative positions of the soil pile 70 and the vehicle 80 are predetermined, specifically, for example, when the construction machine 1 moves in front of the soil pile 70, the vehicle 80 is always positioned to the left of the construction machine 1, in which case the control unit 40 of the construction machine 1 does not need to detect the relative positions of the soil pile 70 and the vehicle 80 each time, the rotation direction of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 and the detection targets of each detection unit 22, 24, and 26 corresponding to the orientation of the slewing body 20 are uniquely determined. On the other hand, if the relative positions of the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 are not predetermined, when the construction machine 1 performs excavation work, the control unit 40 of the construction machine 1 must detect the relative positions of the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 each time. The control unit 40 must also determine the rotation direction of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 and the detection targets of each detection unit 22, 24, and 26 corresponding to the orientation of the slewing body 20 when the operation of excavating soil from the soil mass 70 with the bucket 34 and loading the excavated soil onto the vehicle 80 is performed. The following explanation will describe the case where the relative positions of the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 are not predetermined.

[0037] When the input unit 46 issues a command to the construction machine 1 to begin excavation work, the control unit 40 controls the vehicle 10, as shown in Figure 7, causing the construction machine 1 to move in front of the pile of soil 70. In addition, before the construction machine 1 moves in front of the pile of soil 70, or after the construction machine 1 moves in front of the pile of soil 70, the vehicle 80 moves to the left or right position of the construction machine 1 at the time it moved in front of the pile of soil 70. At this time, the rear of the loading platform of the vehicle 80, on which the soil is loaded, faces the construction machine 1.

[0038] Next, the control unit 40 acquires situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 (step S1 in Figure 6). Specifically, the control unit 40 acquires information as situational information indicating whether the vehicle 80 is located to the left or right of the construction machine 1, which is facing the soil mass 70. Such situational information is input from the input unit 46 to the control unit 40 when the operator inputs situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 into the input unit 46. Alternatively, situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 may be acquired based on detection information from the first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26. In this case, the control unit 40 acquires situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 based on detection information from the first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26. Alternatively, the traveling body 10 or the rotating body 20 may be equipped with a camera or video camera separate from the first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26, and this separate camera or video camera may acquire situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80.

[0039] After the construction machine 1 moves to the front of the pile of soil 70, the slewing body 20 is rotated relative to the traveling body 10 so that the arm 32 faces the pile of soil 70, as shown in Figure 8 (step S2 in Figure 6). Subsequently, the orientation information acquisition unit 42 acquires information on the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 (step S3 in Figure 6). In the state shown in Figure 8, the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 is facing forward. Next, the control unit 40 uses the table shown in Figure 5 stored in the storage unit 44 to identify the detection targets of the first detection unit 22, second detection unit 24, and third detection unit 26, based on the information on the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 acquired by the orientation information acquisition unit 42, based on the relationship between the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 and the detection targets of the first detection unit 22, second detection unit 24, and third detection unit 26, which corresponds to the situation information input to the control unit 40 (step S4 in Figure 6). Specifically, the state shown in Figure 8 corresponds to Pattern 1 shown in Figure 5, so it is determined that the object detected by the first detection unit 22 is a mass of soil 70, and the object detected by the second detection unit 24 is a vehicle 80.

[0040] Next, the control unit 40 performs detection operations using the first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26. As a result, the control unit 40 confirms the status of the soil mass 70 (specifically, the planned excavation location of the soil mass 70) based on the detection result from the detection unit (specifically, the first detection unit 22) that detects the soil mass 70 as the target of detection (step S5 in Figure 6). The control unit 40 also confirms the status of the vehicle 80 (specifically, the planned loading location of the soil on the vehicle 80) based on the detection result from the detection unit (specifically, the second detection unit 24) that detects the vehicle 80 as the target of detection (step S6 in Figure 6). Subsequently, the construction machine 1 detects the soil mass 70 using the first detection unit 22 and excavates soil from the soil mass 70 using the bucket 34 via the operating unit 30 (step S7 in Figure 6). At this time, the control unit 40 confirms the status of the soil mass 70 (specifically, the planned excavation location of the soil mass 70) based on the detection result by the first detection unit 22, so that the bucket 34 of the operating unit 30 can excavate the soil from the optimal excavation location on the soil mass 70.

