Working machine

Abstract

To provide a work machine capable of suppressing discomfort in operation by an operator while improving workability.SOLUTION: A work machine comprises a vehicle body consisting of a lower traveling body and an upper revolving body that is rotatably provided on the lower traveling body, a front work device installed on the upper revolving body so that it can rotate in the vertical direction, multiple hydraulic actuators that rotate the upper revolving structure and the front work device, an attitude information detection device that detects the attitude of the upper revolving structure and front work device, and a control device that controls the operation of multiple hydraulic actuators based on the attitude of the front work device so that a preset reference point on the front work device does not enter a predetermined no-entry area. The control device disables at least an entry-prohibited area set below the vehicle body when the inclination angle of the upper revolving body detected by the attitude information detection device is larger than a predetermined reference angle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a working machine.

Background Art

[0002] At a construction site, various working machines are used. For example, in a working machine such as a hydraulic excavator equipped with an articulated front working device driven by a hydraulic actuator, operations such as excavation and loading of earth and sand are performed using the front working device. When performing such operations, if there are obstacles within the movable range of the working machine, the operator needs to operate the working machine to avoid contact with the obstacles.

[0003] As a conventional technique for assisting work in an environment where it is necessary to limit the operating range of a working machine, including the case where there are obstacles, there is known a technique of setting a prohibited entry area in advance and stopping the actuator in front of the prohibited entry area to assist the operator. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a working machine including a plurality of actuators that drive a machine body and a working device, and a posture detection device that detects the posture information of the machine body and the working device, and that executes an operating range restriction control for decelerating at least one of the plurality of actuators so as to prevent the working device and the machine body from entering a preset prohibited entry area.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above prior art, in an environment where it is necessary to limit the operating range of a working machine, the operator is assisted by stopping the actuator in front of a preset prohibited entry area, aiming to improve workability.

[0006] On the other hand, depending on the situation of the work site or the working machine, by suppressing entry into the prohibited entry area of the working machine, the operator may feel uncomfortable with the operation of the working machine. For example, in a situation where a hydraulic excavator, which is a working machine, is located on an inclined surface and the front working device is brought into contact with the ground to enhance the stability of the vehicle body, if the ground is set as the prohibited entry area, the front working device will stop in front of the ground and the front working device cannot be brought into contact with the ground.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a working machine capable of suppressing a sense of discomfort in operation by an operator while improving workability.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] This application includes a plurality of means for solving the above problems. For example, a vehicle body including a lower traveling body and an upper revolving body rotatably provided on the lower traveling body, a front working device rotatably provided in the vertical direction on the upper revolving body, a plurality of hydraulic actuators for performing a revolving operation of the upper revolving body and a rotating operation of the front working device, a posture information detection device for detecting the postures of the upper revolving body and the front working device, and based on the posture of the front working device detected by the posture information detection device, a control device for controlling the operation of the plurality of hydraulic actuators so that a reference point preset on the front working device does not enter a preset prohibited entry area. In the working machine, when the inclination angle of the upper revolving body detected by the posture information detection device is larger than a preset reference angle, at least the prohibited entry area set below the vehicle body is made invalid.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a sense of discomfort in operation by an operator while improving workability.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as an example of a working machine, a hydraulic excavator equipped with a front working device will be exemplified and described. However, the present invention can also be applied to other working machines that assist an operator by setting an intrusion prohibited area to limit the operating range of the working machine.

[0012] <First Embodiment> The first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of a hydraulic excavator which is an example of a working machine according to this embodiment.

[0014] In FIG. 1, the hydraulic excavator 100 includes a multi-articulated front working device 3 configured by connecting a plurality of driven members (boom 31, arm 32, bucket (working tool) 33) that rotate vertically respectively, a lower traveling body 1 having a traveling function, and an upper swing body 2 provided so as to be swingable with respect to the lower traveling body 1. The lower traveling body 1 and the upper swing body 2 constitute the vehicle body of the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0015] The base end of the boom 31 of the front working device 3 is supported so as to be rotatable vertically at the front part of the upper swing body 2. One end of the arm 32 is supported so as to be rotatable vertically at an end (tip) different from the base end of the boom 31. The bucket 33 is supported so as to be rotatable vertically at the other end of the arm 32. The front working device 3 is provided with a boom cylinder 34, an arm cylinder 35, and a bucket cylinder 36 for driving the boom 31, the arm 32, and the bucket 33 respectively.

[0016] The lower traveling body 1 includes a pair of left and right crawlers 12 wound around in the front-rear direction of the frame, and a pair of left and right traveling hydraulic motors 11 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) for driving the crawlers 12.

[0017] The upper swing body 2 and the lower traveling body 1 are connected by a swing device 22 having a swing hydraulic motor 21, and the upper swing body 2 is swing-driven with respect to the lower traveling body 1 by the swing hydraulic motor 21.

