Construction machinery

Abstract

To provide a construction machine that reduces greenhouse gas emissions.SOLUTION: A construction machine comprises: a main body device for housing a hydrogen tank for storing hydrogen, a fuel cell for generating power using the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen tank, and a storage battery for storing the power generated by the fuel cell; a take-off and landing portion provided on the main body device; and an unmanned flying object having a power receiving device for receiving power, and taking off and landing on the take-off and landing portion. The unmanned flying object is charged with power from the storage battery using the power receiving device when landing on the take-off and landing portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to construction machinery such as hydraulic excavators that perform excavation and loading operations, and particularly to construction machinery with low greenhouse gas emissions.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the development of vehicles with low greenhouse gas emissions has been carried out, and Patent Document 1 discloses the application of fuel cells to the backhoe of construction machinery. Recently, the automatic operation of construction machinery has also been proposed in Patent Document 2 and the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, although Patent Document 1 has a detailed disclosure about fuel cells, there is no disclosure on how to mount fuel cells on construction machinery. For this reason, construction machinery with low greenhouse gas emissions has not been realized. In addition, since Patent Document 2 also has a driver's seat in the automatic operation, there are limitations in the layout of the construction machinery.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide construction machinery with low greenhouse gas emissions. Another object of the present invention is to provide construction machinery with a high degree of freedom in layout.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the present invention The driver's seat has been abolishedThe construction machine includes a main body device that houses a hydrogen tank for storing hydrogen, a fuel cell that generates electricity using the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen tank, and a storage battery that stores the electricity generated by the fuel cell, a slewing device that slews the main body device, a takeoff and landing section provided on the main body device, and Directly above a power transmission device that is located at and provided on the upper surface of the main body device and transmits the power from the storage battery, and a power reception device that receives the power from the power transmission device, and an unmanned aerial vehicle that takes off and lands on the takeoff and landing section. When the unmanned aerial vehicle lands on the takeoff and landing section, it is charged with the power from the storage battery using the power reception device.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, since the construction machine is driven by a fuel cell, a construction machine with less greenhouse gas emissions can be realized. Also, according to the present invention, since a takeoff and landing section is provided on the main body device, a construction machine with a high degree of layout freedom can be realized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 11

Figure 12

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, the construction machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by the embodiments described below. In this embodiment, the hydraulic excavator 1 will be continued to be described as an example of the construction machine.

[0010] (First Embodiment) Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the hydraulic excavator 1 representing this embodiment. Fig. 1(a) is a top view, and Fig. 1(b) is a front view. Also, Fig. 2 is a view taken along the line A-A of Fig. 1(b). The configuration of the hydraulic excavator 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As is clear from FIG. 1, the hydraulic excavator 1 of this embodiment is of an automatic driving type without a driver's seat and has a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, hereinafter referred to as the drone 100), which is an unmanned aircraft. Note that the hydraulic excavator 1 may be configured to automatically drive on a construction site and be transported on a trailer on a public road. Further, the operation of the hydraulic excavator 1 may be automatic operation or remote operation from a remote location away from the excavation site.

[0011] The hydraulic excavator 1 of this embodiment includes a fuel cell system 10, a traveling device 20, a slewing device 30, a body device 40, and a working device 60. Further, the hydraulic excavator 1 has a drone 100 that can take off and land on a takeoff / landing section provided on the upper surface of the body device 40. Although FIG. 1 shows one drone 100, a plurality of drones 100 may be provided. Further, the drone 100 may be of a type that flies by electricity or a type that flies by a fuel cell using hydrogen.

[0012] The fuel cell system 10 includes a fuel cell 11, a hydrogen tank 12, and a storage battery 13. The fuel cell 11 is a power generation device that generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen tank 12 stores hydrogen compressed to several tens of MPa and supplies hydrogen to the fuel cell 11 through a hydrogen supply flow path (not shown). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, 34 hydrogen tanks 12 are used, but the number can be arbitrarily set according to the size of the hydraulic excavator 1, and thus the size of the body device 40. Further, in FIG. 1(b), the hydrogen tanks 12 are arranged vertically, but they may be arranged horizontally. Although details will be described later, in this embodiment, the hydrogen tank 12 is used as a counterweight for correcting the uneven load of the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0013] The storage battery 13 is a secondary battery and stores the electric power generated by the fuel cell 11. The storage battery 13 can also be used as an auxiliary power source for driving the fuel cell 11 with the stored electric power, and supplies electric power to various motors constituting the hydraulic excavator 1, the traveling device 20, the slewing device 30, and the like.

[0014] The traveling device 20 has a pair of crawler belts 23 wound around a idler wheel 21 and a drive wheel 22, and a traveling motor 24 (see FIG. 3) for driving the drive wheel 22. The hydraulic excavator 1 is traveled by driving the pair of crawler belts 23 by the drive wheel 22. The traveling motor 24 is an in-wheel motor provided so as to be coaxially connected to the drive wheel 22 or the hub of the drive wheel 22.

