Excavators, excavator control devices

Abstract

Provided is technology for an excavator that can cause a bucket working part to appropriately move along a target construction surface near a bending portion in the target construction surface. This excavator 100 comprises: an attachment AT that includes a boom 4, an arm 5, and a bucket 6; and a controller 30 that operates the attachment AT so that the working part of the bucket 6 moves along a target construction surface 600. A plurality of regions 610, 620, 630 with mutually different control commands from the controller 30 regarding bucket 6 operation are set near a bending portion 603 in the target construction surface 600, 600.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a shovel, a technique is known in which a predetermined working portion of a bucket (for example, the tip or back surface) is moved along a target construction surface in response to arm operation by an operator (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-217137 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, the target construction surface is composed of one plane. Therefore, the presence of a bend where the inclination of two planes (tangential surfaces) in the target construction surface changes discontinuously, such as a portion where a horizontal plane and a slope intersect in a target construction surface composed of a horizontal plane and a slope, is not taken into consideration at all. Therefore, the excavator may not be able to appropriately transition from a state in which the working part of the bucket is moved along a horizontal plane to a state in which the working part of the bucket is moved along a slope, for example.

[0005] In view of the above problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for a shovel that enables the working part of a bucket to be appropriately moved along a target construction surface near a bend in the target construction surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an attachment including a boom, an arm, and a bucket; A control device that operates the attachment so that the working portion of the bucket moves along a target construction surface, A plurality of regions in which control commands related to the operation of the bucket by the control device are different from each other are set in the vicinity of the bend in the target construction surface, The control device generates a control command to change the attitude of the bucket in the region including the bent portion. When the rear end of the bucket in the traveling direction changes from a state in which the rear end is in a region adjacent to one of the target construction surface portions centered on the bent portion among the multiple regions to a state in which the rear end is in an opposite region beyond an extension plane of the other target construction surface portion centered on the bent portion as a boundary, a control command regarding the operation of the bucket is changed. do, Shovel provided.

[0007] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, A control device for a shovel having an attachment including a boom, an arm, and a bucket, comprising: The attachment is operated so that the working portion of the bucket moves along the target construction surface, and a plurality of regions are set in the vicinity of a bend in the target construction surface in which control commands related to the operation of the bucket by the control device are different from each other; A control command is generated to change the attitude of the bucket in the region including the bent portion. When the rear end of the bucket in the traveling direction changes from a state in which the rear end is in a region adjacent to one of the target construction surface portions centered on the bent portion among the multiple regions to a state in which the rear end is in an opposite region beyond an extension plane of the other target construction surface portion centered on the bent portion as a boundary, a control command regarding the operation of the bucket is changed. do, A control system for an excavator is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the above-described embodiment, in a shovel, the working portion of the bucket can be appropriately moved along a target construction surface in the vicinity of a bent portion of the target construction surface. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a hydraulic system of a shovel. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of components of an operating system relating to an arm in a hydraulic system of a shovel. [Figure 4B]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of components of an operating system relating to a boom in a hydraulic system of a shovel. [Figure 4C] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of components of an operating system relating to a bucket in a hydraulic system of a shovel. [Figure 4D] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of components of an operating system for an upper rotating body in a hydraulic system of a shovel. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an electrical operating device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an overview of an example of a configuration relating to a machine guidance function and a machine control function of a shovel. [Figure 7A] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation based on a machine control function of a shovel. [Figure 7B] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation based on a machine control function of a shovel. [Figure 8A] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration related to a machine control function of the shovel. [Figure 8B] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration related to a machine control function. [Figure 9] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating another example of an operation based on the machine control function of the shovel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [Outline of the excavator] First, an overview of a shovel 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

[0012] 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating a shovel 100 according to the present embodiment. Side view and FIG.

[0013] The excavator 100 in this embodiment comprises a lower running body 1, an upper rotating body 3 mounted on the lower running body 1 so as to be freely rotatable via a rotating mechanism 2, a boom 4, an arm 5, and a bucket 6 which constitute an attachment AT, and a cabin 10.

[0014] As described below, the lower traveling body 1 includes a pair of left and right crawlers 1C, specifically, a left crawler 1CL and a right crawler 1CR. The lower traveling body 1 causes the excavator 100 to travel by hydraulically driving the left crawler 1CL and the right crawler 1CR by traveling hydraulic motors 2M (specifically, traveling hydraulic motors 2ML, 2MR), respectively.

[0015] The upper rotating body 3 rotates relative to the lower traveling body 1 by being driven by a swing hydraulic motor 2A.

[0016] The boom 4 is pivotally attached to the front center of the upper rotating body 3 so as to be able to tilt up and down, an arm 5 is pivotally attached to the tip of the boom 4 so as to be able to rotate up and down, and a bucket 6 as an end attachment is pivotally attached to the tip of the arm 5 so as to be able to rotate up and down. The boom 4, arm 5, and bucket 6 are hydraulically driven by a boom cylinder 7, an arm cylinder 8, and a bucket cylinder 9, each of which serves as a hydraulic actuator.

[0017] The bucket 6 has an internal space for accommodating soil and sand, etc., formed by a concave bottom plate composed of an upper surface 6_1, a curved surface 6_2, a back surface 6_3, etc., and left and right end plates closing the left and right ends of the bottom plate. In addition, a plurality of claws 6_4 are provided in the width direction (left and right direction) at the tip of the bucket 6 (back surface 6_3).

[0018] Incidentally, the bucket 6 is an example of an end attachment, and other end attachments, such as a slope bucket, a dredging bucket, a breaker, etc., may be attached to the tip of the arm 5 instead of the bucket 6 depending on the work content, etc.

[0019] The cabin 10 is a cab in which an operator sits, and is mounted on the front left side of the upper rotating body 3.

[0020] The shovel 100 operates driven elements such as the lower traveling body 1, the upper rotating body 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 in response to operation by an operator inside the cabin 10. The shovel 100 may also operate driven elements such as the lower traveling body 1, the upper rotating body 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 in response to a remote operation signal corresponding to remote operation by an operator of a predetermined external device, which is received from the external device through a communication device.

[0021] The excavator 100 also realizes a function of automatically operating at least some of the driven elements, such as the lower traveling structure 1, the upper rotating structure 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 (hereinafter, "automatic operation function").

[0022] The automatic operation function may include a function for automatically operating a driven element (hydraulic actuator) other than the driven element (hydraulic actuator) to be operated in response to an operator's operation of the operating device 26 or remote operation (so-called "semi-automatic operation function" or "machine control function"). The automatic operation function may also include a function for automatically operating at least a part of the multiple driven elements (hydraulic actuators) on the assumption that there is no operation of the operating device 26 by the operator or remote operation (so-called "fully automatic operation function"). The semi-automatic operation function and the fully automatic operation function may also include not only a mode in which the operation content of the driven element (hydraulic actuator) to be the target of automatic operation is automatically determined according to a rule that is specified in advance, but also a mode in which the excavator 100 autonomously makes various judgments and autonomously determines the operation content of the driven element (hydraulic actuator) to be the target of automatic operation in accordance with the judgment result (so-called "autonomous operation function").

[0023] [Excavator configuration] Next, the configuration of the shovel 100 will be described with reference to Figs. 3, 4 (Figs. 4A to 4D), and 5 in addition to Figs. 1 and 2.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a hydraulic system of the shovel 100 according to this embodiment. Figs. 4A to 4D are diagrams showing an example of components of an operating system related to the arm 5, boom 4, bucket 6, and upper rotating body 3 in the hydraulic system of the shovel 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an electric operating device 26.

[0025] The hydraulic system of the excavator 100 according to this embodiment includes the engine 11, the regulator 13, the main pump 14, the pilot pump 15, the control valve 17, the operating device 26, the discharge pressure sensors 28L, 28R, the operating pressure sensors 29LA, 29LB, 29RA, 29RB, 29DL, 29DR, and the controller 30. As described above, the hydraulic system of the excavator 100 according to this embodiment also includes hydraulic actuators such as the traveling hydraulic motors 2ML, 2MR, the swing hydraulic motor 2A, the boom cylinder 7, the arm cylinder 8, and the bucket cylinder 9 that hydraulically drive the lower traveling body 1, the upper rotating body 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6, respectively.

[0026] The engine 11 is the main power source of the hydraulic system, and is mounted, for example, on the rear of the upper rotating body 3. Specifically, the engine 11 rotates at a constant speed at a preset target rotation speed under direct or indirect control by the controller 30, and drives the main pumps 14L, 14R and the pilot pump 15. The engine 11 is, for example, a diesel engine that uses diesel as fuel.

[0027] The regulators 13L and 13R control the discharge amounts of the main pumps 14L and 14R, respectively. For example, the regulator 13 adjusts the angle (tilt angle) of the swash plate of the main pump 14 in response to a control command from the controller 30.

[0028] The main pumps 14L, 14R are mounted on the rear of the upper rotating body 3, for example, like the engine 11, and are driven by the engine 11 as described above to supply hydraulic oil to the control valve 17 through a high-pressure hydraulic line. The main pumps 14L, 14R are, for example, variable displacement hydraulic pumps, and under the control of the controller 30, the tilt angle of the swash plate is adjusted by the regulator 13 as described above to adjust the stroke length of the piston, thereby controlling the discharge amount (discharge pressure).

[0029] The pilot pump 15 is mounted, for example, on the rear of the upper rotating body 3 and supplies pilot pressure to the operating device 26 via a pilot line. The pilot pump 15 is, for example, a fixed displacement hydraulic pump, and is driven by the engine 11 as described above.

[0030] The control valve 17 is, for example, mounted in the center of the upper rotating body 3, and is a hydraulic control device that controls the hydraulic drive system in response to the operation of the operator or in response to a control command by the automatic operation function of the excavator 100. As described above, the control valve 17 is connected to the main pump 14 via a high-pressure hydraulic line, and selectively supplies hydraulic oil supplied from the main pump 14 to the hydraulic actuators (travel hydraulic motors 2ML, 2MR, swing hydraulic motor 2A, boom cylinder 7, arm cylinder 8, and bucket cylinder 9) in response to the operation state of the operating device 26, the contents of a remote operation signal, or a control command by the automatic operation function of the excavator 100. Specifically, the control valve 17 includes control valves 171 to 174, 175L, 175R, 176L, and 176R that control the flow rate and flow direction of the hydraulic oil supplied from the main pump 14 to each of the hydraulic actuators. Hereinafter, the control valves 175L and 175R may be collectively referred to as the control valve 175, or each may be individually referred to as the control valve 175. Furthermore, the control valves 176L, 176R may be referred to as the control valve 176 collectively or individually.

[0031] The control valves 171 and 172 correspond to the traveling hydraulic motors 2ML and 2MR, respectively. Furthermore, the control valve 173 corresponds to the swing hydraulic motor 2A. Furthermore, the control valve 174 corresponds to the bucket cylinder 9. Furthermore, the control valve 175 corresponds to the boom cylinder 7. Furthermore, the control valve 176 corresponds to the arm cylinder 8.

[0032] The operation device 26 is provided near the cockpit of the cabin 10, and is an operation input means for the operator to operate the various driven elements (the lower traveling body 1, the upper rotating body 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, the bucket 6, etc.). In other words, the operation device 26 is an operation input means for the operator to operate the hydraulic actuators that drive the respective driven elements (i.e., the traveling hydraulic motors 2ML, 2MR, the swing hydraulic motor 2A, the boom cylinder 7, the arm cylinder 8, the bucket cylinder 9, etc.).

[0033] 4A to 4D, the operating device 26 is, for example, a hydraulic pilot type that outputs a pilot pressure corresponding to its operating state to the secondary side. The operating device 26 is connected to the control valve 17 through a pilot line on the secondary side directly or through a shuttle valve 32 (described later) provided in the pilot line on the secondary side. This allows pilot pressures corresponding to the operating states of the lower traveling body 1, the upper rotating body 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, the bucket 6, and the like in the operating device 26 to be input to the control valve 17. Therefore, the control valve 17 can drive the respective hydraulic actuators according to the operating states of the operating device 26.

[0034] The operation device 26 includes a left operation lever 26L and a right operation lever 26R for operating the attachment AT, i.e., the boom 4 (boom cylinder 7), the arm 5 (arm cylinder 8), and the bucket 6 (bucket cylinder 9), as well as the upper rotating body 3. The operation device 26 also includes a travel lever 26D for operating the lower traveling body 1. The travel lever 26D includes a left travel lever 26DL for operating the left crawler 1CL (travel hydraulic motor 2ML), and a right travel lever 26DR for operating the right crawler 1CR (travel hydraulic motor 2MR).

[0035] The left operating lever 26L is used for operating the upper rotating body 3 to rotate and the arm 5. When the left operating lever 26L is operated in the front-rear direction as seen by the operator in the cabin 10 (i.e., the front-rear direction of the upper rotating body 3), it uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a control pressure (pilot pressure) corresponding to the amount of lever operation to a secondary pilot line connected to a pilot port of the control valve 176. When the left operating lever 26L is operated in the left-right direction as seen by the operator in the cabin 10 (i.e., the left-right direction of the upper rotating body 3), it uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a control pressure (pilot pressure) corresponding to the amount of lever operation to a secondary pilot line connected to the control valve 173.

[0036] 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 as seen by the operator in the cabin 10, it uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 and outputs a control pressure (pilot pressure) corresponding to the amount of lever operation to a secondary pilot line connected to a control valve 175. When the right operating lever 26R is operated in the left / right direction, it uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 and outputs a control pressure (pilot pressure) corresponding to the amount of lever operation to a secondary pilot line connected to a control valve 174.

[0037] As described above, the left travel lever 26DL is used to operate the left crawler 1CL, and may be configured to operate in conjunction with a left travel pedal (not shown). When the left travel lever 26DL is operated in the forward / rearward direction as viewed from the operator in the cabin 10, it uses hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a control pressure (pilot pressure) corresponding to the lever operation amount to a secondary pilot line connected to the control valve 171. The secondary pilot lines corresponding to the forward and reverse operation of the left travel lever 26DL may be directly connected to the corresponding pilot ports of the control valve 171. As a result, the operation of the left travel lever 26DL is reflected in the spool position of the control valve 171 that drives the travel hydraulic motor 2ML.