[0018] A driver's cab 4 for the operator to board is arranged at the front part of the upper swing body 2, and a counterweight 26 is arranged at the rear part. The driver's cab 4 is provided with an operation lever (not shown) for outputting an operation signal for operating hydraulic actuators such as the boom cylinder 34, the arm cylinder 35, the bucket cylinder 36, the swing hydraulic motor 21, and the traveling hydraulic motor 11, and a control device 5 for controlling the overall operation of the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0019] For example, the operation lever can be tilted forward, backward, left, or right, and includes a detection device (not shown) that electrically detects the tilt amount of the lever, which is an operation signal, i.e., the lever operation amount, and outputs the lever operation amount (operation signal) detected by the detection device to the control device 5.

[0020] Further, the upper swing body 2 is provided with an engine 23 as a prime mover, a hydraulic pump 24 driven by the engine 23, and a direction control valve 25 that controls the direction and flow rate of the hydraulic oil discharged from the hydraulic pump 24 and supplied to the respective hydraulic actuators 11, 21, 34, 35, 36.

[0021] In the upper swing body 2, the boom 31, the arm 32, and the bucket 33, inertial measurement units (IMUs: Inertial Measurement Unit) 2a, 31a, 32a, 33a are arranged as attitude sensors for detecting the attitude information of each part. Hereinafter, when it is necessary to distinguish these inertial measurement units, they are respectively referred to as the vehicle body inertial measurement unit 2a, the boom inertial measurement unit 31a, the arm inertial measurement unit 32a, and the bucket inertial measurement unit 33a.

[0022] The inertial measurement units 2a, 31a, 32a, 33a measure angular velocity and acceleration. Considering the case where the upper swing body 2 and the respective driven members 31, 32, 33 on which the inertial measurement units 2a, 31a, 32a, 33a are arranged are stationary, based on the direction of the gravitational acceleration in the IMU coordinate system set in each inertial measurement unit 2a, 31a, 32a, 33a (that is, the vertically downward direction) and the mounting state of each inertial measurement unit 2a, 31a, 32a, 33a (that is, the relative positional relationship between each inertial measurement unit 2a, 31a, 32a, 33a and the upper swing body 2 and the respective driven members 31, 32, 33), the orientation of the upper swing body 2 and the respective driven members 31, 32, 33 can be detected. Here, the inertial measurement units 2a, 31a, 32a, 33a constitute an attitude information detection device that detects information regarding the attitude of each of the plurality of driven members (hereinafter referred to as attitude information).

[0023] Various information can be calculated from the attitude information of the upper swing body 2 and each driven member 31, 32, 33. For example, by integrating the angular velocity in the turning direction of the upper swing body 2 with respect to the lower traveling body 1, the turning angle of the upper swing body 2 with respect to the lower traveling body 1 can be calculated. Also, from the angle of the upper swing body 2 with respect to the horizontal plane, the inclination angle of the vehicle body can be calculated. Further, from the angles of the upper swing body 2 and each driven member 31, 32, 33 with respect to the horizontal and the connection relationship between the upper swing body 2 and each driven member 31, 32, 33, the attitude of the front working device 3 (for example, the position of the tip of the bucket 33) can be calculated.

[0024] Note that the attitude information detection device is not limited to an inertial measurement device. For example, an inclination angle sensor may be used. Also, a potentiometer may be arranged at the connecting portion of each driven member 31, 32, 33 to detect the relative orientation (attitude information) of the upper swing body 2 and each driven member 31, 32, 33, and the attitude of each driven member 31, 32, 33 may be obtained from the detection result. Further, stroke sensors may be arranged on the boom cylinder 34, the arm cylinder 35, and the bucket cylinder 36 respectively, and the relative orientation (attitude information) at each connecting portion of the upper swing body 2 and each driven member 31, 32, 33 may be calculated from the stroke change amount, and the attitude of each driven member 31, 32, 33 may be obtained from the result.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the processing functions of the control device.

[0026] In FIG. 2, the control device 5 is roughly composed of an operator command processing unit 51, a threshold determination unit 52, an attitude calculation unit 53, a distance calculation unit 54, an upper limit speed calculation unit 55, a speed calculation unit 56, and a hydraulic device control unit 57.

[0027] Based on the operation amount (operation signal) of the operation lever device, the operator command processing unit 51 calculates, for example, the target speed, which is the target value of the operating speed of each of the hydraulic actuators 11, 21, 34, 35, 36, by using a correlation table of the operation signal held in the control device 5 in advance and the target speed of the hydraulic actuators (boom cylinder 34, arm cylinder 35, bucket cylinder 36, swing hydraulic motor 21, travel hydraulic motor 11), and outputs it to the speed calculation unit 56. Further, based on the operation amount (operation signal) of the operation lever device, the operator command processing unit 51 determines whether a composite operation (simultaneous operation of a plurality of hydraulic actuators) is being performed, and outputs the determination result to the upper limit speed calculation unit 55 as operation information.