[0015] The slewing device 30 is disposed between the traveling device 20 and the body device 40. The slewing device 30 includes a bearing (not shown) and a slewing motor 31, and slews the body device 40 and the working device 60. The slewing of the body device 40 and the working device 60 by the slewing device 30 may be performed using a hydraulic device 43 described later.

[0016] The body device 40 has a flat upper surface, and the working device 60 is connected to the side surface via a swing portion 41 and a swing cylinder 42. Inside the body device 40, in addition to the aforementioned fuel cell 11, hydrogen tank 12, and storage battery 13, a hydraulic device 43 and an attitude detector 44 are provided. The upper surface of the body device 40 serves as a takeoff and landing portion for the drone 100, and is provided with a two-dimensional code portion 45 and a solar panel 46.

[0017] The swing portion 41 is pivotally supported such that the portion connected to the body device 40 and the portion connected to the boom 53 can rotate about the Z axis. The swing cylinder 42 is a hydraulic cylinder having one end connected to the body device 40 and the other end connected to the swing portion 41, and is extended and contracted by the hydraulic device 43. By the extension and contraction of the swing cylinder 42, the working device 60 is driven in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1(a).

[0018] The hydraulic device 43 has a hydraulic control valve and the like, and as shown in FIG. 3, is supplied with power from the storage battery 13 to drive the swing cylinder 42, the boom cylinder 54, the arm cylinder 56, and the bucket cylinder 59. The attitude detector 44 is a sensor attached inside the main body device 40 for detecting the attitude of the main body device 40. As the attitude detector 44, an inclinometer, a level, or the like can be used.

[0019] In this embodiment, the two-dimensional code portion 45 employs a QR code (registered trademark, the same hereinafter). The information of the QR code in this embodiment is the takeoff and landing portion of the drone 100. Note that the information of the QR code may include information indicating the energy supplied to the drone 100, such as a power supply type, a hydrogen supply type, or a type capable of supplying both power and hydrogen. The QR code is resistant to damage and dirt and has an error correction function, so it is a suitable code for use at a civil engineering site. The two-dimensional code portion 45 is configured to read one QR code by the imaging device 102 described later when the drone 100 lands on the takeoff and landing portion to recognize the landing position.

[0020] Note that the size of the QR code is smaller than the size of the drone 100. When one drone 100 lands on the QR code, this QR code cannot be imaged by other drones 100. Also, the interval between the plurality of two-dimensional code portions 45 is set such that the drones 100 do not interfere with each other when the plurality of drones 100 land on the takeoff and landing portion. Note that a visual recognition mark may be adopted instead of the two-dimensional code portion 45. In this case, the shape of the visual recognition mark may be circular, rectangular, elliptical, or triangular, and may be a double mark or a single mark.

[0021] The solar panel 46 is a power generation device, and the electric power generated by the solar panel 46 may be stored in the storage battery 13. Also, it may be used as an auxiliary power source for driving the fuel cell 11 with the electric power generated by the solar panel 46. Note that an inclination mechanism may be provided on the upper surface of the main body device 40 so that the solar panel 46 can easily receive sunlight.

[0022] Also, in the present embodiment, the main body device 40 includes a first GNSS 47 (Global Navigation Satellite System) which is a global positioning system, a first communication device 48, a first memory 49, and a heavy equipment control device 50 for controlling the entire hydraulic excavator 1. The first GNSS 47 measures the position of the hydraulic excavator 1 using artificial satellites.

[0023] The first communication device 48 is a wireless communication unit that accesses a wide area network such as a second communication device 106 or the Internet described later. In the present embodiment, the first communication device 48 communicates the flight paths of the plurality of drones 100 to the second communication device 106 based on the position of the hydraulic excavator 1 detected by the first GNSS 47.

[0024] The first memory 49 is a non-volatile memory (for example, a flash memory), and stores various data and programs for driving the hydraulic excavator 1, and various data and programs for automatically operating the hydraulic excavator 1. Also, the first memory 49 stores data related to the flight paths of the plurality of drones 100.

[0025] The heavy equipment control device 50 includes a CPU and is a control device for controlling the entire hydraulic excavator 1. For example, it controls the excavation operation of the working device 60, the turning operation, and the flight operation of the drone 100. Also, on the upper surface of the main body device 40, a power transmission device 51 for supplying power to a power receiving device 103 on the drone 100 side described later is provided.