[0038] As described above, the right travel lever 26DR is used to operate the right crawler 1CR, and may be configured to operate in conjunction with a right travel pedal (not shown). When the right travel lever 26DR is operated in the forward / rearward direction as viewed from the operator in the cabin 10, it uses hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a control pressure (pilot pressure) corresponding to the lever operation amount to a secondary pilot line connected to the control valve 172. The secondary pilot lines corresponding to the forward and reverse operation of the right travel lever 26DR may be directly connected to the corresponding pilot ports of the control valve 172. In other words, the operation of the right travel lever 26DR is reflected in the spool position of the control valve 172 that drives the travel hydraulic motor 2MR.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, the operating device 26 (left operating lever 26L, right operating lever 26R, left travel lever 26DL, and right travel lever 26DR) may be of an electric type that outputs an electric signal (hereinafter, "operation signal") corresponding to the operation content. In this case, the operation signal from the operating device 26 is input to the controller 30, and the controller 30 realizes the operation of various hydraulic actuators corresponding to the operation content for the operating device 26 by controlling each of the control valves 171 to 176 in the control valve 17 according to the input operation signal. For example, the control valves 171 to 176 in the control valve 17 may be electromagnetic solenoid spool valves that are driven by commands from the controller 30. Also, for example, hydraulic control valves (e.g., electromagnetic proportional valves) (hereinafter, "operation hydraulic control valves") that operate according to electric signals from the controller 30 may be arranged between the pilot pump 15 and the pilot ports of the respective control valves 171 to 176. In this case, when manual operation is performed using the electric operating device 26, the controller 30 controls the operating hydraulic control valve and increases or decreases the pilot pressure using an electric signal corresponding to the operation direction and amount (e.g., lever operation amount), thereby operating each control valve 171-176 in accordance with the operation content of the operating device 26.

[0040] The pilot circuit of this example (FIG. 5) includes, as the above-mentioned operating hydraulic control valves, a solenoid valve 60 for raising the boom 4 (hereinafter referred to as the “boom-raising operation”) and a solenoid valve 62 for lowering the boom 4 (hereinafter referred to as the “boom-lowering operation”).

[0041] The solenoid valve 60 is configured to be capable of adjusting the pressure of hydraulic oil in an oil passage (pilot line) connecting the pilot pump 15 and the pilot port on the boom raising side of the pilot pressure operated control valve 17 (specifically, control valves 175L, 175R (see Figure 3)).

[0042] The solenoid valve 62 is configured to be able to adjust the pressure of the hydraulic oil in an oil passage (pilot line) connecting the pilot pump 15 and the pilot port on the boom lowering side of the control valve 17 (control valves 175L, 175R).

[0043] When the boom 4 (boom cylinder 7) is manually operated, 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 from the right operation lever 26R (operation signal generating unit). The operation signal (electrical signal) output from the right operation lever 26R indicates the operation content (e.g., the amount of operation and the operation direction), Controller 30 The boom-raising operation signal (electrical signal) and the boom-lowering operation signal (electrical signal) output by the right operating lever 26R change according to the operation content (operation amount and operation direction) of the right operating lever 26R.

[0044] Specifically, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom-up direction, the controller 30 outputs a boom-up operation signal (electrical signal) corresponding to the amount of operation to the solenoid valve 60. The solenoid valve 60 operates in response to the input electrical signal (boom-up operation signal) and controls the pilot pressure acting on the pilot ports on the boom-up side of the control valves 175L and 175R, that is, the boom-up operation signal as a pressure signal. Similarly, when the right operating lever 26R is operated in the boom-down direction, the controller 30 outputs a boom-down operation signal (electrical signal) corresponding to the amount of operation to the solenoid valve 62. The solenoid valve 62 operates in response to the input electrical signal (boom-down operation signal) and controls the pilot pressure acting on the pilot ports on the boom-down side of the control valves 175L and 175R, that is, the boom-down operation signal as a pressure signal. In this way, the control valve 17 can realize the operation of the boom cylinder 7 (boom 4) corresponding to the operation content of the right operating lever 26R.

[0045] Furthermore, when the boom 4 is automatically operated by the automatic driving function, the controller 30 generates, for example, a boom-raising operation signal (electrical signal) or a boom-lowering operation signal (electrical signal) in response to an automatic driving signal (electrical signal) output by an automatic driving signal generating unit. The automatic driving signal may be, for example, an electric signal generated by a control device other than the controller 30 (for example, a control device that supervises the automatic driving function) as shown in Fig. 5, or may be an electric signal generated by the controller 30.

[0046] In addition, the operation of the arm 5 (arm cylinder 8), bucket 6 (bucket cylinder 9), upper rotating body 3 (swing hydraulic motor 2A), and lower traveling body 1 (traveling hydraulic motors 1L, 1R) based on a similar pilot circuit is similar to the operation of the boom 4 (boom cylinder 7).

[0047] The discharge pressure sensors 28L, 28R detect the discharge pressures of the main pumps 14L, 14R, respectively. Detection signals corresponding to the discharge pressures detected by the discharge pressure sensors 28L, 28R are input to the controller 30.

[0048] The operating pressure sensors 29LA, 29LB, 29RA, 29RB, 29DL, and 29DR detect the secondary pilot pressure of the operating device 26, i.e., the pilot pressure corresponding to the operating state of each operating element (i.e., the hydraulic actuator) in the operating device 26. Detection signals of the pilot pressures corresponding to the operating states of the lower traveling structure 1, the upper rotating structure 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 in the operating device 26 by the operating pressure sensors 29LA, 29LB, 29RA, 29RB, 29DL, and 29DR are input to the controller 30.

[0049] The operating pressure sensor 29LA detects the forward / rearward operation of the left operating lever 26L by the operator (for example, the direction and amount of operation) in the form of hydraulic oil pressure in the secondary pilot line of the left operating lever 26L (hereinafter referred to as "operating pressure").

[0050] The operating pressure sensor 29LB detects the left / right operation content (for example, the operation direction and operation amount) of the operator on the left operating lever 26L in the form of an operating pressure in a pilot line on the secondary side of the left operating lever 26L.

[0051] The operation pressure sensor 29RA detects the operation content (eg, operation direction and operation amount) of the operator on the right operation lever 26R in the forward / rearward direction in the form of an operation pressure in a pilot line on the secondary side of the right operation lever 26R.

[0052] The operating pressure sensor 29RB detects the left-right operation content (for example, the operation direction and operation amount) of the operator on the right operating lever 26R in the form of an operating pressure in a pilot line on the secondary side of the right operating lever 26R.

[0053] The operating pressure sensor 29DL detects the operation content (eg, operation direction and amount) of the operator's forward / rearward operation of the left traveling lever 26DL in the form of operating pressure in a secondary pilot line of the left traveling lever 26DL.

[0054] The operating pressure sensor 29DR detects the operation content (eg, operation direction and amount) of the operator's forward / rearward operation of the right traveling lever 26DR in the form of operating pressure in a secondary pilot line of the right traveling lever 26DR.

[0055] The operation of the operation device 26 (left operation lever 26L, right operation lever 26R, left travel lever 26DL, and right travel lever 26DR) is detected by a sensor other than the operation pressure sensor 29 (for example, Left operation lever 26L, The operating pressure may be detected by a potentiometer or the like attached to the right operating lever 26R, the left traveling lever 26DL, and the right traveling lever 26DR. If the operating device 26 is an electrical type, the operating pressure sensors 29LA, 29LB, 29RA, 29RB, 29DL, and 29DR are omitted.

[0056] The controller 30 (an example of a control device) is provided, for example, in the cabin 10 and controls the driving of the excavator 100. The functions of the controller 30 may be realized by any hardware or a combination of hardware and software. For example, the controller 30 is mainly configured with a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a non-volatile auxiliary storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an interface device for external input and output. The controller 30 realizes various functions by, for example, executing various programs stored in the auxiliary storage device on the CPU.

[0057] Note that some of the functions of the controller 30 may be realized by another controller (control device). That is, the functions of the controller 30 may be realized in a distributed manner by a plurality of controllers.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 3, in the hydraulic system of the excavator 100, the hydraulic system portion of the drive train that drives the hydraulic actuators circulates hydraulic oil from the main pump 14 driven by the engine 11 through center bypass oil passages 40L, 40R and parallel oil passages 42L, 42R to a hydraulic oil tank.

[0059] The center bypass oil passage 40L starts from the main pump 14L, passes through control valves 171, 173, 175L, and 176L arranged in the control valve 17 in this order, and reaches the hydraulic oil tank.

[0060] The center bypass oil passage 40R starts at the main pump 14R, passes through the control valves 172, 174, 175R, and 176R arranged in the control valve 17 in this order, and reaches the hydraulic oil tank.

[0061] The control valve 171 is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pump 14L to the traveling hydraulic motor 2ML, and discharges the hydraulic oil discharged from the traveling hydraulic motor 2ML to a hydraulic oil tank.

[0062] The control valve 172 is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pump 14R to the traveling hydraulic motor 2MR, and discharges the hydraulic oil discharged from the traveling hydraulic motor 2MR to a hydraulic oil tank.

[0063] The control valve 173 is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pump 14L to the swing hydraulic motor 2A and discharges the hydraulic oil discharged from the swing hydraulic motor 2A to a hydraulic oil tank.

[0064] The control valve 174 is a spool valve that supplies the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pump 14R to the bucket cylinder 9 and also discharges the hydraulic oil in the bucket cylinder 9 to a hydraulic oil tank.

[0065] The control valves 175L, 175R are spool valves that supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pumps 14L, 14R to the boom cylinder 7, and discharge the hydraulic oil in the boom cylinder 7 to a hydraulic oil tank.

[0066] The control valves 176L, 176R are spool valves that supply the hydraulic oil discharged by the main pumps 14L, 14R to the arm cylinder 8 and discharge the hydraulic oil in the arm cylinder 8 to a hydraulic oil tank.

[0067] The control valves 171, 172, 173, 174, 175L, 175R, 176L, and 176R adjust the flow rate of hydraulic oil supplied to or discharged from the hydraulic actuator and switch the flow direction according to the pilot pressure acting on the pilot port.

[0068] The parallel oil passage 42L is controlled in parallel with the center bypass oil passage 40L. Valve 1The parallel oil passage 42L supplies hydraulic oil of the main pump 14L to the control valves 171, 173, 175L, and 176R. Specifically, the parallel oil passage 42L branches off from the center bypass oil passage 40L upstream of the control valve 171, and is configured to be able to supply hydraulic oil of the main pump 14L in parallel to each of the control valves 171, 173, 175L, and 176R. This allows the parallel oil passage 42L to supply hydraulic oil to a more downstream control valve when the flow of hydraulic oil through the center bypass oil passage 40L is restricted or blocked by any of the control valves 171, 173, and 175L.

[0069] The parallel oil passage 42R is controlled in parallel with the center bypass oil passage 40R. Valve 1 The parallel oil passage 42R supplies hydraulic oil of the main pump 14R to the center bypass oil passage 40R, 174, 175R, and 176R. Specifically, the parallel oil passage 42R branches off from the center bypass oil passage 40R upstream of the control valve 172, and is configured to be able to supply hydraulic oil of the main pump 14R in parallel to each of the control valves 172, 174, 175R, and 176R. The parallel oil passage 42R can supply hydraulic oil to a more downstream control valve when the flow of hydraulic oil through the center bypass oil passage 40R is restricted or blocked by any of the control valves 172, 174, and 175R.

[0070] As described above, the regulators 13L, 13R adjust the tilt angles of the swash plates of the main pumps 14L, 14R under the control of the controller 30 to adjust the discharge amounts of the main pumps 14L, 14R.

[0071] The discharge pressure sensor 28L detects the discharge pressure of the main pump 14L, and a detection signal corresponding to the detected discharge pressure is input to the controller 30. The same is true for the discharge pressure sensor 28R. This allows the controller 30 to control the regulators 13L, 13R in accordance with the discharge pressures of the main pumps 14L, 14R.

[0072] Negative control throttles (hereinafter, "negative control throttles") 18L, 18R are provided in the center bypass oil passages 40L, 40R between the hydraulic oil tank and the most downstream control valves 176L, 176R, respectively. As a result, the flow of hydraulic oil discharged by the main pumps 14L, 14R is restricted by the negative control throttles 18L, 18R. The negative control throttles 18L, 18R generate a control pressure (hereinafter, "negative control pressure") for controlling the regulators 13L, 13R.

[0073] The negative control pressure sensors 19L and 19R detect the negative control pressures of the negative control throttles 18L and 18R, respectively, and detection signals corresponding to the detected negative control pressures are input to the controller 30.

[0074] The controller 30 may control the regulators 13L, 13R in response to the discharge pressure of the main pumps 14L, 14R detected by the discharge pressure sensors 28L, 28R to adjust the discharge volume of the main pumps 14L, 14R. For example, the controller 30 may control the regulator 13L in response to an increase in the discharge pressure of the main pump 14L to adjust the swash plate tilt angle of the main pump 14L to reduce the discharge volume. The same applies to the regulator 13R. This allows the controller 30 to perform total horsepower control of the main pumps 14L, 14R so that the absorption horsepower of the main pumps 14L, 14R, which is expressed by the product of the discharge pressure and the discharge volume, does not exceed the output horsepower of the engine 11.

[0075] Furthermore, the controller 30 may adjust the discharge rate of the main pumps 14L, 14R by controlling the regulators 13L, 13R in accordance with the negative control pressure detected by the negative control pressure sensors 19L, 19R. For example, the controller 30 decreases the discharge rate of the main pumps 14L, 14R as the negative control pressure increases, and increases the discharge rate of the main pumps 14L, 14R as the negative control pressure decreases.

[0076] Specifically, in the case of a standby state (state shown in FIG. 3) in which none of the hydraulic actuators in the excavator 100 are operated, the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pumps 14L, 14R passes through the center bypass oil passages 40L, 40R and reaches the negative control throttles 18L, 18R. Then, the flow of the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pumps 14L, 14R increases the negative control pressure generated upstream of the negative control throttles 18L, 18R. As a result, the controller 30 reduces the discharge amount of the main pumps 14L, 14R to the allowable minimum discharge amount, suppressing the pressure loss (pumping loss) when the discharged hydraulic oil passes through the center bypass oil passages 40L, 40R.

[0077] On the other hand, when any of the hydraulic actuators is operated through the operating device 26, the hydraulic oil discharged from the main pumps 14L, 14R flows into the hydraulic actuator to be operated through the control valve corresponding to the hydraulic actuator to be operated. The same applies when any of the hydraulic actuators is remotely operated or controlled according to an automatic control function. The flow of hydraulic oil discharged from the main pumps 14L, 14R reduces or eliminates the amount of hydraulic oil reaching the negative control throttles 18L, 18R, and reduces the negative control pressure generated upstream of the negative control throttles 18L, 18R. As a result, the controller 30 increases the discharge amount of the main pumps 14L, 14R, circulates sufficient hydraulic oil to the hydraulic actuator to be operated, and can reliably drive the hydraulic actuator to be operated.