[0028] Based on the attitude information of the inertial measurement devices 2a, 31a, 32a, 33a, the attitude calculation unit 53 calculates, for example, the attitude of the hydraulic excavator 100, such as the swing angle of the upper swing body 2 in the vehicle body coordinate system (a coordinate system fixed to the lower traveling body 1), the position of a reference point (for example, the tip of the bucket 33) preset on the front working device 3, and outputs the calculation result to the distance calculation unit 54.

[0029] The threshold determination unit 52 acquires the attitude information of the inertial measurement device 2a, that is, the inclination angle α (angle measurement value: the magnitude of the difference angle from the horizontal plane) of the upper swing body 2, determines whether the inclination angle α is greater than a preset threshold value α0 (reference angle), and outputs the determination result to the upper limit speed calculation unit 55. The threshold value α0 is for determining whether the operator of the hydraulic excavator 100 is performing an operation of bringing the front working device 3 into contact with the ground. For example, when the inclination angle α is greater than the threshold value α0, it is determined that the hydraulic excavator 100 is located on an inclined surface and the operation of bringing the front working device 3 into contact with the ground is performed to enhance the stability of the vehicle body, and when the inclination angle α is less than or equal to the threshold value α0, it is determined that the front working device 3 is not in contact with the ground. The threshold value α0 is determined experimentally according to the configuration of the hydraulic excavator 100, the situation at the work site, the operation situation of the operator, etc.

[0030] The distance calculation unit 54 acquires the calculation result of the posture calculation unit 53 (here, the position of the tip of the bucket 33) and the information of the area surface preset by the operator, calculates the distance between the area surface and the front working device (for example, the tip of the bucket 33), and outputs the calculation result to the upper limit speed calculation unit 55. The area surface defines an area where entry of the front working device 3 or the like is prohibited (entry prohibited area), and is set as the boundary between the area where the front working device 3 or the like can operate and the entry prohibited area. That is, the setting of the area surface and the setting of the entry prohibited area are synonymous, and the area surface (entry prohibited area) is preset by the operator using the input device 41 (entry prohibited area setting device) installed in the cab 4.

[0031] The input device 41 is an interface through which information regarding the entry prohibited area (for example, position information of the boundary of the entry prohibited area) can be input. The setting of the entry prohibited area via the entry prohibited area setting device 41 may be performed manually by the operator. Alternatively, the entry prohibited area setting device may be connected to an external terminal, and the entry prohibited area may be set from the external terminal. Note that the entry prohibited area can be set in a desired coordinate system such as a local coordinate system set in, for example, the upper swing body 2 of the hydraulic excavator 100, global coordinates (geographical coordinates), or site coordinates set at the work site. For example, when setting the area surface defining the entry prohibited area in the vehicle body coordinate system set in the upper swing body 2 of the hydraulic excavator 100, the relative position of the area surface with respect to the upper swing body 2 does not change regardless of the position of the hydraulic excavator 100 at the work site. Also, when setting the boundary surface of the entry prohibited area in the global coordinate system, control can be performed in the same manner as when setting the area surface in the vehicle body coordinate system by adjusting the position of the boundary surface according to the position (including height) of the hydraulic excavator 100 (working machine).

[0032] Figs. 3 to 5 are diagrams showing examples of setting the entry prohibited area.

[0033] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of setting the entry prohibited area in the vertical direction with respect to the hydraulic excavator.

[0034] In FIG. 3, a case is illustrated where area surfaces 61 and 62 are set above and below the hydraulic excavator 100 so as to face the hydraulic excavator 100. For example, by setting the target surface at the excavation site to coincide with the area surface 62 of the intrusion prohibition area set below the hydraulic excavator 100, the tip of the bucket can be moved along the target surface, and the finishing surface forming work can be performed with the tip of the bucket 33. Further, for example, by setting the range where obstacles such as electric wires above the hydraulic excavator 100 (that is, the range above the area surface 61) as the intrusion prohibition area, contact between the front working device 3 and the obstacle can be prevented.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of setting an intrusion prohibition area in the turning direction with respect to the hydraulic excavator.

[0036] In FIG. 4, a case is illustrated where area surfaces 71, 72, and 73 are set so as to surround the operating range of the front working device 3 due to the turning of the upper slewing body 2. Specifically, the intrusion prohibition area is set such that the area surfaces 71, 72, and 73 are located at both left and right ends in the turning direction within the turning range of the front working device 3 (that is, the operating range of the front working device 3 due to the turning operation of the upper slewing body 2) and outside the turning range of the front working device 3 (the side far from the turning center). In this way, by setting the intrusion prohibition area according to the turning range of the front working device 3, contact with workers or the like working around the hydraulic excavator 100 can be prevented.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of setting an intrusion prohibition area in the left - right direction with respect to the hydraulic excavator.