[0026] The power transmission device 51 employs wireless power supply in this embodiment. Wireless power supply supplies power to the power receiving device 103 without contact, and magnetic field resonance method, electromagnetic induction method, etc. are known. The power transmission device 51 of this embodiment includes a power source, a control circuit, and a power transmission coil. It is preferable to provide this power transmission coil at the takeoff / landing section. Note that a contact power supply method may be used instead of wireless power supply. In this case, metal contacts may be provided on each of the power transmission device 51 and the power receiving device 103, and the contacts may be mechanically connected to each other for power supply. For example, a concave contact may be provided at the takeoff / landing section, and a convex contact may be provided on the drone 100 side. Each of the concave contact and the convex contact may be one, or a plurality may be provided.

[0027] The working device 60 is connected to the main body device 40 via the swing part 41 and the swing cylinder 42. The working device 60 includes a boom 53, a boom cylinder 54, an arm 55, an arm cylinder 56, a bucket 58, and a bucket cylinder 59.

[0028] The boom 53 is a U-shaped component connected to the main body device 40 via the swing part 41 and is rotated by the boom cylinder 54. The arm 55 is connected to the tip of the boom 53 and is rotated by the arm cylinder 56. The bucket 58 is connected to the tip of the arm 55 and is rotated by the bucket cylinder 59. Note that instead of the bucket 58, a breaker or the like can also be attached to the tip of the arm 55. In this embodiment, the boom cylinder 54, the arm cylinder 56, and the bucket cylinder 59 are hydraulic cylinders and expand and contract by hydraulic pressure. Also, the boom cylinder 54, the arm cylinder 56, and the bucket cylinder 59 are expanded and contracted by a hydraulic device 43.

[0029] The drone 100 of this embodiment includes a flight device 101, an imaging device 102, a power receiving device 103, a sensor group 104, a battery 105, a second communication device 106, a second memory 107, and a UAV control device 108. The flight device 101 has a motor (not shown) and a plurality of propellers, and generates a thrust that causes the drone 100 to lift into the air and move in the air. Note that, as described above, the number of drones 100 that land on the landing and takeoff section can be arbitrarily set. Also, the configurations of the respective drones 100 may be the same, or a part thereof may be changed. Furthermore, the sizes of the respective drones 100 may be the same or different.

[0030] The imaging device 102 is a digital camera that has a lens, an imaging element, an image processing engine, etc., and captures moving images and still images. In this embodiment, the imaging device 102 is used for surveying, imaging an excavation site, or imaging the two-dimensional code section 45. If a power transmission coil or contact of the power transmission device 51 is provided in the two-dimensional code section 45, after the drone 100 lands on the landing and takeoff section, the battery 105 can be quickly charged via the power receiving device 103.

[0031] In the enlarged view surrounded by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1, the lens of the imaging device 102 is attached to the side surface (front surface) of the drone 100, but the lens of the imaging device 102 may be attached to the lower surface of the drone 100, or a plurality of lenses may be provided on the drone 100. Also, a moving mechanism may be provided to move the lens attached to the side surface downward. Also, a mechanism may be provided to rotate the imaging device 102 around the Z axis to position the lens of the imaging device 102 at an arbitrary position around the Z axis. Also, when four drones 100 are landed on the landing and takeoff section, if the respective lens positions are positioned in the -X direction, +X direction, -Y direction, and +Y direction, images similar to the images viewed by the operator from the driver's seat of a conventional hydraulic excavator can be captured from a plurality of directions. Note that an omnidirectional camera (360-degree camera) may be used as the imaging device 102, or a 3D scanner may be used instead of the imaging device 102.

[0032] The power receiving device 103 has a power receiving coil, a charging circuit, etc. provided on the leg portion 109 of the drone 100, and charges the battery 105 with the power from the power transmission device 51. The battery 105 is a secondary battery connected to the power receiving device 103, and a lithium ion secondary battery, a lithium polymer secondary battery, etc. can be used, but it is not limited thereto. The battery 105 can supply power to the flight device 101, the imaging device 102, the second communication device 106, the second memory 107, and the UAV control device 108.

[0033] The sensor group 104 includes a GNSS, an infrared sensor for avoiding collision between the drone 100 and other devices (e.g., the working device 60), a barometric pressure sensor for measuring altitude, a magnetic sensor for detecting orientation, a gyro sensor for detecting the attitude of the drone 100, an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration acting on the drone 100, and the like.

[0034] The second communication device 106 has a wireless communication unit and accesses a wide area network such as the Internet or communicates with the first communication device 48. In the present embodiment, the second communication device 106 transmits the image data captured by the imaging device 102 and the detection results detected by the sensor group 104 to the second communication device 92, or transmits the flight command from the first communication device 48 to the UAV control device 108.

[0035] The second memory 107 is a non-volatile memory (e.g., a flash memory), stores various data and programs for flying the drone 100, stores the image data captured by the imaging device 102, the detection results detected by the sensor group 104, and the like.

