Construction Machinery

Abstract

To provide a construction machine that allows the automatic operation of a work device to be controlled in accordance with an operation plan of the work device corresponding to specific restrictions of the construction machine.SOLUTION: A hydraulic shovel 100 is provided with a measurement device 20 measuring a surrounding environment, and an automatic operation device 110 of a front work device 103. The automatic operation device 110 is provided with a track generation section 111 for generating a track during operation of the front work device 103, a track determination section 112 for determining whether or not a generated track meets specific restrictions, and a track correction section 113 for correcting the track when the generated track does not meet the specific restrictions. The specific restrictions include at least one of an inner restriction resulting from the hydraulic shovel 100 itself and an external restriction resulting from the outside of the hydraulic shovel 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a construction machine. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the development of unmanned construction machines that perform work autonomously, such as hydraulic excavators, has been progressing. Unmanned construction machines are required to determine, plan, and execute the next work in the same way as an operator.

[0003] One method for implementing such logic for autonomously planning and executing tasks is to learn the driving tendencies of operators and simulate those driving tendencies.Autonomous driving technology for passenger cars is one example of a technology that aims to automate machines by simulating human driving operations.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an automatic driving device that has learned human driving tendencies corrects a driving plan when rules and morals cannot be observed. Specifically, Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic driving device that includes a first program that determines a target control amount based on machine learning and a second program that determines a target control amount based on a predefined rule. When the target control amount determined by the first program deviates from the target control amount determined by the second program, the automatic driving device disclosed in Patent Document 1 corrects the target control amount determined by the first program so that it is within the target control amount determined by the second program. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6663822 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Patent Document 1 only discloses an automatic driving device that determines a driving plan for a passenger vehicle. Patent Document 1 does not disclose a method for dealing with the geometric constraints specific to the working equipment of a construction machine, the constraints specific to the hydraulic system of the construction machine, and the constraints specific to the work site of the construction machine. It is difficult for the automatic driving device of Patent Document 1 to control the automatic driving of the working equipment according to an operation plan for the working equipment that corresponds to the constraints specific to the construction machine.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a construction machine that is capable of controlling automatic operation of a work implement in accordance with an operation plan for the work implement that corresponds to constraints specific to the construction machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the construction machine of the present invention is a construction machine provided with a working device, and includes a measuring device that measures the surrounding environment including the terrain and objects around the construction machine, and an automatic driving device that controls the automatic driving of the working device, and the automatic driving device includes a trajectory generation unit that generates a trajectory that the working device is predicted to take while operating the working device based on the measurement results of the measuring device, a trajectory determination unit that determines whether the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit satisfies a preset constraint condition, a trajectory correction unit that corrects the trajectory if the trajectory determination unit does not satisfy the constraint condition, and a driving control unit that controls the operation of the working device in accordance with the trajectory determined by the trajectory determination unit to satisfy the constraint condition or the trajectory corrected by the trajectory correction unit, and the constraint conditions include at least one of internal conditions attributable to the construction machine itself and external conditions attributable to the outside of the construction machine. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a construction machine capable of controlling the automatic operation of a work implement in accordance with an operation plan for the work implement that corresponds to constraints specific to the construction machine. Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hydraulic excavator as an example of a construction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2(a) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the hydraulic excavator shown in FIG. 1 and a truck during an excavation operation, and FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the hydraulic excavator shown in FIG. 1 and a truck during a discharge operation. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an automatic driving device provided in the hydraulic excavator shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram for explaining a coordinate system used in the trajectory generating unit shown in FIG. 3 and a tip angle of a bucket. [Diagram 5] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit shown in FIG. 3; [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram showing the bucket tip angular velocity calculated from the bucket tip angle shown in FIG. 5 . [Figure 7] 6 is a diagram showing the operating states of a hydraulic actuator that achieves the trajectory shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 8 is a diagram showing the operating speed of the hydraulic actuator calculated from the operating state of the hydraulic actuator shown in FIG. 7 and the discharge flow rate of the hydraulic pump required to achieve the operating speed. [Figure 9] 9 is an enlarged view of a portion relating to the carrying operation from time t2 to time t3 shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 9 is a diagram showing the operational acceleration of the hydraulic actuator calculated from the operational speed of the hydraulic actuator shown in FIG. 8 . [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart of a process performed by the automatic driving device shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 12] 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a learning device provided in the hydraulic excavator shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 13] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 14]13 is a flowchart of a process performed by the learning device shown in FIG. 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The present invention is widely applicable to construction machines such as hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, etc. In this embodiment, the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where the present invention is applied to a hydraulic excavator as an example of a construction machine.

[0012] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Components with the same reference numerals have the same functions unless otherwise specified, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] [Construction machinery] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hydraulic excavator 100, which is an example of a construction machine according to this embodiment.

[0014] The hydraulic excavator 100 is an unmanned excavator capable of working autonomously. The hydraulic excavator 100 may be an unmanned excavator capable of being controlled by an operator via remote control.

[0015] The hydraulic excavator 100 comprises a lower traveling body 101 equipped with a crawler-type traveling device 8, an upper rotating body 102 rotatably attached to the lower traveling body 101 via a rotating device 7, and an articulated front working mechanism 103 attached to the front of the upper rotating body 102. The upper rotating body 102 is provided with a cab 104 in which an operator can ride during manned work, but this is not essential.

[0016] The front working mechanism 103 includes a boom 2 attached to the front of the upper rotating body 102 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, an arm 4 connected to the tip of the boom 2 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction, and a bucket 6 connected to the tip of the arm 4 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction. The front working mechanism 103 includes a boom cylinder 1 that drives the boom 2, an arm cylinder 3 that drives the arm 4, and a bucket cylinder 5 that drives the bucket 6.

[0017] The boom 2 is provided with a boom angle sensor 12 that measures the rotation angle of the boom 2. The arm 4 is provided with an arm angle sensor 14 that measures the rotation angle of the arm 4. The bucket 6 is provided with a bucket angle sensor 16 that measures the rotation angle of the bucket 6. The turning device 7 is provided with a turning angle sensor 17 that measures the turning angle of the turning device 7. In this embodiment, the angles measured by the boom angle sensor 12, arm angle sensor 14, bucket angle sensor 16, and turning angle sensor 17 are collectively referred to as "posture".

[0018] The hydraulic excavator 100 is a backhoe excavator, and is configured such that the bucket 6 is pulled back in the rearward direction by the arm cylinder 3 or the bucket cylinder 5 being extended.

[0019] Fig. 2(a) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the hydraulic excavator 100 shown in Fig. 1 and the truck 200 during an excavation operation. Fig. 2(b) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the hydraulic excavator 100 shown in Fig. 1 and the truck 200 during a discharging operation.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the hydraulic excavator 100 is parked above an excavation surface 300 that is to be excavated. The front working implement 103 of the hydraulic excavator 100 performs an excavation operation to excavate an excavation site 300a on the excavation surface 300. After the excavation operation, the front working implement 103 performs a transport operation to move the bucket 6 from the excavation site 300a toward the vessel of the truck 200. After the transport operation, the front working implement 103 performs a discharging operation to discharge the excavated material loaded in the bucket 6 into the vessel of the truck 200, as shown in FIG. 2(b). In this embodiment, the transporting operation and the discharging operation of the front working implement 103 are collectively referred to as a "loading operation".