[0078] 3 and 4A to 4D, in the hydraulic system of the excavator 100, the hydraulic system portion related to the operation system includes the pilot pump 15, the operation device 26 (left operation lever 26L, right operation lever 26R, left travel lever 26DL, and right travel lever 26DR), the proportional valves 31AL, 31AR, 31BL, 31BR, 31CL, 31CR, 31DL, and 31DR, the shuttle valves 32AL, 32AR, 32BL, 32BR, 32CL, 32CR, 32DL, and 32DR, and the pressure reducing proportional valves 33AL, 33AR, 33BL, 33BR, 33CL, 33CR, 33DL, and 33DR. Hereinafter, the proportional valves 31AL, 31AR, 31BL, 31BR, 31CL, 31CR, 31DL, and 31DR may be collectively or individually referred to as the proportional valve 31. Similarly, the shuttle valves 32AL, 32AR, 32BL, 32BR, 32CL, 32CR, 32DL, and 32DR may be referred to collectively or individually as shuttle valve 32. Similarly, the pressure reducing proportional valves 33AL, 33AR, 33BL, 33BR, 33CL, 33CR, 33DL, and 33DR may be referred to collectively or individually as pressure reducing proportional valve 33.

[0079] The proportional valve 31 is provided in a pilot line connecting the pilot pump 15 and the shuttle valve 32, and is configured so that its flow path area (cross-sectional area through which the hydraulic oil can flow) can be changed. The proportional valve 31 operates in response to a control command input from the controller 30. As a result, even when the operating device 26 is not being operated by an operator, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the pilot ports of the corresponding control valves (specifically, the control valves 173 to 176) in the control valve 17 via the proportional valve 31 and the shuttle valve 32.

[0080] The shuttle valve 32 has two inlet ports and one outlet port, and outputs hydraulic oil having a higher pilot pressure of the two pilot pressures input to the two inlet ports to the outlet port. One of the two inlet ports of the shuttle valve 32 is connected to the operation device 26, and the other is connected to the proportional valve 31. The outlet port of the shuttle valve 32 is connected to the pilot port of the corresponding control valve in the control valve 17 through a pilot line. Therefore, the shuttle valve 32 can apply the higher of the pilot pressure generated by the operation device 26 and the pilot pressure generated by the proportional valve 31 to the pilot port of the corresponding control valve. As a result, the controller 30 can control the corresponding control valve and control the operation of the lower traveling body 1, the upper rotating body 3, and the attachment AT without depending on the operation of the operation device 26 by the operator by outputting a pilot pressure higher than the secondary pilot pressure output from the operation device 26 from the proportional valve 31. Therefore, the controller 30 can realize the operation of the hydraulic actuator corresponding to the remote operation by the operator of the external device or the control command by the automatic operation function by controlling the proportional valve 31.

[0081] The pressure reducing proportional valve 33 is provided in a pilot line connecting the operating device 26 and the shuttle valve 32, and is configured to be able to change the flow path area. The pressure reducing proportional valve 33 operates in response to a control command input from the controller 30. As a result, the controller 30 can forcibly reduce the pilot pressure output from the operating device 26 when the operating device 26 (specifically, the left operating lever 26L, the right operating lever 26R, the left travel lever 26DL, or the right travel lever 26DR) is being operated by the operator. Therefore, even when the operating device 26 is being operated, the controller 30 can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the hydraulic actuator corresponding to the operation of the operating device 26. In addition, the controller 30 can reduce the pilot pressure output from the operating device 26 to be lower than the pilot pressure output from the proportional valve 31, for example, even when the operating device 26 is being operated. Therefore, by controlling the proportional valve 31 and the pressure reducing proportional valve 33, the controller 30 can reliably apply the desired pilot pressure to the pilot port of the control valve in the control valve 17, regardless of the operation of the operating device 26.

[0082] 4A, the left operating lever 26L is used to operate the arm cylinder 8 corresponding to the arm 5 when the operator tilts it in the forward / backward direction. In other words, when the left operating lever 26L is tilted in the forward / backward direction, the operation target of the left operating lever 26L is the movement of the arm 5. The left operating lever 26L uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure according to the operation in the forward / backward direction to a secondary pilot line.

[0083] The shuttle valve 32AL has two inlet ports connected to the secondary pilot line of the left operating lever 26L, which corresponds to the operation of the arm 5 in the closing direction (hereinafter referred to as the "arm closing operation"), and the secondary pilot line of the proportional valve 31AL, and has an outlet port connected to the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R.

[0084] The shuttle valve 32AR has two inlet ports connected to the secondary pilot line of the left operating lever 26L, which corresponds to the operation of the arm 5 in the opening direction (hereinafter referred to as the "arm opening operation"), and the secondary pilot line of the proportional valve 31AR, and has an outlet port connected to the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R.

[0085] That is, the left operating lever 26L applies a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation in the forward and backward directions to the pilot ports of the control valves 176L and 176R via the shuttle valves 32AL and 32AR. Specifically, when the left operating lever 26L is operated to close the arm, it outputs a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32AL, and applies the pilot pressure to the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R via the shuttle valve 32AL. Also, when the left operating lever 26L is operated to open the arm, it outputs a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32AR, and applies the pilot pressure to the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R via the shuttle valve 32AR.

[0086] The proportional valve 31AL operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, the proportional valve 31AL uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure corresponding to the control current input from the controller 30 to the other pilot port of the shuttle valve 32AL. This allows the proportional valve 31AL to adjust the pilot pressure acting on the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R via the shuttle valve 32AL.

[0087] The proportional valve 31AR operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, the proportional valve 31AR uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure corresponding to the control current input from the controller 30 to the other pilot port of the shuttle valve 32AR. This allows the proportional valve 31AR to adjust the pilot pressure acting on the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R via the shuttle valve 32AR.

[0088] In other words, the proportional valves 31AL, 31AR can adjust the pilot pressure output to the secondary side so that the control valves 176L, 176R can be stopped at any valve position, regardless of the operating state of the left operating lever 26L.

[0089] The pressure reducing proportional valve 33AL operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, when the control current from the controller 30 is not input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AL outputs the pilot pressure corresponding to the arm closing operation of the left operating lever 26L to the secondary side as it is. On the other hand, when the control current from the controller 30 is input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AL reduces the pilot pressure of the secondary pilot line corresponding to the arm closing operation of the left operating lever 26L to an extent corresponding to the control current, and outputs the reduced pilot pressure to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32AL. As a result, even when the arm closing operation is being performed with the left operating lever 26L, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AL can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the arm cylinder 8 corresponding to the arm closing operation as necessary. Also, even when the arm closing operation is being performed with the left operating lever 26L, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AL can make the pilot pressure acting on one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32AL lower than the pilot pressure acting from the proportional valve 31AL to the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32AR. Therefore, the controller 30 controls the proportional valve 31AL and the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AL, and can reliably cause the desired pilot pressure to act on the arm closing side pilot ports of the control valves 176L, 176R.

[0090] The pressure reducing proportional valve 33AR operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, when the control current from the controller 30 is not input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AR outputs the pilot pressure corresponding to the arm opening operation of the left operating lever 26L to the secondary side as it is. On the other hand, when the control current from the controller 30 is input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AR reduces the pilot pressure of the secondary pilot line corresponding to the arm opening operation of the left operating lever 26L to an extent corresponding to the control current, and outputs the reduced pilot pressure to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32AR. As a result, even when the arm opening operation is being performed with the left operating lever 26L, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AR can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the arm cylinder 8 corresponding to the arm opening operation as necessary. Also, even when the arm opening operation is being performed with the left operating lever 26L, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AR can make the pilot pressure acting on one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32AR lower than the pilot pressure acting from the proportional valve 31AR to the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32AR. Therefore, the controller 30 controls the proportional valve 31AR and the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AR, and can reliably apply a desired pilot pressure to the pilot ports on the arm opening sides of the control valves 176L, 176R.

[0091] In this way, the pressure reducing proportional valves 33AL, 33AR can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the arm cylinder 8 corresponding to the forward / rearward operating state of the left operating lever 26L. Also, the pressure reducing proportional valves 33AL, 33AR can reduce the pilot pressure acting on one of the inlet ports of the shuttle valves 32AL, 32AR, and assist in ensuring that the pilot pressure of the proportional valves 31AL, 31AR acts on the pilot ports of the control valves 176L, 176R through the shuttle valves 32AL, 32AR.

[0092] Instead of controlling the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AL, the controller 30 may control the proportional valve 31AR to forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the arm cylinder 8 corresponding to the arm closing operation of the left operating lever 26L. For example, when the arm closing operation is performed by the left operating lever 26L, the controller 30 may control the proportional valve 31AR to act on the pilot ports on the arm opening sides of the control valves 176L, 176R from the proportional valve 31AR via the shuttle valve 32AR. This causes the pilot pressure to act on the pilot ports on the arm opening sides of the control valves 176L, 176R in opposition to the pilot pressure acting on the pilot ports on the arm closing sides of the control valves 176L, 176R from the left operating lever 26L via the shuttle valve 32AL. Therefore, the controller 30 can forcibly bring the control valves 176L, 176R closer to the neutral position to suppress or stop the operation of the arm cylinder 8 corresponding to the arm closing operation of the left operating lever 26L. Similarly, the controller 30 may forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the arm cylinder 8 corresponding to the arm-opening operation of the left operating lever 26L by controlling the proportional valve 31AL instead of controlling the pressure reducing proportional valve 33AR.

[0093] The operating pressure sensor 29LA detects the operation of the left operating lever 26L by the operator in the forward / backward direction in the form of pressure (operating pressure), and a detection signal corresponding to the detected pressure is input to the controller 30. This allows the controller 30 to grasp the operation of the left operating lever 26L in the forward / backward direction. The operation of the left operating lever 26L in the forward / backward direction to be detected may include, for example, the operation direction, the amount of operation (operation angle), etc. The same applies below to the operation of the left operating lever 26L in the left / right direction, and the operation of the right operating lever 26R in the forward / backward direction and left / right direction.

[0094] The controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 176L and the left pilot port of the control valve 176R via the proportional valve 31AL and the shuttle valve 32AL, regardless of the arm closing operation of the left operating lever 26L by the operator. Also, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 176L and the right pilot port of the control valve 176R via the proportional valve 31AR and the shuttle valve 32AR, regardless of the arm opening operation of the left operating lever 26L by the operator. That is, the controller 30 can automatically control the opening and closing operation of the arm 5.

[0095] 4B, the right operating lever 26R is used to operate the boom cylinder 7 corresponding to the boom 4 when the operator tilts it in the front-rear direction. That is, when the right operating lever 26R is tilted in the front-rear direction, the operation target of the right operating lever 26R is the movement of the boom 4. The right operating lever 26R uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure to the secondary side according to the operation content in the front-rear direction.

[0096] The shuttle valve 32BL has two inlet ports connected to the secondary pilot line of the right operating lever 26R, which corresponds to the operation of the boom 4 in the lifting direction (hereinafter referred to as the "boom lifting operation"), and the secondary pilot line of the proportional valve 31BL, and has an outlet port connected to the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the left pilot port of the control valve 175R.

[0097] The shuttle valve 32BR has two inlet ports connected to the secondary pilot line of the right operating lever 26R, which corresponds to the operation of the boom 4 in the lowering direction (hereinafter referred to as the "boom lowering operation"), and the secondary pilot line of the proportional valve 31BR, and an outlet port connected to the right pilot port of the control valve 175R.

[0098] That is, the right operating lever 26R applies a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation in the forward and backward directions to the pilot ports of the control valves 175L and 175R via the shuttle valves 32BL and 32BR. Specifically, when the right operating lever 26R is operated to raise the boom, it outputs a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32BL, and applies the pilot pressure to the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the left pilot port of the control valve 175R via the shuttle valve 32BL. Also, when the right operating lever 26R is operated to lower the boom, it outputs a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32BR, and applies the pilot pressure to the right pilot port of the control valve 175R via the shuttle valve 32BR.

[0099] The proportional valve 31BL operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, the proportional valve 31BL uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure corresponding to the control current input from the controller 30 to the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32BL. In this way, the proportional valve 31BL can adjust the pilot pressure acting on the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the left pilot port of the control valve 175R via the shuttle valve 32BL.

[0100] The proportional valve 31BR operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, the proportional valve 31BR uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure corresponding to the control current input from the controller 30 to the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32BR. This allows the proportional valve 31BR to adjust the pilot pressure acting on the right pilot port of the control valve 175R via the shuttle valve 32BR.

[0101] In other words, the proportional valves 31BL, 31BR can adjust the pilot pressure output to the secondary side so that the control valves 175L, 175R can be stopped at any valve position, regardless of the operating state of the right operating lever 26R.

[0102] The pressure reducing proportional valve 33BL operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, when the control current from the controller 30 is not input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BL outputs the pilot pressure corresponding to the boom raising operation of the right operating lever 26R to the secondary side as it is. On the other hand, when the control current from the controller 30 is input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BL reduces the pilot pressure of the secondary pilot line corresponding to the boom raising operation of the right operating lever 26R to an extent corresponding to the control current, and outputs the reduced pilot pressure to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32BL. As a result, even when the boom raising operation is being performed with the right operating lever 26R, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BL can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the boom cylinder 7 corresponding to the boom raising operation as necessary. Also, even when the boom raising operation is being performed with the right operating lever 26R, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BL can make the pilot pressure acting on one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32BL lower than the pilot pressure acting from the proportional valve 31BL to the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32BR. Therefore, the controller 30 controls the proportional valve 31BL and the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BL, and can reliably apply a desired pilot pressure to the boom raising side pilot ports of the control valves 175L, 175R.

[0103] The pressure reducing proportional valve 33BR operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, when the control current from the controller 30 is not input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BR outputs the pilot pressure corresponding to the boom lowering operation of the right operating lever 26R to the secondary side as it is. On the other hand, when the control current from the controller 30 is input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BR reduces the pilot pressure of the secondary pilot line corresponding to the boom lowering operation of the right operating lever 26R to an extent corresponding to the control current, and outputs the reduced pilot pressure to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32BR. As a result, even when the boom lowering operation is being performed with the right operating lever 26R, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BR can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the boom cylinder 7 corresponding to the boom lowering operation as necessary. Also, even when the boom lowering operation is being performed with the right operating lever 26R, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BR can make the pilot pressure acting on one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32BR lower than the pilot pressure acting from the proportional valve 31BR to the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32BR. Therefore, the controller 30 controls the proportional valve 31BR and the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BR, and can reliably apply a desired pilot pressure to the pilot ports on the boom lowering side of the control valves 175L, 175R.

[0104] In this way, the pressure reducing proportional valves 33BL, 33BR can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the boom cylinder 7 corresponding to the forward / rearward operating state of the right operating lever 26R. Also, the pressure reducing proportional valves 33BL, 33BR can reduce the pilot pressure acting on one inlet port of the shuttle valves 32BL, 32BR, and assist in ensuring that the pilot pressure of the proportional valves 31BL, 31BR acts on the pilot ports of the control valves 175L, 175R through the shuttle valves 32BL, 32BR.