[0036] The UAV control device 108 includes a CPU, an attitude control circuit, a flight control circuit, etc., and controls the entire drone 100. Further, the UAV control device 108 determines the charging timing at the takeoff / landing section based on the remaining amount of the battery 105, and controls the imaging position, the angle of view, the frame rate, etc. of the imaging device 102.

[0037] As described above, in the hydraulic excavator 1 of the present embodiment configured as such, the drone 100 surveys the excavation area prior to the excavation of the working device 60, and during the excavation of the working device 60, imaging from above and imaging of the bucket near the bucket 58 can be performed, so that excavation can be carried out even when the operator is not in the excavation area. Further, if the drone 100 performs imaging at the takeoff / landing section, imaging can be performed from substantially the same position as that from the driver's seat of a conventional hydraulic excavator.

[0038] Further, by using a plurality of drones 100, when the first drone 100 is flying, the second drone 100 can be charged at the takeoff / landing section, so that the first drone 100 and the second drone 100 can fly alternately. Note that the number of drones 100 may be three or more.

[0039] Further, when the working device 60 performs excavation, an eccentric load acts on the main body device 40 in the +X direction of FIG. 1. However, in the present embodiment, since a plurality of hydrogen tanks 12 are provided on the opposite side (the -X direction of FIG. 1) to which the working device 60 is connected, the eccentric load acting on the main body device 40 when the working device 60 performs excavation can be offset by the load of the plurality of hydrogen tanks 12. The eccentric load of the working device 60 acting on the main body device 40 depends on the volume of the bucket 58. For this reason, depending on the volume of the bucket 58, the weight of the counter mass is generally required to be about 1.5 tons to 4 tons. If the hydrogen tank 12 is made of iron, its weight is about 50 kg in a state where it is not filled with hydrogen, so the total weight of 34 hydrogen tanks 12 is 1700 kg. If the total weight of the hydrogen tanks 12 is not sufficient, a counter mass may be provided separately as a mass body in the -X direction of the main body device 40.

[0040] Note that a hydrogen storage alloy may be used as the hydrogen tank 12. The hydrogen storage alloy is an alloy having both hydrogen storage ability and hydrogen release ability by alloying Ti, Zr, Pd, Mg with excellent hydrogen storage ability and Fe, Co, Ni with high hydrogen release ability. When storing hydrogen in a hydrogen storage alloy, it is not necessary to store hydrogen at high pressure and the stored hydrogen is easy to handle. Also, the heavy weight, which was conventionally regarded as a drawback, becomes an advantage when used as a counterweight. Since the weight of the hydrogen tank 12 using a hydrogen storage alloy is about 125 kg, the total weight of 34 hydrogen tanks 12 is 4250 kg, which can be almost satisfied as the weight of the counterweight. Also, both a hydrogen tank 12 that stores hydrogen compressed to several tens of MPa and a hydrogen storage alloy tank may be used. In this case, by providing the heavy hydrogen storage alloy tank outside (-X direction side) of the tank that stores hydrogen compressed to several tens of MPa, the distance from the main body device 40 can be increased, so that the hydrogen storage alloy tank can be effectively used as a counterweight.

[0041] Further, since the hydraulic excavator 1 of the present embodiment uses the fuel cell 11 and the solar panel 46, a construction machine with less greenhouse gas emissions can be realized. In the present embodiment, since the space where the driver's seat is abolished is utilized, many hydrogen tanks 12 can be accommodated. For this reason, even at a civil engineering site in the mountains where it is difficult to supply hydrogen, the hydraulic excavator 1 can be driven by the fuel cell 11. Note that a heating device is required when extracting hydrogen from the hydrogen storage alloy, but the hydrogen storage alloy may be heated using the exhaust heat of the fuel cell 11. In this case, the fuel cell 11 may be provided in the vicinity of the hydrogen storage alloy.

[0042] (Second Embodiment) Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified. Note that the illustration of the drone 100 is omitted in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a hydraulic excavator 1 representing an example of a construction machine according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4(a) is a top view, and FIG. 4(b) is a front view. Further, FIG. 5 shows a partially cross-sectional view of the portion surrounded by a dotted line of the hydraulic excavator 1 according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the main part of the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

[0043] In the hydraulic excavator 1 of the second embodiment, the slewing device 30 and the body device 40 are divided into two, and the working device 60 is also made into two. Regarding the two slewing devices 30, they will be described as an upper slewing device 30a and a lower slewing device 30b. Also, the slewing motor 31 of the first embodiment is made into two, an upper slewing motor 31a and a lower slewing motor 31b. Similarly, regarding the two body devices 40, they will be described as an upper body device 40a and a lower body device 40b. Also, since the configuration of the two working devices 60 is the same as that of the first embodiment, one is designated as the working device 60a and the other as the working device 60b, and each element constituting the working devices 60a and 60b is also assigned an a or b after the reference numeral.

