Construction support device and construction support method

Abstract

To provide a construction support device and a construction support method improving workability of construction machines.SOLUTION: A construction support device 1 of the present invention is provided with: a motion control unit 11 controlling motion of a hydraulic shovel 2 provided with a boom 21, an arm 22, a bucket 23, a machine body 24 and a crawler 28 on the basis of a specific driving plan; and an adjusting unit 12 adjusting progress speed of a driving plan through operation of an operator. The motion of the hydraulic shovel 2 includes at least one of attitude transition of the hydraulic shovel 2, movement of the hydraulic shovel 2, and rotation of the hydraulic shovel 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a construction support device and a construction support method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, there has been active research and development on technologies for unmanned construction at disaster sites and the like. Construction machinery for unmanned construction includes, for example, remotely operated and self-driving types. The remotely operated type in Patent Document 1 is often difficult to operate because the view of the work site is limited compared to the ride-on (direct operation) type. Therefore, the remotely operated type has a problem that it is not easy to improve work efficiency. In addition, the self-driving type in Patent Document 2 automatically moves according to a predetermined driving plan even in places with obstacles (e.g., workers) or slopes. For this reason, there is a problem that it is difficult to determine the stop of the automatic driving. In addition, restarting after stopping means starting from the middle stage of the driving plan, but it is not easy to start control from the middle of the driving plan. That is, the self-driving type has a problem that the restart operation after stopping the automatic driving is complicated. Therefore, the self-driving type has a problem that it is not easy to improve work efficiency in situations where the automatic driving has to be frequently stopped.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] From such a perspective, an object of the present invention is to propose a construction support device and a construction support method for improving the work efficiency of construction machinery.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the present invention, in unmanned construction, the steering and other operations of the construction machinery are performed automatically, while the operator's operation is limited to adjusting the progress speed of the driving plan. Adjusting the progress speed of the driving plan can be achieved, for example, by adjusting the amount of lever operation that can be adjusted from -100% to +100%, making it easy for the operator. In the case of remote operation, it is necessary to repeatedly perform complex and precise operations while paying attention to limited information, which requires a high level of skill. However, in the case of the present invention, since everything except the adjustment of the progress speed of the driving plan is performed automatically, even an inexperienced operator can easily operate the construction machinery, and fatigue is reduced. Furthermore, in the case of automatic operation, the restart operation after stopping is complicated, so it is conceivable that the operator may hesitate to stop even when it should be stopped. However, in the case of the present invention, the operator can adjust the progress speed of the driving plan to 0, which is treated as a temporary pause (hold) of automatic operation, and the automatic operation is not actually stopped. The operator can effectively restart automatic operation by adjusting the progress speed of the driving plan to a value greater than 0, so the restart operation is easy and the operator does not hesitate to stop. Furthermore, in the case of automated operation, the control speed is predetermined. Therefore, when it is necessary to slow down construction machinery to perform work on unstable ground, such deceleration had to be incorporated into the operation plan in advance. However, with the present invention, the operator can easily achieve deceleration of construction machinery by adjusting the progress speed of the operation plan. Consequently, the work efficiency of construction machinery can be improved.

[0007] Furthermore, it is preferable that the operation of the construction machine includes at least one of the following: a change in the posture of the construction machine, movement of the construction machine, and rotation of the construction machine.

[0008] This allows for the automation of at least one of the following: the posture transition of the construction machine, the movement of the construction machine, and the rotation of the construction machine. Furthermore, the speed of these operations can be manually controlled by adjusting the progress speed of the operation plan through operator input. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the work efficiency of construction machinery can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a functional configuration diagram of the system in this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of posture transitions for a hydraulic excavator. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram of an example of a driving plan (part 1). [Figure 4] This is a diagram to explain how to adjust the progress speed of the driving plan. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram for example driving plans (part 2). [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram for example driving plans (part 3). [Figure 7] This is a flowchart of the process in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Each figure is only a schematic representation to the extent that the present invention can be fully understood. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. In each figure, common or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] [composition] Figure 1 is a functional configuration diagram of the system according to this embodiment. The system according to this embodiment comprises a construction support device 1 and a hydraulic excavator 2. The construction support device 1 is a computer used by the operator to perform predetermined information processing. The hydraulic excavator 2 is an example of construction machinery and can function as a computer because it is equipped with an information terminal (not shown) that performs predetermined information processing. The construction support device 1 and the hydraulic excavator 2 are connected in a communication manner.