[0041] After the operating unit 30 excavates soil from the soil mass 70 with the bucket 34, the slewing body 20 is rotated relative to the traveling body 10 so that the arm 32 faces the vehicle 80, as shown in Figure 9 (step S8 in Figure 6), based on the status information input to the control unit 40. As a result, the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 becomes 90° to the left. Subsequently, the orientation information acquisition unit 42 acquires information on the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 (step S9 in Figure 6). In the state shown in Figure 9, the orientation information acquisition unit 42 acquires information that the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 is 90° to the left. Next, the control unit 40 uses the table shown in Figure 5 stored in the memory unit 44 to identify the detection targets of the first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26, based on the information on the orientation of the rotating body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 acquired by the orientation information acquisition unit 42, based on the relationship between the orientation of the rotating body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 and the detection targets of the first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26, which corresponds to the status information input to the control unit 40 (step S10 in Figure 6). Specifically, in the state shown in Figure 9, it corresponds to pattern 2 shown in Figure 5, so the detection target of the first detection unit 22 is identified as the vehicle 80, and the detection target of the third detection unit 26 is identified as the clump of soil 70.

[0042] Subsequently, the construction machine 1 detects the vehicle 80 with the first detection unit 22 and loads soil onto the vehicle 80 with the bucket 34 of the operating unit 30 (step S11 in Figure 6). At this time, in step S6 above, the control unit 40 has already confirmed the planned loading position of the soil on the vehicle 80 based on the detection result by the second detection unit 24 and the condition of the soil 82 already loaded on the vehicle 80, so that the bucket 34 of the operating unit 30 can load the soil at the optimal loading position on the vehicle 80. In addition, the control unit 40 confirms the condition of the soil mass 70 (specifically, the planned excavation position of the soil mass 70) based on the detection result by the detection unit (specifically, the third detection unit 26) whose detection target is the soil mass 70 (step S12 in Figure 6).

[0043] If the operator gives a command to the control unit 40 to end the excavation work via the input unit 46, or if the control unit 40 automatically determines that the excavation work is finished (for example, that there are no or almost no clumps of soil 70 to be excavated) based on the detection results of the first detection unit 22, the second detection unit 24, and the third detection unit 26 ("YES" in step S13 of Figure 6), the operation of the construction machine 1 ends (see Figure 11). On the other hand, if it is determined that the excavation work is not finished (for example, that clumps of soil 70 to be excavated remain) ("NO" in step S13 of Figure 6), the slewing body 20 is rotated relative to the traveling body 10 so that the arm 32 faces the clumps of soil 70 again, as shown in Figure 10 (step S2 in Figure 6). After that, the operations in steps S2 to S12 above are repeated, but the processing in step S5 above is omitted for the second and subsequent excavation operations. This is because, in the process of step S12 described above, the condition of the soil mass 70 (specifically, the planned location for excavating soil from the soil mass 70) has already been confirmed based on the detection results by the third detection unit 26.

[0044] According to the construction machine 1 and information processing method in this embodiment, which have the above configuration, in the construction machine 1 that performs earth and sand transport work, the rotating body 20 is provided with a first detection unit 22 that detects objects in a first field of view, a second detection unit 24 that detects objects in a second field of view different from the first field of view in the horizontal direction, and a third detection unit 26 that detects objects in a third field of view different from the first and second fields of view in the horizontal direction. Therefore, by performing detection with multiple detection units 22, 24, and 26, the time required for earth and sand transport work can be shortened, and thus earth and sand transport work can be made more efficient. The effects of this will be explained below.

[0045] If the slewing body 20 of the construction machine 1 is equipped with only one detection unit (for example, a first detection unit 22), the construction machine 1 moves to the front of the pile of soil 70, then rotates the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 so that the arm 32 faces the pile of soil 70. Next, the control unit 40 uses the first detection unit 22 to detect the pile of soil 70 and confirm the condition of the pile of soil 70 (specifically, the planned excavation location of the soil from the pile of soil 70). Specifically, the control unit 40 determines the optimal planned excavation location of the soil from the pile of soil 70 based on the detection result from the first detection unit 22, but this determination takes several seconds. After that, the construction machine 1 uses the operating unit 30 to excavate soil from the pile of soil 70 with the bucket 34. Then, the operating unit 30 excavates soil from the soil mass 70 with the bucket 34, and then rotates the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 so that the arm 32 faces the vehicle 80. Next, the control unit 40 uses the first detection unit 22 to detect the vehicle 80 and confirm its status. Specifically, the control unit 40 determines the optimal position for loading soil onto the vehicle 80 based on the detection results from the first detection unit 22, but this determination takes several tens of seconds. After that, the bucket 34 of the operating unit 30 loads soil onto the vehicle 80. Then, the slewing body 20 is rotated relative to the traveling body 10 so that the arm 32 faces the pile of soil 70 again. However, if the slewing body 20 of the construction machine 1 is equipped with only one detection unit (first detection unit 22), after rotating the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10, the first detection unit 22 must detect the object (the pile of soil 70 or the vehicle 80) to determine the optimal planned excavation position for the pile of soil 70 or the optimal planned loading position for the soil on the vehicle 80. Since such determination takes time, there is a problem that the time required for soil transportation work also increases.