[0105] Instead of controlling the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BL, the controller 30 may control the proportional valve 31BR to forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the boom cylinder 7 corresponding to the boom raising operation of the right operating lever 26R. For example, when the boom raising operation is performed by the right operating lever 26R, the controller 30 may control the proportional valve 31BR to act on the pilot ports on the boom lowering sides of the control valves 175L, 175R from the proportional valve 31BR via the shuttle valve 32BR. This causes the pilot pressure to act on the pilot ports on the boom lowering sides of the control valves 175L, 175R in opposition to the pilot pressure acting on the pilot ports on the boom raising sides of the control valves 175L, 175R from the right operating lever 26R via the shuttle valve 32BL. Therefore, the controller 30 can forcibly bring the control valves 175L, 175R closer to the neutral position to suppress or stop the operation of the boom cylinder 7 corresponding to the boom raising operation of the right operating lever 26R. Similarly, instead of controlling the pressure reducing proportional valve 33BR, the controller 30 may control the proportional valve 31BL to forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the boom cylinder 7 corresponding to the boom lowering operation of the right operating lever 26R.

[0106] 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 (operating pressure), and a detection signal corresponding to the detected pressure is input to the controller 30. This allows the controller 30 to grasp the operation of the right operating lever 26R in the forward / backward direction.

[0107] The controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 175L and the left pilot port of the control valve 175R via the proportional valve 31BL and the shuttle valve 32BL, regardless of the boom-raising operation of the right operating lever 26R by the operator. Also, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 175R via the proportional valve 31BR and the shuttle valve 32BR, regardless of the boom-lowering operation of the right operating lever 26R by the operator. That is, the controller 30 can automatically control the raising and lowering operation of the boom 4.

[0108] 4C , the right operating lever 26R is used for operating the bucket cylinder 9 corresponding to the bucket 6 when the operator tilts it in the left or right direction. In other words, when the right operating lever 26R is tilted in the left or right direction, the operation of the bucket 6 is the object of operation. The right operating lever 26R utilizes the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure to the secondary side according to the operation content in the left or right direction.

[0109] The shuttle valve 32CL has two inlet ports connected to the secondary pilot line of the right operating lever 26R corresponding to the operation in the closing direction of the bucket 6 (hereinafter referred to as the "bucket closing operation") and the secondary pilot line of the proportional valve 31CL, and an outlet port connected to the left pilot port of the control valve 174.

[0110] The shuttle valve 32CR has two inlet ports connected to the secondary pilot line of the right operating lever 26R corresponding to the operation of the bucket 6 in the opening direction (hereinafter referred to as the "bucket opening operation") and the secondary pilot line of the proportional valve 31CR, and an outlet port connected to the right pilot port of the control valve 174.

[0111] That is, the right operating lever 26R applies a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation in the left and right direction to the pilot port of the control valve 174 via the shuttle valves 32CL, 32CR. Specifically, when the right operating lever 26R is operated to close the bucket, it outputs a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32CL, and applies the pilot pressure to the left pilot port of the control valve 174 via the shuttle valve 32CL. Also, when the right operating lever 26R is operated to open the bucket, it outputs a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32CR, and applies the pilot pressure to the right pilot port of the control valve 174 via the shuttle valve 32CR.

[0112] The proportional valve 31CL operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, the proportional valve 31CL uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure corresponding to the control current input from the controller 30 to the other pilot port of the shuttle valve 32CL. This allows the proportional valve 31CL to adjust the pilot pressure acting on the left pilot port of the control valve 174 via the shuttle valve 32CL.

[0113] The proportional valve 31CR operates in response to a control current output by the controller 30. Specifically, the proportional valve 31CR uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure corresponding to the control current input from the controller 30 to the other pilot port of the shuttle valve 32CR. This allows the proportional valve 31CR to adjust the pilot pressure acting on the right pilot port of the control valve 174 via the shuttle valve 32CR.

[0114] In other words, the proportional valves 31CL, 31CR can adjust the pilot pressure output to the secondary side so that the control valve 174 can be stopped at any valve position, regardless of the operating state of the right operating lever 26R.

[0115] The pressure reducing proportional valve 33CL operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, when the control current from the controller 30 is not input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CL outputs the pilot pressure corresponding to the bucket closing operation of the right operating lever 26R to the secondary side as it is. On the other hand, when the control current from the controller 30 is input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CL reduces the pilot pressure of the secondary pilot line corresponding to the bucket closing operation of the right operating lever 26R to an extent corresponding to the control current, and outputs the reduced pilot pressure to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32CL. As a result, even when the bucket closing operation is being performed with the right operating lever 26R, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CL can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the bucket cylinder 9 corresponding to the bucket closing operation as necessary. Also, even when the bucket closing operation is being performed with the right operating lever 26R, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CL can make the pilot pressure acting on one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32CL lower than the pilot pressure acting from the proportional valve 31CL to the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32CR. Therefore, the controller 30 controls the proportional valve 31CL and the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CL, and can reliably apply a desired pilot pressure to the pilot port of the control valve 174 on the bucket closing side.

[0116] The pressure reducing proportional valve 33CR operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, when the control current from the controller 30 is not input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CR outputs the pilot pressure corresponding to the bucket opening operation of the right operating lever 26R to the secondary side as it is. On the other hand, when the control current from the controller 30 is input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CR reduces the pilot pressure of the secondary pilot line corresponding to the bucket opening operation of the right operating lever 26R to an extent corresponding to the control current, and outputs the reduced pilot pressure to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32CR. As a result, even when the bucket opening operation is being performed with the right operating lever 26R, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CR can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the bucket cylinder 9 corresponding to the bucket opening operation as necessary. Also, even when the bucket opening operation is being performed with the right operating lever 26R, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CR can make the pilot pressure acting on one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32CR lower than the pilot pressure acting from the proportional valve 31CR to the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32CR. Therefore, the controller 30 controls the proportional valve 31CR and the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CR, and can reliably apply a desired pilot pressure to the pilot port on the bucket opening side of the control valve 174.

[0117] In this way, the pressure reducing proportional valves 33CL, 33CR can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the bucket cylinder 9 corresponding to the left / right operating state of the right operating lever 26R. Also, the pressure reducing proportional valves 33CL, 33CR can reduce the pilot pressure acting on one of the inlet ports of the shuttle valves 32CL, 32CR, and assist in ensuring that the pilot pressure of the proportional valves 31CL, 31CR acts on the pilot port of the control valve 174 through the shuttle valves 32CL, 32CR.

[0118] Incidentally, the controller 30 may forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the bucket cylinder 9 corresponding to the bucket closing operation of the right operating lever 26R by controlling the proportional valve 31CR instead of controlling the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CL. For example, when the bucket closing operation is performed by the right operating lever 26R, the controller 30 may control the proportional valve 31CR to act on the pilot port on the bucket opening side of the control valve 174 from the proportional valve 31CR via the shuttle valve 32CR. As a result, pilot pressure acts on the pilot port on the bucket opening side of the control valve 174 in a manner counteracting the pilot pressure acting on the pilot port on the bucket closing side of the control valve 174 from the right operating lever 26R via the shuttle valve 32CL. Therefore, the controller 30 can forcibly bring the control valve 174 closer to the neutral position to suppress or stop the operation of the bucket cylinder 9 corresponding to the bucket closing operation of the right operating lever 26R. Similarly, the controller 30 may forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the bucket cylinder 9 corresponding to the bucket opening operation of the right operating lever 26R by controlling the proportional valve 31CL instead of controlling the pressure reducing proportional valve 33CR.

[0119] 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 (operating pressure), and a detection signal corresponding to the detected pressure is input to the controller 30. This allows the controller 30 to grasp the operation of the right operating lever 26R in the left-right direction.

[0120] The controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 174 via the proportional valve 31CL and the shuttle valve 32CL, regardless of the bucket closing operation performed by the operator using the right operating lever 26R. Also, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 174 via the proportional valve 31CR and the shuttle valve 32CR, regardless of the bucket opening operation performed by the operator using the right operating lever 26R. In other words, the controller 30 can automatically control the opening and closing operation of the bucket 6.

[0121] 4D, for example, the left operation lever 26L is used to operate the swing hydraulic motor 2A corresponding to the upper swing body 3 (swing mechanism 2) when the operator tilts it in the left or right direction. That is, when the left operation lever 26L is tilted in the left or right direction, the operation target is the swing operation of the upper swing body 3. The left operation lever 26L uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure to the secondary side according to the operation content in the left or right direction.

[0122] The shuttle valve 32DL has two inlet ports connected to the secondary pilot line of the left operating lever 26L corresponding to the leftward rotation operation of the upper rotating body 3 (hereinafter referred to as "left rotation operation") and the secondary pilot line of the proportional valve 31DL, and an outlet port connected to the left pilot port of the control valve 173.

[0123] The shuttle valve 32DR has two inlet ports connected to the secondary pilot line of the left operating lever 26L corresponding to the rightward rotation operation of the upper rotating body 3 (hereinafter referred to as "right rotation operation") and the secondary pilot line of the proportional valve 31DR, and an outlet port connected to the right pilot port of the control valve 173.

[0124] That is, the left operating lever 26L applies a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount in the left or right direction to the pilot port of the control valve 173 via the shuttle valves 32DL, 32DR. Specifically, when the left operating lever 26L is operated to turn left, it outputs a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32DL, and applies the pilot pressure to the left pilot port of the control valve 173 via the shuttle valve 32DL. Also, when the left operating lever 26L is operated to turn right, it outputs a pilot pressure corresponding to the operation amount to one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32DR, and applies the pilot pressure to the right pilot port of the control valve 173 via the shuttle valve 32DR.

[0125] The proportional valve 31DL operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, the proportional valve 31DL uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure corresponding to the control current input from the controller 30 to the other pilot port of the shuttle valve 32DL. This allows the proportional valve 31DL to adjust the pilot pressure acting on the left pilot port of the control valve 173 via the shuttle valve 32DL.

[0126] The proportional valve 31DR operates in response to a control current output by the controller 30. Specifically, the proportional valve 31DR uses the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to output a pilot pressure corresponding to the control current input from the controller 30 to the other pilot port of the shuttle valve 32DR. This allows the proportional valve 31DR to adjust the pilot pressure acting on the right pilot port of the control valve 173 via the shuttle valve 32DR.

[0127] In other words, the proportional valves 31DL, 31DR can adjust the pilot pressure output to the secondary side so that the control valve 173 can be stopped at any valve position, regardless of the operating state of the left operating lever 26L.

[0128] The pressure reducing proportional valve 33DL operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, when the control current from the controller 30 is not input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DL outputs the pilot pressure corresponding to the left turning operation of the left operating lever 26L to the secondary side as it is. On the other hand, when the control current from the controller 30 is input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DL reduces the pilot pressure of the secondary pilot line corresponding to the left turning operation of the left operating lever 26L to an extent corresponding to the control current, and outputs the reduced pilot pressure to one of the inlet ports of the shuttle valve 32DL. As a result, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DL can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the swing hydraulic motor 2A corresponding to the left turning operation as necessary, even when the left turning operation is being performed with the left operating lever 26L. Furthermore, even when the left operation lever 26L is operated for left rotation, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DL can make the pilot pressure acting on one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32DL lower than the pilot pressure acting from the proportional valve 31DL to the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32DR. Therefore, the controller 30 controls the proportional valve 31DL and the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DL to reliably apply the desired pilot pressure to the pilot port on the left rotation side of the control valve 173.

[0129] The pressure reducing proportional valve 33DR operates in response to a control current input from the controller 30. Specifically, when the control current from the controller 30 is not input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DR outputs the pilot pressure corresponding to the right turning operation of the left operating lever 26L to the secondary side as it is. On the other hand, when the control current from the controller 30 is input, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DR reduces the pilot pressure of the secondary pilot line corresponding to the right turning operation of the left operating lever 26L to an extent corresponding to the control current, and outputs the reduced pilot pressure to one of the inlet ports of the shuttle valve 32DR. As a result, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DR can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the swing hydraulic motor 2A corresponding to the right turning operation as necessary, even when the right turning operation is being performed with the left operating lever 26L. Furthermore, even when the left operating lever 26L is operated for right rotation, the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DR can make the pilot pressure acting on one inlet port of the shuttle valve 32DR lower than the pilot pressure acting from the proportional valve 31DR to the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32DR. Therefore, the controller 30 controls the proportional valve 31DR and the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DR to reliably apply the desired pilot pressure to the pilot port on the right rotation side of the control valve 173.

[0130] In this way, the pressure reducing proportional valves 33DL, 33DR can forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the swing hydraulic motor 2A corresponding to the left / right operating state of the left operating lever 26L. Also, the pressure reducing proportional valves 33DL, 33DR can reduce the pilot pressure acting on one of the inlet ports of the shuttle valves 32DL, 32DR, and assist in ensuring that the pilot pressure of the proportional valves 31DL, 31DR acts on the pilot port of the control valve 173 through the shuttle valves 32DL, 32DR.

[0131] Instead of controlling the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DL, the controller 30 may control the proportional valve 31DR to forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the swing hydraulic motor 2A corresponding to the left swing operation of the left operating lever 26L. For example, when a left swing operation is performed with the left operating lever 26L, the controller 30 may control the proportional valve 31DR to act on the right swing side pilot port of the control valve 173 from the proportional valve 31DR via the shuttle valve 32DR. As a result, pilot pressure acts on the right swing side pilot port of the control valve 173 in a manner counter to the pilot pressure acting on the left swing side pilot port of the control valve 173 from the left operating lever 26L via the shuttle valve 32DL. Therefore, the controller 30 can forcibly bring the control valve 173 closer to the neutral position to suppress or stop the operation of the swing hydraulic motor 2A corresponding to the left swing operation of the left operating lever 26L. Similarly, instead of controlling the pressure reducing proportional valve 33DR, the controller 30 may control the proportional valve 31DL to forcibly suppress or stop the operation of the swing hydraulic motor 2A corresponding to the right swing operation of the left operating lever 26L.

[0132] The operating pressure sensor 29LB detects the operating state of the left operating lever 26L by the operator as pressure, and a detection signal corresponding to the detected pressure is input to the controller 30. This allows the controller 30 to grasp the operation content of the left operating lever 26L in the left and right directions.

[0133] The controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the left pilot port of the control valve 173 via the proportional valve 31DL and the shuttle valve 32DL, regardless of the left rotation operation of the left operation lever 26L by the operator. Also, the controller 30 can supply the hydraulic oil discharged from the pilot pump 15 to the right pilot port of the control valve 173 via the proportional valve 31DR and the shuttle valve 32DR, regardless of the right rotation operation of the left operation lever 26L by the operator. That is, the controller 30 can automatically control the left-right rotation operation of the upper rotating body 3.

