Excavator

Abstract

An excavator (100) has a lower travel body (1), an upper turning body (3) mounted on the lower travel body (1) so as to be capable of turning, a drilling attachment (AT) attached to the upper turning body (3), and a prime mover mounted on the upper turning body (3). The excavator (100) is configured such that the rotational speed of the prime mover is reduced before a low-load operation of the drilling attachment (AT) is started.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a shovel. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a shovel that determines whether an arm closing operation is a high-load operation such as excavation work or a low-load operation such as leveling work based on the pressure of hydraulic oil in an arm cylinder (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2017 / 164175 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 does not mention energy saving during low-load operation.

[0005] It is therefore desirable to reduce the energy that is wasted during low load operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The shovel according to one embodiment of the present invention has a lower traveling body, an upper rotating body rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body, an attachment attached to the upper rotating body, and a prime mover mounted on the upper rotating body. The shovel is configured to operate an operating lever for realizing the movement of the attachment when the shovel is not traveling. Boom raising operation, arm closing operation, or end attachment closing operation After this is performed and before low-load operation of the attachment begins, the rotational speed of the prime mover is reduced. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The above-described shovel can reduce energy wasted when low-load operation is performed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of a shovel according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a hydraulic system mounted on the excavator shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart of an example of a rotation speed reduction process. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram showing changes over time in the target engine speed, boom raising pilot pressure, and boom lowering pilot pressure when the speed reduction process of FIG. 3 is executed. FIG. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart of another example of the rotation speed reduction process. [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram showing changes over time in the target engine speed, boom raising pilot pressure, and boom lowering pilot pressure when the speed reduction process of FIG. 5 is executed. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an electric operation system. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a construction system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] First, a shovel 100 as an excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a side view of the shovel 100.

[0010] In this embodiment, the lower traveling body 1 of the excavator 100 includes a crawler 1C. The crawler 1C is driven by a traveling hydraulic motor 2M as a traveling actuator mounted on the lower traveling body 1. Specifically, the crawler 1C includes a left crawler 1CL and a right crawler (not visible in FIG. 1). The left crawler 1CL is driven by a left traveling hydraulic motor 2ML, and the right crawler is driven by a right traveling hydraulic motor (not visible in FIG. 1).

[0011] An upper rotating body 3 is rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body 1 via a rotating mechanism 2. The rotating mechanism 2 is driven by a rotating hydraulic motor 2A mounted on the upper rotating body 3 as a rotating actuator.

[0012] A boom 4 is attached to the upper rotating body 3. An arm 5 is attached to the tip of the boom 4, and a bucket 6 is attached to the tip of the arm 5 as an end attachment. The boom 4, arm 5, and bucket 6 constitute an excavation attachment AT, which is an example of an attachment. The boom 4 is driven by a boom cylinder 7, the arm 5 is driven by an arm cylinder 8, and the bucket 6 is driven by a bucket cylinder 9. The boom cylinder 7, arm cylinder 8, and bucket cylinder 9 constitute an attachment actuator.

[0013] The boom 4 is supported on the upper rotating body 3 so as to be rotatable up and down. A boom angle sensor S1 is attached to the boom 4. The boom angle sensor S1 can detect a boom angle θ1 which is a rotation angle of the boom 4. The boom angle θ1 is, for example, an angle of ascent from a state in which the boom 4 is lowered to its lowest. Therefore, the boom angle θ1 is maximum when the boom 4 is raised to its highest point.

[0014] The arm 5 is rotatably supported with respect to the boom 4. An arm angle sensor S2 is attached to the arm 5. The arm angle sensor S2 can detect an arm angle θ2 which is a rotation angle of the arm 5. The arm angle θ2 is, for example, an opening angle from the fully closed state of the arm 5. Therefore, the arm angle θ2 is maximum when the arm 5 is fully opened.

[0015] The bucket 6 is rotatably supported by the arm 5. A bucket angle sensor S3 is attached to the bucket 6. The bucket angle sensor S3 can detect a bucket angle θ3, which is a rotation angle of the bucket 6. The bucket angle θ3 is an opening angle from the fully closed state of the bucket 6. Therefore, the bucket angle θ3 is maximum when the bucket 6 is fully opened.

[0016] In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, and the bucket angle sensor S3 are each configured with a combination of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. However, the boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, and the bucket angle sensor S3 may each be configured with only an acceleration sensor. The boom angle sensor S1 may be a stroke sensor attached to the boom cylinder 7, or may be a rotary encoder, a potentiometer, an inertial measurement unit, or the like. The same applies to the arm angle sensor S2 and the bucket angle sensor S3.

[0017] The posture of the excavation attachment AT is detected, for example, based on the outputs of the boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, and the bucket angle sensor S3.

[0018] The upper rotating body 3 is provided with a cabin 10 as a driver's cab, and is equipped with a power source (prime mover) such as an engine 11. The engine 11, which is an example of a prime mover, is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine, a gasoline engine, or a hydrogen engine. In the illustrated example, the engine 11 is a diesel engine. The engine 11 may be replaced with another prime mover, such as an electric motor that uses power generated by a fuel cell, or an electric motor that uses power stored in a battery such as a lithium-ion battery, or may be a combination of two or more prime movers, such as a combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. In addition, the upper rotating body 3 is equipped with a space recognition device 70, a direction detection device 71, a positioning device 73, a vehicle tilt sensor S4, a turning angular velocity sensor S5, and the like. Inside the cabin 10, an operation device 26, a controller 30, an information input device 72, a display device D1, a sound output device D2, and the like are provided. For the sake of convenience, in this specification, the side of the upper rotating body 3 to which the excavation attachment AT is attached is referred to as the front, and the side to which the counterweight is attached is referred to as the rear.

[0019] The spatial recognition device 70 is configured to recognize an object present in a three-dimensional space around the shovel 100. The spatial recognition device 70 is also configured to calculate a distance between the spatial recognition device 70 or the shovel 100 and the recognized object. The spatial recognition device 70 includes, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, a monocular camera, a stereo camera, a LIDAR, a distance image sensor, or an infrared sensor. In this embodiment, the spatial recognition device 70 includes a forward sensor 70F attached to the front end of the upper surface of the cabin 10, a rear sensor 70B attached to the rear end of the upper surface of the upper rotating body 3, a left sensor 70L attached to the left end of the upper surface of the upper rotating body 3, and a right sensor (not visible in FIG. 1) attached to the right end of the upper surface of the upper rotating body 3. An upper sensor that recognizes an object present in the space above the upper rotating body 3 may be attached to the shovel 100.

[0020] The orientation detection device 71 is configured to detect information regarding the relative relationship between the orientation of the upper rotating body 3 and the orientation of the lower traveling body 1. The orientation detection device 71 may be configured, for example, by a combination of a geomagnetic sensor attached to the lower traveling body 1 and a geomagnetic sensor attached to the upper rotating body 3. Alternatively, the orientation detection device 71 may be configured by a combination of a GNSS receiver attached to the lower traveling body 1 and a GNSS receiver attached to the upper rotating body 3. The orientation detection device 71 may be a rotary encoder, a rotary position sensor, or the like. In a configuration in which the upper rotating body 3 is driven to rotate by a rotating motor generator, the orientation detection device 71 may be configured by a resolver. The orientation detection device 71 may be attached, for example, to a center joint provided in association with the rotation mechanism 2 that realizes the relative rotation between the lower traveling body 1 and the upper rotating body 3.

[0021] The direction detection device 71 may be configured with a spatial recognition device 70 (for example, a camera) attached to the upper rotating body 3. In this case, the direction detection device 71 detects an image of the lower traveling body 1 included in the input image by performing known image processing on an image (input image) captured by a camera attached to the upper rotating body 3. Then, the direction detection device 71 detects the image of the lower traveling body 1 using a known image recognition technology to identify the longitudinal direction of the lower traveling body 1. Then, an angle formed between the direction of the front-rear axis of the upper rotating body 3 and the longitudinal direction of the lower traveling body 1 is derived. The direction of the front-rear axis of the upper rotating body 3 is derived from the mounting position of the camera. In particular, since the crawler 1C protrudes from the upper rotating body 3, the direction detection device 71 can identify the longitudinal direction of the lower traveling body 1 by detecting the image of the crawler 1C. In this case, the direction detection device 71 may be integrated into the controller 30.

[0022] The information input device 72 is configured to allow the operator of the excavator to input information to the controller 30. In this embodiment, the information input device 72 is a switch panel installed in the vicinity of the display unit of the display device D1. However, the information input device 72 may be a touch panel arranged on the display unit of the display device D1, or may be a sound input device such as a microphone arranged in the cabin 10. The information input device 72 may also be a communication device. In this case, the operator can input information to the controller 30 via a communication terminal such as a smartphone.

[0023] The positioning device 73 is configured to measure a current position. In this embodiment, the positioning device 73 is a GNSS receiver, detects the position of the upper rotating body 3, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The positioning device 73 may be a GNSS compass. In this case, the positioning device 73 can detect the position and orientation of the upper rotating body 3.

[0024] The machine body inclination sensor S4 is configured to detect the inclination of the upper rotating body 3 with respect to a predetermined plane. In this embodiment, the machine body inclination sensor S4 is an acceleration sensor that detects the inclination angle about the front-rear axis and the left-right axis of the upper rotating body 3 with respect to the horizontal plane. The front-rear axis and the left-right axis of the upper rotating body 3 are, for example, perpendicular to each other and pass through the shovel center point, which is a point on the rotation axis of the shovel 100.