[0021] The hydraulic excavator 100 is equipped with a measurement device 20 that measures the surrounding environment including the terrain and objects around the hydraulic excavator 100. The objects around the hydraulic excavator 100 include other construction machines such as a truck 200, workers, and structures. The measurement device 20 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, three-dimensional scanning sensors 20a, 20b such as Lidar. The three-dimensional scanning sensor 20a is attached to the left surface of the upper rotating body 102 of the hydraulic excavator 100, and can measure the three-dimensional shape of the hydraulic excavator 100 in the lower left direction. The three-dimensional scanning sensor 20b is attached to the right surface of the upper rotating body 102 of the hydraulic excavator 100, and can measure the three-dimensional shape of the hydraulic excavator 100 in the lower right direction.

[0022] [Automatic driving device] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the automatic driving device 110 provided in the hydraulic excavator 100 shown in FIG.

[0023] The automatic driving device 110 controls the automatic driving of the front working implement 103. The automatic driving device 110 has learned the driving tendency of the operator of the front working implement 103. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the automatic driving device 110 drives the front working implement 103 to load excavated material excavated from an excavation site 300a onto a truck 200.

[0024] The automatic driving device 110 includes a trajectory generation unit 111, a trajectory determination unit 112, a trajectory correction unit 113, and a driving control unit 114.

[0025] The trajectory generating unit 111 generates a trajectory that is predicted to be taken by the front working implement 103 while the front working implement 103 is being operated, based on the measurement results of the measuring device 20. The trajectory generating unit 111 generates the trajectory by machine learning using a neural network. The trajectory generating unit 111 learns the relationship between the surrounding environment of the hydraulic excavator 100 measured by the measuring device 20 and the trajectory taken by the front working implement 103 while the operator is operating the front working implement 103 in the surrounding environment. As a result, when the surrounding environment of the hydraulic excavator 100 measured by the measuring device 20 is input to the trajectory generating unit 111, the trajectory generating unit 111 can generate a trajectory of the front working implement 103 that is equivalent to a trajectory based on an operation plan determined by the operator. The details of the machine learning will be described later with reference to Figs. 12 to 14.

[0026] The trajectory generating unit 111 may generate the trajectory by a method other than machine learning using a neural network. For example, the trajectory generating unit 111 may generate the trajectory by a database configured by accumulating a large number of data sets in which information on the surrounding environment and the trajectory of the hydraulic excavator 100 suitable for the surrounding environment are linked. Details of the trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 will be described later with reference to Figs. 4 to 10.

[0027] The trajectory determination unit 112 determines whether or not the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111 satisfies a preset constraint condition. The constraint condition includes at least one of an internal condition, which is a constraint condition caused by the hydraulic excavator 100 itself, and an external condition, which is a constraint condition caused by the outside of the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0028] The internal conditions include, for example, geometric constraint conditions specific to the front working implement 103 of the hydraulic excavator 100, constraint conditions specific to the hydraulic system of the hydraulic excavator 100, etc. The geometric constraint conditions specific to the front working implement 103 are, for example, constraint conditions on the range of motion of the front working implement 103 determined by the structure of the front working implement 103. The constraint conditions specific to the hydraulic system are constraint conditions on the performance of hydraulic actuators including the boom cylinder 1, arm cylinder 3, and bucket cylinder 5, and the performance of a hydraulic pump that supplies hydraulic oil to the hydraulic actuators. The external conditions include constraint conditions on rules determined for each work site of the hydraulic excavator 100. The trajectory determination unit 112 will be described in detail later with reference to Figs. 4 to 10.

[0029] When the trajectory determination unit 112 determines that the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111 does not satisfy the constraint condition, the trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the trajectory so that the trajectory satisfies the constraint condition. Details of the trajectory correction unit 113 will be described later with reference to Figs. 4 to 10.

[0030] The operation control unit 114 controls the operation of the front working implement 103 according to the trajectory determined by the trajectory determination unit 112 to satisfy the constraint conditions, or according to the trajectory corrected by the trajectory correction unit 113. The operation control unit 114 generates a control signal for controlling the drive unit 120 of the hydraulic excavator 100 so that the front working implement 103 actually operates according to these trajectories. The operation control unit 114 transmits the generated control signal to the drive unit 120. The drive unit 120 controls the pilot pressure of the hydraulic system according to the control signal, thereby controlling the hydraulic pump and the hydraulic actuator. The front working implement 103 operates according to the trajectory determined by the trajectory determination unit 112 to satisfy the constraint conditions, or according to the trajectory corrected by the trajectory correction unit 113.

[0031] The trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111, the trajectory determining unit 112, and the trajectory correcting unit 113 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a coordinate system used in the trajectory generating unit 111 shown in FIG.

[0033] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the forward direction of the lower traveling body 101 of the hydraulic excavator 100 is defined as the +X-axis direction, and the backward direction of the lower traveling body 101 is defined as the -X-axis direction. The upward direction of the hydraulic excavator 100 is defined as the +Z-axis direction, and the downward direction of the hydraulic excavator 100 is defined as the -Z-axis direction. The leftward direction of the hydraulic excavator 100 is defined as the +Y-axis direction, and the rightward direction of the hydraulic excavator 100 is defined as the -Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, the intersection of the ground contact surface of the lower traveling body 101 and the center of rotation C is defined as the origin. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the angle formed between the upper surface of the toe of the bucket 6 and the ground contact surface is defined as the toe angle (θbk) of the bucket 6. The toe angle of the bucket 6 increases as the bucket 6 rotates in the cloud direction.

[0034] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows the trajectory of the front working implement 103 generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 in an operation plan in which the hydraulic excavator 100 shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(b) performs excavation, transport and discharge operations on the excavation surface 300 and the truck 200 shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(b).

[0035] The trajectory of the front working implement 103 is expressed as time-series data of the position of the tip of the bucket 6 in the X-axis direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "tip X position"), the position of the tip of the bucket 6 in the Y-axis direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "tip Y position"), the position of the tip of the bucket 6 in the Z-axis direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "tip Z position"), and the tip angle of the bucket 6. In the example of Fig. 5, an excavation operation is performed from time t1 to time t2, a transport operation is performed from time t2 to time t3, and a discharge operation is performed from time t3 to time t4.

[0036] The trajectory determination unit 112 includes a speed determination unit 112a, a posture determination unit 112b, a risk determination unit 112c, a vehicle body load determination unit 112d, a release speed determination unit 112e, and a rule determination unit 112f.