[0013] The construction support device 1 and the hydraulic excavator 2 each include hardware such as an input unit, an output unit, a control unit, and a memory unit. For example, if the control unit consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), the information processing by the computer including that control unit is realized by program execution processing by the CPU. Furthermore, the memory unit included in that computer stores various programs to realize the computer's functions according to the CPU's commands. This enables collaboration between software and hardware. The programs can be provided by recording them on a recording medium or via a network. The hydraulic excavator 2 can have its control unit configured from multiple types of ECUs (Electronic Control Units). Each ECU is connected via a CAN (Controller Area Network) or the like for communication. Each ECU can control various parts of the hydraulic excavator 2 (e.g., engine, motor, hydraulic valves) according to commands received from the construction support device 1, and can also communicate information obtained from various sensors attached to the hydraulic excavator 2 via CAN or the like. The hydraulic excavator 2 is equipped with sensors such as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) compass and a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) to acquire its own position. The hydraulic excavator 2 can transmit sensing information such as its own position to the construction support device 1.

[0014] The construction support device 1 comprises an operation control unit 11 and an adjustment unit 12. The construction support device 1 also stores an operation plan DB 13. "DB" is an abbreviation for database. The operation control unit 11 controls the operation of the construction machinery based on a predetermined operation plan. The adjustment unit 12 adjusts the progress speed of the operation plan based on input from the operator. The operation plan DB 13 stores the operation plan prepared for the hydraulic excavator 2. The operation plan is a time-series summary of the operations of the hydraulic excavator 2. Automatic operation is achieved when the hydraulic excavator 2 operates according to the operation plan. The operations of the hydraulic excavator 2 include, for example, attitude transitions, movement, and slewing, but are not limited to these. The hydraulic excavator 2 is equipped with a boom 21, an arm 22, a bucket 23, a body 24, and crawler tracks 28, and is capable of excavation and other operations. The motion control unit 11 can control the posture of the hydraulic excavator 2 by controlling the boom 21, the arm 22, and the bucket 23. The motion control unit 11 can also control the slewing angle of the hydraulic excavator 2 by controlling the body 24. Furthermore, the motion control unit 11 can control the orientation of the hydraulic excavator 2 by controlling the crawler tracks 28. The operation plan allows the posture, slewing angle, and orientation of the hydraulic excavator 2 to be set for each time period. By adjusting the progress speed of the operation plan in response to input from the operator, the adjustment unit 12 can adjust the progress speed of the operation plan, enabling the motion control unit 11 to control the posture, slewing angle, and orientation of the hydraulic excavator 2 in accordance with the progress speed of the operation plan.

[0015] {Example of operation} Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the posture transition of a hydraulic excavator. As shown in Figure 2, when the hydraulic excavator 2 starts scooping up earth and sand, the postures of the boom 21, arm 22, and bucket 23 transition in the order of posture 1 → posture 2 → posture 3 → posture 4. Posture 1 is the initial state and is the arm stowed state. Posture 2 is the operation start state. Posture 3 is the moving state towards the target. Posture 4 is the start state of scooping up. The time intervals for each of postures 1 to 4 are equally spaced. Also, as shown in Figure 2, the angle of the joint 25 between the body 24 of the hydraulic excavator 2 and the boom 21 is called the boom angle, the angle of the joint 26 between the boom 21 and the arm 22 is called the arm angle, and the angle of the joint 27 between the arm 22 and the bucket 23 is called the bucket angle. The operation control unit 11 controls the joints 25 to 27 and can set the boom angle, arm angle, and bucket angle.

[0016] [Operation Plan] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example (part 1) of an operation plan. Figure 3 is a graph of the boom angle, arm angle, and bucket angle when the horizontal axis is posture transition (i.e., time) and the vertical axis is angle. Although the overall boom 21, arm 22, and bucket 23 perform complex operations, the operation control unit 11 can operate each of the joints 25 to 27 independently. Therefore, the posture of the hydraulic excavator 2 at each time can be represented by a combination of the boom angle, arm angle, and bucket angle. When the hydraulic excavator 2 performs automatic operation, the operation control unit 11 controls the posture of the hydraulic excavator 2 based on the operation plan in Figure 3. In the graph of Figure 3, the angles between postures are shown by linear interpolation, but it is not limited to linear interpolation, and for example, interpolation may be performed with a spline curve of the second order or higher.