[0025] The rotation angular velocity sensor S5 is configured to detect the rotation angular velocity of the upper rotating body 3. In this embodiment, the rotation angular velocity sensor S5 is a gyro sensor. The rotation angular velocity sensor S5 may be a resolver or a rotary encoder, etc. The rotation angular velocity sensor S5 may detect a rotation speed. The rotation speed may be calculated from the rotation angular velocity.

[0026] The display device D1 is a device that displays information. In this embodiment, the display device D1 is a liquid crystal display installed in the cabin 10. However, the display device D1 may be a display of a communication terminal such as a smartphone.

[0027] The sound output device D2 is a device that outputs sound. The sound output device D2 includes at least one of a device that outputs sound to an operator in the cabin 10 and a device that outputs sound to a worker outside the cabin 10. The sound output device D2 may be a speaker attached to the communication terminal.

[0028] The operating device 26 is a device used by an operator to operate the actuators. In this embodiment, the operating device 26 is installed inside the cabin 10 so as to be accessible to an operator seated in the driver's seat.

[0029] The controller 30 is a control device (electronic circuit) capable of executing various controls. In this embodiment, the controller 30 is a computer equipped with a CPU, RAM, NVRAM, ROM, etc., and is configured to control the shovel 100. The controller 30 reads out a program corresponding to one or more functions from the ROM, loads it into the RAM, and causes the CPU to execute processing corresponding to each function. In this manner, each function is realized by software. However, at least one of the functions may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0030] Next, a configuration example of a hydraulic system mounted on the shovel 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a hydraulic system mounted on the shovel 100. In Fig. 2, a mechanical power transmission system, a hydraulic oil line, a pilot line, and an electric control system are indicated by double lines, solid lines, dashed lines, and dotted lines, respectively.

[0031] The hydraulic system of the excavator 100 mainly includes an engine 11, a regulator 13, a main pump 14, a pilot pump 15, a control valve unit 17, an operating device 26, a discharge pressure sensor 28, an operating pressure sensor 29, a controller 30, a dial 75, and an ECO button 76.

[0032] In FIG. 2, the hydraulic system is configured to circulate hydraulic oil from a main pump 14 driven by an engine 11 through a center bypass line 40 or a parallel line 42 to a hydraulic oil tank.

[0033] The engine 11 is a drive source of the excavator 100. In this embodiment, the engine 11 is, for example, a diesel engine that operates to maintain a predetermined rotation speed. An output shaft of the engine 11 is connected to input shafts of the main pump 14 and the pilot pump 15.

[0034] The main pump 14 is configured to supply hydraulic oil via a hydraulic oil line to the control valve unit 17. In this embodiment, the main pump 14 is a swash plate type variable displacement hydraulic pump.

[0035] The regulator 13 is configured to be able to control the discharge amount of the main pump 14. In this embodiment, the regulator 13 controls the discharge amount 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.

[0036] The pilot pump 15 is configured to be able to supply hydraulic oil to hydraulic control devices including the operating device 26 via a pilot line. In this embodiment, the pilot pump 15 is a fixed displacement hydraulic pump. The pilot pump 15 may be omitted. In this case, the function of the pilot pump 15 may be realized by the main pump 14. That is, the main pump 14 may have a function of supplying hydraulic oil to the operating device 26 and the like after reducing the pressure of the hydraulic oil by throttling or the like, in addition to the function of supplying hydraulic oil to the control valve unit 17.

[0037] The control valve unit 17 is a hydraulic control device that controls the hydraulic system in the excavator 100. In this embodiment, the control valve unit 17 includes directional control valves 171 to 176. The directional control valve 175 includes a directional control valve 175L and a directional control valve 175R, and the directional control valve 176 includes a directional control valve 176L and a directional control valve 176R. The control valve unit 17 is configured to selectively supply hydraulic oil discharged by the main pump 14 to one or more hydraulic actuators through the directional control valves 171 to 176. The directional control valves 171 to 176 control, for example, the flow rate of hydraulic oil flowing from the main pump 14 to the hydraulic actuators and the flow rate of hydraulic oil flowing from the hydraulic actuators to a hydraulic oil tank. The hydraulic actuators include a boom cylinder 7, an arm cylinder 8, a bucket cylinder 9, a left traveling hydraulic motor 2ML, a right traveling hydraulic motor, and a swing hydraulic motor 2A.

[0038] The operating device 26 is a device used by an operator to operate the actuator. The actuator includes at least one of a hydraulic actuator and an electric actuator. In this embodiment, the operating device 26 is configured to supply hydraulic oil discharged by the pilot pump 15 to the pilot port of the corresponding directional control valve in the control valve unit 17 via a pilot line. The pressure of the hydraulic oil supplied to each pilot port (pilot pressure) is a pressure according to the operation direction and operation amount of the operating device 26 corresponding to each hydraulic actuator. However, the operating device 26 may be an electromagnetic pilot type instead of the hydraulic pilot type as described above. Alternatively, the directional control valve in the control valve unit 17 may be an electromagnetic solenoid type spool valve.

[0039] 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.

[0040] The operation pressure sensor 29 is configured to detect the operation of the operation device 26 by the operator. In this embodiment, the operation pressure sensor 29 detects the operation direction and operation amount of the operation device 26 corresponding to each actuator in the form of pressure (operation pressure), and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operation of the operation device 26 may be detected using a sensor or device other than the operation pressure sensor, such as a potentiometer.

[0041] The main pump 14 includes a left main pump 14L and a right main pump 14R. The left main pump 14L circulates hydraulic oil to a hydraulic oil tank via a left center bypass line 40L or a left parallel line 42L, and the right main pump 14R circulates hydraulic oil to a hydraulic oil tank via a right center bypass line 40R or a right parallel line 42R.

[0042] The left center bypass line 40L is a hydraulic oil line that passes through directional control valves 171, 173, 175L, and 176L arranged in the control valve unit 17. The right center bypass line 40R is a hydraulic oil line that passes through directional control valves 172, 174, 175R, and 176R arranged in the control valve unit 17.

[0043] The directional control valve 171 is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil to supply the hydraulic oil discharged by the left main pump 14L to the left traveling hydraulic motor 2ML and to discharge the hydraulic oil discharged by the left traveling hydraulic motor 2ML to the hydraulic oil tank.

[0044] The directional control valve 172 is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil to supply the hydraulic oil discharged by the right main pump 14R to the right traveling hydraulic motor and to discharge the hydraulic oil discharged by the right traveling hydraulic motor to the hydraulic oil tank.

[0045] The directional control valve 173 is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil to supply the hydraulic oil discharged by the left main pump 14L to the swing hydraulic motor 2A and to discharge the hydraulic oil discharged by the swing hydraulic motor 2A to the hydraulic oil tank.

[0046] The directional control valve 174 is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil to supply the hydraulic oil discharged by the right main pump 14R to the bucket cylinder 9 and to discharge the hydraulic oil in the bucket cylinder 9 to the hydraulic oil tank.

[0047] The directional control valve 175L is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil to supply the hydraulic oil discharged by the left main pump 14L to the boom cylinder 7. The directional control valve 175R is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil to supply the hydraulic oil discharged by the right main pump 14R to the boom cylinder 7 and to discharge the hydraulic oil in the boom cylinder 7 to the hydraulic oil tank.

[0048] The directional control valve 176L is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil to supply the hydraulic oil discharged by the left main pump 14L to the arm cylinder 8 and to discharge the hydraulic oil in the arm cylinder 8 to the hydraulic oil tank.

[0049] The directional control valve 176R is a spool valve that switches the flow of hydraulic oil to supply the hydraulic oil discharged by the right main pump 14R to the arm cylinder 8 and to discharge the hydraulic oil in the arm cylinder 8 to the hydraulic oil tank.

[0050] The left parallel conduit 42L is a hydraulic oil line that runs parallel to the left center bypass conduit 40L. When the flow of hydraulic oil through the left center bypass conduit 40L is restricted or blocked by any of the directional control valves 171, 173, 175L, the left parallel conduit 42L can supply hydraulic oil to a more downstream directional control valve. The right parallel conduit 42R is a hydraulic oil line that runs parallel to the right center bypass conduit 40R. When the flow of hydraulic oil through the right center bypass conduit 40R is restricted or blocked by any of the directional control valves 172, 174, 175R, the right parallel conduit 42R can supply hydraulic oil to a more downstream directional control valve.

[0051] The regulator 13 includes a left regulator 13L and a right regulator 13R. The left regulator 13L controls the discharge amount of the left main pump 14L by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the left main pump 14L according to the discharge pressure of the left main pump 14L. Specifically, the left regulator 13L adjusts the swash plate tilt angle of the left main pump 14L in response to an increase in the discharge pressure of the left main pump 14L, for example, to reduce the discharge amount. The same applies to the right regulator 13R. This is to prevent the absorption power (e.g., absorption horsepower) of the main pump 14, which is expressed by the product of the discharge pressure and the discharge amount, from exceeding the output power (e.g., output horsepower) of the engine 11.

[0052] The operating device 26 includes a left operating lever 26L, a right operating lever 26R, and a travel lever 26D as operating levers. The travel lever 26D includes a left traveling lever 26DL and a right traveling lever 26DR.

[0053] The left operating lever 26L is used for the swing operation and the operation of the arm 5. When the left operating lever 26L is operated in the forward / backward direction, it uses the hydraulic oil discharged by the pilot pump 15 to apply a control pressure corresponding to the amount of lever operation to the pilot port of the directional control valve 176. When the left operating lever 26L is operated in the left / right direction, it uses the hydraulic oil discharged by the pilot pump 15 to apply a control pressure corresponding to the amount of lever operation to the pilot port of the directional control valve 173.