[0044] The upper body device 40a is rotatable by the upper slewing device 30a having a bearing. The upper body device 40a also functions as a housing and houses a fuel cell 11, a plurality of hydrogen tanks 12, a storage battery 13, and a part of the upper slewing motor 31a for rotating the upper body device 40a. Further, an opening is formed at the lower center of the upper body device 40a, and an upper slip ring 35 that constitutes a part of a slip ring mechanism described later is engaged with this opening. The upper slip ring 35 has an opening, and wiring for supplying power from this opening to the lower slewing motor 31b and the traveling motor 24 is routed. A part of the upper slip ring 35 rotates as the upper body device 40a rotates.

[0045] In addition to this upper slip ring 35, the slip ring mechanism has a lower slip ring 36 and a fixing portion 37 connected to the non-rotating portion of the upper slip ring 35 and the non-rotating portion of the lower slip ring 36. The lower slip ring 36 is provided in the lower main body device 40b and supports the fixing portion 37 from the outside. The fixing portion 37 is provided so as to penetrate the lower turning device 30b and has an opening for routing the wiring from the upper slip ring 35. Therefore, even when the upper main body device 40a and the lower main body device 40b turn, the wiring is routed by the slip ring mechanism, so that the wiring is not entangled or disconnected. Note that pipes such as liquid (hydraulic pressure or water) and gas may be routed using this slip ring mechanism.

[0046] The lower main body device 40b is rotatable by a lower turning device 30b having a bearing. The lower main body device 40b is connected to a working device 60a via a swing portion 41a and a swing cylinder 42a on the -X direction side, and a working device 60b is connected via a swing portion 41b and a swing cylinder 42b on the +X direction side. By connecting the working device 60a and the working device 60b to the lower main body device 40b, it is possible to suppress an increase in the center of gravity of the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0047] Further, the lower main body device 40b houses a part of the lower turning motor 31b, the lower slip ring 36, a hydraulic device 43, etc., and an opening for penetrating the fixing portion 37 is formed near the center. Although not shown in FIG. 5, the attitude detector 44 is preferably provided in the upper main body device 40a that functions as a counterweight. In order to house the fuel cell 11, a plurality of hydrogen tanks 12, a storage battery 13, etc. in the upper main body device 40a, the volume of the upper main body device 40a is 8m 3 ~10m 3 or so. Therefore, as an example of the size of the upper main body device 40a, if the upper main body device 40a has a cylindrical shape, it may have a radius of 1.5 m and a height of about 1.2 m. Note that the upper main body device 40a is not limited to a cylindrical shape and can have any shape.

[0048] (Explanation of the flowchart) FIG. 7 is a flowchart executed by the heavy equipment control device 50 of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the excavation operation. FIG. 8(a) shows the state when the working device 60 is in the initial position. FIG. 8(b) shows the state during excavation. FIG. 8(c) shows the state at the end of excavation. FIG. 8(d) shows the state after turning. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the operation following the excavation operation of FIG. 8. FIG. 9(a) shows the state of loading. FIG. 9(b) shows the state when the working device 60 is in the initial position. FIG. 9(c) shows the state after turning the upper body device 40a. FIG. 9(d) shows the state during excavation.

[0049] Hereinafter, the flowchart of FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the portion surrounded by a dotted line is shown as a partial cross-sectional view in the same manner as FIG. 5. In the present embodiment, the initial position refers to the state when the two working devices 60 are in a position where it is difficult to generate uneven load (that is, a position where the portion extending in the X direction is small). In the flowchart of FIG. 7, a part of it may be performed by an operator, for example, at a remote location away from the civil engineering site.

[0050] The heavy equipment control device 50 determines whether the excavation preparation by the hydraulic excavator 1 is completed (step S1). As shown in FIG. 8(a), when the hydraulic excavator 1 arrives at the excavation location and is in a state where excavation is possible, and the dump truck 70 has arrived at the loading location, the heavy equipment control device 50 determines that the excavation preparation is completed and proceeds to step S2. Otherwise, step S1 is repeated. Here, it is assumed that the excavation preparation is completed and the process proceeds to step S2. A two-dimensional code portion 71 indicating the loading capacity of the dump truck 70 is provided at the rear of the dump truck 70. By the imaging device 102 of the drone 100 imaging the two-dimensional code portion 71, the heavy equipment control device 50 can recognize the loading capacity of the dump truck 70.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 8(b), the heavy equipment control device 50 performs excavation with the bucket 58a that forms part of the first working device (step S2). When the heavy equipment control device 50 performs excavation with the bucket 58a, it flies the drone 100 in the vicinity of the bucket 58a and causes the imaging device 102 to image the excavation operation of the bucket 58a, thereby enabling the excavation situation to be confirmed. In the present embodiment, since the working devices 60a and 60b have the same configuration, their weights are also assumed to be the same. However, as shown in FIG. 8(b), when the working device 60a extends in the -X direction and the bucket 58a contains excavated material, an eccentric load in the -X direction acts on the hydraulic excavator 1. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the plurality of hydrogen tanks 12 housed in the upper body device 40a are positioned in the +X direction to correct this eccentric load. If the eccentric load cannot be sufficiently corrected by the weight of the plurality of hydrogen tanks 12, the heavy equipment control device 50 may drive the working device 60b to extend in the +X direction from the initial position. Alternatively, the upper body device 40a may house a mass different from the plurality of hydrogen tanks 12 as a countermass.