[0134] The lower traveling structure 1 may also be configured to be automatically controlled by the controller 30, similar to the boom 4, the arm 5, the bucket 6, and the upper rotating structure 3. In this case, a shuttle valve 32 may be provided in a pilot line between the left traveling lever 26DL and the control valve 171, and between the right traveling lever 26DR and the control valve 172, and a proportional valve 31 may be provided in the other inlet port of the shuttle valve 32 via a pilot line. This allows the controller 30 to automatically control the traveling operation of the lower traveling structure 1 (left crawler 1CL, right crawler 1CR) by outputting a control current to the proportional valve 31.

[0135] Next, the control system of the shovel 100 in this embodiment includes a controller 30, a spatial recognition device 70, an orientation detection device 71, an input device 72, a positioning device 73, a display device D1, an audio output device D2, a boom angle sensor S1, an arm angle sensor S2, a bucket angle sensor S3, a machine body inclination sensor S4, and a turning state sensor S5.

[0136] The spatial recognition device 70 recognizes an object present in a three-dimensional space around the shovel 100, and acquires information for measuring (calculating) a positional relationship such as a distance from the spatial recognition device 70 or the shovel 100 to the recognized object. The spatial recognition device 70 may also recognize objects around the shovel 100 and measure the positional relationship between the recognized object and the spatial recognition device 70 or the shovel 100 based on the acquired information. The spatial recognition device 70 may include, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, a monocular camera, a stereo camera, a LIDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging), a distance image sensor, an infrared sensor, and the like. In this embodiment, the spatial recognition device 70 includes a forward recognition sensor 70F attached to the front end of the upper surface of the cabin 10, a rear recognition sensor 70B attached to the rear end of the upper surface of the upper rotating body 3, a left recognition sensor 70L attached to the left end of the upper surface of the upper rotating body 3, and a right recognition sensor 70R attached to the right end of the upper surface of the upper rotating body 3. In addition, an upward recognition sensor that recognizes objects present in the space above the upper rotating body 3 may be attached to the shovel 100.

[0137] The orientation detection device 71 detects information regarding the relative relationship between the orientation of the upper rotating body 3 and the orientation of the lower running body 1 (for example, the rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3 with respect to the lower running body 1).

[0138] The direction detection device 71 may include, for example, a combination of a geomagnetic sensor attached to the lower running body 1 and a geomagnetic sensor attached to the upper rotating body 3. The direction detection device 71 may also include a combination of a GNSS receiver attached to the lower running body 1 and a GNSS receiver attached to the upper rotating body 3. The direction detection device 71 may also include a rotary encoder, a rotary position sensor, or the like capable of detecting a relative rotation angle of the upper rotating body 3 with respect to the lower running body 1, that is, the above-mentioned rotation state sensor S5, and 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 running body 1 and the upper rotating body 3. The direction detection device 71 may also include a camera attached to the upper rotating body 3. In this case, the direction detection device 71 detects an image of the lower running 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. The orientation detection device 71 may use a known image recognition technology to detect an image of the lower traveling body 1, thereby identifying the longitudinal direction of the lower traveling body 1, and derive the 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. In this case, the direction of the front-rear axis of the upper rotating body 3 can be derived from the mounting position of the camera. In particular, since the crawler 1C protrudes from the upper rotating body 3, the orientation detection device 71 can identify the longitudinal direction of the lower traveling body 1 by detecting an image of the crawler 1C.

[0139] When the upper rotating body 3 is configured to be rotated by an electric motor instead of the hydraulic rotating motor 2A, the direction detection device 71 may be a resolver.

[0140] The input device 72 is provided within reach of an operator seated in the cabin 10, accepts various operational inputs by the operator, and outputs a signal corresponding to the operational input to the controller 30. For example, the input device 72 may include a touch panel mounted on a display of a display device that displays various information images. Also, for example, the input device 72 may include a button switch, lever, toggle, etc. that are provided around the display device D1. Also, the input device 72 may include a knob switch (for example, a switch NS provided on the left operating lever 26L, etc.) provided on the operating device 26. A signal corresponding to the operation content of the input device 72 is taken into the controller 30.

[0141] The switch NS is, for example, a push button switch provided at the tip of the left operation lever 26L. The operator can operate the left operation lever 26L while pressing the switch NS. The switch NS may also be provided on the right operation lever 26R or at another position within the cabin 10.

[0142] The positioning device 73 measures the position and orientation of the upper rotating body 3. The positioning device 73 is, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) compass, which detects the position and orientation of the upper rotating body 3, and a detection signal corresponding to the position and orientation of the upper rotating body 3 is input to the controller 30. Furthermore, the function of detecting the orientation of the upper rotating body 3, which is one of the functions of the positioning device 73, may be substituted by a direction sensor attached to the upper rotating body 3.

[0143] The display device D1 is provided at a location where it can be easily viewed by an operator seated in the cabin 10, and displays various information images under the control of the controller 30. The display device D1 may be connected to the controller 30 via an in-vehicle communication network such as a Controller Area Network (CAN), or may be connected to the controller 30 via a one-to-one dedicated line.

[0144] The audio output device D2 is provided, for example, in the cabin 10, connected to the controller 30, and outputs audio under the control of the controller 30. The audio output device D2 is, for example, a speaker or a buzzer. The audio output device D2 outputs various information by audio in response to an audio output command from the controller 30.

[0145] The boom angle sensor S1 is attached to the boom 4 and detects the elevation / depression angle of the boom 4 relative to the upper rotating body 3 (hereinafter referred to as the "boom angle"), for example, the angle formed by a straight line connecting the fulcrums at both ends of the boom 4 relative to the rotation plane of the upper rotating body 3 in a side view. The boom angle sensor S1 may include, for example, a rotary encoder, an acceleration sensor, a six-axis sensor, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), etc., and the same applies to the arm angle sensor S2, bucket angle sensor S3, and machine body inclination sensor S4 below. A detection signal corresponding to the boom angle by the boom angle sensor S1 is input to the controller 30.

[0146] The arm angle sensor S2 is attached to the arm 5 and detects the rotation angle of the arm 5 relative to the boom 4 (hereinafter referred to as the “arm angle”), for example, the angle formed by a line connecting the fulcrums at both ends of the arm 5 with respect to a line connecting the fulcrums at both ends of the boom 4 in a side view. A detection signal corresponding to the arm angle by the arm angle sensor S2 is input to the controller 30.

[0147] The bucket angle sensor S3 is attached to the bucket 6 and detects the rotation angle of the bucket 6 with respect to the arm 5 (hereinafter referred to as the “bucket angle”), for example, the angle formed by a line connecting the fulcrum of the bucket 6 and the tip (blade tip) with respect to a line connecting the fulcrums of both ends of the arm 5 in a side view. A detection signal corresponding to the bucket angle by the bucket angle sensor S3 is input to the controller 30.

[0148] The machine body tilt sensor S4 detects the tilt state of the machine body (e.g., the upper rotating body 3) with respect to a horizontal plane. The machine body tilt sensor S4 is attached, for example, to the upper rotating body 3, and detects the tilt angles around two axes in the forward / backward and left / right directions (hereinafter, "fore / aft tilt angle" and "left / right tilt angle") of the shovel 100 (i.e., the upper rotating body 3). The machine body tilt sensor S4 may include, for example, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor), a six-axis sensor, an IMU, etc. A detection signal corresponding to the tilt angle (fore / aft tilt angle and left / right tilt angle) by the machine body tilt sensor S4 is input to the controller 30.

[0149] The turning state sensor S5 is attached to the upper rotating body 3 and outputs detection information related to the turning state of the upper rotating body 3. The turning state sensor S5 detects, for example, the turning angular velocity and turning angle of the upper rotating body 3. The turning state sensor S5 includes, for example, a gyro sensor, a resolver, a rotary encoder, etc.

[0150] If the vehicle tilt sensor S4 includes a gyro sensor, a six-axis sensor, an IMU, or the like capable of detecting angular velocities around three axes, the rotation state (e.g., rotation angular velocity) of the upper rotating body 3 may be detected based on the detection signal of the vehicle tilt sensor S4. In this case, the rotation state sensor S5 may be omitted.

[0151] The controller 30 may, for example, perform control related to the hydraulic system of the shovel 100 as described above.

[0152] Furthermore, the controller 30 may perform control related to automatic driving functions including, for example, a machine guidance function and a machine control function.

[0153] In addition, the controller 30 may perform control related to the surrounding monitoring function of the shovel 100 based on the output of the spatial recognition device 70, for example.

[0154] For example, the controller 30 monitors the presence or absence of a monitored object entering a monitored area around the shovel 100 by the spatial recognition device 70. Specifically, the controller 30 may detect a monitored object within a predetermined range (hereinafter, "monitored area") based on the shovel 100 based on the output of the spatial recognition device 70. Furthermore, the controller 30 may identify (understand) the type and position of the monitored object using a known method such as machine learning based on the output of the spatial recognition device 70. Furthermore, when the controller 30 detects a monitored object within the monitored area, the controller 30 may notify the operator and those around the shovel 100 that the monitored object has been detected within the monitored area by a predetermined method. Furthermore, the controller 30 may notify the operator and those around the shovel 100 only when it determines that the detected monitored object is a "person". For example, the notification to the operator in the cabin 10 may be performed visually or audibly through the display device 50 or a sound output device (e.g., a buzzer or a speaker) inside the cabin 10. Also, for example, the notification to those around the shovel 100 may be performed in an auditory or visual manner through a sound output device (e.g., a buzzer or an alarm) or a lighting device (e.g., a headlight or a red lamp) mounted on the upper rotating body 3. Also, for example, the notification to the operator of the remote operation may be performed in an auditory or visual manner through a sound output device or a display device installed on an external device by transmitting a signal requesting a notification to the external device that supports the remote operation. Also, when the controller 30 detects a monitored object in the monitoring area, the controller 30 may limit the operation of the actuator (driven part) of the shovel 100 in a predetermined manner. Also, the controller 30 may limit the operation of the actuator (driven part) of the shovel 100 only when the detected monitored object is determined to be a "person". The limiting of the actuator operation includes a control form in which the operating speed of the actuator is slowed down relatively to the operation. Also, the limiting of the actuator operation includes a control form in which the actuator is kept stopped regardless of the presence or absence of the operation. For example, the gate lock valve may be brought into a non-communicating state, thereby limiting the operation of the actuator (maintaining the stopped state).In addition, if the operating device 26 is electric, the controller 30 may realize the restriction of the actuator operation (maintaining the stopped state) by invalidating the operating signal without outputting a signal to the operating hydraulic control valve even when an operating signal is input.

[0155] Specifically, when it is determined that a person is present within the monitoring area around the excavator 100 before the operator operates the operating device 26, the controller 30 may disable the actuator or limit its operation to a slow speed state even if the operator operates the operating lever. More specifically, in the case of a hydraulic pilot type operating device 26, when it is determined that a person is present within the monitoring area around the excavator 100, the controller 30 can disable the actuator by locking the gate lock valve. In the case of an electric operating device 26, the actuator can be disabled by invalidating the signal from the controller 30 to the operating control valve. When it is desired to operate the actuator at a slow speed, the actuator can be operated at a slow speed state by limiting the control signal from the controller 30 to the operating control valve to a content corresponding to a relatively small pilot pressure. The same applies to the case where another type of operating device 26 is used as long as the type is capable of adjusting the pilot pressure applied to the control valve of the control valve 17 indirectly using the operating control valve.

[0156] In this way, when it is determined that a monitored object exists within the monitoring area around the shovel 100, the actuator is not driven even if the operating device 26 is operated, or is driven at an operating speed (slow speed) lower than the operating speed corresponding to the operation input to the operating device 26. Furthermore, when it is determined that a person exists within the monitoring area around the shovel 100 while the operator is operating the operating device 26, the operation of the actuator may be stopped or decelerated regardless of the operation of the operator. Specifically, when the operating device 26 is of a hydraulic pilot type, when it is determined that a person exists within the monitoring area around the shovel 100, the controller 30 stops the actuator by locking the gate lock valve. Furthermore, when an operating control valve is used that outputs a pilot pressure corresponding to a control command from the controller 30 and applies the pilot pressure to a pilot port of a corresponding control valve in the control valve 17, the controller 30 can disable the actuator or decelerate its operation by invalidating a signal to the operating control valve or outputting a deceleration command to the operating control valve.

[0157] The same may be true in the case where the shovel 100 is remotely operated or operated with a fully automatic operation function. In other words, when it is determined that a monitored object is present within a monitoring area around the shovel 100, the actuator may not be driven even if a remote operation signal or a control command by the automatic operation function is input, or may be driven at an operating speed (very slow) lower than the operating speed corresponding to the input.

[0158] Also, for example, when the detected monitored object is a truck, control for stopping or decelerating the actuator may not be performed. In this case, the controller 30 may control the actuator to avoid the detected truck.

[0159] In this manner, the type of monitored object detected may be recognized, and the actuator may be controlled based on the recognition result.

[0160] [Outline of excavator machine guidance and control functions] Next, an overview of the machine guidance function and the machine control function of the shovel 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0161] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an outline of an example of the configuration relating to the machine guidance function and the machine control function of the shovel 100.

[0162] The controller 30 executes control of the shovel 100, for example, with respect to a machine guidance function that guides (guides) the manual operation of the shovel 100 by an operator.

[0163] The controller 30 conveys work information such as the distance between the target construction surface and the tip of the attachment AT, specifically, the working part of the end attachment, to the operator through the display device D1, the audio output device D2, etc. Specifically, the controller 30 acquires information from the boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, the bucket angle sensor S3, the machine body inclination sensor S4, the turning state sensor S5, the spatial recognition device 70, the positioning device V1, the input device 72, etc. Then, the controller 30 may calculate the distance between the bucket 6 and the target construction surface based on the acquired information, and notify the operator of the calculated distance by an image displayed on the display device D1 or a voice output from the audio output device D2. Data on the target construction surface is stored in an internal memory or an external storage device connected to the controller 30, for example, based on a setting input by the operator through the input device 72, or by downloading from the outside (for example, a specified management server). Data on the target construction surface is expressed, for example, in a reference coordinate system. The reference coordinate system is, for example, the world geodetic system. The world geodetic system is a three-dimensional orthogonal XYZ coordinate system with the origin at the center of gravity of the earth, the X axis in the direction of the intersection of the Greenwich meridian and the equator, the Y axis in the direction of 90 degrees east longitude, and the Z axis in the direction of the North Pole. For example, the operator may determine an arbitrary point on the construction site as a reference point and set a target construction surface based on a relative positional relationship with the reference point through the input device 72. The working part of the bucket 6 is, for example, the tip 6_5 of the bucket 6 (see FIG. 1), the back 6_3 of the bucket 6, etc. Also, when, for example, a breaker is adopted instead of the bucket 6 as the end attachment, the tip of the breaker corresponds to the working part. Thereby, the controller 30 can notify the operator of the work information through the display device D1, the audio output device D2, etc., and guide the operation of the excavator 100 by the operator through the operating device 26.