[0054] Specifically, when the left operating lever 26L is operated in the arm closing direction, it causes hydraulic oil to flow into the right pilot port of the directional control valve 176L and also causes hydraulic oil to flow into the left pilot port of the directional control valve 176R. When the left operating lever 26L is operated in the arm opening direction, it causes hydraulic oil to flow into the left pilot port of the directional control valve 176L and also causes hydraulic oil to flow into the right pilot port of the directional control valve 176R. When the left operating lever 26L is operated in the left turning direction, it causes hydraulic oil to flow into the left pilot port of the directional control valve 173, and when operated in the right turning direction, it causes hydraulic oil to flow into the right pilot port of the directional control valve 173.

[0055] 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 oil discharged by the pilot pump 15 to apply a control pressure corresponding to the amount of lever operation to the pilot port of the directional control valve 175. When the right operating lever 26R is operated in the left / right direction, it uses the hydraulic oil discharged by the pilot pump 15 to apply a control pressure corresponding to the amount of lever operation to the pilot port of the directional control valve 174.

[0056] Specifically, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom lowering direction, it causes hydraulic oil to flow into the left pilot port of the directional control valve 175R. When the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom raising direction, it causes hydraulic oil to flow into the right pilot port of the directional control valve 175L and also causes hydraulic oil to flow into the left pilot port of the directional control valve 175R. When the right operating lever 26R is operated in the bucket closing direction, it causes hydraulic oil to flow into the right pilot port of the directional control valve 174, and when it is operated in the bucket opening direction, it causes hydraulic oil to flow into the left pilot port of the directional control valve 174.

[0057] The travel lever 26D is used to operate the crawler 1C. Specifically, the left travel lever 26DL is used to operate the left crawler 1CL. The left travel lever 26DL may be configured to be interlocked with the left travel pedal. When the left travel lever 26DL is operated in the forward / backward direction, it uses the hydraulic oil discharged by the pilot pump 15 to apply a control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount to the pilot port of the directional control valve 171. The right travel lever 26DR is used to operate the right crawler. The right travel lever 26DR may be configured to be interlocked with the right travel pedal. When the right travel lever 26DR is operated in the forward / backward direction, it uses the hydraulic oil discharged by the pilot pump 15 to apply a control pressure corresponding to the lever operation amount to the pilot port of the directional control valve 172.

[0058] The discharge pressure sensor 28 includes a discharge pressure sensor 28L and a discharge pressure sensor 28R. The 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 the discharge pressure sensor 28R.

[0059] The operation pressure sensor 29 includes operation pressure sensors 29LA, 29LB, 29RA, 29RB, 29DL, and 29DR. The operation pressure sensor 29LA detects the content of the operation of the left operation lever 26L in the forward / rearward direction by the operator in the form of pressure, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The content of the operation includes, for example, the lever operation direction and the lever operation amount (lever operation angle), etc.

[0060] Similarly, the operating pressure sensor 29LB detects the operation of the left operating lever 26L in the left-right direction by the operator in the form of pressure, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operating pressure sensor 29RA detects the operation of the right operating lever 26R in the forward-backward direction by the operator in the form of pressure, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operating pressure sensor 29RB detects the operation of the right operating lever 26R in the left-right direction by the operator in the form of pressure, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operating pressure sensor 29DL detects the operation of the left traveling lever 26DL in the forward-backward direction by the operator in the form of pressure, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30. The operating pressure sensor 29DR detects the operation of the right traveling lever 26DR in the forward-backward direction by the operator in the form of pressure, and outputs the detected value to the controller 30.

[0061] The controller 30 receives the output of the operating pressure sensor 29, and outputs a control command to the regulator 13 as necessary, thereby changing the discharge volume of the main pump 14. The controller 30 also receives the output of the control pressure sensor 19 provided upstream of the orifice 18, and outputs a control command to the regulator 13 as necessary, thereby changing the discharge volume of the main pump 14. The orifice 18 includes a left orifice 18L and a right orifice 18R, and the control pressure sensor 19 includes a left control pressure sensor 19L and a right control pressure sensor 19R.

[0062] The left throttle 18L is disposed in the left center bypass pipe 40L between the most downstream directional control valve 176L and the hydraulic oil tank. Therefore, the flow of hydraulic oil discharged by the left main pump 14L is restricted by the left throttle 18L. The left throttle 18L generates a control pressure for controlling the left regulator 13L. 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 amount of the left main pump 14L by adjusting the swash plate tilt angle of the left main pump 14L according to this control pressure. The controller 30 reduces the discharge amount of the left main pump 14L as this control pressure increases, and increases the discharge amount of the left main pump 14L as this control pressure decreases. The discharge amount of the right main pump 14R is also controlled in a similar manner.

[0063] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, in the case of a standby state in which none of the hydraulic actuators in the excavator 100 are operated, the hydraulic oil discharged by the left main pump 14L passes through the left center bypass pipe 40L and reaches the left throttle 18L. Then, the flow of the hydraulic oil discharged by the left main pump 14L increases the control pressure generated upstream of the left throttle 18L. As a result, the controller 30 reduces the discharge amount of the left main pump 14L to the allowable minimum discharge amount, suppressing the pressure loss (pumping loss) when the discharged hydraulic oil passes through the left center bypass pipe 40L. On the other hand, when any of the hydraulic actuators is operated, the hydraulic oil discharged by the left main pump 14L flows into the hydraulic actuator to be operated via the directional control valve corresponding to the hydraulic actuator to be operated. Then, the flow of the hydraulic oil discharged by the left main pump 14L reduces or eliminates the amount of hydraulic oil reaching the left throttle 18L, lowering the control pressure generated upstream of the left throttle 18L. As a result, the controller 30 increases the discharge rate of the left main pump 14L to circulate sufficient hydraulic oil to the hydraulic actuator to be operated, ensuring the drive of the hydraulic actuator to be operated. The controller 30 also controls the discharge rate of the right main pump 14R in a similar manner.

[0064] With the above-described configuration, the hydraulic system of Fig. 2 can suppress unnecessary energy consumption in the main pump 14 in a standby state. The unnecessary energy consumption includes pumping loss caused in the center bypass pipe 40 by the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pump 14. Furthermore, when operating a hydraulic actuator, the hydraulic system of Fig. 2 can reliably supply sufficient hydraulic oil from the main pump 14 to the hydraulic actuator to be operated.

[0065] The dial 75 is configured to allow the operator to manually adjust the target rotation speed of the engine 11. Specifically, the dial 75 is configured to allow information indicating the setting state of the target rotation speed of the engine 11 to be transmitted to the controller 30. In this embodiment, the dial 75 is configured to allow the target rotation speed to be switched in ten stages from a first level (a level corresponding to the highest target rotation speed) to a tenth level (a level corresponding to the lowest target rotation speed). The actual rotation speed of the engine 11 is controlled to be the target rotation speed selected by the dial 75.

[0066] The ECO button 76 is an example of an operating tool for switching the ECO mode ON / OFF. The ECO mode is one of the work modes of the shovel 100, and is a work mode in which a function for reducing energy (fuel) consumption is executed. The work modes of the shovel 100 may include a crane mode used during crane work, etc. In this embodiment, the work mode of the shovel 100 is configured to switch between the ECO mode and the normal mode every time the ECO button 76 is pressed. The normal mode is one of the work modes of the shovel 100, and is a work mode in which a function for reducing fuel consumption is not executed. The function executed in the ECO mode includes, for example, a function for slowing down the movement of the attachment. When the function for slowing down the movement of the attachment is executed, the extension and retraction accelerations of the boom cylinder 7, the arm cylinder 8, and the bucket cylinder 9 when the operation lever is moved away from the neutral position are limited to a predetermined value or less. In this embodiment, the maximum extension and retraction speed is not limited, but the maximum extension and retraction speed may also be limited. In addition, in this embodiment, the expansion / contraction acceleration when the operation lever is returned to the neutral position is not limited, but the expansion / contraction acceleration when the operation lever is returned to the neutral position may also be limited. This function is realized, for example, by limiting the stroke acceleration (increase rate of pilot pressure) of the directional control valves 174 to 176. By using this ECO button 76, the operator of the shovel 100 can reduce fuel consumption as necessary. Therefore, the shovel 100 can respond to cases where the operator wishes to reduce fuel consumption even if it means limiting the workability of the shovel 100, for example.

[0067] Next, a description will be given of the information acquisition unit 30a and the control unit 30b, which are functions of the controller 30. In Fig. 2, the information acquisition unit 30a and the control unit 30b are shown separately for convenience of explanation, but they do not need to be physically separated, and may be composed entirely or partially of a common software component or hardware component, or a combination thereof.

[0068] The information acquiring unit 30a is configured to acquire information related to the excavator 100. In this embodiment, the information acquiring unit 30a is configured to acquire information from at least one of a boom angle sensor S1, an arm angle sensor S2, a bucket angle sensor S3, a machine body inclination sensor S4, a swing angular velocity sensor S5, a cylinder pressure sensor, a swing pressure sensor, a traveling pressure sensor, a boom cylinder stroke sensor, an arm cylinder stroke sensor, a bucket cylinder stroke sensor, a discharge pressure sensor 28, an operating pressure sensor 29, a spatial recognition device 70, a direction detection device 71, an information input device 72, a positioning device 73, and a communication device. The cylinder pressure sensor includes, for example, at least one of a boom rod pressure sensor, a boom bottom pressure sensor, an arm rod pressure sensor, an arm bottom pressure sensor, a bucket rod pressure sensor, and a bucket bottom pressure sensor.