[0037] The posture determination unit 112b of the trajectory determination unit 112 determines whether or not the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111 satisfies the internal condition set in advance in the posture determination unit 112b. Specifically, the posture determination unit 112b has a preset geometric constraint condition for the front working apparatus 103, which is one of the internal conditions, set in advance as that the front working apparatus 103 operates within the movable range of the front working apparatus 103. The posture determination unit 112b determines whether or not the front working apparatus 103 operates within the movable range when the front working apparatus 103 is driven along the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111. If the posture determination unit 112b determines that the front working apparatus 103 operates within the movable range, it outputs the generated trajectory to the driving control unit 114 as satisfying the set internal condition. If the posture determination unit 112b determines that the front working apparatus 103 does not operate within the movable range, it outputs the generated trajectory to the trajectory correction unit 113 as not satisfying the set internal condition. The trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the front working implement 103 operates within the movable range, and outputs the corrected trajectory to the driving control unit 114.

[0038] 5, it is assumed that the tip angle of the bucket 6 at time t4 is outside the movable range. In this case, the trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the tip angle at time t4 is within the movable range. Although not shown, if the tip X position, tip Y position, or tip Z position of the bucket 6 is outside the movable range of the front working implement 103, the generated trajectory is also appropriately corrected.

[0039] In this way, when the trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 does not correspond to the movable range of the front working implement 103, the automatic driving device 110 can correct the trajectory so that it corresponds to the movable range. This allows the automatic driving device 110 to drive the front working implement 103 within the movable range of the front working implement 103. In other words, even if the operation plan determined by the automatic driving device 110 that has learned the driving tendency of the operator (i.e., the trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111) does not satisfy the previously set constraint conditions specific to the construction machine, the hydraulic excavator 100 can correct the operation plan to one that satisfies the constraint conditions. Thus, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 in accordance with the operation plan of the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to the construction machine.

[0040] The risk determination unit 112c of the trajectory determination unit 112 determines whether the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111 satisfies an external condition preset in the risk determination unit 112c. Specifically, the risk determination unit 112c presets, as an external condition, that the front working implement 103 operates at a distance of more than the approach limit distance from objects around the hydraulic excavator 100. The approach limit distance is a distance that can sufficiently avoid collision between the front working implement 103 and objects around the hydraulic excavator 100. If the distance between the object and the front working implement 103 falls below the approach limit distance, the risk of collision between them increases. The risk determination unit 112c determines whether the front working implement 103 operates at a distance of more than the approach limit distance when the front working implement 103 is operated along the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111. If the risk determination unit 112c determines that the front working implement 103 will operate at a distance equal to or greater than the approach limit distance, the risk determination unit 112c determines that the set external condition is satisfied and outputs the generated trajectory to the driving control unit 114. If the risk determination unit 112c determines that the front working implement 103 will not operate at a distance equal to or greater than the approach limit distance, the risk determination unit 112c determines that the set external condition is not satisfied and outputs the generated trajectory to the trajectory correction unit 113. The trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the front working implement 103 will operate at a distance equal to or greater than the approach limit distance, and outputs the corrected trajectory to the driving control unit 114.

[0041] In the example of Fig. 5, the risk determination unit 112c calculates the distance between the front working implement 103 and the truck 200, the excavation surface 300, etc., when driving along the trajectory shown in Fig. 5 based on the measurement results of the 3D scanning sensors 20a, 20b shown in Fig. 2, and determines whether the calculated distance becomes less than a preset approach limit distance. In the example of Fig. 5, at time t2.5, the toe Z position of the bucket 6 reaches above the vessel of the truck 200. At this time, if the toe Z position of the bucket 6 is approaching the vessel less than the approach limit distance, the trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the toe Z position at time t2.5 is separated from the vessel by more than the approach limit distance.

[0042] In this way, when the trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 does not correspond to the approach limit distance of the front working implement 103, the automatic driving device 110 can correct the trajectory so that it corresponds to the approach limit distance. This allows the automatic driving device 110 to operate the front working implement 103 without increasing the risk of collision with surrounding objects. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 according to an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to construction machines.

[0043] The rule determination unit 112f of the trajectory determination unit 112 determines whether or not the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111 satisfies an external condition preset in the rule determination unit 112f. Specifically, the rule determination unit 112f has preset an external condition that the motion of the front working apparatus 103 does not correspond to a prohibited motion at the work site. When the front working apparatus 103 is driven along the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111, the rule determination unit 112f determines whether or not the motion of the front working apparatus 103 does not correspond to a prohibited motion. When the rule determination unit 112f determines that the motion of the front working apparatus 103 does not correspond to a prohibited motion, it outputs the generated trajectory to the driving control unit 114 as satisfying the set external condition. When the rule determination unit 112f determines that the motion of the front working apparatus 103 corresponds to a prohibited motion, it outputs the generated trajectory to the trajectory correction unit 113 as not satisfying the set external condition. The trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the movement of the front working implement 103 does not correspond to a prohibited movement, and outputs the corrected trajectory to the driving control unit 114.

[0044] In the example of Fig. 5, it is assumed that the rules of the work site stipulate that the toe Z position of the bucket 6 exceeds the site passing criterion (a position higher than the approach limit distance) when it reaches above the vessel of the truck 200 (time 2.5). That is, in the example of Fig. 5, the toe Z position of the bucket 6 being below the site passing criterion when it reaches above the vessel of the truck 200 corresponds to a prohibited operation at the work site. The trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the toe Z position of the bucket 6 exceeds the site passing criterion at time 2.5.

[0045] In this way, when the trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 does not comply with the rules of the work site, the automatic driving device 110 can correct the trajectory so that it complies with the rules. This enables the automatic driving device 110 to operate the front working implement 103 in compliance with the rules of the work site. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 in accordance with an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that complies with the constraints specific to construction machines.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the tip angular velocity of the bucket 6 calculated from the tip angle of the bucket 6 shown in FIG.

[0047] The release speed determination unit 112e of the trajectory determination unit 112 determines whether the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111 satisfies an external condition preset in the release speed determination unit 112e. Specifically, the release speed determination unit 112e presets, as an external condition, a speed at which the excavated material is released by the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than a maximum release speed determined according to an impact applied to the truck 200 by the release of the excavated material. The maximum release speed is a release speed that suppresses an impact applied to the truck 200 by the release of the excavated material to a specified value that the truck 200 can withstand. The release speed determination unit 112e determines whether the release speed of the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than the maximum release speed when the front working implement 103 is driven along the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111. When the release speed determination unit 112e determines that the release speed of the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than the maximum release speed, it determines that the set external condition is satisfied and outputs the generated trajectory to the driving control unit 114. When the release speed determination unit 112e determines that the release speed of the front working implement 103 is not equal to or less than the maximum release speed, it determines that the set external condition is not satisfied and outputs the generated trajectory to the trajectory correction unit 113. The trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the release speed of the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than the maximum release speed, and outputs the corrected trajectory to the driving control unit 114.

[0048] In the example of Fig. 6, the release speed determination unit 112e determines that the magnitude of the toe angular velocity of the bucket 6 from time t3 to time t4 is greater than the maximum release speed. In this case, the trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the magnitude of the toe angular velocity of the bucket 6 from time t3 to time t4 becomes equal to or less than the maximum release speed. At this time, the trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the end time t4 of the release operation to t4' so that the magnitude of the toe angle at the end of the release operation obtained by integrating the magnitude of the toe angular velocity is the same before and after the correction.