[0164] When the shovel 100 is remotely operated, the work information may be transmitted to an external device that is a source of a remote operation signal and communicated to an operator through a display device or a sound output device provided in the external device. This enables the controller 30 to notify the operator of the external device of the work information and guide the operator in remotely operating the shovel 100.

[0165] Furthermore, the controller 30 executes control of the shovel 100, for example, with respect to a machine control function that assists an operator in manually operating the shovel 100. For example, the machine control function is enabled when the left operating lever 26L and the right operating lever 26R are operated with the switch NS being pressed. Also, in the case where the shovel 100 is remotely operated, the machine control function may be enabled when the remote operating device used by the operator (hereinafter, "remote operating device") is operated with a similar knob switch installed on the remote operating device being pressed.

[0166] The controller 30 is configured to acquire a target (hereinafter, "target trajectory") of a trajectory to be followed by a predetermined portion (hereinafter, simply "control reference") serving as a control reference for the attachment. When there is a work object with which the end attachment may come into contact, such as in an excavation operation or a rolling operation, a working portion of the end attachment (for example, the tip 6_5 or the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6, the left and right ends of the tip 6_5 of the bucket 6, the left and right ends of the lower end of the back surface 6_3 of the bottom plate, any part of the curved surface 6_2 of the bottom plate, etc.) may be set as the control reference. In addition, when there is no work object with which the end attachment may come into contact, such as in a boom-raising swing operation, a soil-discharging operation, a boom-lowering swing operation, etc., described later, an arbitrary portion (for example, the lower end or the tip 6_5 of the bucket 6, etc.) that may define the position of the end attachment in the operation may be set as the control reference. In addition, multiple points of the outer shape of the bucket 6 that correspond to the working portion may be set as the control reference. For example, the controller 30 derives the target trajectory based on data related to the target construction surface stored in an internal or external non-volatile storage device capable of communication. The controller 30 may derive the target trajectory based on information related to the topography around the shovel 100 recognized by the spatial recognition device 70. The controller 30 may also derive information related to the past trajectory of a working part such as the tip 6_5 of the bucket 6 from past outputs of a posture detection device (e.g., a boom angle sensor S1, an arm angle sensor S2, a bucket angle sensor S3, etc.) temporarily stored in an internal volatile storage device, and derive the target trajectory based on the information. The controller 30 may also derive the target trajectory based on the current position of a predetermined part of the attachment and data related to the target construction surface.

[0167] For example, when an operator manually performs an excavation operation or a leveling operation on the ground, the controller 30 automatically operates at least one of the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 so that a target construction surface and a working part of the bucket 6 (for example, the tip 6_5 or the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6) coincide with each other. Specifically, when the operator operates the left operation lever 26L in the forward / backward direction while operating (pushing) the switch NS, the controller 30 automatically operates at least one of the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6 in response to the operation so that a target construction surface and a working part of the bucket 6 coincide with each other. More specifically, the controller 30 controls the proportional valve 31 as described above, and automatically operates at least one of the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6. The same applies to the case of remote operation. As a result, the operator can make the excavator 100 perform an excavation operation or a leveling operation along a target construction surface by simply performing an opening / closing operation of the arm 5 (for example, by simply operating the left operation lever 26L in the forward / backward direction).

[0168] [Details of excavator machine control functions] Next, the machine control function of the shovel 100 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 7 (Figs. 7A and 7B), 8 (Figs. 8A and 8B), and 9.

[0169] <Example of operation based on the machine control function of an excavator> 7A and 7B are diagrams showing an example of operation based on the machine control function of the shovel 100, and show a situation in which the shovel 100 is using the machine control function to move the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 along the target construction surface 600 and perform leveling work (ground leveling work).

[0170] 7A and 7B, only the bucket 6 of the attachment AT of the shovel 100 is depicted, and the boom 4 and the arm 5 are omitted. In addition, in order to express the change over time accompanying the movement of the bucket 6, the buckets 6 are conveniently shown as buckets 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F, 6G, and 6H at each predetermined timing in Fig. 7A and 7B.

[0171] As shown in Figures 7A and 7B, the target construction surface 600 includes a horizontal plane 601 (first target construction surface), a slope 602 (second target construction surface) that slopes downward relative to the horizontal plane 601, and a bend 603 (boundary portion of the target construction surface) where the horizontal plane 601 and the slope 602 intersect.

[0172] Moreover, the space above the target construction surface 600 is divided into regions 610, 620, and 630 in a form corresponding to the shape of the target construction surface 600. Specifically, the region 610 is a spatial region portion on the horizontal surface 601 side (left side in the figure) of the extension surface 615 of the slope 602 among the spatial regions above the horizontal surface 601. The region 620 is a spatial region portion divided by the extension surface 615 of the slope 602 and the extension surface 625 of the horizontal surface 601 above the bend 603. The region 630 is a spatial region portion on the slope 602 side (lower side in the figure) of the extension surface 625 of the horizontal surface 601 among the spatial regions above the slope 602. The regions 610 to 630 are preset in the shovel 100 based on the shape of the target construction surface.

[0173] 7A and 7B is merely an example, and any setting method (division method) may be adopted. The same applies to areas 810 to 830 in FIG. 9, which will be described later.

[0174] The shovel 100 automatically operates the boom 4 and the bucket 6 in response to the operation of the arm 5 by the operator (hereinafter, "arm operation"), and moves the bucket 6 so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is aligned with the target construction surface.

[0175] 7A, in this example, the shovel 100 moves the bucket 6 by pushing it in a direction away from the machine body with the machine body (lower traveling body 1 and upper rotating body 3) positioned on the horizontal surface 601 side. Then, the shovel 100 advances the leveling work in the order of the horizontal surface 601 (state of bucket 6A), the bent portion 603 (state of buckets 6B and 6C), and the slope 602 (state of bucket 6D) while aligning the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 with the target construction surface 600.

[0176] When the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 610 (state of the bucket 6A), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to maintain the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 parallel to the horizontal plane 601 or within a predetermined angle range based on parallelism to the horizontal plane 601. For example, the controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 610 when at least a part of the bucket 6 is included in the region 610. Furthermore, the controller 30 controls the boom angle so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 comes into contact with (coincides with) the horizontal plane 601, based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined in relation to the horizontal plane 601. In this way, the excavator 100 can move the bucket 6 along the horizontal plane 601.

[0177] When the position of the bucket 6 changes from a state in the region 610 to a state in the region 620 (state of the bucket 6B), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to change the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 from a state parallel to the horizontal plane 601 to a state parallel to the slope 602. For example, the controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 620 when the entire bucket 6 becomes included in the region 620 and when a change in posture accompanying the entry of the bucket 6 into the region 620 is continuing. The controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 620 when at least a portion of the control reference of the bucket 6 is located in the region 620. Furthermore, the controller 30 controls the boom angle based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined sequentially in the process of the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 transitioning from a state parallel to the horizontal plane 601 to a state parallel to the slope 602. For example, the controller 30 may control the boom angle so that the tip 6_5 of the bucket 6 comes into contact with (coincides with) the slope 602 or the extension surface 615 of the slope 602, or so that a slight gap is generated. This allows the shovel 100 to transition from a state in which the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is along the horizontal surface 601 (the state of the bucket 6B) to a state in which the back surface 6_3 is along the slope 602 (the state of the bucket 6C) while avoiding a situation in which the bucket 6 bites into the bent portion 603 or deviates from the shape of the bent portion 603. Therefore, the shovel 100 can appropriately perform construction on the shape of the target construction surface 600 in the vicinity of the bent portion 603 by the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6.

[0178] When the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 630 (state of the buckets 6C and 6D), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to maintain the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 parallel to the slope 602. For example, the controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 630 when the attitude change of the bucket 6, which is started in response to the entry of the bucket 6 into the region 620, is completed and at least a part of the bucket 6 is included in the region 630. The controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 630 when at least a part of the control reference of the bucket 6 is located in the region 630. Furthermore, the controller 30 controls the boom angle so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 comes into contact with (matches) the slope 602, based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined in relation to the slope 602. This allows the excavator 100 to move the bucket 6 along the slope 602.

[0179] In this example, first, the controller 30 controls the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 as a control reference (working part) to follow the horizontal plane 601 as the target trajectory. In this case, the correspondence between the control reference and the target trajectory is set for the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 and the horizontal plane 601. At this time, the controller 30 determines whether or not there is a bent portion 603 in the set target construction surface 600, and when it determines that there is a bent portion 603, performs control corresponding to the change in the target construction surface 600 at the bent portion 603.

[0180] In this example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the change in the adjacent target construction surface 600 (horizontal surface 601 and slope 602) at the bent portion 603 in the traveling direction of the control reference (working part) is greater than 180°. In this case, the controller 30 judges whether or not the curved surface 6_2 of the bottom plate, which is the front end of the bucket 6 in the traveling direction, has exceeded the extension surface 615 of the next target construction surface (slope 602). When the controller 30 judges that the curved surface 6_2 of the bucket 6 has exceeded the extension surface 615, it further judges whether or not the toe 6_5, which is the rear end of the bucket 6 in the traveling direction, has exceeded the extension surface 615. When the controller 30 judges that the toe 6_5 of the bucket 6 has exceeded the extension surface 615, it changes the correspondence relationship between the control reference and the target trajectory to the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 and the slope 602. Then, the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to change the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 from a state parallel to the horizontal surface 601 to a state parallel to the slope 602. At this time, the bucket angle is controlled so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is parallel to the slope 602 or within a predetermined angle range with the parallel state with the slope 602 as the reference.

[0181] Thereafter, the controller 30 controls the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 as a control reference (working portion) so as to follow the slope 602 as a target trajectory.

[0182] 7B, in this example, the shovel 100 moves the bucket 6 in a manner that pulls it closer to the machine body, in the opposite manner to the case of FIG. 7A, with the machine body positioned on the horizontal surface 601 side. Then, the shovel 100 advances the leveling work in the order of the slope 602 (in the state of the bucket 6E), the bent portion 603 (in the state of the buckets 6F and 6G), and the horizontal surface 601 (in the state of the bucket 6H), while aligning the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 with the target construction surface 600.

[0183] When the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 630 (state of the bucket 6E), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to maintain the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 parallel to the slope 602, similar to the case of FIG. 7A. For example, the controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 630 when at least a part of the bucket 6 is included in the region 630. Also, similar to the case of FIG. 7A, the controller 30 controls the boom angle so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 comes into contact with (coincides with) the slope 602, based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined in relation to the slope 602. This allows the excavator 100 to move the bucket 6 along the slope 602.

[0184] When the position of the bucket 6 changes from a state in the area 630 to a state in the area 620 (state of the bucket 6F), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to change the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 from a state parallel to the slope 602 to a state parallel to the horizontal plane 601. The controller 30 also controls the boom angle based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined sequentially in the process of the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 transitioning from a state parallel to the slope 602 to a state parallel to the horizontal plane 601. For example, the controller 30 may control the boom angle so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 comes into contact with (coincides with) the horizontal plane 601 or an extension surface 625 of the horizontal plane 601, or so that a slight gap is generated. As a result, the shovel 100 can transition the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 from a state in which the back surface 6_3 is along the slope 602 (the state of the bucket 6F) to a state in which the back surface 6_3 is along the horizontal surface (the state of the bucket 6G) while avoiding a situation in which the bucket 6 bites into the bent portion 603 or deviates from the shape of the bent portion 603. Therefore, the shovel 100 can appropriately perform construction on the shape of the target construction surface 600 in the vicinity of the bent portion 603 by the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6.

[0185] When the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 610 (state of the buckets 6G and 6H), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to maintain the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 parallel to the horizontal plane 601. For example, the controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 610 when the change in attitude of the bucket 6, which is started in response to the entry of the bucket 6 into the region 620, is completed and at least a part of the bucket 6 is included in the region 610. Furthermore, the controller 30 controls the boom angle so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 comes into contact with (coincides with) the horizontal plane 601, based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined in relation to the horizontal plane 601. This allows the excavator 100 to move the bucket 6 along the horizontal plane 601.

[0186] In this example, first, the controller 30 controls the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 as a control reference (working part) so as to follow the slope 602 as a target trajectory. In this case, the correspondence between the control reference and the target trajectory is set for the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 and the slope 602. At this time, the controller 30 determines whether or not there is a bent portion 603 in the set target construction surface 600, and when it determines that there is a bent portion 603, performs control corresponding to the change in the target construction surface 600 at the bent portion 603.

[0187] In this example, as shown in FIG. 7B, the change in the adjacent target construction surface 600 (horizontal surface 601 and slope 602) at the bent portion 603 in the traveling direction of the control reference (working portion) is greater than 180°. In this case, the controller 30 judges whether the toe 6_5, which is the front end in the traveling direction of the bucket 6, has exceeded the extension surface 625 of the next target construction surface (horizontal surface 601). When the controller 30 judges that the toe 6_5 of the bucket 6 has exceeded the extension surface 625, it further judges whether the curved surface 6_2, which is the rear end in the traveling direction of the bucket 6, has exceeded the extension surface 625. When the controller 30 judges that the curved surface 6_2 of the bucket 6 has exceeded the extension surface 625, it changes the correspondence relationship between the control reference and the target trajectory to the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 and the horizontal surface 601. Then, the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to change the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 from a state parallel to the slope 602 to a state parallel to the horizontal surface 601. At this time, the bucket angle is controlled so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is parallel to the horizontal plane 601 or within a predetermined angle range with the parallel state with the horizontal plane 601 as the reference.

[0188] Thereafter, the controller 30 controls the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 as a control reference (working portion) so as to follow the horizontal plane 601 as a target trajectory.

[0189] In this way, in this example (FIGS. 7A and 7B), in the vicinity of the bent portion 603 of the target construction surface 600, a control command (bucket command value β 3rA plurality of regions (regions 610 to 630) having mutually different angles (angles 610 to 630) are set. Specifically, when the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 610 or the region 630, the controller 30 generates a control command related to the operation of the bucket 6 to maintain the bucket angle parallel to the horizontal plane 601 or the slope 602. On the other hand, when the position of the bucket 6 enters the region 620 from the region 610 or the region 630, the controller 30 generates a control command related to the operation of the bucket 6 to change the bucket angle from a state parallel to the horizontal plane 601 to a state parallel to the slope 602, or from a state parallel to the slope 602 to a state parallel to the horizontal plane 601. More specifically, in a situation where the change in the adjacent target construction surface 600 at the bend portion 603 in the traveling direction of the control reference (working part) is greater than 180°, the controller 30 changes the correspondence relationship between the control reference and the target trajectory when the rear end of the traveling direction of the bucket 6 enters beyond the extension surface of the next target construction surface. This enables the shovel 100 to avoid a situation in which the bucket 6 digs into the ground near the bent portion 603 or deviates from the shape of the bent portion 603, and enables the working portion of the bucket 6 to be appropriately moved along the target construction surface near the bent portion 603 of the target construction surface 600.