[0046] In contrast, the construction machine 1 of this embodiment is equipped with multiple (specifically three) detection units. Therefore, when the arm 32 is facing an object (a lump of soil 70 or a vehicle 80), other objects can be detected by other detection units that have a different field of view than the detection unit detecting the object in question. For example, when the operating unit 30 excavates soil from the lump of soil 70 with the bucket 34, the second detection unit 24 can simultaneously perform a detection operation for the vehicle 80 to check the status of the vehicle 80 and determine the optimal loading position for the soil on the vehicle 80. In this way, while the operating unit 30 is performing work on one object (for example, excavating or loading soil), detection can be performed on another object by the detection units. This reduces the time required for soil transportation work, thus improving the efficiency of soil transportation.

[0047] Furthermore, if the rotating body 20 of the construction machine 1 is equipped with multiple detection units 22, 24, and 26, even if a certain detection unit (for example, the first detection unit 22) is unable to detect the soil clump 70 or the vehicle 80 due to reflection of sunlight or the like, the other detection units (for example, the second detection unit 24 or the third detection unit 26) can be used to detect the soil clump 70 or the vehicle 80.

[0048] In this embodiment, a configuration in which the slewing body 20 of the construction machine 1 is equipped with three detection units (detection by the first detection unit 22) has been described, but this embodiment is not limited to this configuration. For example, a fourth detection unit (not shown) may be provided on the rear side of the slewing body 20 of the construction machine 1 (specifically, the side facing the side of the slewing body 20 on which the first detection unit 22 is provided) to detect objects in a fourth field of view that is different from the first, second, and third fields of view. In this case, since detection units are provided not only on the front, left side, and right side of the rotating body 20 of the construction machine 1, but also on the rear side, even if, for example, the pile of soil 70, the construction machine 1, and the vehicle 80 are arranged in a straight line in that order in the area between the pile of soil 70 and the vehicle 80, it becomes possible to detect the vehicle 80 with the fourth detection unit and determine the optimal loading position for the soil on the vehicle 80 while, for example, the first detection unit 22 detects the pile of soil 70 and the bucket 34 of the operating unit 30 excavates soil from the pile of soil 70.

[0049] Furthermore, the number of detection units provided on the slewing body 20 of the construction machine 1 may be only two (for example, a first detection unit 22 and a second detection unit 24). In this case, because a third detection unit 26 is not provided, when the positional relationship is as shown in Figure 6, for example, the first detection unit 22 detects the vehicle 80 and the bucket 34 loads soil onto the vehicle 80, it is not possible to detect the soil mass 70 and determine the optimal planned excavation position for the soil mass 70. However, even so, while the first detection unit 22 detects the soil mass 70 and the bucket 34 of the operating unit 30 excavates soil from the soil mass 70, the second detection unit 24 detects the vehicle 80 and determines the optimal planned loading position for the soil on the vehicle 80. Therefore, compared to the case where only one detection unit is provided on the slewing body 20, the time required for soil transport work can be shortened, and thus soil transport work can be made more efficient. The following describes how each detection unit identifies the object to be detected when there are two detection units (a first detection unit 22 and a second detection unit 24) on the rotating body 20 of the construction machine 1. However, even if there are three or more detection units, the method for identifying the object to be detected by each detection unit will be the same as the method described below.

[0050] Furthermore, according to the construction machine 1 of this embodiment and the information processing method in such a construction machine 1, the storage unit 44 stores situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80, the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10, and the relationship between the respective detection targets of the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24. When situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 is input to the control unit 40, the control unit 40 identifies the detection target of at least one of the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24 based on the orientation information acquisition unit 42's acquisition of information on the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 and the relationship between the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 and the respective detection targets of the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24, which corresponds to the input situational information. In this case, since the detection target by at least one of the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24 is identified as either the soil mass 70 or the vehicle 80, the detection of the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 can be performed with greater accuracy. More specifically, if the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24 do not have information indicating whether the detection target is the soil mass 70 or the vehicle 80, the control unit 40 cannot accurately determine the optimal planned excavation location for the soil from the soil mass 70 or the optimal planned loading location for the soil onto the vehicle 80. On the other hand, if the detection target by the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24 is identified as either the soil mass 70 or the vehicle 80, the control unit 40 can accurately determine the optimal planned excavation location for the soil from the soil mass 70 or the optimal planned loading location for the soil onto the vehicle 80.