[0049] In this way, when the trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 does not correspond to the maximum release speed of the front working implement 103, the automatic driving device 110 can correct the trajectory so that it corresponds to the maximum release speed. This allows the automatic driving device 110 to operate the front working implement 103 while suppressing the impact applied to the truck 200 due to the release of excavated material to a specified value or less. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 according to an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to construction machines.

[0050] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the operating state of the hydraulic actuator that achieves the trajectory shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the operating speed of the hydraulic actuator calculated from the operating state of the hydraulic actuator shown in Fig. 7, and the discharge flow rate of the hydraulic pump required to achieve the operating speed. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion related to the transport operation from time t2 to time t3 shown in Fig. 8.

[0051] FIG. 7 shows the strokes of the boom cylinder 1, the arm cylinder 3, and the bucket cylinder 5, which achieve the trajectory shown in FIG. 5, and the swing angle of the swing device 7. FIG. 8 shows the operation speeds of the boom cylinder 1, the arm cylinder 3, and the bucket cylinder 5, and the swing angular velocity of the swing device 7, which are calculated from the strokes and swing angles shown in FIG. 7. Furthermore, FIG. 8 shows a required discharge flow rate Qpd, which is calculated by adding up the flow rates of hydraulic oil to be supplied to the boom cylinder 1, the arm cylinder 3, and the bucket cylinder 5 in order to achieve the operation speeds of the boom cylinder 1, the arm cylinder 3, and the bucket cylinder 5, and the swing angular velocity of the swing device 7. This required discharge flow rate Qpd is a discharge flow rate required of the hydraulic pump as the flow rate of hydraulic oil to be supplied to the entire hydraulic actuator. Qpmax shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 is the maximum discharge flow rate of the hydraulic pump, and indicates the performance limit of the hydraulic pump.

[0052] The speed determination unit 112a of the trajectory determination unit 112 determines whether the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111 satisfies an internal condition preset in the speed determination unit 112a. Specifically, the speed determination unit 112a has preset, as a constraint condition of the hydraulic system, which is one of the internal conditions, that a required discharge flow rate Qpd for the hydraulic pump is equal to or less than a maximum discharge flow rate Qpmax of the hydraulic pump. When the front working implement 103 is operated along the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111, the speed determination unit 112a determines whether the required discharge flow rate Qpd for the hydraulic pump is equal to or less than the maximum discharge flow rate Qpmax of the hydraulic pump. When the speed determination unit 112a determines that the required discharge flow rate Qpd for the hydraulic pump is equal to or less than the maximum discharge flow rate Qpmax of the hydraulic pump, it outputs the generated trajectory to the driving control unit 114 as satisfying the set internal condition. When the speed determination unit 112a determines that the required discharge flow rate Qpd for the hydraulic pump is not equal to or less than the maximum discharge flow rate Qpmax of the hydraulic pump, it determines that the set internal condition is not satisfied and outputs the generated trajectory to the trajectory correction unit 113. The trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the required discharge flow rate Qpd for the hydraulic pump becomes equal to or less than the maximum discharge flow rate Qpmax of the hydraulic pump, and outputs the corrected trajectory to the operation control unit 114.

[0053] In the example of FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the speed determination unit 112a determines that the required discharge flow rate Qpd for the hydraulic pump calculated from the operating speed of each hydraulic actuator is greater than the maximum discharge flow rate Qpmax of the hydraulic pump from time t2 to time t3. In this case, since the performance limit of the hydraulic pump is exceeded, the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111 cannot be realized. The trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory by slowing down the operating speed of each hydraulic actuator so that the required discharge flow rate Qpd for the hydraulic pump is equal to or less than the maximum discharge flow rate Qpmax. At this time, if the trajectory correction unit 113 slows down the operating speed of only some of the hydraulic actuators, the position (coordinate) through which the bucket 6 passes during operation will be shifted. Therefore, the trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the ratio of the operating speeds of the hydraulic actuators so that they are the same before and after the correction. Furthermore, the trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the end time t3 of the transport operation to t3' so that the magnitude of the stroke or rotation angle of each hydraulic actuator during the transport operation, obtained by integrating the magnitude of the operating speed of each hydraulic actuator, is the same before and after the correction.

[0054] In this way, when the trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 does not correspond to the maximum discharge flow rate of the hydraulic pump, the automatic driving device 110 can correct the trajectory so that it corresponds to the maximum discharge flow rate. This allows the automatic driving device 110 to operate the front working implement 103 within a range that does not exceed the performance limits of the hydraulic pump. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 according to an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to construction machines.

[0055] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the operational acceleration of the hydraulic actuator calculated from the operational speed of the hydraulic actuator shown in FIG.

[0056] The vehicle body load determination unit 112d of the trajectory determination unit 112 determines whether the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111 satisfies an internal condition preset in the vehicle body load determination unit 112d. Specifically, the vehicle body load determination unit 112d presets, as an internal condition, a condition that the magnitude of the motion acceleration of the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than a maximum motion acceleration determined according to a load applied to the hydraulic excavator 100 by the operation of the front working implement 103. The maximum motion acceleration is a motion acceleration that suppresses a load applied to the hydraulic excavator 100 by the operation of the front working implement 103 to a specified value that the hydraulic excavator 100 can withstand. The vehicle body load determination unit 112d determines whether the magnitude of the motion acceleration of the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than the maximum motion acceleration when the front working implement 103 is operated along the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111. When the vehicle body load determination unit 112d determines that the magnitude of the motion acceleration of the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than the maximum motion acceleration, it determines that the set internal condition is satisfied and outputs the generated trajectory to the driving control unit 114. When the vehicle body load determination unit 112d determines that the magnitude of the motion acceleration of the front working implement 103 is not equal to or less than the maximum motion acceleration, it determines that the set internal condition is not satisfied and outputs the generated trajectory to the trajectory correction unit 113. The trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the magnitude of the motion acceleration of the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than the maximum motion acceleration, and outputs the corrected trajectory to the driving control unit 114.

[0057] In the example of FIG. 10, the vehicle body load determination unit 112d determines whether the operating acceleration of each hydraulic actuator is within a predetermined range of αmin or more and αmax or less. In the example of FIG. 10, the vehicle body load determination unit 112d determines that the operating acceleration of the bucket cylinder 5 exceeds αmax immediately after the start time t1 of the excavation operation, and determines that the swing angular acceleration of the swing device 7 falls below αmin immediately before the end time t3 of the transport operation. That is, the vehicle body load determination unit 112d determines that the magnitude of the operating acceleration exceeds the magnitude of the maximum operating acceleration immediately after time t1 and immediately before time t3. The trajectory correction unit 113 corrects the generated trajectory so that the peak value of the operating acceleration of the bucket cylinder 5 immediately after time t1 is equal to or less than αmax, and the peak value of the swing angular acceleration of the swing device 7 immediately before time t3 is equal to or more than αmin.