[0069] The information acquiring unit 30a acquires, as information related to the work content of the excavator 100, at least one of, for example, a boom angle, an arm angle, a bucket angle, a machine body inclination angle, a swing angular velocity, a boom rod pressure, a boom bottom pressure, an arm rod pressure, an arm bottom pressure, a bucket rod pressure, a bucket bottom pressure, a swing pressure, a traveling pressure, a boom stroke amount, an arm stroke amount, a bucket stroke amount, a discharge pressure of the main pump 14, an operating pressure of the operating device 26, information related to an object existing in the three-dimensional space around the excavator 100, information related to the relative relationship between the orientation of the upper swing body 3 and the orientation of the lower traveling body 1, information input to the controller 30, and information related to the current position. At least one of the boom rod pressure, the boom bottom pressure, the arm rod pressure, the arm bottom pressure, the bucket rod pressure, and the bucket bottom pressure is also referred to as a cylinder pressure.

[0070] The control unit 30b is configured to be able to determine whether or not a specific task or a specific operation is being performed based on information relating to the work content of the shovel 100.

[0071] For example, the control unit 30b can determine whether or not excavation is being performed based on the posture of the excavation attachment AT and the pressure of the hydraulic oil in the boom cylinder 7. Specifically, the control unit 30b can determine whether or not excavation is being performed based on the posture of the excavation attachment AT and the boom bottom pressure derived from the boom angle and arm angle.

[0072] Furthermore, the control unit 30b can determine whether or not the boom-raising operation is being performed based on the output of the operating pressure sensor 29RA. Specifically, the control unit 30b can determine whether or not the boom-raising operation is being performed based on the pilot pressure (hereinafter referred to as "boom-raising pilot pressure") acting on the pilot port of the directional control valve 175 when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom-raising direction.

[0073] Furthermore, the control unit 30b can determine whether or not the boom lowering operation is being performed based on the output of the operating pressure sensor 29RA. Specifically, the control unit 30b can determine whether or not the boom lowering operation is being performed based on the pilot pressure (hereinafter referred to as "boom lowering pilot pressure") acting on the pilot port of the directional control valve 175 when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom lowering direction.

[0074] Moreover, the control unit 30b is configured to be able to control the movement of the shovel 100 based on information relating to the work content of the shovel 100. In this embodiment, the control unit 30b is configured to, when it is expected that the excavation attachment AT will perform a low-load operation, reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 before the low-load operation starts.

[0075] This is because if the engine 11 speed used to perform low-load operation of the excavation attachment AT were the same as the engine 11 speed used to perform high-load operation of the excavation attachment AT, more fuel would be consumed than necessary. Therefore, the control unit 30b is configured to reduce the engine 11 speed before the low-load operation is started in order to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption.

[0076] The low-load operation of the excavation attachment AT is, for example, a boom lowering and swinging operation, a boom lowering operation alone, or an operation in the soil discharge process. The boom lowering and swinging operation is typically a composite operation of a combination of a boom lowering operation and a swinging operation. However, the boom lowering and swinging operation may be a composite operation of a combination of a boom lowering operation, a swinging operation, and a bucket opening operation. The operation in the soil discharge process is typically a composite operation of a combination of a boom lowering operation in the air, an arm opening operation, and a bucket opening operation. However, the operation in the soil discharge process may be a composite operation of a combination of an arm opening operation and a bucket opening operation, or may be a bucket closing operation alone. The high-load operation of the excavation attachment AT is, for example, a boom raising and swinging operation, a boom raising operation alone, or an arm closing operation in the excavation process. The boom raising and swinging operation is a composite operation of a combination of a boom raising operation and a swinging operation.

[0077] "Before the low-load operation is started" is, for example, before the boom-lowering rotation operation is started. In this case, "before the boom-lowering rotation operation is started" is preferably before the right operating lever 26R is tilted in the boom-lowering direction. This is because the earlier the rotation speed of the engine 11 is reduced, the more the amount of fuel that is wasted when the low-load operation is actually being performed can be reduced.

[0078] For example, "before the boom lowering rotation operation is started" may be when the boom raising operation is about to end. That is, the control unit 30b may be configured to determine that the boom lowering rotation operation is expected to be performed while the boom raising operation is being performed, in other words, before the boom raising operation is finished, and to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11.

[0079] However, "before the boom-lowering rotation operation is started" may be when the right operating lever 26R is tilted in the boom-lowering direction, or it may be before the boom cylinder 7 actually retracts after the right operating lever 26R is tilted in the boom-lowering direction.

[0080] Alternatively, "before the boom lowering rotation operation is started" may be when it is detected that the lever tilt has switched from an operation toward the maximum tilt angle to an operation toward the neutral direction. Alternatively, "before the boom lowering rotation operation is started" may be when it is detected that the lever tilt has switched from an operation toward the maximum tilt angle to an operation toward the neutral direction when the lever is tilted by about 80%. Note that the lever tilt at the maximum tilt angle is defined as 100%, and the lever tilt at the neutral position is defined as 0%.

[0081] Here, referring to FIG. 3, an example of a process (hereinafter, referred to as "rotation speed reduction process") in which the control unit 30b of the controller 30 reduces the rotation speed of the engine 11 before the low-load operation is started will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example of the rotation speed reduction process in an excavation and loading operation. The excavation and loading operation is divided into an excavation process, a boom raising and swinging process, a soil discharge process, and a boom lowering and swinging process. The low-load operation is an operation in the soil discharge process. The excavation process is composed of at least one of a boom raising operation, an arm closing operation, and a bucket closing operation. The soil discharge process is composed of at least one of a boom lowering operation, an arm opening operation, and a bucket opening operation. The control unit 30b repeatedly executes this rotation speed reduction process at a predetermined control period until the rotation speed of the engine 11 is actually reduced. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 30b is configured to execute the rotation speed reduction process when the ECO mode is ON, and not execute the rotation speed reduction process when the ECO mode is OFF. However, the control unit 30b may be configured to execute the rotation speed reduction process regardless of whether the ECO mode is on or off.

[0082] First, the control unit 30b determines whether or not the excavation process has started (step ST1). In the example shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 30b determines whether or not the excavation process has started by determining whether or not excavation has been performed within a predetermined period of the past (e.g., one second) including the present time based on information related to the work content of the shovel 100 acquired by the information acquisition unit 30a. Specifically, the control unit 30b determines whether or not excavation has been performed within a predetermined period of time based on the attitude of the excavation attachment AT derived from the boom angle and arm angle acquired within the predetermined period of time and the boom bottom pressure acquired within the predetermined period of time. Note that the attitude of the excavation attachment AT may be derived from the boom angle, arm angle, and bucket angle.

[0083] Alternatively, the control unit 30b may determine whether excavation has been performed based on the arm rod pressure, the arm bottom pressure, the arm pilot pressure, and the bucket pilot pressure. The arm pilot pressure is a pilot pressure acting on a pilot port of the directional control valve 175. The bucket pilot pressure is a pilot pressure acting on a pilot port of the directional control valve 174.

[0084] Alternatively, the control unit 30b may determine whether excavation has been performed based on the bucket closing pilot pressure, the boom raising pilot pressure, and the discharge pressure of the main pump 14, or based on the bucket closing pilot pressure, the arm closing pilot pressure, and the discharge pressure of the main pump 14. The bucket closing pilot pressure is a pilot pressure that acts on the pilot port of the directional control valve 174 when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the bucket closing direction. The arm closing pilot pressure is a pilot pressure that acts on the pilot port of the directional control valve 175 when the left operating lever 26L is operated in the arm closing direction.

[0085] When it is determined that the excavation process has not started (NO in step ST1), the control unit 30b determines that there has been no excavation process and ends the current rotation speed reduction process. This is because the execution of low-load operation is not expected. Specifically, the control unit 30b determines that since there is no soil or sand in the bucket 6, the operation of the earth removal process, which is a low-load operation, will not be performed.

[0086] When it is determined that the excavation process has started (YES in step ST1), the control unit 30b determines whether or not the excavation process has ended (step ST2). In the example shown in Fig. 3, the control unit 30b determines whether or not the excavation process has ended based on at least one of the operating pressure and the cylinder pressure acquired by the information acquisition unit 30a.

[0087] When it is determined that the excavation process is not completed (NO in step ST2), the control unit 30b ends the current rotation speed reduction process. This is because the execution of low-load operation is not expected. Specifically, the control unit 30b can determine that the operation of the earth removal process, which is a low-load operation, will not be performed because the excavation process is not completed.

[0088] When it is determined that the excavation process has ended (YES in step ST2), the control unit 30b determines that the excavation process has ended, and determines whether or not the boom raising and rotating process has started. Specifically, the control unit 30b determines whether or not the boom raising and rotating process has started (step ST3). In the example shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 30b determines whether or not the boom is being raised based on the boom raising pilot pressure acquired by the information acquisition unit 30a, thereby determining whether or not the boom is being raised and rotating process has started. Specifically, the control unit 30b determines that the boom is being raised (boom raising operation) when the boom raising pilot pressure exceeds a first predetermined pressure (e.g., 2.0 MPa).

[0089] When it is determined that the boom raising and swinging process has not started (NO in step ST3), the control unit 30b ends the current rotation speed reduction process. This is because the execution of a low-load operation is not expected. Specifically, since the boom is not being raised, the control unit 30b can determine that the low-load operation of the boom lowering alone operation or the boom lowering and swinging operation will not be performed.

[0090] When it is determined that the boom raising and rotation process has started (YES in step ST3), the control unit 30b determines that the boom raising and rotation process has started, and determines whether the boom raising and rotation process is about to end (step ST4). Note that in the example shown in Fig. 3, once the control unit 30b determines that the boom is being raised, it is configured to omit the determinations in steps ST1, ST2, and ST3 and execute the determination in step ST4 when repeating the execution of the rotation speed reduction process.