[0190] <Configuration details for excavator machine control function> 8A and 8B are functional block diagrams showing details of an example of the configuration related to the machine control function of the shovel 100 according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 8A and Fig. 8B show a specific example of the configuration related to the machine control function for automatically operating the attachment AT of the shovel 100 in response to the arm operation by the operator, i.e., the operation of the left operating lever 26L in the forward and backward directions.

[0191] The configuration related to the machine control function for automatically operating the attachment AT of the shovel 100 in response to remote operation of the arm is the same as that shown in Figures 8A and 8B, except that the operating pressure sensor 29LA in Figure 8A is replaced with a communication device that receives a remote operation signal from an external device. Therefore, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0192] The controller 30 includes, as functional sections related to the machine control function, an operation content acquisition section 3001, a current position calculation section 3002, a target construction surface acquisition section 3003, an area determination section 3004, a target trajectory setting section 3005, a target position calculation section 3006, a bucket shape acquisition section 3007, an operation command generation section 3008, a pilot command generation section 3009, and an attitude angle calculation section 3010. These functional sections 3001 to 3010 repeatedly execute the operations described below for each predetermined control period when, for example, the switch NS is pressed.

[0193] The operation content acquisition unit 3001 acquires operation content related to the forward / rearward tilt operation of the left operating lever 26L based on the detection signal captured from the operating pressure sensor 29LA. For example, the operation content acquisition unit 3001 acquires (calculates) the operation direction (whether forward or rearward) and the amount of operation as the operation content.

[0194] The current position calculation unit 3002 calculates the position (current position) of a working part (e.g., the tip 6_5 or the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6) of the bucket 6. Specifically, the current position calculation unit 3002 may calculate the current position of the control reference of the attachment AT based on the boom angle θ1, the arm angle θ2, and the bucket angle θ3 calculated by a posture angle calculation unit 3010, which will be described later.

[0195] The target construction surface acquisition unit 3003 acquires data relating to the target construction surface from, for example, an internal memory (non-volatile auxiliary storage device) of the controller 30 or a predetermined external storage device.

[0196] The area determination unit 3004 determines in which area the position of the bucket 6 is located among areas that are preset in the space above the target construction surface. When a bend exists in the target construction surface where the inclination of the tangent plane changes discontinuously depending on the orientation of the upper rotating body 3 (i.e., the orientation of the attachment), the bucket command value β 3rA plurality of regions are set to make the slope of the target construction surface 600 different. For example, the bend includes a portion where planes with different slopes intersect with each other in the direction of the upper rotating body 3. The bend includes, for example, a portion where a plane intersects with a curved surface, and includes a portion where the slope of the tangent plane of the plane and the curved surface changes discontinuously in the direction of the upper rotating body 3. The bend includes, for example, a portion where the slope of the tangent plane of the target construction surface formed by the curved surface changes discontinuously in the direction of the upper rotating body 3. For example, in the case of the target construction surface 600, the regions 610 to 630 are set in the space above the target construction surface 600 near the bend 603 as described above. In this case, the region determination unit 3004 determines which of the regions 610 to 630 the position of the bucket 6 is in as described above.

[0197] When the target construction surface does not include a bent portion, the processing of the area determination unit 3004 may be omitted.

[0198] The target trajectory setting unit 3005 sets information on a target trajectory of a working part (control reference) such as the tip 6_5 or the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 for moving the working part along the target construction surface, based on data on the target construction surface. For example, the target trajectory setting unit 3005 may set, as information on the target trajectory of the working part of the bucket 6, an inclination angle in the direction (i.e., the front-rear direction) of the upper rotating body 3 of the shovel 100 based on the body (upper rotating body 3) of the shovel 100.

[0199] The target position calculation unit 3006 calculates a target position of the working part of the bucket 6 (control reference) based on the operation details (operation direction and operation amount) related to the forward / backward operation of the left operating lever 26L, information related to the set target trajectory, and the current position of the working part of the bucket 6. The target position is a position on the target trajectory (in other words, the target construction surface) to be reached in the current control cycle when it is assumed that the arm 5 operates according to the operation direction and operation amount of the arm 5 at the left operating lever 26L. The target position calculation unit 3006 may calculate the target position of the working part of the bucket 6 using, for example, a map, an arithmetic expression, or the like stored in advance in an auxiliary storage device or the like.

[0200] Furthermore, the target position calculation unit 3006 calculates a target value of the bucket angle (hereinafter, "target bucket angle") based on the area corresponding to the position of the bucket 6 determined by the area determination unit 304. For example, when the area determination unit 304 determines that the bucket 6 is in the area 610, the target position calculation unit 3006 calculates a target bucket angle corresponding to a state in which the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is parallel to the horizontal plane 601, based on data on the shape of the bucket 6. Furthermore, for example, when the bucket 6 enters the area 620 from the area 610 and the area determination unit 304 determines that the bucket 6 is in the area 620, the target position calculation unit 3006 calculates the bucket angle in such a manner that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 changes successively from a state parallel to the horizontal plane 601 toward a state parallel to the slope 602. The same is true for the case in which the bucket 6 enters the area 620 from the area 630, except that the start point and end point at which the bucket angle changes are reversed. Also, for example, when it is determined that the bucket 6 is in the area 630, the target position calculation unit 3006 calculates a target bucket angle corresponding to a state in which the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is parallel to the slope 602, based on data regarding the shape of the bucket 6.

[0201] The bucket shape acquiring unit 3007 acquires data relating to the shape of the bucket 6 that is registered in advance, for example, from an internal memory (for example, an auxiliary storage device) or a predetermined external storage device. At this time, the bucket shape acquiring unit 3007 may acquire data relating to the shape of the bucket 6 of the type that is set by a setting operation via the input device 72, from among data relating to the shapes of multiple types of buckets 6 that are registered in advance.

[0202] The operation command generating unit 3008 generates a command value β related to the operation of the boom 4 (hereinafter, “boom command value”) based on the target position of the control reference in the attachment AT. 1r , a command value for the operation of the arm 5 (hereinafter, “arm command value”) β 2r , and a command value for the operation of bucket 6 ("bucket command value") β 3r For example, the boom command value β 1r , arm command value β 2r , and the bucket command value β 3rare the boom angle, arm angle, and bucket angle when the working part (control reference) of the bucket 6 achieves the target position, respectively. The motion command generating unit 3008 includes a master command value generating unit 3008A and a slave command value generating unit 3008B. . motion The operation command generating unit 3008 includes a master command value generating unit 3008A and a slave command value generating unit 3008B.

[0203] The boom command value, arm command value, and bucket command value may be the angular velocity of the boom 4 (hereinafter, boom angular velocity), the angular velocity of the arm 5 (hereinafter, "boom angular velocity"), and the angular velocity of the bucket 6 (hereinafter, "bucket angular velocity") required for the working portion (control reference) of the bucket 6 to achieve a target position. The boom command value, arm command value, and bucket command value may be angular acceleration or the like required for the working portion (control reference) of the bucket 6 to achieve a target position.

[0204] The master command value generation unit 3008A generates an arm command value β regarding the operation of the master element (arm 5) that is the object of operation of the operator among the operation elements (boom 4, arm 5, and bucket 6) that constitute the attachment AT. 2r The generated arm command value β 2r is output to the arm pilot command generating unit 3009B. Specifically, the master command value generating unit 3008A outputs an arm command value β 2r For example, the master command value generating unit 3008A generates the arm command value β 2r Based on a predetermined map or conversion formula that specifies the relationship between the arm command value β 2r may be generated.

[0205] In addition, when it is assumed that the left operating lever 26L is operated in the forward / backward direction by the operator, the master command value generating unit 3008A may be omitted. As described above, when the left operating lever 26L is operated in the forward / backward direction, the pilot pressure corresponding to the operation acts on the control valves 176L, 176R via the shuttle valves 32AL, 32AR, and the arm 5 can operate as a master element.

[0206] The slave command value generating unit 3008B generates a command value (boom command value β 1r , bucket command value β 3r ) is generated. The generated boom command value β 1r and bucket command value β 3r are output to the boom pilot command generator 3009A and the bucket pilot command generator 3009C, respectively. The slave command value generator 3008B outputs the arm command value β 2r The slave element operates in accordance with (synchronization with) the operation of the arm 5 corresponding to the boom command value β so that the working portion (control reference) of the bucket 6 realizes the target position (i.e., moves along the target construction surface). 1r and bucket command value β 3r In this way, the controller 30 can move the working portion (control reference) of the bucket 6 along the target construction surface by operating the two slave elements (the boom 4 and the bucket 6) in accordance with (i.e., in synchronization with) the operation of the master element (the arm 5) corresponding to the forward / backward operation of the left operating lever 26L.

[0207] The slave command value generating unit 3008B first calculates a bucket command value β 3r That is, the slave command value generating unit 3008B generates a bucket command value β 3rFor example, when the position of the bucket 6 is in the area 610 or the area 630, the slave command value generating unit 3008B generates a bucket command value β 3r In addition, when the bucket 6 enters the area 620 from the area 610 or the area 630, the slave command value generating unit 3008B generates a bucket command value β 3r Then, the slave command value generating unit 3008B generates the generated arm command value β 2r and bucket command value β 3r Based on this, the boom command value β is set so that the working part of the bucket 6 achieves the target position. 1r Generate.

[0208] The pilot command generating unit 3009 generates a boom command value β 1r , arm command value β 2r , and the bucket command value β 3r The pilot command generating unit 3009 generates command values ​​for pilot pressures (hereinafter, "pilot pressure command values") to be applied to the control valves 174 to 176 in order to realize the boom angle, arm angle, and bucket angle corresponding to the above. The pilot command generating unit 3009 includes a boom pilot command generating unit 3009A, an arm pilot command generating unit 3009B, and a bucket pilot command generating unit 3009C.

[0209] The boom pilot command generating unit 3009A generates a boom command value β 1rand a current boom angle calculation value (measurement value) calculated by a boom angle calculation unit 3010A described later, a pilot pressure command value to be applied to the control valves 175L, 175R corresponding to the boom cylinder 7 that drives the boom 4 is generated based on the deviation between this and a current boom angle calculation value (measurement value) calculated by a boom angle calculation unit 3010A described later. Then, the boom pilot command generation unit 3009A outputs a control current corresponding to the generated pilot pressure command value to the proportional valves 31BL, 31BR. As a result, as described above, the pilot pressure corresponding to the pilot pressure command value output from the proportional valves 31BL, 31BR acts on the corresponding pilot ports of the control valves 175L, 175R via the shuttle valves 32BL, 32BR. Then, the boom cylinder 7 is operated by the action of the control valves 175L, 175R, and the boom command value β 1r The boom 4 operates to achieve a boom angle corresponding to the above.

[0210] The arm pilot command generating unit 3009B generates an arm command value β 2r and a current arm angle calculated (measured) value by an arm angle calculation unit 3010B described later, a pilot pressure command value to be applied to the control valves 176L, 176R corresponding to the arm cylinder 8 that drives the arm 5 is generated. Then, the arm pilot command generation unit 3009B outputs a control current corresponding to the generated pilot pressure command value to the proportional valves 31AL, 31AR. As a result, as described above, the pilot pressure corresponding to the pilot pressure command value output from the proportional valves 31AL, 31AR acts on the corresponding pilot ports of the control valves 176L, 176R via the shuttle valves 32AL, 32AR. Then, the arm cylinder 8 is operated by the action of the control valves 176L, 176R, and the arm command value β 2r The arm 5 operates to achieve an arm angle corresponding to the above.

[0211] The bucket pilot command generating unit 3009C generates a bucket command value β 3r and the current bucket angle calculated by a bucket angle calculation unit 3010C, which will be described later. angleBased on the deviation between the calculated value (measured value) of and a calculated value of β, a pilot pressure command value is generated to be applied to the control valve 174 corresponding to the bucket cylinder 9 that drives the bucket 6. Then, bucket pilot command generating unit 3009C outputs a control current corresponding to the generated pilot pressure command value to proportional valves 31CL, 31CR. As a result, as described above, pilot pressures corresponding to the pilot pressure command values ​​output from proportional valves 31CL, 31CR act on the corresponding pilot ports of control valve 174 via shuttle valves 32CL, 32CR. Then, due to the action of control valve 174, bucket cylinder 9 is operated, and bucket command value β 3r The bucket 6 operates to realize a bucket angle corresponding to the above.

[0212] The attitude angle calculation unit 3010 calculates (measures) the (current) boom angle, arm angle, bucket angle, etc. based on the detection signals of the boom angle sensor S1, the arm angle sensor S2, and the bucket angle sensor S3. The attitude angle calculation unit 3010 includes a boom angle calculation unit 3010A, an arm angle calculation unit 3010B, and a bucket angle calculation unit 3010C.

[0213] The boom angle calculation unit 3010A calculates (measures) the boom angle, etc., based on the detection signal received from the boom angle sensor S1.

[0214] The arm angle calculation unit 3010B calculates (measures) the arm angle, etc., based on the detection signal received from the arm angle sensor S2.

[0215] The bucket angle calculation unit 3010C calculates (measures) the bucket angle and the like based on the detection signal captured from the bucket angle sensor S3.

[0216] In this manner, in the present embodiment, in the vicinity of the bend in the target construction surface, the control command (bucket command value β 3rSpecifically, a region (e.g., region 610) corresponding to one target construction surface portion (e.g., horizontal surface 601) having a bend (e.g., bend 603) as a boundary, a region (e.g., region 620) corresponding to the bend, and a region (e.g., region 630) corresponding to the other target construction surface portion (e.g., slope 602) having a bend as a boundary are set.

[0217] As a result, the shovel 100 can vary the control mode of the bucket 6 for each of the multiple regions so that the working part of the bucket 6 moves appropriately along the target construction surface. In particular, in the region corresponding to the bent part, the change in attitude of the bucket 6 (change in bucket angle) required in association with the movement of the bucket 6 between one target construction surface part and the other target construction surface part with the bent part as a boundary can be appropriately realized. Therefore, the shovel 100 can avoid a situation in which the bucket 6 bites into the bent part 603 or deviates from the shape of the bent part 603, and can appropriately work the shape of the target construction surface 600 near the bent part 603 by the working part of the bucket 6.