[0017] [Adjustment of the Progress Speed of the Operation Plan] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the adjustment of the progress speed of the operation plan. The graph shown in FIG. 4 is the same as the graph shown in FIG. 3. When the hydraulic excavator 2 starts automatic operation, the vertical line indicating the current time in FIG. 4 moves to the right in accordance with the actual passage of time. The motion control unit 11 controls the joints 25 to 27 so as to have the angles corresponding to the intersections of this vertical line and the broken lines of the boom angle, the arm angle, and the bucket angle. Here, when there is an operation from the operator of the construction support device 1, the adjustment unit 12 adjusts the progress speed of the operation plan. Specifically, the adjustment unit 12 changes the speed at which the vertical line indicating the current time in FIG. 4 moves. For example, when the operation from the operator is an operation to make the progress speed of the operation plan smaller than the speed of the actual passage of time, the vertical line indicating the current time in FIG. 4 moves slowly to the right. The motion control unit 11 slowly transitions the boom angle, the arm angle, and the bucket angle along the graph shown in FIG. 4. As a result, the work of the hydraulic excavator 2 can be slowly advanced according to the situation at the site.

[0018] For example, the adjustment unit 12 can be implemented as an input interface (input unit of the construction support device 1) having a lever. The lever is upright in the neutral position and can be operated (tilted) in the forward or reverse direction. The direction of lever operation represents the direction of progress of the operation plan. Operating the lever in the forward direction advances the operation plan and accelerates the posture transition of the hydraulic excavator 2. More specifically, the vertical line indicating the current time in Figure 4 moves to the right. Operating the lever in the reverse direction reverses the operation plan and returns the posture of the hydraulic excavator 2 to its original position. More specifically, the vertical line indicating the current time in Figure 4 moves to the left. The amount of lever operation (lever tilt angle) represents the progress speed of the operation plan. When the lever is operated in the forward direction, the speed at which the posture transition of the hydraulic excavator 2 is advanced is set according to the amount of lever operation in the forward direction. More specifically, the speed at which the vertical line indicating the current time in Figure 4 moves to the right is set. When the lever is operated in the reverse direction, the speed at which the posture of the hydraulic excavator 2 is returned to its original position is set according to the amount of lever operation in the reverse direction. More specifically, the speed at which the vertical line indicating the current time in Figure 4 moves to the left is set. For example, the lever operation amount can be adjusted from -100% to +100%. When it is set to +100%, the progress speed of the driving plan is the same as the actual speed of time progression, and when it is set to -100%, the driving plan returns at the same speed as the actual speed of time progression. When it is set to 0%, the driving plan neither progresses nor returns, and the automatic driving can be temporarily paused (put on hold). Furthermore, the adjustment unit 12 can be implemented as software (gadget) for adjusting the progress speed of the driving plan, and the direction and speed of the driving plan can be determined using the right and left buttons. The adjustment unit 12 allows the operator to adjust the progress speed of the operation plan, thereby semi-automating the automatic operation of the hydraulic excavator 2.

[0019] [Other examples of driving plans] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of an operation plan (part 2). Figure 5 is a graph of the boom angle, arm angle, bucket angle, and slewing angle, with the horizontal axis representing attitude transition (i.e., time) and the vertical axis representing angle. The boom angle, arm angle, and bucket angle are the same as in Figures 3 and 4. The slewing angle is the angle indicating the orientation of the machine body 24. The motion control unit 11 can operate each of the joints 25-27 and the machine body 24 independently. Therefore, the attitude and slewing of the hydraulic excavator 2 at each time can be represented by a combination of the boom angle, arm angle, bucket angle, and slewing angle. When the hydraulic excavator 2 is operating automatically, the motion control unit 11 controls the attitude of the hydraulic excavator 2 based on the operation plan in Figure 5. In the graph of Figure 5, the angles between attitudes are shown by linear interpolation, but interpolation is not limited to linear interpolation; for example, it may be interpolated by a spline curve of order two or higher.

[0020] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of an example of an operation plan (part 3). Figure 6 is a graph of the machine orientation, X coordinate, and Y coordinate, with the horizontal axis representing attitude transition (i.e., time) and the vertical axis representing angle and coordinate. The machine orientation is the direction of the hydraulic excavator 2 in a virtual coordinate system set relative to the work site, and more specifically, the direction of the crawler 28. The X coordinate is the position of the hydraulic excavator 2 in the X direction (one direction in the horizontal plane) in the virtual coordinate system. The Y coordinate is the position of the hydraulic excavator 2 in the Y direction (one direction in the horizontal plane, orthogonal to the X direction) in the virtual coordinate system. The motion control unit 11 can operate the machine body 24 and the crawler 28 independently. Therefore, the movement and orientation of the hydraulic excavator 2 at each moment can be represented by a combination of the machine orientation, X coordinate, and Y coordinate. As shown in Figures 3 to 6, the operation plan for the hydraulic excavator 2 can be represented in various formats. An operation plan may be created by combining all or part of the operation plans shown in Figures 3 to 6 and stored in the operation plan DB 13.