[0091] Specifically, the control unit 30b determines whether the boom raising and swing process is about to end by determining whether the boom raising is about to end based on the boom raising pilot pressure acquired by the information acquisition unit 30a. More specifically, the control unit 30b determines that the boom raising is about to end when the boom raising pilot pressure, which was above the first predetermined pressure, falls below a second predetermined pressure (e.g., 1.5 MPa). The second predetermined pressure is typically a pressure lower than the first predetermined pressure. However, the second predetermined pressure may be equal to or higher than the first predetermined pressure.

[0092] The control unit 30b may determine that boom raising is about to end when the boom raising pilot pressure, which has exceeded the first predetermined pressure, continues to be below the second predetermined pressure for a predetermined time.

[0093] Alternatively, the control unit 30b may determine that boom raising is about to end when the boom raising pilot pressure, which has been above the first predetermined pressure, continues to decrease for a predetermined time.

[0094] When it is determined that the boom raising and rotation process is not yet complete (NO in step ST4), the control unit 30b ends the current rotation speed reduction process because the control unit 30b can determine that the low-load operation will not be performed immediately because the boom raising is still in progress.

[0095] When it is determined that the boom raising and swinging process is about to end (YES in step ST4), it is determined that the low-load operation (earth discharge process) has not yet started, and the control unit 30b reduces the rotation speed of the engine 11 (step ST5). This is because the control unit 30b can determine that there is a high probability that the low-load operation, boom lowering alone or boom lowering and swinging, will be performed within the following predetermined time.

[0096] Specifically, the control unit 30b reduces the target rotation speed of the engine 11 to reduce the actual rotation speed of the engine 11. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 30b adopts a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value (predetermined reduction range) from the value of the current target rotation speed (hereinafter referred to as the "first target rotation speed") as the value of a new target rotation speed (hereinafter referred to as the "second target rotation speed"). In the example shown in FIG. 3, the predetermined reduction range is a value previously set for each level of the first target rotation speed. In this case, for example, the value of the second target rotation speed set when the first level is selected as the first target rotation speed is different from the value of the second target rotation speed set when the second level is selected as the first target rotation speed. However, the control unit 30b may adopt a previously set value as the value of the second target rotation speed regardless of the first target rotation speed. In this case, for example, the value of the second target rotation speed set when the first level is selected as the first target rotation speed may be the same as the value of the second target rotation speed set when the second level is selected as the first target rotation speed. The same applies to the relationships between the first level and levels other than the second level.

[0097] Next, referring to FIG. 4, the time transitions of the target rotation speed N of the engine 11, the boom raising pilot pressure Pu, and the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd when the rotation speed reduction process shown in FIG. 3 is executed will be described. FIG. 4 shows the time transitions of the target rotation speed N, the boom raising pilot pressure Pu, and the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd. Specifically, FIG. 4(A) shows the time transition of the target rotation speed N, FIG. 4(B) shows the time transition of the boom raising pilot pressure Pu, and FIG. 4(C) shows the time transition of the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the target rotation speed is maintained at the value N0 in the idling state until time ts. Also, the operator of the excavator 100 ends the excavation process at time t0, and then performs the boom raising operation, the right turning operation, and the boom lowering operation in order to perform the soil discharge process. However, the following description can be similarly applied to the case where the right turning operation and the boom lowering operation are performed simultaneously, that is, the boom lowering turning operation is performed.

[0098] Specifically, in the example shown in Fig. 4, the operator of the excavator 100 starts operating the right operating lever 26R in the boom-raising direction at time t1. At this time, the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 is set to a first target rotation speed value N1, as shown in Fig. 4(A). In addition, the boom-raising pilot pressure Pu is set to a value Pu0 which indicates that the right operating lever 26R is in the neutral position, as shown in Fig. 4(B).

[0099] Thereafter, when boom-raising pilot pressure Pu exceeds value Pu1 at time t2, control section 30b of controller 30 determines that boom-raising is being performed. Value Pu1 is a threshold value used in the determination of step ST3 in Fig. 3. Value Pu1 may be, for example, the value of boom-raising pilot pressure Pu when right operating lever 26R is tilted about 80% in the boom-raising direction.

[0100] Thereafter, at time t3, the operator of the excavator 100 starts to return the right operating lever 26R, which has been operated in the boom-raising direction, to the neutral position. At this time, the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 is set to a value N1 as shown in FIG. 4(A). The value N1 may be, for example, the value of the rated engine rotation speed. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 4, when the boom is raised, the rotation speed of the engine 11 may be controlled to be the rated engine rotation speed. However, the rotation speed of the engine 11 may be controlled to be a rotation speed higher than the rated engine rotation speed when the boom is raised. In addition, the boom-raising pilot pressure Pu is set to a value Pu2, which indicates that the right operating lever 26R is in a state of being tilted to the maximum in the boom-raising direction as shown in FIG. 4(B).

[0101] Thereafter, when boom raising pilot pressure Pu falls below value Pu3 at time t4, control section 30b of controller 30 determines that boom raising is about to end. Value Pu3 is a threshold value used in the determination of step ST4 in FIG.

[0102] When the control unit 30b determines that boom raising is about to end, it reduces the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 from the current value (first target rotation speed) N1 to a value N2 that is preset as the second target rotation speed. Therefore, the target rotation speed N is changed from the value N1 to the value N2 at time t4, as shown in FIG. 4(A).

[0103] Thereafter, at time t5, the operator of the excavator 100 returns the right operating lever 26R, which had been operated in the boom-up direction, to the neutral position. Thereafter, at time t6, the operator starts operating the right operating lever 26R in the boom-down direction. In the example shown in FIG. 4, when the control unit 30b determines that the boom-down operation has started, the control unit 30b maintains the state in which the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 has been lowered to the value N2. Therefore, the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 is maintained at the value N2 as shown in FIG. 4(A). In addition, the boom-down pilot pressure Pd is set to a value Pd0, which indicates that the right operating lever 26R is in the neutral position as shown in FIG. 4(C).

[0104] Thereafter, the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd reaches a value Pd1 at time t7 as shown in Figure 4(C) . The value Pd1 represents a state in which the right operating lever 26R is tilted to the maximum in the boom lowering direction.

[0105] Thereafter, at time t8, the operator of the excavator 100 starts to return the right operating lever 26R, which had been operated in the boom lowering direction, to the neutral position. Thereafter, the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd reaches a value Pd0 at time t9, as shown in Fig. 4(C). The target rotation speed N of the engine 11 is maintained at a value N2 throughout the period from time t6 to time t9, that is, throughout the entire period during which the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom lowering direction, as shown in Fig. 4(A).

[0106] In this way, the control unit 30b of the controller 30 can reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 when the boom lowering alone operation, which is a low-load operation, is performed. Therefore, the control unit 30b can suppress unnecessary consumption of energy (fuel).

[0107] Furthermore, control unit 30b can reduce the rotation speed of engine 11 before the boom lowering alone operation is started. Therefore, control unit 30b can reduce the rotation speed of engine 11 for a period longer than the period during which the boom lowering alone operation is actually performed. As a result, control unit 30b can further reduce unnecessary fuel consumption compared to the case in which control unit 30b reduces the rotation speed of engine 11 after the boom lowering alone operation is started.

[0108] In the example shown in Fig. 4, when the operation of the right operating lever 26R in the boom-raising direction is started at a later time t10, the control unit 30b returns (increases) the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 from the current value N2 to the original target rotation speed value N1. Therefore, the target rotation speed N is changed from the value N2 to the value N1 at the time t10, as shown in Fig. 4(A). In addition, the control unit 30b may return (increase) the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 from the current value N2 to the original target rotation speed value N1 when a combined operation such as a boom-raising swing operation is started.

[0109] Alternatively, when the control unit 30b determines that the boom lowering operation has ended, that is, at time t9, the control unit 30b may return (increase) the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 from the current value N2 to the original target rotation speed value N1.

[0110] Furthermore, the control unit 30b may return (increase) the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 from the current value N2 to the original target rotation speed value N1 in a stepwise manner.

[0111] Next, with reference to Fig. 5, another example of the rotation speed reduction process will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of another example of the rotation speed reduction process. The control unit 30b repeatedly executes this rotation speed reduction process at a predetermined control period until the rotation speed of the engine 11 is actually reduced. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the control unit 30b is configured to execute the rotation speed reduction process when the ECO mode is ON, and not to execute the rotation speed reduction process when the ECO mode is OFF. However, the control unit 30b may be configured to execute the rotation speed reduction process regardless of whether the ECO mode is ON or OFF.

[0112] Steps ST1 to ST5 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 5 are the same as steps ST1 to ST5 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, in the following, explanations regarding steps ST1 to ST5 will be omitted, and the subsequent steps ST6 and ST7 will be explained in detail.

[0113] After the rotation speed of the engine 11 is reduced in step ST5, the control unit 30b of the controller 30 judges whether or not the earth discharge process has started (step ST6). In the example shown in Fig. 5, the control unit 30b judges whether or not the earth discharge process has started by judging whether or not the boom lowering has started based on the boom lowering pilot pressure acquired by the information acquisition unit 30a. Specifically, the control unit 30b judges that the boom lowering (boom lowering operation) has started when the boom lowering pilot pressure exceeds the third predetermined pressure.

[0114] When it is determined that the earth unloading process has not started (NO in step ST6), the control unit 30b ends the current rotation speed reduction process. This is because the control unit 30b can determine that there is a possibility that a low-load operation will not be performed. Specifically, this is because the control unit 30b can determine that there is a possibility that a boom lowering alone operation or a boom lowering swing operation, which are low-load operations, will not be performed.

