Display system for work machine, work machine, and display method for work machine

Abstract

A display system 1 for a work machine displays design information of an object subject to construction work by a work machine, and comprises: a storage unit 42 that stores the design information; a display unit 151 that displays the design information; a display control unit 63 that generates a display signal for displaying the design information; and a calculation unit 43 that calculates information for automatically controlling the work machine on the basis of the design information. The calculation unit 43 calculates a processing load for calculating information on the basis of the design information.

Description

Work machine display system, work machine, and work machine display method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a work machine display system, a work machine, and a work machine display method.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART In the technical field of construction machines, a construction machine in which a series of operations from excavation to earth removal are automatically controlled, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, is known.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-011694

[0004] When performing automatic control of a work machine, various data must be transmitted to the work machine controller. However, if the processing load on the side transmitting data to the work machine controller becomes high, the transmission of data to the work machine controller may be delayed, which may result in a deterioration in the accuracy of automatic control. Therefore, it is desirable to appropriately calculate the processing load on the side transmitting data to the work machine controller.

[0005] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a display system for displaying design information of a construction target of a work machine, the display system comprising: a memory unit that stores the design information; a display unit that displays the design information; a display control unit that generates a display signal for displaying the design information; and a calculation unit that calculates information for automatically controlling the work machine based on the design information, wherein the calculation unit calculates a processing load for calculating the information based on the design information.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a work machine including the above-described work machine display system and a work implement.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a display method for displaying design information of a construction target of a work machine, the display method including generating a display signal for displaying the design information on a display unit that displays the design information, calculating information for automatically controlling the work machine based on the design information, and calculating a processing load for calculating the information based on the design information.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately calculate the processing load on the side that transmits data to the work machine controller.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a work machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a work machine display system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a display device. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a computer system according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a design surface. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a target position calculation device. FIG. 7 is a diagram explaining the processing load for calculating a design surface cross section. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a design surface cross section. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of spatial division of a design surface. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of evaluation points and a judgment range. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a work machine controller and its surroundings. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a work machine display method according to an embodiment.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The components of the embodiments described below can be combined as appropriate. In addition, some components may not be used.

[0011] [Embodiment] <Working Machine> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a working machine. In this embodiment, the working machine 100 is a hydraulic excavator. In the following description, the working machine 100 will be referred to as the hydraulic excavator 100 where appropriate.

[0012] The hydraulic excavator 100 includes a hydraulically operated work implement 101, a revolving body 102 that supports the work implement 101, and a traveling body 103 that supports the revolving body 102. The revolving body 102 has a cab 104 in which an operator sits. A seat 104S on which the operator sits is disposed in the cab 104. The revolving body 102 is capable of rotating about a rotation axis RX while being supported by the traveling body 103.

[0013] The running body 103 has a pair of crawler tracks 103C. The hydraulic excavator 100 travels by rotation of the crawler tracks 103C.

[0014] The work machine 101 has a boom 106 connected to the revolving unit 102, an arm 107 connected to the tip of the boom 106, and a bucket 108 connected to the tip of the arm 107. The bucket 108 has a cutting edge 109.

[0015] The boom 106 is rotatable relative to the revolving unit 102 around a boom axis AX1. The arm 107 is rotatable relative to the boom 106 around an arm axis AX2. The bucket 108 is rotatable relative to the arm 107 around a bucket axis AX3, a tilt axis AX4, and a rotation axis AX5. The boom axis AX1, the arm axis AX2, and the bucket axis AX3 are parallel to the Y axis. The tilt axis AX4 is perpendicular to the bucket axis AX3. The rotation axis AX5 is perpendicular to both the bucket axis AX3 and the tilt axis AX4. The revolving axis RX is parallel to the Z axis. The X axis direction is the fore-and-aft direction of the revolving unit 102. The Y axis direction is the width direction of the revolving unit 102. The Z axis direction is the up-and-down direction of the revolving unit 102. The direction in which the work implement 101 exists is the forward direction, relative to the operator seated in the seat 104S.

[0016] The work implement 101 is actuated by power generated by a hydraulic cylinder 110. The hydraulic cylinder 110 is driven by hydraulic oil supplied from a hydraulic pump (not shown). The hydraulic cylinder 110 includes a boom cylinder 111, an arm cylinder 112, a bucket cylinder 113, a tilt cylinder 114, and a rotate cylinder 115. The boom cylinder 111 actuates the boom 106. The boom cylinder 111 generates power to rotate the boom 106 about a boom axis AX1. The arm cylinder 112 actuates the arm 107. The arm cylinder 112 generates power to rotate the arm 107 about an arm axis AX2. The bucket cylinder 113 actuates the bucket 108. The bucket cylinder 113 generates power to rotate the bucket 108 about a bucket axis AX3. The tilt cylinder 114 generates power to rotate the bucket 108 about a tilt axis AX4. The rotating cylinder 115 generates power to rotate the bucket 108 around the rotating axis AX5.