[0052] The heavy equipment control device 50 determines whether the excavation by the bucket 58a has been completed (step S3). When the heavy equipment control device 50 determines, based on the imaging by the imaging device 102 of the drone 100, that a predetermined amount of excavated material is contained in the bucket 58a, it determines that the excavation by the bucket 58a has been completed. Alternatively, an operator at a remote location may determine whether the excavation by the bucket 58a has been completed based on the imaging result of the imaging device 102 of the drone 100. Also, a weighing scale may be provided on the bucket 58a, and the heavy equipment control device 50 may determine whether a predetermined amount of excavated material has been contained in the bucket 58a based on the measurement result of the weighing scale. Here, it is assumed that the excavation by the bucket 58a has been completed and the process proceeds to step S4. When the heavy equipment control device 50 determines that the excavation by the bucket 58a has been completed, as shown in FIG. 8(c), it moves the working device 60a to the initial position. This is to reduce the eccentric load acting on the lower body device 40b due to the turning by the working device 60a in step S4 and to perform the turning safely.

[0053] The heavy equipment control device 50 rotates the upper main body device 40a by 180 degrees by means of the upper swing motor 31a and rotates the lower main body device 40b by 180 degrees by means of the lower swing motor 31b (step S4). The reason for rotating the lower main body device 40b is to load the excavated material stored in the bucket 58a onto the dump truck 70 and to move the bucket 58b, which forms part of the second working device, to the excavation position. The reason for rotating the upper main body device 40a is to correct the eccentric load acting on the hydraulic excavator 1 due to the rotation of the lower main body device 40b. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the hydraulic excavator 1 from floating or tipping over when the lower main body device 40b rotates. In order to reduce the eccentric load acting on the hydraulic excavator 1, it is preferable that the upper main body device 40a and the lower main body device 40b rotate in the same direction. Specifically, when the upper main body device 40a rotates in the clockwise direction, the heavy equipment control device 50 may rotate the lower main body device 40b in the clockwise direction as well. Fig. 8(d) is a diagram showing the state in which the rotation of step S4 is performed, where the bucket 58a is located on the +X direction side and the bucket 58b and the hydrogen tank 12 are located on the -X direction side.

[0054] As shown in Fig. 9(a), the heavy equipment control device 50 drives and controls the working device 60a to load the excavated material stored in the bucket 58a onto the dump truck 70 (step S5). At this time, the heavy equipment control device 50 can confirm the loading operation by flying the drone 100 in the vicinity of the bucket 58a and imaging the loading operation by the bucket 58a with the imaging device 102. Note that in step S5, the heavy equipment control device 50 may finely adjust the position of the working device 60a by means of the swing unit 41a and the swing cylinder 42a.

[0055] The heavy equipment control device 50 determines whether the loading operation by the bucket 58a has ended based on the imaging of the imaging device 102 or the measurement result of the weighing scale (step S6). Note that the determination in this step S6 may be made by an operator located at a remote location. When the loading operation is completed, the heavy equipment control device 50 moves the working device 60a to the initial position as shown in Fig. 9(b).

[0056] When the heavy equipment control device 50 determines that the loading operation by the bucket 58a has been completed, in order to prepare for the excavation operation by the working device 60b, it rotates the upper body device 40a by 180 degrees (step S7). Due to the 180-degree rotation of the upper body device 40a, as shown in Fig. 9(c), since the hydrogen tank 12 is located on the +X direction side, the eccentric load acting on the hydraulic excavator 1 can be corrected by the excavation operation of the working device 60b. Note that by performing the movement of the working device 60a to the initial position shown in Fig. 9(b) and the rotation of the upper body device 40a almost simultaneously, the excavation operation by the working device 60b can be started earlier. Furthermore, when the working device 60a is moving to the initial position and the upper body device 40a is rotating, the working device 60b may be moved from the initial position to the excavation position. Thereby, the excavation operation by the working device 60b can be started even earlier. Thus, when the working device 60b is moved from the initial position to the excavation position, since the excavation material is not accommodated in the bucket 58b, no large eccentric load acts on the hydraulic excavator 1. Note that the eccentric load correction of the hydraulic excavator 1 by the rotation of the upper body device 40a is also possible when an unexpected load acts on the hydraulic excavator 1. In such a case, the heavy equipment control device 50 may rotate the upper body device 40a based on the output of the attitude detector 44.