[0115] When it is determined that the earth unloading process has started (YES in step ST6), the control unit 30b reduces the rotation speed of the engine 11 (step ST7). This is because the control unit 30b can determine that the boom lowering alone operation or the boom lowering and swinging operation, which is a low-load operation, has actually been performed.

[0116] Specifically, the control unit 30b further reduces the target rotation speed of the engine 11, thereby further reducing the actual rotation speed of the engine 11. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 30b adopts a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value (second reduction range) from the value of the second target rotation speed as a new target rotation speed (hereinafter referred to as "third target rotation speed"). The value of the second target rotation speed is a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value (first reduction range) from the value of the first target rotation speed. Therefore, the third target rotation speed is also a value that depends on the value of the first target rotation speed. In the example shown in FIG. 5, both the first reduction and the second reduction range are values ​​that are preset for each level of the first target rotation speed. However, the control unit 30b may adopt a preset value as the value of the third target rotation speed, regardless of the first target rotation speed.

[0117] Next, referring to FIG. 6, the time transitions of the target rotation speed N of the engine 11, the boom raising pilot pressure Pu, and the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd when the rotation speed reduction process shown in FIG. 5 is executed will be described. FIG. 6 shows the time transitions of the target rotation speed N, the boom raising pilot pressure Pu, and the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd. Specifically, FIG. 6(A) shows the time transition of the target rotation speed N, FIG. 6(B) shows the time transition of the boom raising pilot pressure Pu, and FIG. 6(C) shows the time transition of the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd. Note that the time transition of the target rotation speed N shown in FIG. 6(A) is the same as the time transition of the target rotation speed N shown in FIG. 4(A) until time t6a. In addition, the time transition of the boom raising pilot pressure Pu shown in FIG. 6(B) is the same as the time transition of the boom raising pilot pressure Pu shown in FIG. 4(B), and the time transition of the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd shown in FIG. 6(C) is the same as the time transition of the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd shown in FIG. 4(C). Therefore, in the following, the transition over time of the target rotation speed N after time t6a will be described in detail.

[0118] 4, the operator of the shovel 100 ends the excavation process at time t0, and then performs the boom raising operation, right rotating operation, and boom lowering operation in that order to perform the soil discharge process. However, the following description can be similarly applied to the case where the right rotating operation and the boom lowering operation are performed simultaneously, i.e., the case where a boom lowering rotation operation is performed.

[0119] At time t6, the operator starts operating the right operating lever 26R in the boom lowering direction. At this time, the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 is set to a value N2, as shown in Fig. 6(A). In addition, the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd is set to a value Pd0, which indicates that the right operating lever 26R is in the neutral position, as shown in Fig. 6(C).

[0120] Thereafter, the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd reaches a value Pdt at time t6a as shown in FIG 6(C) The value Pdt is a threshold value used in the determination of step ST6 in FIG 5.

[0121] When the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd exceeds the value Pdt at time t6a, the control unit 30b of the controller 30 determines that boom lowering has started. Then, when the control unit 30b determines that boom lowering has started, it reduces the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 from the current value N2 to a value N3 that is preset as a third target rotation speed value. Therefore, the target rotation speed N is changed from the value N2 to the value N3 at time t6a, as shown in FIG. 6(A).

[0122] Thereafter, the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd reaches a value Pd1 at time t7 as shown in Figure 6(C) . The value Pd1 is a value that indicates that the right operating lever 26R is in a state where it is tilted to the maximum in the boom lowering direction.

[0123] Thereafter, at time t8, the operator of the excavator 100 starts to return the right operating lever 26R, which had been operated in the boom lowering direction, to the neutral position. Thereafter, the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd reaches a value Pd0 at time t9, as shown in Fig. 6(C). The target rotation speed N of the engine 11 is maintained at a value N3 throughout the period from time t7 to time t9, that is, throughout almost the entire period during which the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom lowering direction, as shown in Fig. 6(A).

[0124] In this way, the control unit 30b of the controller 30 can further reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 when the boom lowering alone operation, which is a low-load operation, is performed, compared to the case of Fig. 4. Therefore, the control unit 30b can further reduce wasteful consumption of energy (fuel).

[0125] Moreover, the control unit 30b can reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 before the boom lowering alone operation is started, and can further reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 after the boom lowering alone operation is started. Therefore, the control unit 30b can reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 for a period longer than the period during which the boom lowering alone operation is actually performed. In addition, the control unit 30b can further reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 for almost the entire period during which the boom lowering alone operation is actually performed. As a result, the control unit 30b can further reduce wasteful energy (fuel) consumption compared to a case in which the control unit 30b reduces the rotation speed of the engine 11 after the boom lowering alone operation is started. Moreover, the control unit 30b can further reduce wasteful energy (fuel) consumption compared to a case in which the control unit 30b reduces the rotation speed of the engine 11 before the boom lowering alone operation is started and maintains the rotation speed until the boom lowering alone operation is completed.

[0126] In addition, the control unit 30b can prevent the rotation speed of the engine 11 from being excessively reduced when a high-load operation is performed instead of the expected low-load operation. This is because the control unit 30b can reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 in stages. For example, assume that at time t4, the target rotation speed of the engine 11 is reduced to the third target rotation speed value N3 instead of the second target rotation speed value N2, and then at time t6, a boom raising operation as a high-load operation is started instead of a boom lowering operation as a low-load operation. In this case, the control unit 30b attempts to restore the rotation speed of the engine 11 to its original value in order to increase the output power of the engine 11 so that the boom raising operation is performed smoothly at the time the boom raising operation is started. However, since the actual rotation speed of the engine 11 does not increase suddenly, the control unit 30b may not be able to raise the boom 4 smoothly. In contrast, when the target rotation speed value of the engine 11 is set to the second target rotation speed value N2 at time t4, the control unit 30b can restore the rotation speed of the engine 11 relatively quickly even if a boom raising operation is started thereafter, and the boom 4 can be raised smoothly.

[0127] In the example shown in Fig. 6, when the right operating lever 26R is returned to the neutral position at time t9, the control unit 30b increases the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 from the current value N3 to the original target rotation speed value N1. Therefore, the target rotation speed N is changed from the value N3 to the value N1 at time t9, as shown in Fig. 6(A).

[0128] Alternatively, the control unit 30b may return (increase) the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 from the current value N3 to the original target rotation speed value N1 when operation of the right operating lever 26R in the boom-raising direction is started at time t10.

[0129] Furthermore, the control unit 30b may return (increase) the target rotation speed N of the engine 11 from the current value N3 to the original target rotation speed value N1 in a stepwise manner.

[0130] As described above, the excavator 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention has the lower traveling body 1, the upper rotating body 3 rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body 1, an attachment (digging attachment AT) attached to the upper rotating body 3, and the engine 11 mounted on the upper rotating body 3. The excavator 100 is configured to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 before low-load operation of the excavation attachment AT is started.

[0131] "Before the low-load operation of the excavation attachment AT is started" may be, for example, before time t10, which is the time when the boom lowering only operation is started in Figures 4 and 6. In this case, "before the low-load operation of the excavation attachment AT is started" may include the period after the boom raising pilot pressure Pu reaches value Pu0 at time t5 and until the boom lowering pilot pressure Pd becomes higher than value Pd0 at time t6.

[0132] For example, the shovel 100 transitions to a state in which the rotation speed of the engine 11 is reduced when the operation of the control lever and the operating state of the shovel 100 satisfy predetermined conditions. The operating state of the shovel 100 includes, for example, a state in which the ECO mode is ON and a state in which the ECO mode is OFF. Then, the shovel 100 transitions to a state in which the rotation speed of the engine 11 is reduced before a boom lowering operation is performed. Also, the shovel 100 determines to what extent the rotation speed of the engine 11 is to be reduced according to the level of the selected target rotation speed.

[0133] Moreover, the reduced rotation speed of the engine 11 is desirably smaller than the rotation speed of the engine 11 during the excavation process (from the start of excavation to the end of excavation). For example, in the example shown in Fig. 4, the reduced rotation speed of the engine 11, i.e., the rotation speed when the target rotation speed N is set to a value N2, is smaller than the rotation speed of the engine 11 during the excavation process, i.e., the rotation speed when the target rotation speed N is set to a value N1. Note that both the values ​​N1 and N2 are values ​​that change according to the level selected by the dial 75.

[0134] Furthermore, the timing to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 may be determined independently of the discharge pressure of the main pump 14. For example, as shown in FIG 5, the timing to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 may be determined based on the operation of the right operating lever 26R independently of the discharge pressure of the main pump 14.

[0135] With this configuration, the excavator 100 can reduce the energy wasted when low-load operation is performed. This is because the engine 11 can achieve a rotation speed suitable for low-load operation, and the amount of fuel wasted by the engine 11 can be reduced. In other words, if low-load operation is performed while maintaining the engine 11 rotation speed suitable for high-load operation, fuel will be wasted.

[0136] The low-load operation is, for example, a boom-lowering swing operation or a boom-lowering only operation. Each of the boom-lowering swing operation and the boom-lowering only operation may involve at least one of an arm opening operation and a bucket opening operation.

[0137] The excavator 100 is preferably configured to determine the timing to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 based on the operation of the control lever. For example, the control unit 30b of the controller 30 may determine that the timing to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 is the point in time when an operation corresponding to a predetermined operation of the excavation attachment AT is performed using a predetermined control lever before an operation corresponding to a low-load operation of the excavation attachment AT is performed.