[0038] In FIG. 5, a case is illustrated where area surfaces 81 and 82 are set to face the hydraulic excavator 100 on the left and right of the hydraulic excavator 100. For example, by setting the range where obstacles such as buildings near the working range of the hydraulic excavator 100 (that is, the range farther from the hydraulic excavator 100 than the area surfaces 81 and 82 when viewed from the hydraulic excavator 100) as the intrusion prohibition area, contact between the front working device 3 and the obstacle can be prevented.

[0039] Return to FIG. 2.

[0040] Based on the calculation result of the distance calculation unit 54, the determination result of the threshold determination unit 52, and the operation information of the operator command processing unit 51, the upper limit speed calculation unit 55 calculates the upper limit speed of each of the hydraulic actuators 11, 21, 34, 35, 36, and outputs the calculation result to the speed calculation unit 56.

[0041] The upper limit speed calculation unit 55 calculates the upper limit speed for a plurality of region surfaces that define the intrusion prohibited region, but switches the presence or absence of the upper limit speed calculation according to the determination result of the threshold determination unit 52 for a part of the plurality of region surfaces. However, for example, when the automatic release of the intrusion prohibited region is set to be invalid by a switching button (not shown) installed in the cab 4, the upper limit speed calculation is valid for all of the plurality of region surfaces regardless of the determination result of the threshold determination unit 52.

[0042] Here, taking the case where the intrusion prohibited region shown in FIG. 3 is set as an example, the processing content of the upper limit speed calculation unit 55 will be described. The intrusion prohibited region shown in FIG. 3 is defined by the upper region surface 61 and the lower region surface 62. At this time, when the threshold determination unit 52 determines that the inclination angle α is greater than a predetermined threshold value α0, the upper limit speed calculation unit 55 invalidates one or more predetermined intrusion prohibited regions (here, including the intrusion prohibited region defined by the lower region surface 62 of the hydraulic excavator 100 (working machine)), does not perform the upper limit speed calculation for this intrusion prohibited region, and makes all of the other intrusion prohibited regions (here, the intrusion prohibited region defined by the upper region surface 61) valid and performs the upper limit speed calculation. At this time, the fact that some of the intrusion prohibited regions have become invalid is notified to the operator, for example, by voice from a speaker (not shown) or display on the screen. Also, when the threshold determination unit 52 determines that the inclination angle α is less than or equal to the threshold value α0, the upper limit speed calculation is performed with all of the intrusion prohibited regions including the intrusion prohibited region defined by the lower region surface 61 being valid.

[0043] The calculation of the upper limit speed in the upper limit speed calculation unit 55 is performed such that, for example, as the distance between the tip position of the bucket 33 and the area surface decreases, the upper limit speed also decreases, and when the distance becomes 0 (zero), the upper limit speed also becomes 0 (zero). By performing the calculation in this way, as the tip position of the bucket 33 approaches the boundary surface, it can be gradually decelerated and the operation can be controlled to stop at the area surface.

[0044] In addition, when the tip position of the bucket 33 exists within the intrusion prohibited area including the area surface, the movement of the tip position of the bucket 33 in the direction within the intrusion prohibited area (the direction away from the area surface) is prohibited (that is, the upper limit speed is set to 0 (zero)), and the movement of the tip position of the bucket 33 in the direction of exiting the intrusion prohibited area (the direction approaching the area surface) is permitted (that is, the upper limit speed ≠ 0 (zero)), so that the tip position of the bucket 33 can be smoothly detached from the intrusion prohibited area.

[0045] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing contents in the upper limit speed calculation unit of the control device.

[0046] In FIG. 6, the control device 5 first acquires the inclination angle α (angle measurement value), which is the detection result of the inertial measurement device 2a (inclination amount detection device) (step S100), and determines whether the angle measurement value α is greater than a predetermined threshold value α0 (step S110).

[0047] If the determination result in step S110 is NO, the process ends. At this time, the activation of the upper limit speed calculation is maintained and continued for all of the plurality of area surfaces 61, 62.

[0048] Also, when the determination result in step S110 is YES, that is, when it is determined that the operator of the hydraulic excavator 100 is in a situation of performing an operation to bring the front working device 3 into contact with the ground, the calculation of the upper limit speed is invalidated only for the intrusion prohibited area determined by the downward (depth direction) area surface 62 of the hydraulic excavator 100 (step S120), and the process ends. At this time, for the area surface 61 for which the calculation is not invalidated, the calculation of the upper limit speed continues. That is, according to the situation of the hydraulic excavator 100, control is performed so that only the area surface (area surface 62) that makes the operator feel uncomfortable among the plurality of area surfaces 61 and 62 is invalidated. Thus, while improving workability, it is possible to suppress the discomfort of the operation by the operator.