[0057] The heavy equipment control device 50 determines whether a predetermined amount of excavation has been completed (step S8). Here, the heavy equipment control device 50 returns to step S2 assuming that a predetermined amount of excavation has not been completed yet. Then, the heavy equipment control device 50 performs a series of excavation operations by the working device 60b, and thereafter, alternately repeats the excavation by the working device 60a and the excavation by the working device 60b until a predetermined excavation amount is reached. Note that the heavy equipment control device 50 may make the determination in step S8 based on the loading capacity of the dump truck 70, which is the information of the two-dimensional code portion 71. Note that the program for executing the flowchart in Fig. 7 is stored in the first memory 49.

[0058] As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the excavation by the working device 60a and the excavation by the working device 60b are alternately repeated, it is possible to shorten the construction period of the excavation work. In FIGS. 8 and 9, one drone 100 is illustrated, but the flowchart of FIG. 7 may be executed by a plurality of drones 100. Further, the imaging by the imaging device 102 of the drone 100 may be performed not only during flight but also when the drone 100 has landed on the takeoff / landing section of the upper main body device 40a. The imaging of the imaging device 102 from the takeoff / landing section of the upper main body device 40a can be used as an image visually recognized by an operator from a conventional driver's seat.

[0059] In addition, when the drone 100 is made to fly near the bucket 58, the UAV control device 108 can avoid a collision between the bucket 58 and the drone 100 by recognizing the bucket 58 with the infrared sensor of the sensor group 104. Further, the heavy equipment control device 50 may cause the imaging device 102 of the drone 100 to perform imaging in order to determine whether a failure has occurred in the hydraulic excavator 1 or whether maintenance is required. Also, in a civil engineering site, the two-dimensional code portion 71 may become dirty and unrecognizable. In such a case, the two-dimensional code portion 71 may be washed using the water generated by the fuel cell 11 that utilizes the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

[0060] (Third Embodiment) FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a hydraulic excavator 1 showing an example of a construction machine representing the third embodiment, and the portion surrounded by a dotted line is shown as a partial cross-sectional view. In FIG. 10, the illustration of the drone 100 is omitted. Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10, but the same components as those in the first embodiment and the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.

[0061] In the third embodiment, the lower main body device 40b serves as a housing unit, and two working devices 60 are connected to the upper main body device 40a via a swing unit 41 and a swing cylinder 42, which is different from the second embodiment. For this reason, a hydraulic device 43 that supplies hydraulic pressure to the two working devices 60 is provided inside the upper main body device 40a.

[0062] The lower main body device 40b houses a fuel cell 11, a plurality of hydrogen tanks 12, a storage battery 13, a part of a lower swing motor 31b, a lower slip ring 36, and the like. In this embodiment, the lower main body device 40b houses the plurality of hydrogen tanks 12 in a lying state, but it may be configured to house the plurality of hydrogen tanks 12 in a standing state by increasing the dimension in the Z direction.

[0063] In this embodiment, the lower main body device 40b that houses the plurality of hydrogen tanks 12, which are mass bodies, functions as a counterweight and moves (swings) to correct the eccentric load acting on the hydraulic excavator 1. Thus, also in this embodiment, when one working device 60 is performing an excavation operation, the eccentric load acting on the hydraulic excavator 1 can be corrected.

[0064] (Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a hydraulic excavator 1 showing an example of a construction machine representing the fourth embodiment, and the portion surrounded by a dotted line is shown as a partial cross-sectional view. Also, in FIG. 11, the illustration of the drone 100 is omitted. FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the main part of the fourth embodiment. Hereinafter, the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. For the same configurations as those in the first to third embodiments, the same reference numerals will be given, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0065] In the fourth embodiment, in addition to the fuel cell system 10 and the like, a hydrogen production device that supplies hydrogen to the hydrogen tank 12 is housed in the upper main body device 40a. The hydrogen production device includes a hydrogen generator 14, a gas-liquid separator 15, and a cooler 16. Further, a tank 17 for storing water for producing hydrogen is provided below the hydraulic excavator 1. The water stored in the tank 17 is supplied to the hydrogen generator 14 via a pipe 18 by a pump (not shown). The pipe 18 is provided so as to pass through the openings of the lower slip ring 36, the fixed portion 37, and the upper slip ring 35, respectively.

[0066] The hydrogen generator 14 is a high-pressure water electrolysis device that produces oxygen and high-pressure hydrogen of several tens of MPa by electrolyzing water. The high-pressure water electrolysis device has a plurality of water electrolysis cells stacked along the Z direction as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-175037. The gas-liquid separator 15 removes the water contained in the high-pressure hydrogen generated by the hydrogen generator 14. The cooler 16 cools the hydrogen that has passed through the gas-liquid separator 15. The hydrogen cooled by the cooler 16 is stored in a plurality of hydrogen tanks 12 through pipes (not shown) and valves (not shown).