[0058] In this way, when the trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 does not correspond to the maximum operating acceleration of the front working implement 103, the automatic driving device 110 can correct the trajectory so that it corresponds to the maximum operating acceleration. This allows the automatic driving device 110 to operate the front working implement 103 while suppressing the load applied to the hydraulic excavator 100 by the operation of the front working implement 103 to a specified value or less. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 in accordance with an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to construction machines.

[0059] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the process performed by the automatic driving device 110 shown in FIG.

[0060] In step S1, the automatic driving device 110 performs a trajectory generation process. Specifically, the automatic driving device 110 uses the trajectory generation unit 111 to generate a trajectory that is predicted to be taken by the front working implement 103 while the front working implement 103 is being operated.

[0061] In step S2, the automatic driving device 110 performs a trajectory determination process. Specifically, the automatic driving device 110 uses the trajectory determination unit 112 to determine whether or not the trajectory generated in step S1 satisfies a preset constraint condition.

[0062] In step S3, if the determination result in step S2 indicates that the constraint condition is satisfied, the automatic driving device 110 proceeds to step S4, and if the determination result indicates that the constraint condition is not satisfied, the automatic driving device 110 proceeds to step S5.

[0063] In step S4, the automatic driving device 110 uses the trajectory determination unit 112 to set the trajectory generated in step S1 as a target trajectory, which is a trajectory that the front working implement 103 should follow while the front working implement 103 is operating. After that, the automatic driving device 110 proceeds to step S7.

[0064] In step S5, the automatic driving device 110 uses the trajectory correction unit 113 to correct the trajectory generated in step S1 so as to satisfy the constraint conditions.

[0065] In step S6, the automatic driving device 110 uses the trajectory correction unit 113 to set the trajectory corrected in step S5 as the target trajectory.

[0066] In step S7, the automatic driving device 110 uses the driving control unit 114 to generate a control signal for controlling the drive device 120 so that the front working implement 103 follows the target trajectory set in step S4 or step S6 while the front working implement 103 is being operated.

[0067] In step S8, the automatic driving device 110 uses the driving control unit 114 to output the control signal generated in step S7 to the drive device 120. After that, the automatic driving device 110 ends this process shown in FIG.

[0068] As described above, the automatic driving device 110 of this embodiment includes a trajectory generating unit 111 that generates a trajectory that is predicted to be taken by the front working implement 103 while the front working implement 103 is operating, based on the measurement results of the measuring device 20. The automatic driving device 110 includes a trajectory determining unit 112 that determines whether or not the trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 satisfies the constraint conditions, and a trajectory correcting unit 113 that corrects the generated trajectory when the trajectory does not satisfy the constraint conditions. The automatic driving device 110 includes an operation control unit 114 that controls the operation of the front working implement 103 in accordance with the trajectory determined by the trajectory determining unit 112 to satisfy the constraint conditions or the trajectory corrected by the trajectory correcting unit 113. The constraint conditions include at least one of an internal condition caused by the hydraulic excavator 100 itself and an external condition caused by the outside of the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0069] As a result, even if the trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit 111 does not satisfy a constraint condition specific to a construction machine that is set in advance, the automatic driving device 110 of this embodiment can correct the trajectory to an operation plan that satisfies the constraint condition. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 in accordance with an operation plan of the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to the construction machine.

[0070] [Learning device] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the learning device 140 provided in the hydraulic excavator 100 shown in FIG.

[0071] The learning device 140 generates the trajectory generation unit 111 by machine learning using a neural network. The learning device 140 causes the trajectory generation unit 111 to learn the relationship between the surrounding environment of the hydraulic excavator 100 measured by the measuring device 20 and the learning trajectory traveled by the front work implement 103 while the operator is operating the front work implement 103 in the surrounding environment. The learning trajectory traveled by the front work implement 103 while the operator is operating the front work implement 103 is measured by the trajectory measurement device 130.

[0072] The trajectory measurement device 130 acquires the angles measured by the boom angle sensor 12, the arm angle sensor 14, the bucket angle sensor 16, and the swing angle sensor 17 while the operator is operating the front working implement 103. The trajectory measurement device 130 calculates the toe X position, the toe Y position, the toe Z position, and the toe angle of the bucket 6 from the acquired angles. In this way, the trajectory measurement device 130 can measure a learning trajectory that the front working implement 103 has traveled while the operator is operating the front working implement 103. The trajectory measurement device 130 may be provided integrally with the learning device 140. The learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 13.

[0073] The learning device 140 includes a learning determination unit 141 and a learning unit 142 .

[0074] The learning determination unit 141 determines whether or not the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 satisfies preset learning conditions. The learning conditions include at least one of internal conditions, which are constraint conditions due to the hydraulic excavator 100 itself, and external conditions, which are constraint conditions due to the outside of the hydraulic excavator 100. These internal and external conditions overlap with many of the internal and external conditions included in the constraint conditions preset in the trajectory determination unit 112 of the automatic driving device 110.

[0075] Furthermore, the learning determination unit 141 can determine whether or not a driving scene in which the front working implement 103 was driven along a learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 was a predetermined learning target scene. Specifically, the learning determination unit 141 can identify the driving scene based on the surrounding environment measured by the measurement device 20 and vehicle body information, which is information related to the model and status of the hydraulic excavator 100. The learning determination unit 141 can then determine whether or not the identified driving scene was a predetermined learning target scene.

[0076] The learning unit 142 performs a learning process to cause the trajectory generating unit 111 to learn the relationship between the learning trajectory determined by the learning determination unit 141 to satisfy the learning condition and the surrounding environment measured by the measuring device 20. In this way, when the surrounding environment of the hydraulic excavator 100 measured by the measuring device 20 is input to the trajectory generating unit 111, the trajectory generating unit 111 can generate a trajectory of the front working implement 103 that is equivalent to a trajectory based on an operation plan determined by the operator.

[0077] Furthermore, as a pre-processing of the learning process, the learning unit 142 excludes from the target of the learning process a learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 in a driving scene that is not determined to be a learning target scene by the learning determination unit 141. The learning unit 142 sets as the target of the learning process a learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 in a driving scene that is determined to be a learning target scene by the learning determination unit 141.

[0078] This enables the learning device 140 to cause the trajectory generating unit 111 to learn only the relationship between the surrounding environment suitable for learning processing and the trajectory of the front working implement 103. Therefore, the learning device 140 can generate a trajectory generating unit 111 that is likely to generate an accurate trajectory for the front working implement 103 that is operated in accordance with constraints specific to construction machinery. Details of the learning determination unit 141 and the learning unit 142 will be described later using FIG. 13.

[0079] The learning determination unit 141 includes a risk determination unit 141a, a vehicle body load determination unit 141b, a release speed determination unit 141c, a rule determination unit 141d, and a workload determination unit 141e.