[0049] Return to Figure 2.

[0050] The speed calculation unit 56 calculates the target speeds of the respective hydraulic actuators 11, 21, 34, 35, and 36 based on the target speed of the operator command processing unit 51 and the upper limit speed of the upper limit speed calculation unit 55, and outputs the calculation result to the hydraulic device control unit 57. The target speed of each hydraulic actuator is the smaller of the target speed of the operator command processing unit 51 and the upper limit speed of the upper limit speed calculation unit 55.

[0051] The hydraulic device control unit 57 generates drive signals for the respective hydraulic actuators 11, 21, 34, 35, and 36 based on the target speed of the speed calculation unit 56 and outputs them to the direction control valve 25. The drive signals are calculated using a correlation table of the target speed and the drive signals held in the control device 5 in advance. By controlling the direction control valve 25 with the drive signals, the respective hydraulic actuators 11, 21, 34, 35, and 36 operate at the target speed.

[0052] The effects of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0053] In the prior art, in an environment where it is necessary to limit the operating range of a working machine, the actuator is stopped in front of a preset prohibited entry area to assist the operator and improve workability. On the other hand, depending on the work site and the situation of the working machine, the operator may feel uncomfortable with the operation of the working machine by suppressing the entry of the working machine into the prohibited entry area. For example, in a situation where a hydraulic excavator, which is a working machine, is located on an inclined surface and the front working device is brought into contact with the ground to enhance the stability of the vehicle body, if the ground is set as the prohibited entry area, the front working device will stop in front of the ground and the front working device cannot be brought into contact with the ground.

[0054] In contrast, in the present embodiment, a lower traveling body 1, an upper swing body 2 rotatably provided above the lower traveling body 1, a multi-joint type front working device 3 rotatably provided in the vertical direction on the upper swing body 2, a plurality of hydraulic actuators (traveling hydraulic motor 11, swing hydraulic motor 21, boom cylinder 34, arm cylinder 35, bucket cylinder 36) for performing the swing operation of the upper swing body 2 and the rotation operation of the front working device 3, a posture information detection device (inertial measurement devices 2a, 31a, 32a, 33a) for detecting posture information which is information regarding the postures of the upper swing body 2 and the front working device 3, a control device 5 for controlling the operations of the plurality of hydraulic actuators according to the operation amounts of the operation device by the operator, and for controlling the operations of the plurality of hydraulic actuators so that a reference point preset on the front working device 3 does not enter an enabled intrusion prohibited area among a plurality of intrusion prohibited areas respectively defined by a plurality of preset area surfaces. In a working machine (hydraulic excavator 100) equipped with these components, the control device determines whether or not the inclination angle of the upper swing body is greater than a preset reference angle based on the detection result of the posture information detection device. When it is determined that the inclination angle is less than or equal to the reference angle, all of the plurality of intrusion prohibited areas are enabled. When it is determined that the inclination angle is greater than the reference angle, the intrusion prohibited area set below the working machine among the plurality of intrusion prohibited areas is disabled, and the other intrusion prohibited areas are enabled. Thus, for example, in a situation where the hydraulic excavator 100 is located on an inclined surface, the front working device 3 can be brought into contact with the ground to further enhance the stability of the vehicle body, improve workability, and suppress the sense of discomfort of the operation by the operator.

[0055] In addition, in the present embodiment, the case where the upper limit speed calculation unit 55 switches the validity and invalidity of the intrusion prohibited area (see FIG. 3) defined by the area plane 62 according to the determination result of the threshold determination unit 52 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, intrusion prohibited areas are set by area planes 61 and 62 (see FIG. 3), area planes 71, 72, and 73 (see FIG. 4), and area planes 81 and 82 (see FIG. 5), respectively. When it is determined that the inclination angle of the upper swing body is greater than a predetermined reference angle (that is, when the threshold determination unit 52 determines that the inclination angle α is greater than a predetermined threshold value α0), in addition to invalidating the intrusion prohibited area defined by at least the lower area plane 61, by invalidating a part of the plurality of intrusion prohibited areas defined by the other area planes 62, 71, 72, 73, 81, and 82, further improvement in workability can be achieved.