[0138] For example, the control unit 30b of the controller 30 may be configured to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 when the operation lever that has been tilted in a predetermined direction is returned toward the neutral position. Specifically, the control unit 30b may determine that the right operation lever 26R that has been operated in the boom-up direction has been returned toward the neutral position (see time t4 in FIG. 4) as the timing for starting to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11. This time is a time point prior to the time point at which the right operation lever 26R is operated in the boom-down direction (see time t6 in FIG. 4).

[0139] With this configuration, the control unit 30b of the controller 30 can reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 before the low-load operation of the excavation attachment AT is started. Therefore, the control unit 30b can extend the period during which the state in which the rotation speed of the engine 11 is reduced is maintained, compared to the case in which the rotation speed of the engine 11 is reduced when the low-load operation of the excavation attachment AT is started. In other words, the control unit 30b can extend the period during which unnecessary fuel consumption is suppressed.

[0140] The control unit 30b may be configured to further reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 when the operation of the control lever for realizing low-load operation is started.

[0141] The control unit 30b may be configured to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 after excavation and boom raising are performed. This is to prevent the engine 11 from being reduced in rotation speed despite the low probability of boom lowering and swinging or boom lowering alone, which are low-load operations. For example, the control unit 30b may be configured to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 only when it is determined that boom raising is being performed within a predetermined period after excavation, and when it is determined that boom raising is likely to end thereafter. This is because the control unit 30b can determine that if boom raising is being performed within a predetermined period after excavation, there is a high probability that boom lowering and swinging or boom lowering alone will be performed thereafter. In other words, this is because the control unit 30b can determine that soil or the like is in the bucket 6, and can determine that an operation to remove the soil will follow thereafter, when boom raising is being performed within a predetermined period after excavation.

[0142] With this configuration, the control unit 30b can prevent the rotation speed of the engine 11 from being unnecessarily reduced when the probability that the low-load operation will be performed is low.

[0143] The control unit 30b of the controller 30 is configured to reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 before the low-load operation of the attachment is started, and the amount by which the rotation speed of the engine 11 is reduced may be set for each target rotation speed. In this case, the amount by which the rotation speed of the engine 11 is reduced may be variably stored in, for example, an NVRAM or the like.

[0144] For example, the reduction range of the rotation speed of the engine 11 may be set to be different for each target rotation speed. For example, the reduction range of the rotation speed of the engine 11 may be set to be smaller when the first level is selected as the target rotation speed than when the ninth level is selected as the target rotation speed. This is because, when the first level is selected, the operator of the shovel 100 selects the first level in order to prioritize operability of the shovel 100 over energy saving. This is because the greater the reduction range of the rotation speed of the engine 11, the greater the impact on the operability of the shovel 100. This is because, when the ninth level is selected, the operator of the shovel 100 selects the ninth level in order to prioritize energy saving over operability of the shovel 100. This is because, the greater the reduction range of the rotation speed of the engine 11, the greater the degree to which wasted fuel can be suppressed.

[0145] Alternatively, the reduction range of the rotation speed of the engine 11 may be set to be different for each work mode. For example, the reduction range of the rotation speed of the engine 11 may be set to be smaller when the normal mode is selected as the work mode of the shovel 100 than when the ECO mode is selected as the work mode of the shovel 100.

[0146] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications, substitutions, etc. may be applied to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, features described separately may be combined unless technical contradictions arise.

[0147] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the excavator 100 is equipped with a hydraulic operation system, but an electric operation system may be installed instead of the hydraulic operation system. FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of an electric operation system. Specifically, the electric operation system in FIG. 7 is an example of a boom operation system, and is mainly composed of a pilot pressure operated control valve unit 17, a right operation lever 26R as an electric operation lever, a controller 30, a solenoid valve 65 for boom raising operation, and a solenoid valve 66 for boom lowering operation. The electric operation system in FIG. 7 can be similarly applied to a swing operation system, an arm operation system, a bucket operation system, a traveling operation system, and the like.

[0148] 2, the pilot pressure operated control valve unit 17 includes a directional control valve 171 for the left traveling hydraulic motor 2ML, a directional control valve 172 for the right traveling hydraulic motor 2MR, a directional control valve 173 for the swing hydraulic motor 2A, a directional control valve 174 for the bucket cylinder 9, a directional control valve 175 for the boom cylinder 7, and a directional control valve 176 for the arm cylinder 8. The solenoid valve 65 is configured to be able to adjust the flow path area of ​​the pipe connecting the pilot pump 15 and the boom-raising pilot port of the directional control valve 175. The solenoid valve 66 is configured to be able to adjust the flow path area of ​​the pipe connecting the pilot pump 15 and the boom-lowering pilot port of the directional control valve 175.

[0149] When manual operation is performed, the controller 30 generates a boom-raising operation signal (electrical signal) or a boom-lowering operation signal (electrical signal) in response to an operation signal (electrical signal) output by an operation signal generating section of the right operation lever 26R. The operation signal output by the operation signal generating section of the right operation lever 26R is an electric signal that changes in response to the operation direction and operation amount of the right operation lever 26R.

[0150] Specifically, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom-up direction, the controller 30 outputs a boom-raising operation signal (electrical signal) corresponding to the lever operation amount to the solenoid valve 65. The solenoid valve 65 adjusts the flow path area according to the boom-raising operation signal (electrical signal) and controls the pilot pressure acting on the boom-up side pilot port of the directional control valve 175 as a boom-raising operation signal (pressure signal). Similarly, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom-lowering direction, the controller 30 outputs a boom-lowering operation signal (electrical signal) corresponding to the lever operation amount to the solenoid valve 66. The solenoid valve 66 adjusts the flow path area according to the boom-lowering operation signal (electrical signal) and controls the pilot pressure acting on the boom-lowering side pilot port of the directional control valve 175 as a boom-lowering operation signal (pressure signal).

[0151] When the autonomous control function is executed, the controller 30 generates a boom-raising operation signal (electrical signal) or a boom-lowering operation signal (electrical signal) in response to an autonomous control signal (electrical signal), instead of in response to an operation signal (electrical signal) output by the operation signal generating unit of the right operation lever 26R. The autonomous control function is a function for autonomously operating the excavator 100, and includes, for example, a function for autonomously operating the hydraulic actuator regardless of the content of the operation of the operation device 26 by the operator. The autonomous control signal may be an electric signal generated by the controller 30, or may be an electric signal generated by an external control device other than the controller 30. When the autonomous control function is executed, the control unit 30b does not need to predict whether or not the low-load operation will be performed in order to determine the timing of reducing the rotation speed when reducing the rotation speed of the engine 11 before the low-load operation of the excavation attachment AT is started. This is because the control unit 30b can know in advance when the low-load operation will be started. Therefore, the control unit 30b can reduce the rotation speed of the engine 11 at a desired timing before the low-load operation is started.

[0152] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 30b is typically configured to execute the rotation speed reduction process when the ECO mode is ON, and not execute the rotation speed reduction process when the ECO mode is OFF. The ECO mode is defined as one of the work modes of the excavator 100. However, the ECO mode may be a plurality of selectable ECO modes such as a first ECO mode and a second ECO mode. In this case, the rotation speed reduction process of FIG. 3 may be executed, for example, only when the first ECO mode is ON. Furthermore, the rotation speed reduction process of FIG. 5 may be executed, for example, only when the second ECO mode is ON.

[0153] Furthermore, the reduction in the rotation speed of the engine 11 by the rotation speed reduction process is typically achieved before the start of the soil discharge process when a loading operation is being performed to load soil into the dump truck. However, the reduction in the rotation speed of the engine 11 by the rotation speed reduction process is not limited to when a loading operation is being performed, but may also be achieved when other operations are being performed.

[0154] In the above-described embodiment, a hydraulic operation system is employed, and the controller 30 is configured to detect the operation of the operation device 26 by the operator based on the output of the operation pressure sensor 29. However, when an electric operation system as shown in FIG. 7 is employed, the controller 30 may be configured to detect the operation of the operation device 26 by the operator based on the operation signal generated by the operation signal generating unit or an autonomous control signal. In this case, the transition of the boom-raising pilot pressure Pu in each of FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 is replaced with, for example, the transition of an operation signal related to boom-raising. The operation signal is, for example, a digital value such as a current value supplied to the solenoid valve 65 or a value of a tilt angle indicating the tilt of the right operation lever 26R. The same applies to the boom-lowering pilot pressure Pd.

[0155] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the shovel 100 is configured to be operated by an operator seated in the driver's seat inside the cabin 10. However, the shovel 100 may be a remote-controlled shovel. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a construction system SYS including the shovel 100 as a remote-controlled shovel. As shown in FIG. 8, the construction system SYS includes the shovel 100, a management device 200, and a support device 300. The construction system SYS is configured to support construction by one or more shovels 100.

[0156] The information acquired by the shovel 100 may be shared with an administrator, operators of other shovels, etc. through the construction system SYS. Each of the shovel 100, management device 200, and support device 300 constituting the construction system SYS may be one or more. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the construction system SYS includes one shovel 100, one management device 200, and one support device 300.

[0157] The management device 200 is typically a fixed terminal device, for example, a server computer (so-called cloud server) installed in a management center outside the construction site. The management device 200 may also be, for example, an edge server set up at the construction site. The management device 200 may also be a portable terminal device (for example, a laptop computer terminal, a tablet terminal, or a mobile terminal such as a smartphone).

[0158] The support device 300 is typically a mobile terminal device, such as a laptop computer terminal, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone carried by a worker or the like at a construction site. The support device 300 may be a mobile terminal carried by the operator of the shovel 100. The support device 300 may be a fixed terminal device.