[0218] In addition, when the bucket 6 enters a second area from a first area among a plurality of areas in which the position of the bucket 6 is set, the controller 30 Ruba Ket 6 For example, when the bucket 6 enters the area 620 from the area 610 or the area 630, the controller 30 generates a control command corresponding to the area 620, that is, a control command for changing the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 from a state parallel to the horizontal plane 601 to a state parallel to the slope 602. , or to change from a state parallel to the slope 602 to a state parallel to the horizontal plane 601A control command related to the operation of the bucket 6 is generated. Furthermore, for example, when the bucket 6 enters the area 610 from the area 620, the controller 30 generates a control command corresponding to the area 610, i.e., a control command related to the operation of the bucket 6 for maintaining a state in which the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is parallel to the horizontal surface 601. Furthermore, for example, when the bucket 6 enters the area 630 from the area 620, the controller 30 generates a control command corresponding to the area 630, i.e., a control command related to the operation of the bucket 6 for maintaining a state in which the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is parallel to the slope 602.

[0219] Thereby, the shovel 100 can specifically vary the control manner of the bucket 6 for each of a plurality of regions.

[0220] In addition, the controller 30 outputs a control command regarding the operation of the bucket 6 (bucket command value β 3r ), a control command for the operation of the boom 4 (boom command value β 1r Specifically, the controller 30 may generate a control command (arm command value β 2r ) and a previously generated control command for the movement of the bucket 6. The controller 30 may previously generate a control command for the movement of the bucket 6 so as to realize, for example, a target attitude (target bucket angle) of the bucket 6 with respect to the target construction surface.

[0221] This enables the controller 30 to realize control for moving the working portion of the bucket 6 along the target construction surface in a manner that determines the movement of the boom 4 based on the movement of the arm 5 corresponding to the arm operation and the previously determined movement of the bucket 6.

[0222] <Another concrete example of operation based on the machine control function of an excavator> FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of operation based on the machine control function of the shovel 100, and shows a situation in which the shovel 100 is performing leveling work (ground leveling work) by moving the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 along the target construction surface 800 using the machine control function.

[0223] In Fig. 9, only the bucket 6 of the attachment AT of the shovel 100 is drawn, and the boom 4 and the arm 5 are omitted. In Fig. 9, in order to express the change over time accompanying the movement of the bucket 6, the bucket 6 is conveniently shown as buckets 6I, 6J, 6K, and 6L at each predetermined timing.

[0224] As shown in Figure 9, the target construction surface 800 includes a slope 801 (first target construction surface), a horizontal surface 802 (second target construction surface) located at the foot of the slope 801, and a bend 803 (boundary of the target construction surface) where the slope 801 and the horizontal surface 802 intersect.

[0225] Moreover, the space above the target construction surface 800 is divided into regions 810, 820, and 830 in a form corresponding to the shape of the target construction surface 800. Specifically, the region 810 is a spatial region portion on the slope 801 side (right side in the figure) of a vertical surface 815 that passes through the bend 803 and is perpendicular to the horizontal surface 802, among the spatial regions above the slope 801. The region 820 is a spatial region portion divided by the vertical surface 815 and a vertical surface 825 perpendicular to the slope 801, above the bend 803. The region 830 is a spatial region portion on the horizontal surface 802 side (left side in the figure) of the vertical surface 825, among the spatial regions above the horizontal surface 802. The regions 810 to 830 are preset in the shovel 100 based on the shape of the target construction surface.

[0226] As in the specific examples of Figures 7A and 7B, the shovel 100 automatically operates the boom 4 and bucket 6 in response to the operator's operation of the arm 5 (hereinafter referred to as "arm operation"), and moves the bucket 6 so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is aligned with the target construction surface.

[0227] In this example, the shovel 100 moves the bucket 6 in a manner that pulls it closer to the machine body, with the machine body positioned on the horizontal surface 802 side. Then, the shovel 100 advances the leveling work in the order of the slope 801 (in the state of the bucket 6I), the bent portion 803 (in the state of the buckets 6J and 6K), and the horizontal surface 802 (in the state of the bucket 6L), while aligning the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 with the target construction surface 800.

[0228] When the position of the bucket 6 is in the area 810 (state of the bucket 6I), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to maintain the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 parallel to the slope 801. For example, the controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the area 810 when the entire bucket 6 is included in the area 810. Furthermore, the controller 30 controls the boom angle so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 comes into contact with (coincides with) the slope 801, based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined in relation to the slope 801. This allows the excavator 100 to move the bucket 6 along the slope 801.

[0229] When the position of the bucket 6 changes from a state in the region 810 to a state in the region 820 (state of the bucket 6J), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to change the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 from a state parallel to the slope 801 to a state parallel to the horizontal plane 802. For example, the controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 820 when at least a part of the bucket 6 is included in the region 820 and when the attitude change of the bucket 6 is continuing as it enters the region 820. In addition, the controller 30 controls the boom angle based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined sequentially in the process of the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 changing from a state parallel to the slope 801 to a state parallel to the horizontal plane 802. As a result, the excavator 100 can appropriately perform construction of the shape of the target construction surface 800 in the vicinity of the bent portion 803 by the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6.

[0230] When the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 830 (state of the buckets 6J and 6K), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to maintain the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 parallel to the horizontal plane 802. For example, the controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 830 when the change in attitude of the bucket 6, which is started in response to the entry of the bucket 6 into the region 820, is completed and at least a part of the bucket 6 is included in the region 830. Furthermore, the controller 30 controls the boom angle so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 comes into contact with (coincides with) the horizontal plane 802, based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined in relation to the horizontal plane 802. This allows the excavator 100 to move the bucket 6 along the horizontal plane 802.

[0231] In this example, first, the controller 30 sets the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 as a control reference (working part) as a target trajectory. law surface 80 1 In this case, the correspondence between the control standard and the target trajectory is set for the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 and the slope 801. At this time, the controller 30 judges whether or not there is a bent portion 803 in the set target construction surface 800, and when it judges that there is a bent portion 803, performs control corresponding to the change in the target construction surface 800 at the bent portion 803.

[0232] In this example, as shown in Fig. 9, the change in the adjacent target construction surface 800 at the bent portion 803 in the traveling direction of the control reference (working portion) is smaller than 180°. In this case, the controller 30 judges whether the toe, which is the front end of the traveling direction of the bucket 6, has reached the bent portion (bent portion 803) with the next target construction surface (horizontal plane 802), and when it is judged that it has reached, changes the correspondence relationship between the control reference and the target trajectory to the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 and the horizontal plane 802. Then, the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is changed from a state parallel to the slope 801 to a state parallel to the horizontal plane 802. At this time, the bucket angle is controlled so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 is parallel to the horizontal plane 802 or within a predetermined angle range based on the state parallel to the horizontal plane 802.

[0233] Thereafter, the controller 30 controls the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 as a control reference (working portion) so as to follow the horizontal plane 802 as a target trajectory.

[0234] 7A, the shovel 100 may move the bucket 6 by pushing it in a direction away from the machine body while the machine body is positioned on the horizontal plane 802 side. In this case, the shovel 100 advances the leveling work in the order of the horizontal plane 802 (in the state of the bucket 6L), the bent portion 803 (in the state of the buckets 6K and 6J), and the slope 801 (in the state of the bucket 6I) while aligning the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 with the target construction surface 800.

[0235] When the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 830 (state of the bucket 6L), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to maintain the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 parallel to the horizontal plane 802. For example, the controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 830 when the entire bucket 6 is included in the region 830. Also, similar to the case of FIG. 9 , the controller 30 controls the boom angle so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 comes into contact with (coincides with) the horizontal plane 802, based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined in relation to the horizontal plane 802. This allows the excavator 100 to move the bucket 6 along the horizontal plane 802.

[0236] When the position of the bucket 6 changes from a state in the region 830 to a state in the region 820 (state of the bucket 6K), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to change the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 from a state parallel to the horizontal plane 802 to a state parallel to the slope 801. The controller 30 also controls the boom angle based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined sequentially in the process of the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 transitioning from a state parallel to the horizontal plane 802 to a state parallel to the slope 801. This allows the excavator 100 to appropriately perform construction on the shape of the target construction surface 800 in the vicinity of the bent portion 803 by the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6.

[0237] When the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 810 (state of the buckets 6J and 6I), the controller 30 controls the bucket angle so as to maintain the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 parallel to the slope 801. For example, the controller 30 may determine that the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 810 when the change in attitude of the bucket 6, which is started in response to the entry of the bucket 6 into the region 820, is completed and at least a part of the bucket 6 is included in the region 810. Furthermore, the controller 30 controls the boom angle so that the back surface 6_3 of the bucket 6 comes into contact with (coincides with) the slope 801, based on the arm angle determined by the content of the arm operation and the bucket angle determined in relation to the slope 801. This allows the excavator 100 to move the bucket 6 along the slope 801.

[0238] In this way, in this example, similarly to the specific examples of FIGS. 7A and 7B, in the vicinity of the bent portion 803 of the target construction surface 800, the control command (bucket command value β 3r) are set. Specifically, when the position of the bucket 6 is in the region 810 or the region 830, the controller 30 generates a control command related to the operation of the bucket 6 to maintain the bucket angle parallel to the slope 801 or the horizontal plane 802. On the other hand, when the position of the bucket 6 enters the region 820 from the region 810 or the region 830, the controller 30 generates a control command related to the operation of the bucket 6 to change the bucket angle from a state parallel to the slope 801 to a state parallel to the horizontal plane 802, or from a state parallel to the horizontal plane 802 to a state parallel to the slope 801. As a result, the excavator 100 can appropriately move the working portion of the bucket 6 along the target construction surface in the vicinity of the bent portion 803 of the target construction surface 800, as in the case of the specific examples of FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B.

[0239] [Effect] In this embodiment, the controller 30 switches the correspondence between the control reference (working part) and the target trajectory (target construction surface) before and after the bent part on the target trajectory with the movement of the control reference (working part). Specifically, the controller 30 may change the method of switching the correspondence between the control reference (working part) and the target trajectory (target construction surface) according to the manner of change of the target trajectory at the bent part (folded part). For example, when the change between adjacent target construction surfaces at the folded part is smaller than 180°, the controller 30 may switch the correspondence between the control reference and the target trajectory to the next target trajectory (target construction surface) when the front end of the end attachment along the target trajectory reaches the folded part. On the other hand, for example, when the change between adjacent target construction surfaces at the folded part is larger than 180°, the controller 30 may switch the correspondence between the control reference and the target trajectory to the next target trajectory (target construction surface) when the rear end of the end attachment along the target trajectory at the folded part exceeds the extension plane of the next target trajectory.

[0240] This enables the controller 30 to appropriately cause the control reference (working portion) of the end attachment to follow the change in the target trajectory (target construction surface) at the bent portion (folded portion).

[0241] [Transformation / Change] Although the embodiments have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist described in the claims.

[0242] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the shovel 100 uses a machine control function (semi-automatic driving function) to move the working portion of the bucket 6 along the target construction surface, but similar movement of the bucket 6 may also be achieved using a fully automatic driving function or an autonomous driving function.

[0243] In the above-described embodiment, the shovel 100 is configured such that all of the various operating elements, such as the lower traveling body 1, the upper rotating body 3, the boom 4, the arm 5, and the bucket 6, are hydraulically driven, but some of them may be electrically driven. That is, in the above-described embodiment, some of the driven elements of the shovel 100 may be driven by an electric actuator (for example, an electric motor, etc.).

[0244] Finally, this application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-180418, filed on September 30, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0245] 1 Undercarriage 2 Swivel mechanism 2A hydraulic slewing motor 3. Upper rotating body 4. Boom 5 Arm 6 Bucket 6_3 Back 6_4 Nails 6_5 Toes 7 Boom cylinder 8 Arm Cylinder 9 Bucket Cylinder 26 Operating device 26L Left operation lever 26R Right operation lever 29, 29AL, 29BL, 29CL, 29DL Operating pressure sensor 30 Controller (control device) 31AL, 31AR, 31BL, 31BR, 31CL, 31CR, 31DL, 31DR Proportional valve 32AL, 32AR, 32BL, 32BR, 32CL, 32CR, 32DL, 32DR Shuttle valve 33AL, 33AR, 33BL, 33BR, 33CL, 33CR, 33DL, 33DR Pressure reducing proportional valve 100 Shovel 600 Target construction surface 601 horizontal plane 602 Slope 603 Folding part 610,620,630 areas 800 Target construction surface 801 Slope 802 horizontal plane 803 Folding part 810,820,830 area AT Attachment S1 Boom Angle Sensor S2 Arm Angle Sensor S3 Bucket Angle Sensor S4 Aircraft Tilt Sensor S5 Turning status sensor

Claims

1. an attachment including a boom, an arm, and a bucket; A control device that operates the attachment so that the working portion of the bucket moves along a target construction surface, A plurality of regions in which control commands related to the operation of the bucket by the control device are different from each other are set in the vicinity of the bend in the target construction surface, The control device generates a control command to change the attitude of the bucket in the region including the bent portion, and when the rear end of the bucket in the traveling direction changes from a state in a region of the multiple regions adjacent to one portion of the target construction surface centered on the bent portion to a state in an opposite region beyond an extension plane of the other portion of the target construction surface centered on the bent portion as a boundary, changes the control command regarding the operation of the bucket. do, Shovel.

2. when a position of the bucket enters one of the plurality of regions into another of the plurality of regions, the control device generates a control command regarding an operation of the bucket corresponding to the other region. The shovel according to claim 1.

3. The control device controls the operation of the boom and the bucket in response to the operation of the arm so that the working portion of the bucket moves along the target construction surface, and generates a control command for the operation of the boom based on a control command for the operation of the bucket. The shovel according to claim 2.

4. The plurality of regions include a first region adjacent to one portion of the target construction surface centered on the bend, a second region adjacent to the other portion of the target construction surface centered on the bend, and a third region adjacent to the first region, the second region, and the bend. A shovel according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A control device for a shovel having an attachment including a boom, an arm, and a bucket, comprising: The attachment is operated so that the working portion of the bucket moves along the target construction surface, and a plurality of regions are set in the vicinity of a bend in the target construction surface, in which control commands related to the operation of the bucket by the shovel control device are different from each other; a control command for changing the attitude of the bucket is generated in the region including the bent portion, and when the rear end of the bucket in the traveling direction changes from a state in a region of the plurality of regions adjacent to one portion of the target construction surface centered on the bent portion to a state in an opposite region beyond an extension plane of the other portion of the target construction surface centered on the bent portion as a boundary, the control command for the operation of the bucket is changed. Excavator control device.

6. when the position of the bucket enters from one area to another area among the plurality of areas, a control command is generated regarding an operation of the bucket corresponding to the other area. The control device for a shovel according to claim 5.

7. In response to the operation of the arm, the boom and the bucket are operated so that the working portion of the bucket moves along the target construction surface, and a control command for the boom operation is generated based on a control command for the bucket operation. The control device for a shovel according to claim 6.

8. The plurality of regions include a first region adjacent to one portion of the target construction surface centered on the bend, a second region adjacent to the other portion of the target construction surface centered on the bend, and a third region adjacent to the first region, the second region, and the bend. The control device for a shovel according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

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