[0056] Specifically, when it is determined that the tilt angle of the upper swing body is greater than a predetermined reference angle, the intrusion prohibition area defined by the area surface 61 below the hydraulic excavator 100 is invalidated, and the intrusion prohibition area defined by the area surface 73 in front of the operating range of the front working device 3 is invalidated. As a result, the front working device 3 can be brought into contact with the ground at a position farther from the hydraulic excavator 100, so that the workability can be further improved while suppressing the discomfort of the operator's operation. Similarly, when it is determined that the tilt angle of the upper swing body is greater than a predetermined reference angle, the intrusion prohibition area defined by the area surface 61 below the hydraulic excavator 100 is invalidated, and the intrusion prohibition areas defined by the left and right area surfaces 71 and 72 of the operating range of the front working device 3 are invalidated. Thus, even if the intrusion prohibition area defined by the area surfaces 71 and 72 is located on the lower side of the inclined surface (the side with a lower altitude in the direction along the inclined surface) when viewed from the hydraulic excavator 100, the front working device 3 can be brought into contact with the lower side of the inclined surface when viewed from the hydraulic excavator 100. Therefore, higher stability can be expected and the workability can be further improved. Further, when it is determined that the tilt angle of the upper swing body is greater than a predetermined reference angle, the intrusion prohibition area defined by the area surface 61 below the hydraulic excavator 100 is invalidated, and the intrusion prohibition areas defined by the front, left, and right area surfaces 71, 72, and 73 of the operating range of the front working device 3 are invalidated, whereby the above-described effects can be obtained together.

[0057] <Second Embodiment> The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0058] In this embodiment, after performing control to invalidate the intrusion prohibition area according to the tilt angle of the vehicle body (upper swing body 2), a process of validating (restoring) the intrusion prohibition area again is performed.

[0059] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing content in the upper limit speed calculation unit of the control device. In the figure, the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Here, the processing content of the upper limit speed calculation unit 55 will be described by exemplifying the case where the intrusion prohibited area shown in FIG. 3 is set.

[0060] In FIG. 7, the control device 5 first acquires the angle measurement value α which is the detection result of the inertial measurement device 2a (tilt amount detection device) (step S100), and determines whether the angle measurement value α is greater than a predetermined threshold value α0 (step S110).

[0061] If the determination result in step S110 is NO, the process ends. At this time, for all of the plurality of area surfaces 61, 62, the activation of the upper limit speed calculation is maintained and continued.

[0062] Also, if the determination result in step S110 is YES, that is, when it is determined that the operator of the hydraulic excavator 100 is in a situation of performing an operation to bring the front working device 3 into contact with the ground, the upper limit speed calculation is invalidated only for the intrusion prohibited area determined by the lower area surface 62 in the downward (depth direction) of the hydraulic excavator 100 (step S120). At this time, for the area surface 61 for which the calculation is not invalidated, the upper limit speed calculation is continued. That is, according to the situation of the hydraulic excavator 100, control is performed so that only the one (area surface 62) that makes the operator feel uncomfortable among the plurality of area surfaces 61, 62 is invalidated, so that the workability can be improved while suppressing the discomfort of the operation by the operator.

[0063] Also, after the processing in step S120 is completed, when a certain time has elapsed (step S130), subsequently, it is determined whether the angle measurement value α has become equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value α0 (step S140).

[0064] When the determination result in step S140 is NO, that is, when it is determined that the situation where the operator of the hydraulic excavator 100 touches the front working device 3 to the ground continues, the invalidation of the calculation of the upper limit speed is continued only for the intrusion prohibited area determined by the lower region surface 62 (depth direction) of the hydraulic excavator 100 (step S141), and the process returns to step S130.

[0065] Also, when the determination result in step S140 is YES, that is, when it is determined that the inclination of the hydraulic excavator 100 has been reduced and it has become a stable state close to horizontal, the calculation of the upper limit speed is enabled for all of the plurality of region surfaces 61, 62 (step S150), and the process ends.

[0066] Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0067] Even in the present embodiment configured as described above, the same effects as those in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0068] In addition, after performing the control to invalidate the position parts of the plurality of region surfaces, when validating the invalidated region surfaces, the operator can be saved the trouble of re-setting on the setting screen, and the work efficiency can be improved.

[0069] <The Third Embodiment> The third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0070] This embodiment shows another example of the process of invalidating the intrusion prohibited area according to the inclination angle of the vehicle body (upper swing body 2) and then validating (returning) the intrusion prohibited area again.

[0071] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing contents in the upper limit speed calculation unit of the control device. In the figure, the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Here, the processing contents of the upper limit speed calculation unit 55 will be described by exemplifying the case where the intrusion prohibited area shown in FIG. 3 is set.

[0072] In FIG. 8, first, the control device 5 acquires an angular measurement value α, which is the detection result of the inertial measurement device 2a (tilt amount detection device) (step S100), and determines whether the angular measurement value α is greater than a predetermined threshold value α0 (step S110).

[0073] If the determination result in step S110 is NO, the process ends. At this time, the activation of the upper limit speed calculation is maintained and continued for all of the plurality of area surfaces 61 and 62.