[0159] At least one of the management device 200 and the support device 300 may include a monitor and an operation device for remote operation. In this case, an operator using the management device 200 or the support device 300 may operate the shovel 100 while using the operation device for remote operation. The operation device for remote operation is communicatively connected to the controller 30 mounted on the shovel 100 through a wireless communication network such as a short-range wireless communication network, a mobile phone communication network, or a satellite communication network. The operation device for remote operation may be configured to be able to directly communicate with the controller 30 mounted on the shovel 100.

[0160] Furthermore, various information images (e.g., image information showing the surroundings of the shovel 100, various setting screens, etc.) displayed on the display device D1 installed in the cabin 10 may be displayed on a display device connected to at least one of the management device 200 and the support device 300. Image information showing the surroundings of the shovel 100 may be generated based on an image captured by an imaging device (e.g., a camera serving as the spatial recognition device 70). This allows an administrator using the management device 200 or a worker using the support device 300 to remotely operate the shovel 100 or perform various settings related to the shovel 100 while checking the surroundings of the shovel 100.

[0161] For example, in the construction system SYS, the controller 30 of the shovel 100 may transmit various information to at least one of the management device 200 and the support device 300. In this case, the controller 30 may transmit an image captured by the spatial recognition device 70 to at least one of the management device 200 and the support device 300. Furthermore, the controller 30 may transmit information regarding at least one of data regarding the operation content of the shovel 100, data regarding the attitude of the shovel 100, and data regarding the attitude of the excavation attachment to at least one of the management device 200 and the support device 300. In this way, the manager who uses the management device 200 or the worker who uses the support device 300 can obtain information regarding the shovel 100.

[0162] In this way, the construction system SYS makes it possible to share information about the shovel 100 with an administrator, operators of other shovels, and the like.

[0163] As shown in Fig. 8, the communication device mounted on the excavator 100 may be configured to transmit and receive information with a communication device T2 installed in a remote control room RC via wireless communication. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the communication device mounted on the excavator 100 and the communication device T2 are configured to transmit and receive information via a fifth generation mobile communication line (5G line), an LTE line, a satellite line, or the like.

[0164] The remote control room RC is provided with a remote controller 30R, a sound output device A2, an indoor imaging device C2, a display device RP, a communication device T2, etc. Also, the remote control room RC is provided with a driver's seat DS in which an operator OP who remotely operates the excavator 100 sits.

[0165] The remote controller 30R is a calculation device (electronic circuit) that executes various calculations. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the remote controller 30R is configured with a microcomputer including a CPU and a memory, similar to the controller 30. Various functions of the remote controller 30R are realized by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory.

[0166] The sound output device A2 is configured to output sound. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the sound output device A2 is a speaker and is configured to play back sound collected by a sound collection device (not shown) attached to the shovel 100.

[0167] The indoor imaging device C2 is configured to capture an image of the inside of the remote control room RC. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the indoor imaging device C2 is a camera installed inside the remote control room RC, and is configured to capture an image of an operator OP seated in the driver's seat DS.

[0168] The communication device T2 is configured to control wireless communication with a communication device attached to the shovel 100.

[0169] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the driver's seat DS has the same structure as a driver's seat installed in the cabin 10 of a normal excavator. Specifically, a left console box is disposed on the left side of the driver's seat DS, and a right console box is disposed on the right side of the driver's seat DS. A left operation lever is disposed on the front end of the upper surface of the left console box, and a right operation lever is disposed on the front end of the upper surface of the right console box. A travel lever and a travel pedal are disposed in front of the driver's seat DS. Furthermore, a dial 75 is disposed in the center of the upper surface of the right console box. The left operation lever, right operation lever, travel lever, travel pedal, and dial 75 each constitute an operating device 26A.

[0170] The operation device 26A is provided with an operation sensor 29A for detecting the operation content of the operation device 26A. The operation sensor 29A is, for example, an inclination sensor that detects the inclination angle of the operation lever, or an angle sensor that detects the swing angle of the operation lever around the swing axis. The operation sensor 29A may be composed of other sensors such as a pressure sensor, a current sensor, a voltage sensor, or a distance sensor. The operation sensor 29A outputs information on the detected operation content of the operation device 26A to the remote controller 30R. The remote controller 30R generates an operation signal based on the received information and transmits the generated operation signal to the excavator 100. The operation sensor 29A may be configured to generate an operation signal. In this case, the operation sensor 29A may output the operation signal to the communication device T2 without passing through the remote controller 30R.

[0171] The display device RP is configured to display information related to the situation around the shovel 100. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the display device RP is a multi-display made up of nine monitors in three vertical rows and three horizontal columns, and is configured to be able to display the state of the spaces in front, to the left, and to the right of the shovel 100. Each monitor is a liquid crystal monitor, an organic EL monitor, or the like. However, the display device RP may be made up of one or more curved monitors, or may be made up of a projector.

[0172] The display device RP may be a display device wearable by the operator OP. For example, the display device RP may be a head-mounted display configured to transmit and receive information to and from the remote controller 30R by wireless communication. The head-mounted display may be connected to the remote controller by wire. The head-mounted display may be a transparent head-mounted display or a non-transparent head-mounted display. The head-mounted display may be a monocular head-mounted display or a binocular head-mounted display.

[0173] The display device RP is configured to display an image that enables the operator OP in the remote control room RC to visually recognize the surroundings of the shovel 100. In other words, the display device RP displays an image so that the operator can confirm the surroundings of the shovel 100 as if he or she were in the cabin 10 of the shovel 100, despite being in the remote control room RC.

[0174] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-094927, filed on May 29, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0175] 1···Lower traveling body 1C···Crawler 1CL··Left crawler 2···Slewing mechanism 2A···Slewing hydraulic motor 2M···Travel hydraulic motor 2ML···Left traveling hydraulic motor 3···Upper rotating body 4···Boom 5··Arm 6··Bucket 7···Boom cylinder 8···Arm cylinder 9···Bucket cylinder 10··Cabin 11··Engine 13··Regulator 14··Main pump 15··Pilot pump 17···Control valve unit 18··Throttle 19··Control pressure sensor 26, 26A··Operating device 26D··Travel lever 26DL··Left travel lever 26DR··Right travel lever 26L··Left operating lever 26R··Right operating lever 28··Discharge pressure sensor 29, 29DL, 29DR, 29LA, 29LB, 29RA, 29RB...Operation pressure sensor 29A...Operation sensor 30...Controller 30a...Information acquisition unit 30b...Control unit 30R...Remote controller 40...Center bypass pipe 42...Parallel pipe 65, 66...Solenoid valve 70...Spatial recognition device 70F...Forward sensor 70B...Rear sensor 70L...Left sensor 100...Shovel 71...Direction detection device 72...Information input device 73...Positioning device 75...Dial 171~176...Directional switching valve 200...Management device 300...Support device A2...Sound output device AT...Drilling attachment C2...Indoor imaging device D1...Display device D2...Sound output device DS...Driver's seat OP...Operator RC...Remote control room RP...Display device S1...Boom angle sensor S2...Arm angle sensor S3...Bucket angle sensor S4...Machine tilt sensor S5...Slewing angular velocity sensor SYS...Construction system T2...Communication device

Claims

1. A lower running body; An upper rotating body rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body; An attachment attached to the upper rotating body; A prime mover mounted on the upper rotating body, When the vehicle is not traveling, after a boom raising operation, an arm closing operation, or an end attachment closing operation, which is an operation of an operating lever for realizing a movement of the attachment, is performed and before a low-load operation of the attachment is started, the rotation speed of the prime mover is reduced. Shovel.

2. determining the timing to reduce the rotation speed of the prime mover based on the operation of the control lever; The shovel according to claim 1.

3. reducing the rotation speed of the prime mover when the operation lever, which has been tilted in a predetermined direction, is returned toward a neutral position; The shovel according to claim 2.

4. further reducing the rotation speed of the prime mover when the operation of the control lever for realizing the low load operation is started; The shovel according to claim 2.

5. After digging and boom raising are performed, the rotation speed of the prime mover is reduced. The shovel according to claim 1.

6. The reduction range of the rotation speed of the prime mover is set for each target rotation speed. The shovel according to claim 1.

7. The reduction range of the rotation speed of the prime mover is set for each level of the target rotation speed. The shovel according to claim 1.

8. The reduction in the rotation speed of the prime mover is set for each work mode. The shovel according to claim 1.

9. reducing the rotational speed of the prime mover after the high-load operation of the attachment is performed and before the low-load operation of the attachment is started; The shovel according to claim 1.

10. reducing the rotation speed of the prime mover to a value lower than the rotation speed of the prime mover before the high-load operation of the attachment is started; The shovel according to claim 1.

11. Reducing the rotation speed of the prime mover below a manually set target rotation speed; The shovel according to claim 1.

12. The larger the manually set target rotation speed, the larger the reduction in the rotation speed of the prime mover. The shovel according to claim 1.

13. After the low-load operation of the attachment is performed, the rotation speed of the prime mover is restored. The shovel according to claim 1.

14. The shovel is a remote-controlled shovel. The shovel according to claim 1.

15. When the vehicle is not running, the rotational speed of the prime mover is increased to a predetermined value higher than the value when the vehicle is idling, before a low-load operation of the attachment is started, the rotation speed of the prime mover is reduced to a value smaller than the predetermined value; The shovel according to claim 1.

16. When the vehicle is not traveling, before a low-load operation of the attachment is started, the rotation speed of the prime mover is reduced to a value lower than the rotation speed when a high-load operation of the attachment is performed. The shovel according to claim 1.

Images