[0080] The risk determination unit 141a of the learning determination unit 141 is similar to the risk determination unit 112c of the trajectory determination unit 112. That is, in the risk determination unit 141a, the fact that the front working implement 103 has operated at a distance of more than the approach limit distance from an object in the vicinity of the hydraulic excavator 100 is preset as an external condition. The risk determination unit 141a determines whether or not the front working implement 103, which has been operated along a learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130, has operated at a distance of more than the approach limit distance. If it is determined that the front working implement 103 has operated at a distance of more than the approach limit distance, the learning unit 142 determines that the set external condition is satisfied and sets the measured learning trajectory as a target for learning processing. If it is determined that the front working implement 103 has not operated at a distance of more than the approach limit distance, the learning unit 142 excludes the measured learning trajectory from the target for learning processing as it does not satisfy the set external condition.

[0081] In this way, the learning device 140 can subject the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 to learning processing only when the learning trajectory corresponds to the approach limit distance of the front working implement 103. This enables the learning device 140 to generate a trajectory generating unit 111 that is easy to generate a trajectory for the front working implement 103 that operates without increasing the risk of collision with surrounding objects. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 according to an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to construction machines.

[0082] The vehicle body load determination section 141b of the learning determination section 141 is similar to the vehicle body load determination section 112d of the trajectory determination section 112. That is, in the vehicle body load determination section 141b, an internal condition is preset such that the magnitude of the motion acceleration of the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than the magnitude of the maximum motion acceleration determined according to the load applied to the hydraulic excavator 100 by the motion of the front working implement 103. The vehicle body load determination section 141b determines whether or not the magnitude of the motion acceleration of the front working implement 103 operated along the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 is equal to or less than the maximum motion acceleration. When it is determined that the magnitude of the motion acceleration of the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than the maximum motion acceleration, the learning section 142 determines that the set internal condition is satisfied, and sets the measured learning trajectory as a target for learning processing. When the learning unit 142 determines that the magnitude of the motion acceleration of the front working implement 103 is not equal to or less than the maximum motion acceleration, it excludes the measured learning trajectory from the targets of the learning process, since it does not satisfy the set internal condition.

[0083] In this way, the learning device 140 can subject the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 to learning processing only when the learning trajectory corresponds to the maximum operating acceleration of the front working implement 103. This enables the learning device 140 to generate a trajectory generating unit 111 that is likely to generate a trajectory of the front working implement 103 that operates while suppressing the load applied to the hydraulic excavator 100 by the operation of the front working implement 103 to a specified value or less. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 in accordance with an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to construction machines.

[0084] The release speed determination unit 141c of the learning determination unit 141 is similar to the release speed determination unit 112e of the trajectory determination unit 112. That is, the release speed determination unit 141c has a preset external condition that the release speed of the excavated material in the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than a maximum release speed determined according to the impact applied to the truck 200 by the release of the excavated material. The release speed determination unit 141c determines whether the release speed of the front working implement 103, which is driven along the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130, is equal to or less than the maximum release speed. If it is determined that the release speed of the front working implement 103 is equal to or less than the maximum release speed, the learning unit 142 determines that the set external condition is satisfied and sets the measured learning trajectory as a target for learning processing. If it is determined that the release speed of the front working implement 103 is not equal to or less than the maximum release speed, the learning unit 142 excludes the measured learning trajectory from the targets for learning processing as it does not satisfy the set external condition.

[0085] In this way, the learning device 140 can subject the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 to learning processing only when the learning trajectory corresponds to the maximum release speed of the front working implement 103. This enables the learning device 140 to generate a trajectory generating unit 111 that is likely to generate a trajectory of the front working implement 103 that operates while suppressing the impact applied to the truck 200 due to the release of excavated material to a specified value or less. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 in accordance with an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to construction machines.

[0086] The rule determination unit 141d of the learning determination unit 141 is similar to the rule determination unit 112f of the trajectory determination unit 112. That is, in the rule determination unit 141d, an external condition is preset that the operation of the front working implement 103 does not correspond to a prohibited operation at the work site. The rule determination unit 141d determines whether or not the operation of the front working implement 103, which was driven along the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130, did not correspond to a prohibited operation. If it is determined that the operation of the front working implement 103 did not correspond to a prohibited operation, the learning unit 142 determines that the set external condition is satisfied and sets the measured learning trajectory as a target for learning processing. If it is determined that the operation of the front working implement 103 corresponds to a prohibited operation, the learning unit 142 excludes the measured learning trajectory from the target for learning processing as it does not satisfy the set external condition.

[0087] In this way, the learning device 140 can subject the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 to learning processing only when the learning trajectory corresponds to the rules of the work site. This enables the learning device 140 to generate a trajectory generating unit 111 that is easy to generate a trajectory of the front working implement 103 that is operated in compliance with the rules of the work site. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 according to an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to construction machines.

[0088] The workload determination unit 141e of the learning determination unit 141 determines whether or not the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 satisfies an external condition preset in the workload determination unit 141e. Specifically, the workload determination unit 141e presets, as an external condition, that the workload of the front working implement 103 has been able to ensure a specified amount. The workload of the front working implement 103 may be, for example, the time required to complete the work of loading a specified weight of excavated material onto the truck 200 (hereinafter also referred to as "work time"). The specified amount is the workload required to ensure a specified work productivity. The fact that the workload of the front working implement 103 cannot ensure the specified amount means, for example, that the work time is longer than a specified value and the specified work productivity cannot be ensured. The workload determination unit 141e determines whether or not the workload of the front working implement 103, which has been driven along the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130, has been able to ensure a specified amount. If the learning unit 142 determines that the work volume of the front working implement 103 has been secured at a prescribed amount, it determines that the set external condition is satisfied and sets the measured learning trajectory as a target for learning processing. If the learning unit 142 determines that the work volume of the front working implement 103 has not been secured at a prescribed amount, it determines that the set external condition is not satisfied and sets the measured learning trajectory as a target for learning processing.

[0089] The learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130, the learning determination unit 141, and the learning unit 142 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0090] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measuring device 130 shown in Fig. 12. Fig. 13 shows the trajectory of the front working implement 103 measured while the operator is operating in an operation plan in which the hydraulic excavator 100 shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(b) performs excavation, transport and discharge operations on the excavation surface 300 and the truck 200 shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(b).

[0091] In the example of FIG. 13, there are patterns 1, 2, and 3 as learning trajectories measured while the operator was driving. The work completion time in the trajectory of pattern 1 is time T1. The work completion time in the trajectory of pattern 2 is time T2. The work completion time in the trajectory of pattern 3 is time T3. The work completion time when the amount of work is the specified amount is time Tlim. The work completion time T1 in pattern 1 and the work completion time T2 in pattern 2 are earlier than the work completion time Tlim of the specified amount. The work completion time T3 in pattern 3 is later than the work completion time Tlim of the specified amount. The work amount determination unit 141e determines that the work amount of the front working implement 103 has secured the specified amount for the trajectories of patterns 1 and 2 with work completion times T1 and T2 earlier than the work completion time Tlim of the specified amount. The workload determination unit 141e determines that the trajectory of pattern 3 with work completion time T3 later than the work completion time Tlim of the specified amount is not enough to ensure the specified amount of workload of the front working implement 103. The learning unit 142 subjects the trajectories of patterns 1 and 2 to learning processing, and excludes the trajectory of pattern 3 from the learning processing.