[0051] It should be noted that the construction machine 1 in this embodiment is not limited to this configuration. If the relative positions of the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 are predetermined, and the position of the construction machine 1 that excavates soil from the soil mass 70 and loads it onto the vehicle 80, as well as the rotation direction of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10, are automatically determined, and the placement of the construction machine 1 does not change, then it is not necessary to store situational information indicating the relative positions of the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 in the storage unit 44. In this way, if the relative positions of the soil mass 70 and the vehicle 80 are predetermined, the storage unit 44 only needs to store the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 and the relationship between these and the detection targets of the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24. The control unit 40 then identifies the detection target of at least one of the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24 based on the orientation information of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 acquired by the orientation information acquisition unit 42. Even in this case, since the detection target by at least one of the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24 is identified as either the soil mass 70 or the vehicle 80, the status of these soil masses 70 and vehicles 80 can be grasped with greater accuracy (specifically, detection of the planned excavation location of soil from the soil mass 70 and the optimal planned loading location of soil on the vehicle 80).

[0052] Furthermore, in the construction machine 1 of this embodiment, the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24 are of different types. Specifically, only the first detection unit 22 is capable of taking appropriate images even under strong light sources. In this case, compared to the case where all detection units 22 and 24 are capable of taking appropriate images even under strong light sources, the construction machine 1 can be made less expensive by making only one detection unit (the first detection unit 22) capable of taking appropriate images even under strong light sources.

[0053] Furthermore, the construction machinery and information processing method according to this embodiment are not limited to the above-described configurations, and various modifications can be made.

[0054] For example, the above description mentions a configuration in which the memory unit 44 stores at least the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 and the relationship between it and the detection targets of the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24. However, this embodiment is not limited to this configuration. Even if the memory unit 44 does not store the orientation of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10 and the relationship between it and the detection targets of the first detection unit 22 and the second detection unit 24, if the construction machine 1 can perform earth and sand transport work appropriately by providing multiple detection units 22 and 24 on the slewing body 20, then a different operating method from the above-described operating method of the construction machine 1 may be used.

[0055] Furthermore, the construction machinery according to this embodiment is not limited to a fully automated type. For example, only the rotational movement of the slewing body 20 relative to the traveling body 10, or only the excavation of earth and sand by the operating unit 30, may be performed automatically, while other operations are performed manually by an operator.

[0056] Furthermore, the objects detected by each detection unit 22, 24, and 26 are not limited to the soil clumps 70 or the vehicle 80. Other objects may be used as the objects detected by each detection unit 22, 24, and 26. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 1. Construction machinery 10. Running body 20 Rotating Body 22 First detection unit 24 Second detection unit 26 Third detection unit 30 Operating part 32 Arms 34 buckets 36 Boom 40 Control Unit 42 Direction information acquisition unit 44 Storage section 46 Input section 70. Clumps of soil and sediment 80 vehicles 82. Sediment

Claims

1. A construction machine used for transporting earth and sand, The vehicle and A rotating body is provided above the aforementioned traveling body and rotates relative to the aforementioned traveling body, An operating unit having a boom attached to the slewing body, an arm pivotally supported at the tip of the boom, and a bucket provided at the tip of the arm for excavating soil and sand, Equipped with, A construction machine comprising a rotating body equipped with a first detection unit for detecting objects in a first field of view and a second detection unit for detecting objects in a second field of view that is different from the first field of view in the horizontal direction.

2. A direction information acquisition unit that acquires information on the orientation of the turning body relative to the traveling body, A storage unit that stores the orientation of the turning body relative to the traveling body and the relationship between the detection target by the first detection unit and the second detection unit, A control unit that identifies the detection target by at least one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit based on the orientation information of the turning body relative to the traveling body acquired by the orientation information acquisition unit, The construction machine according to claim 1, further comprising the above.

3. The construction machine according to claim 2, wherein the control unit, while the operating unit performs work on an object detected by the first detection unit, detects an object other than the object detected by the first detection unit with the second detection unit, and then controls the rotating body and the operating unit to rotate the rotating body relative to the traveling body, and then perform work on the other object with the operating unit.