[0074] Further, if the determination result in step S110 is YES, that is, when it is determined that the operator of the hydraulic excavator 100 is in a situation of performing an operation to bring the front working device 3 into contact with the ground, the upper limit speed calculation is invalidated only for the intrusion prohibited area determined by the downward (depth direction) area surface 62 of the hydraulic excavator 100 (step S120). At this time, for the area surface 61 for which the calculation has not been invalidated, the upper limit speed calculation is continued. That is, according to the situation of the hydraulic excavator 100, control is performed so that only the one (area surface 62) that gives the operator a sense of discomfort among the plurality of area surfaces 61 and 62 is invalidated, so that while improving workability, it is possible to suppress the sense of discomfort of the operation by the operator.

[0075] Also, after the process in step S120 is completed, when a certain period of time has elapsed (step S130), subsequently, a determination is made as to whether the angular measurement value α has become less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value α0 (step S140), and a determination is made as to whether the operation amount β of the operation device has become less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value β0 (step S142).

[0076] The threshold value β0 is for determining whether or not the operator of the hydraulic excavator 100 is performing an operation on at least one of a plurality of hydraulic actuators (travel hydraulic motor 11, swing hydraulic motor 21, boom cylinder 34, arm cylinder 35, bucket cylinder 36). For example, when the operation amount β is greater than the threshold value β0, it is determined that the operator is in a state of performing an operation on at least one of the plurality of hydraulic actuators 11, 21, 34, 35, 36, and when the operation amount β is less than or equal to the threshold value β0, it is determined that the operator is not performing an operation on the hydraulic actuators 11, 21, 34, 35, 36. The threshold value β0 is determined experimentally according to the configuration of the hydraulic excavator 100 and the like. In the present embodiment, the types of hydraulic actuators are not limited. For example, the determination in step S142 may be limited to the operation of the travel hydraulic motor 11, and the configuration may be such that the presence or absence of the travel operation is determined.

[0077] When the determination result of at least one of step S140 and step S142 is NO, that is, when the situation where the operator of the hydraulic excavator 100 performs an operation of bringing the front working device 3 into contact with the ground continues, or when it is determined that the operator is operating the hydraulic excavator 100, the invalidation of the calculation of the upper limit speed only for the intrusion prohibited area determined by the downward (depth direction) area surface 62 of the hydraulic excavator 100 is continued (step S141), and the process returns to the process of step S130.

[0078] Also, when the determination results of both step S140 and step S142 are YES, that is, when it is determined that the inclination of the hydraulic excavator 100 has been reduced and it is in a stable state close to horizontal, and when it is determined that the operator is not operating the hydraulic excavator 100, the calculation of the upper limit speed is enabled for all of the plurality of area surfaces 61, 62 (step S150), and the process ends.

[0079] Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0080] In the present embodiment configured as described above, the same effects as those in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0081] Moreover, it is possible to prevent unexpected deceleration control or stop control that the operator does not expect due to activation of control automation.

[0082] <Appendix> In addition, in the above embodiment, a general hydraulic excavator that drives a hydraulic pump with a prime mover such as an engine has been described as an example. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is also applicable to a hybrid hydraulic excavator that drives a hydraulic pump with an engine and a motor, an electric hydraulic excavator that drives a hydraulic pump with only a motor, and the like.

[0083] Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and combinations within the scope not departing from the gist thereof are included. Also, the present invention is not limited to those having all the configurations described in the above embodiment, and those in which a part of the configuration is deleted are also included. In addition, each of the above configurations, functions, etc. may be realized by designing a part or all of them, for example, by an integrated circuit. Further, each of the above configurations, functions, etc. may be realized by software by a processor interpreting and executing a program for realizing each function.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0084] 1... Lower traveling body, 2... Upper slewing body, 2a, 31a, 32a, 33a... Inertial measurement unit (IMU), 3... Front working device, 4... Cab, 5... Control device, 11... Travel hydraulic motor, 12... Crawler, 21... Slewing hydraulic motor, 22... Slewing device, 23... Engine, 24... Hydraulic pump, 25... Direction control valve, 26... Counterweight, 31... Boom, 32... Arm, 33... Bucket, 34... Boom cylinder, 35... Arm cylinder, 36... Bucket cylinder, 41... Input device, 51... Operator command processing unit, 52... Threshold determination unit, 53... Attitude calculation unit, 54... Distance calculation unit, 55... Upper limit speed calculation unit, 56... Speed calculation unit, 57... Hydraulic device control unit, 100... Hydraulic excavator

Claims

1. A working machine comprising a vehicle body composed of a lower traveling body and an upper revolving body rotatably provided on the lower traveling body, a front working device rotatably provided in the vertical direction on the upper revolving body, a plurality of hydraulic actuators for performing a revolving operation of the upper revolving body and a rotating operation of the front working device, a posture information detecting device for detecting postures of the upper revolving body and the front working device, and a control device for controlling operations of the plurality of hydraulic actuators so that a reference point preset on the front working device does not enter a preset intrusion prohibited area based on the posture of the front working device detected by the posture information detecting device. In the working machine, the control device invalidates at least an intrusion prohibited area set below the vehicle body when an inclination angle of the upper revolving body detected by the posture information detecting device is larger than a preset reference angle.