[0092] In this way, the learning device 140 can subject the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 to learning processing only when the learning trajectory corresponds to a specified amount related to the work amount of the front working implement 103. This enables the learning device 140 to generate a trajectory generating unit 111 that is likely to generate a trajectory of the front working implement 103 that is operated so as to ensure specified work productivity. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 in accordance with an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that corresponds to constraints specific to construction machines.

[0093] The amount of work performed by the front working implement 103 may be, for example, the weight of excavated material loaded onto the truck 200 within a specified time (hereinafter also referred to as "loaded weight"). When the amount of work performed by the front working implement 103 is not guaranteed to be the specified amount, it means, for example, that the loaded weight is less than a specified value and the specified work productivity cannot be ensured. In addition, although the work amount determining unit 141e is not included in the trajectory determining unit 112 shown in FIG. 3, it may be included in the trajectory determining unit 112.

[0094] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the process performed by the learning device 140 shown in FIG.

[0095] In step S21, the learning device 140 records information about the surrounding environment measured by the measuring device 20 and vehicle body information, which is information about the model and condition of the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0096] In step S22, the learning device 140 instructs the operator to start operating the front working implement 103.

[0097] In step S23, the learning device 140 instructs the trajectory measurement device 130 to execute a trajectory measurement process. The trajectory measurement device 130 calculates the tip position and angle of the bucket 6 from each angle measured by the boom angle sensor 12 etc. while the operator is driving, thereby measuring a learning trajectory traveled by the front working implement 103 while the operator is driving.

[0098] In step S24, the learning device 140 uses the learning determination unit 141 to determine whether or not the scene in which the operator drives the front work implement 103 is a learning target scene. If the scene in which the operator drives the front work implement 103 is a learning target scene, the learning device 140 ends this process shown in Fig. 14. If the scene in which the operator drives the front work implement 103 is a learning target scene, the learning device 140 proceeds to step S25.

[0099] In step S25, the learning device 140 performs a trajectory determination process. Specifically, the learning device 140 uses the learning determination unit 141 to determine whether or not the learning trajectory measured in step S23 satisfies a preset learning condition.

[0100] In step S26, if the judgment result in step S25 indicates that the learning condition is satisfied, the learning device 140 proceeds to step S27, and if the judgment result indicates that the learning condition is not satisfied, the learning device 140 terminates this process shown in FIG.

[0101] In step S27, the learning device 140 performs a learning process using the learning unit 142 to cause the trajectory generating unit 111 to learn the relationship between the learning trajectory measured in step S23 and the surrounding environment recorded in step S21. Thereafter, the learning device 140 ends this process shown in FIG.

[0102] As described above, the hydraulic excavator 100 of this embodiment includes a trajectory measurement device 130 that measures a learning trajectory traveled by the front working implement 103 while the operator is operating the front working implement 103, and a learning device 140 that generates the trajectory generation unit 111. The learning device 140 includes a learning determination unit 141 that determines whether the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 satisfies the learning conditions. The learning device 140 includes a learning unit 142 that causes the trajectory generation unit 111 to learn the relationship between the learning trajectory determined by the learning determination unit 141 to satisfy the learning conditions and the surrounding environment measured by the measuring device 20. The learning conditions include at least one of an internal condition attributable to the hydraulic excavator 100 itself and an external condition attributable to the outside of the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0103] As a result, the learning device 140 of this embodiment can subject a learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device 130 to learning processing only if the learning trajectory corresponds to a preset constraint specific to a construction machine. This enables the learning device 140 to generate a trajectory generation unit 111 that easily generates a trajectory for the front working implement 103 that operates in accordance with the constraints specific to a construction machine. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 can control the automatic operation of the front working implement 103 in accordance with an operation plan for the front working implement 103 that corresponds to the constraints specific to a construction machine.

[0104] In the hydraulic excavator 100, even if the learning device 140 can generate a trajectory generation unit 111 that easily generates a trajectory that corresponds to the constraints specific to a construction machine, it is difficult for the trajectory generation unit 111 to always generate a trajectory that completely corresponds to the constraints specific to a construction machine unless the surrounding environment is completely the same as the surrounding environment at the time of learning. However, in the hydraulic excavator 100, the automatic driving device 110 is provided with the trajectory determination unit 112 and the trajectory correction unit 113, so that even if the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit 111 does not correspond to the constraints specific to a construction machine, the trajectory can be corrected. Furthermore, in the hydraulic excavator 100, the learning device 140 is provided with the learning determination unit 141 and the learning unit 142, so that the amount of correction and the number of corrections by the trajectory correction unit 113 in the automatic driving device 110 can be reduced. Therefore, the hydraulic excavator 100 equipped with such an automatic driving device 110 and learning device 140 can control the automatic driving of the front working mechanism 103 according to an operation plan that reliably corresponds to the constraints specific to a construction machine.

[0105] [others] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of a certain embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of a certain embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

[0106] In addition, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole by hardware, for example by designing them in an integrated circuit. In addition, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, etc. may be realized by software, in which a processor interprets and executes a program that realizes each function. Information such as the program, tape, file, etc. that realizes each function can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (solid state drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, DVD, etc.

[0107] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are connected to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 20...measuring device, 100...hydraulic excavator, 103...front working device, 110...automatic driving device, 111...trajectory generating unit, 112...trajectory determining unit, 113...trajectory correcting unit, 114...driving control unit, 130...trajectory measuring device, 140...learning device, 141...learning determining unit, 142...learning unit

Claims

1. A construction machine provided with a working device, a hydraulic actuator for driving the working device, and a hydraulic pump for supplying hydraulic oil to the hydraulic actuator, wherein a measuring device for measuring the surrounding environment including the terrain and objects around the construction machine; an automatic driving device for controlling the automatic driving of the working device; and the automatic driving device includes a trajectory generation unit that generates a trajectory that is predicted to be passed by the working device during operation of the working device based on the measurement result of the measuring device; a trajectory determination unit that determines whether or not the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit satisfies a preset constraint condition; a trajectory correction unit that corrects the trajectory when the trajectory determination unit determines that the trajectory does not satisfy the constraint condition; a driving control unit that controls the driving of the working device according to the trajectory determined by the trajectory determination unit to satisfy the constraint condition, or the trajectory corrected by the trajectory correction unit; and the constraint condition includes at least one of an internal condition that is a constraint condition caused by the construction machine itself and in which the discharge flow rate required of the hydraulic pump as the flow rate of the hydraulic oil to be supplied to the hydraulic actuator is equal to or less than the maximum discharge flow rate of the hydraulic pump, and an external condition caused by the outside of the construction machine. A construction machine characterized by the above.

2. A construction machine provided with a front working device for excavating an excavation target and discharging the excavated material to another construction machine, wherein a measuring device for measuring the surrounding environment including the terrain and objects around the construction machine; an automatic driving device for controlling the automatic driving of the front working device; and the automatic driving device includes a trajectory generation unit that generates a trajectory that is predicted to be passed by the front working device during operation of the front working device based on the measurement result of the measuring device; a trajectory determination unit that determines whether or not the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit satisfies a preset constraint condition; a trajectory correction unit that corrects the trajectory when the trajectory determination unit determines that the trajectory does not satisfy the constraint condition; a driving control unit that controls the driving of the front working device according to the trajectory determined by the trajectory determination unit to satisfy the constraint condition, or the trajectory corrected by the trajectory correction unit; and The constraint conditions include internal conditions resulting from the construction machine itself and external constraint conditions resulting from outside the construction machine, and at least one of the external conditions including constraint conditions regarding the magnitude of the discharge rate of the excavated material when the front working device discharges the excavated material to the other construction machine. A construction machine characterized by the above.