4. The construction machine according to claim 2, wherein the object to be detected is either a mass of soil excavated by the bucket, or a vehicle on which soil is loaded by the bucket.

5. The construction machine according to claim 4, wherein the control unit detects the lump of soil with the first detection unit and excavates soil from the lump of soil with the operating unit, detects the vehicle with the second detection unit, and controls the rotating body and the operating unit to rotate the rotating body relative to the traveling body, and then load soil onto the vehicle with the operating unit.

6. The construction machine according to claim 4, wherein the control unit detects the vehicle with the first detection unit and loads soil onto the vehicle with the operating unit, the second detection unit detects the lump of soil, and after rotating the rotating unit relative to the traveling body, the operating unit controls the rotating body and the operating unit to excavate soil from the lump of soil.

7. The memory unit stores situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass and the vehicle, the orientation of the turning body relative to the traveling body, and the relationship between the detection targets of the first detection unit and the second detection unit, The construction machine according to claim 4, wherein when situational information indicating the positional relationship between a pile of soil and a vehicle is input to the control unit, the control unit identifies the detection target by at least one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit based on the information on the orientation of the rotating body relative to the traveling body, which corresponds to the input situational information, and the relationship between the orientation of the rotating body relative to the traveling body and the respective detection targets by the first detection unit and the second detection unit, obtained by the orientation information acquisition unit.

8. The construction machine according to claim 1, wherein the first detection unit and the second detection unit are of different types.

9. The construction machine according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body is provided with a third detection unit that detects objects in a third field of view that is different from the first and second fields of view in the horizontal direction.

10. A direction information acquisition unit that acquires information on the orientation of the turning body relative to the traveling body, A storage unit that stores the orientation of the turning body relative to the traveling body and the relationship between the detection target by the first detection unit, the second detection unit, and the third detection unit, A control unit that identifies the detection target by at least one of the first detection unit, the second detection unit, and the third detection unit based on the orientation information of the turning body relative to the traveling body acquired by the orientation information acquisition unit, Furthermore, The object to be detected is either a mass of soil being excavated by the bucket, or a vehicle on which soil is loaded by the bucket. The control unit, while detecting the mass of soil with the first detection unit and excavating soil from the mass of soil with the operating unit, detects the vehicle with the second detection unit, and after rotating the rotating unit relative to the traveling body, controls the rotating unit and the operating unit to load soil onto the vehicle. The construction machine according to claim 9, wherein the control unit detects the vehicle with the first detection unit and loads soil onto the vehicle with the operating unit, the third detection unit detects the lump of soil, and after rotating the rotating unit relative to the traveling body, the operating unit controls the rotating body and the operating unit to excavate soil from the lump of soil.

11. An information processing method for a construction machine, comprising: a traveling body; a slewing body provided above the traveling body and rotating relative to the traveling body; an operating unit having a boom attached to the slewing body, an arm pivotally supported at the tip of the boom, and a bucket for excavating soil and sand provided at the tip of the arm, wherein the slewing body is provided with a first detection unit for detecting objects in a first field of view and a second detection unit for detecting objects in a second field of view different from the first field of view in the horizontal direction, A step of acquiring information on the orientation of the rotating body relative to the traveling body, Based on the information stored in the memory unit relating the orientation of the rotating body to the traveling body and the respective detection targets by the first detection unit and the second detection unit, the process of identifying the detection target by at least one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit from the acquired information on the orientation of the rotating body to the traveling body, An information processing method equipped with [a specific feature].

12. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein when the operating unit performs work on an object detected by the first detection unit, the second detection unit detects an object other than the object detected by the first detection unit, and after rotating the rotating body relative to the traveling body, the operating unit performs work on the other object.

13. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein the object to be detected is either a mass of soil excavated by the bucket, or a vehicle on which soil is loaded by the bucket.

14. The memory unit stores situational information indicating the positional relationship between the soil mass and the vehicle, the orientation of the turning body relative to the traveling body, and the relationship between the detection targets of the first detection unit and the second detection unit, The information processing method according to claim 11, in the step of identifying the object to be detected, when situational information indicating the positional relationship between a mass of soil and a vehicle is input, the object to be detected by at least one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit is identified from the acquired information on the orientation of the rotating body relative to the traveling body, based on the relationship between the orientation of the rotating body relative to the traveling body and the respective objects to be detected by the first detection unit and the second detection unit, which corresponds to the input situational information.

Images