[0021] [process] Next, the processing of this embodiment will be described. Figure 7 is a flowchart of the processing of this embodiment. The processing in Figure 7 is repeatedly executed while the hydraulic excavator 2 is operating automatically based on the operation plan. First, the adjustment unit 12 of the construction support device 1 determines whether or not the operator has made an operation to adjust the progress speed of the operation plan (step S1). Specifically, the adjustment unit 12 determines whether or not the operator has operated the lever. If there is no operation (No in step S1), the processing in Figure 7 ends. In this case, the progress speed of the operation plan remains maintained, and the operation control unit 11 controls the operation of the hydraulic excavator 2 in accordance with the maintained progress speed. On the other hand, if there is an operation (Yes in step S1), the operation control unit 11 changes the operating speed of the hydraulic excavator 2 (step S2). In this case, the operation control unit 11 controls the operation of the hydraulic excavator 2 in accordance with the adjusted (changed) progress speed. After that, the processing in Figure 7 ends.

[0022] [summary] According to this embodiment, in unmanned construction, the steering and other operations of construction machinery such as hydraulic excavators 2 are performed automatically, while the operator's operation is limited to adjusting the progress speed of the driving plan. Adjusting the progress speed of the driving plan can be done, for example, by adjusting the amount of lever operation that can be adjusted from -100% to +100%, making it easy for the operator. In the case of remote operation, it is necessary to repeatedly perform complex and precise operations while paying attention to limited information, which requires a high level of skill. However, in this embodiment, since everything except the adjustment of the progress speed of the driving plan is performed automatically, even operators who are not skilled can easily operate the construction machinery, and fatigue is reduced. In addition, in the case of automatic operation, the restart operation after stopping is complicated, so it is conceivable that the operator may hesitate to stop even when it should be stopped. However, in this embodiment, the operator can adjust the progress speed of the driving plan to 0, which is treated as a temporary pause (hold) of automatic operation, and the automatic operation is not actually stopped. Since the operator can effectively restart automatic operation by adjusting the progress speed of the operation plan to a value greater than 0, the restart operation is easy, and the operator does not hesitate to stop. In addition, in the case of automatic operation, the control speed is predetermined. Therefore, when it is necessary to slow down the construction machinery to perform work on unstable ground, it was necessary to incorporate such deceleration into the operation plan in advance. However, in this embodiment, the operator can easily achieve deceleration of the construction machinery by adjusting the progress speed of the operation plan. Therefore, the work efficiency of the construction machinery can be improved.

[0023] Furthermore, at least one of the following can be automated: the transition of the construction machine's posture, the movement of the construction machine, and the rotation of the construction machine. In addition, the speed of these operations can be manually controlled by adjusting the progress speed of the operation plan through input from the operator.

[0024] [Differentiation] (a): In this embodiment, a hydraulic excavator is used as an example, but the invention can be applied to other types of construction machinery. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to construction machinery but also to FA (Factory Automation) mechanisms with external sensors, controllable robots, and the like. (b) The present invention can also be applied to ride-on construction machinery. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to remotely operated construction machinery.

[0025] (c) It is also possible to realize technologies that appropriately combine the various technologies described in this embodiment. (d): The software described in this embodiment can be implemented as hardware, and the hardware can be implemented as software. (e) Other components of the present invention may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 1 Construction support equipment 2 Hydraulic Excavator 11 Operation Control Unit 12 Adjustment part 13. Operation Plan Database 21 Boom 22 Arms 23 buckets 24 aircraft 25-27 joints 28 Crawler

Claims

1. An operation control unit that controls the operation of a construction machine based on an operation plan that summarizes multiple types of operations of the construction machine in chronological order, A construction support device comprising: an adjustment unit that adjusts the progress speed of the operation plan with a single operation in one direction from the operator.

2. The construction support device according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the construction machine includes at least two of the following: a change in the posture of the construction machine, movement of the construction machine, and rotation of the construction machine.

3. A step of controlling the operation of a construction machine based on an operation plan that summarizes multiple types of operations of the construction machine in chronological order, A construction support method comprising the step of adjusting the progress speed of the operation plan by a single operation in one direction from the operator.

Images