2. The working machine according to Claim 1, comprising an intrusion prohibited area setting device for setting the intrusion prohibited area around the vehicle body, wherein the control device validates all the intrusion prohibited areas set by the intrusion prohibited area setting device when the inclination angle of the upper revolving body detected by the posture information detecting device is less than or equal to the reference angle, and invalidates some of the intrusion prohibited areas including the intrusion prohibited area set below the vehicle body among the intrusion prohibited areas set by the intrusion prohibited area setting device and validates other intrusion prohibited areas when the inclination angle of the upper revolving body detected by the posture information detecting device is larger than the reference angle.

3. The working machine according to Claim 1, comprising an intrusion prohibited area setting device for setting the intrusion prohibited area around the vehicle body, wherein the control device validates all the intrusion prohibited areas set by the intrusion prohibited area setting device when the inclination angle of the upper revolving body detected by the posture information detecting device is less than or equal to the reference angle, and invalidates only the intrusion prohibited area set below the vehicle body among the intrusion prohibited areas set by the intrusion prohibited area setting device and validates other intrusion prohibited areas when the inclination angle of the upper revolving body detected by the posture information detecting device is larger than the reference angle.

4. The working machine according to Claim 1, An intrusion prohibition area setting device for setting the intrusion prohibition area around the vehicle body is provided. The control device When the inclination angle of the upper swing body detected by the attitude information detection device is equal to or less than the reference angle, all the intrusion prohibition areas set by the intrusion prohibition area setting device are made effective. When the inclination angle of the upper swing body detected by the attitude information detection device is greater than the reference angle, among the intrusion prohibition areas set by the intrusion prohibition area setting device, the intrusion prohibition area set below the vehicle body and the intrusion prohibition area set in front of the operating range of the front working device are made ineffective, and other intrusion prohibition areas are made effective. A working machine characterized by this.

5. In the working machine according to claim 1, The control device An intrusion prohibition area setting device for setting the intrusion prohibition area around the vehicle body is provided. When the inclination angle of the upper swing body detected by the attitude information detection device is equal to or less than the reference angle, all the intrusion prohibition areas set by the intrusion prohibition area setting device are made effective. When the inclination angle of the upper swing body detected by the attitude information detection device is greater than the reference angle, among the intrusion prohibition areas set by the intrusion prohibition area setting device, the intrusion prohibition area set below the vehicle body and the intrusion prohibition areas set on the left and right of the operating range of the front working device are made ineffective, and other intrusion prohibition areas are made effective. A working machine characterized by this.

6. In the working machine according to claim 1, An intrusion prohibition area setting device for setting the intrusion prohibition area around the vehicle body is provided. The control device When the inclination angle of the upper swing body detected by the attitude information detection device is equal to or less than the reference angle, all the intrusion prohibition areas set by the intrusion prohibition area setting device are made effective. When the inclination angle of the upper swing body detected by the attitude information detection device is greater than the reference angle, among the intrusion prohibition areas set by the intrusion prohibition area setting device, the intrusion prohibition area set below the vehicle body and the intrusion prohibition areas set in front of and on the left and right of the front working device are made ineffective, and other intrusion prohibition areas are made effective. A working machine characterized by this.

7. In the working machine according to any one of claims 2 to 6, When the inclination angle of the upper swing body detected by the posture information detection device changes from a state where it is greater than the reference angle to a state where it is less than or equal to the reference angle, the construction machine is characterized in that all the intrusion prohibited areas set by the intrusion prohibited area setting device are made effective.

8. In the construction machine according to any one of claims 2 to 6, when the inclination angle of the upper swing body detected by the posture information detection device changes from a state where it is greater than the reference angle to a state where it is less than or equal to the reference angle and the operation amount of the operation device for operating the plurality of hydraulic actuators is less than a predetermined threshold value, the construction machine is characterized in that all the intrusion prohibited areas set by the intrusion prohibited area setting device are made effective.

9. In the construction machine according to any one of claims 2 to 6, when the inclination angle of the upper swing body detected by the posture information detection device changes from a state where it is greater than the reference angle to a state where it is less than or equal to the reference angle and the operation amount of the operation device corresponding to the lower traveling body is less than a predetermined threshold value, the construction machine is characterized in that all the intrusion prohibited areas set by the intrusion prohibited area setting device are made effective.

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