3. The trajectory determination unit determines whether or not the discharge flow rate required for the hydraulic pump when operating the working device through the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit is equal to or less than the maximum discharge flow rate. When it is determined that the discharge flow rate required for the hydraulic pump is not equal to or less than the maximum discharge flow rate, the trajectory correction unit corrects the trajectory so that it becomes equal to or less than the maximum discharge flow rate. The construction machine according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. The working device is a multi-articulated front working device. As the internal condition, it is preset in the trajectory determination unit that the front working device operates within the movable range of the front working device. The trajectory determination unit determines whether or not the front working device operates within the movable range when operating the front working device through the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit. When it is determined that the front working device does not operate within the movable range, the trajectory correction unit corrects the trajectory so that it operates within the movable range. The construction machine according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

5. As the external condition, it is preset in the trajectory determination unit that the working device operates at a distance greater than the approach limit distance from the object around the construction machine. The trajectory determination unit determines whether or not the working device operates at a distance greater than or equal to the approach limit distance when operating the working device through the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit. When it is determined that the working device does not operate at a distance greater than or equal to the approach limit distance, the trajectory determination unit corrects the trajectory so that it operates at a distance greater than or equal to the approach limit distance. The construction machine according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

6. As the internal condition, it is preset in the trajectory determination unit that the magnitude of the operating acceleration of the working device is equal to or less than the magnitude of the maximum operating acceleration determined according to the load applied to the construction machine by the operation of the working device. The trajectory determination unit determines whether or not the magnitude of the operating acceleration of the working device is less than or equal to the magnitude of the maximum operating acceleration when the working device is operated along the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit. When it is determined that the magnitude of the operating acceleration of the working device is not less than or equal to the magnitude of the maximum operating acceleration, the trajectory correction unit corrects the trajectory so that the magnitude of the operating acceleration becomes less than or equal to the magnitude of the maximum operating acceleration. The construction machine according to claim 1, characterized in that.

7. As the external condition for the trajectory determination unit, it is preset that the magnitude of the discharge speed of the excavated material in the front working device is less than or equal to the magnitude of the maximum discharge speed determined according to the impact applied to the other construction machine by the discharge of the excavated material. The trajectory determination unit determines whether or not the magnitude of the discharge speed of the front working device is less than or equal to the magnitude of the maximum discharge speed when the front working device is operated along the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit. When it is determined that the magnitude of the discharge speed of the front working device is not less than or equal to the magnitude of the maximum discharge speed, the trajectory correction unit corrects the trajectory so that the magnitude of the discharge speed becomes less than or equal to the magnitude of the maximum discharge speed. The construction machine according to claim 2, characterized in that.

8. As the external condition for the trajectory determination unit, it is preset that the operation of the working device does not correspond to a prohibited operation at the work site. The trajectory determination unit determines whether or not the operation of the working device does not correspond to the prohibited operation when the working device is operated along the trajectory generated by the trajectory generation unit. When it is determined that the operation of the working device corresponds to the prohibited operation, the trajectory correction unit corrects the trajectory so that the operation of the working device does not correspond to the prohibited operation. The construction machine according to claim 1, characterized in that.

9. A trajectory measurement device that measures a learning trajectory passed by the working device while the operator is operating the working device, and A learning device that generates the trajectory generation unit, further comprising: The learning device is A learning determination unit that determines whether or not the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device satisfies preset learning conditions. A learning unit that performs a learning process of causing the trajectory generation unit to learn the relationship between the trajectory for learning determined to satisfy the learning conditions by the learning determination unit and the surrounding environment measured by the measuring device. The learning conditions include at least one of internal conditions caused by the construction machine itself and external conditions caused by the outside of the construction machine. The construction machine according to claim 1, characterized in that.

10. In the learning determination unit, as the external condition, it is preset that the working amount of the working device has secured a specified amount. The learning determination unit determines whether or not the working amount of the working device operated through the trajectory for learning measured by the trajectory measuring device has secured the specified amount. When it is determined that the working amount has secured the specified amount, the learning unit targets the trajectory for learning measured by the trajectory measuring device for the learning process. The construction machine according to claim 9, characterized in that.

11. In the learning determination unit, as the external condition, it is preset that the working device has operated at a distance equal to or greater than the approach limit distance from the object around the construction machine. The learning determination unit determines whether or not the working device operated through the trajectory for learning measured by the trajectory measuring device has operated at a distance equal to or greater than the approach limit distance. When it is determined that the working device has operated at a distance equal to or greater than the approach limit distance, the learning unit targets the trajectory for learning measured by the trajectory measuring device for the learning process. The construction machine according to claim 9, characterized in that.

12. In the learning determination unit, as the internal condition, it is preset that the magnitude of the operating acceleration of the working device is equal to or less than the magnitude of the maximum operating acceleration determined according to the load applied to the construction machine by the operation of the working device. The learning determination unit determines whether or not the magnitude of the operating acceleration of the working device operated through the trajectory for learning measured by the trajectory measuring device is equal to or less than the magnitude of the maximum operating acceleration. When it is determined that the magnitude of the operating acceleration of the working device is equal to or less than the magnitude of the maximum operating acceleration, the learning unit targets the trajectory for learning measured by the trajectory measuring device for the learning process. The construction machine according to claim 9, characterized in that.

13. The working device is a front working device that excavates an object to be excavated and discharges the excavated material to other construction machines. As the external condition, it is preset in the learning determination unit that the magnitude of the discharge rate of the excavated material in the front working device is equal to or less than the magnitude of the maximum discharge rate determined according to the impact applied to the other construction machines due to the discharge of the excavated material. The learning determination unit determines whether or not the magnitude of the discharge rate of the front working device operated through the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device is equal to or less than the magnitude of the maximum discharge rate. When it is determined that the magnitude of the discharge rate of the front working device is equal to or less than the magnitude of the maximum discharge rate, the learning unit targets the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device for the learning process. The construction machine according to claim 9, characterized in that.

14. As the external condition, it is preset in the learning determination unit that the operation of the working device does not correspond to a prohibited operation at the work site. The learning determination unit determines whether or not the operation of the working device operated through the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device corresponds to the prohibited operation. When it is determined that the operation of the working device does not correspond to the prohibited operation, the learning unit targets the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device for the learning process. The construction machine according to claim 9, characterized in that.

15. The learning determination unit determines whether or not the operation scene of the working device operated through the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device is a predetermined learning target scene. When it is determined that the operation scene of the working device is the learning target scene, the learning unit targets the learning trajectory measured by the trajectory measurement device for the learning process. The construction machine according to claim 9, characterized in that.

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