[0067] In order to house the above-described hydrogen production device in the upper main body device 40a in addition to the fuel cell system 10 and the like, the volume of the upper main body device 40a may be about 12 m 3 ~16 m 3 . For this reason, as an example of the size of the upper main body device 40a, if the upper main body device 40a has a cylindrical shape, it may have a radius of 1.6 m and a height of about 1.6 m. Note that the upper main body device 40a is not limited to a cylindrical shape and can have an arbitrary shape. Further, the volume of the upper main body device 40a may be set according to the number of hydrogen tanks 12 to be housed.

[0068] According to this embodiment, hydrogen can be produced if there is water. Therefore, even at a civil engineering site in the mountains where it is difficult to supply hydrogen, the hydraulic excavator 1 can be driven by the fuel cell 11. Note that the hydrogen production device may be provided at the civil engineering site not in the hydraulic excavator 1 but in addition to the hydraulic excavator 1. Thereby, the supply of hydrogen to the hydrogen tank 12 is facilitated also in the hydraulic excavators 1 of the first to third embodiments.

[0069] In this embodiment, a high-pressure water electrolysis method is used as the hydrogen production device, but other methods may be used. Also, the hydrogen production device of this embodiment may be used in the first to third embodiments. When used in the third embodiment, the hydrogen production device may be provided in the lower body device 40b.

[0070] As described in detail above, in the second to fourth embodiments, since there are two working devices 60, excavation and loading (soil discharging) can be performed almost simultaneously, so that a hydraulic excavator 1 with good workability can be realized. Also, in the first to fourth embodiments, surveying and confirmation of the excavation status are performed by a plurality of drones 100, so that the surveying time and the time for confirming the excavation status can be shortened. Also, even when the remaining amount of the battery 105 of the flying drone 100 decreases, since the non-flying drones 100 are being charged, the flying drones 100 can be quickly replaced. Thereby, it is not necessary to substantially consider the limitation of the flight time of the drones 100.

[0071] Also, according to the first to fourth embodiments, since the drone 100 assists the hydraulic excavator 1, automated civil engineering work can be efficiently realized.

[0072] The embodiments described above are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, if an infrared camera is used as the imaging device 102, a series of construction works such as excavation and loading (soil discharge) can be carried out even at night, and the construction period can be shortened. Instead of the first bucket, a breaker, a fork, a ripper, or a lifter may be attached to the arm 55.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0073] 1 Hydraulic excavator 10 Fuel cell system 20 Travel device 30 Slewing device 30a Upper slewing device 30b Lower slewing device 40 Main body device 40a Upper main body device 40b Lower main body device 43 Hydraulic device 50 Heavy equipment control device 51 Power transmission device 60 Working device 100 Drone 102 Imaging device 103 Power receiving device

Claims

1. a main body that houses a hydrogen tank for storing hydrogen, a fuel cell that generates electricity using the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen tank, and a storage battery that stores the electricity generated by the fuel cell; A rotating device that rotates the main body device; A takeoff and landing section provided on the main body device; a power transmission device located directly above the rotating device and provided on an upper surface of the main body device, the power transmission device transmitting power from the storage battery; an unmanned aerial vehicle having a power receiving device that receives power from the power transmitting device and takes off and lands on the takeoff and landing section; The unmanned aerial vehicle is a construction machine that has no driver's seat and is charged by power from the storage battery using the power receiving device while landing on the takeoff and landing area.

2. 2. The construction machine according to claim 1, wherein a two-dimensional code containing information on energy that can be supplied to the unmanned aerial vehicle is formed on the takeoff and landing section.

3. 3. The construction machine according to claim 2, wherein the power receiving device receives power from the storage battery through a power transmitting coil or a contact provided within the two-dimensional code.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle has an imaging device, 4. A construction machine without a driver's seat as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle recognizes a landing position by imaging the two-dimensional code when landing on the takeoff and landing section.

5. A working device that is connected to the main body device and performs a work; An imaging device provided on the unmanned aerial vehicle, 2. The construction machine according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is provided on a dump truck which cooperates with the working device, and images a two-dimensional code which contains information about the dump truck.

6. A construction machine without a driver's seat as described in claim 1, wherein when multiple unmanned aerial vehicles are landing on the takeoff and landing section, imaging devices provided on each of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles take images in different directions.

7. A working device that is connected to the main body device and performs a work; A sensor provided on the unmanned aerial vehicle and capable of recognizing the working device; 2. A construction machine without a driver's seat as described in claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle flies near the work device while avoiding collision with the work device based on the output of the sensor.

8. 8. The construction machine without a driver's seat according to claim 1, wherein the takeoff and landing section is located directly above the rotating device.

Images