[0017] The display unit 151 displays design information including a design surface showing a target shape of the construction target. The display unit 151 displays an image of the design surface showing the target shape of the construction target, etc. The display unit 151 is disposed in the operator's cab 104 of the hydraulic excavator 100. The display unit 151 includes a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 151 may be a touch panel type.

[0018] <Construction Machine Display System> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a construction machine display system according to an embodiment. The hydraulic excavator 100 comprises a work implement 101 and a display system 1 for the hydraulic excavator 100. The display system 1 displays design information for a construction target for the construction machine. The display system 1 displays design information including a plurality of design surfaces for a construction target for the hydraulic excavator 100. The display system 1 comprises a display device 10, a target position calculation device 40, and a work machine controller 60. The display device 10 and the target position calculation device 40 are connected so as to be able to communicate design surface data for the design surfaces, which will be described later. The target position calculation device 40 and the work machine controller 60 are connected so as to be able to communicate design surface cross-section data for the design surface cross-sections, which will be described later.

[0019] <Display Device> Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the display device. The display device 10 is a monitor that displays an image of a design surface that indicates the target shape of the construction target of the hydraulic excavator 100. The display device 10 displays the design surface in 3D (Dimensions), for example. The display device 10 is installed in an administrative office or the like, away from the hydraulic excavator 100. The display device 10 includes a display unit 11 and a display unit controller 20 that is a display control unit. The display unit controller 20 may be a controller separate from the display device 10.

[0020] The display unit 11 displays design information. The display unit 11 is disposed independently of the hydraulic excavator 100. The display unit 11 displays an image of a design surface showing a target shape of a construction target to be worked on by the hydraulic excavator 100, etc. The display unit 11 includes a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 11 may be a touch panel type.

[0021] <Display Controller> The display controller 20 controls the display on the display 11. The display controller 20 includes a numerical calculation device (processor) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0022] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a computer system according to an embodiment. The display controller 20 includes a computer system 1000. The computer system 1000 includes a processor 1001 such as a CPU, a main memory 1002 including a nonvolatile memory such as a read-only memory (ROM) and a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a storage 1003, and an interface 1004 including an input / output circuit. The functions of the display controller 20 described above are stored as a program in the storage 1003. The processor 1001 reads the program from the storage 1003, loads it into the main memory 1002, and executes the above-described processing in accordance with the program. The program may be distributed to the computer system 1000 via a network.

[0023] In this embodiment, the display controller 20 includes a display control unit 21 and a storage unit 22 .

[0024] The display control unit 21 causes the display unit 11 to display an image of the design surface, etc. The display control unit 21 generates a display signal for displaying design information on the display unit 11.

[0025] The storage unit 22 is a storage device that stores design surface data indicating a design surface. The stored design surface data is generated, for example, by a design surface data supply device (not shown).

[0026] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a design surface 200. The design surface 200 shows a three-dimensional target shape after construction by the hydraulic excavator 100. The design surface 200 shows the target shape using a plurality of TIN (Triangulated Irregular Network) triangles.

[0027] <Target Position Calculation Device> Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the target position calculation device. The target position calculation device 40 is a position calculator that calculates a target position and a target attitude used for automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 100. The target position calculation device 40 is disposed in, for example, the hydraulic excavator 100. The target position calculation device 40 receives design surface data indicating a design surface from the display controller 20. The target position calculation device 40 transmits data indicating the target position and target attitude of the hydraulic excavator 100 and design surface cross-section data indicating a cross-section of the design surface to the work machine controller 60. The target position calculation device 40 includes a numerical calculation device (processor) such as a CPU. The target position calculation device 40 includes the computer system 1000 shown in Fig. 4.

[0028] The target position calculation device 40 includes a design surface data acquisition unit 41 , a storage unit 42 , a calculation unit 43 , a determination unit 44 , and a notification unit 45 .

[0029] The design surface data acquisition unit 41 acquires design surface data indicating the design surface from the display controller 20 .

[0030] The storage unit 42 is a storage device that stores design information. In this embodiment, the storage unit 42 stores the design surface data acquired by the design surface data acquisition unit 41.

[0031] Based on the design information, the calculation unit 43 calculates information for automatically controlling the hydraulic excavator 100. The information is a design surface cross section, which is a cross section of the design surface.

[0032] The calculation unit 43 calculates the processing load in the target position calculation device 40. The calculation unit 43 calculates the processing load based on the number of design surfaces.

[0033] The processing load in the target position calculation device 40 will be described. The processing load in the target position calculation device 40 is affected by the processing load for calculating the design surface cross section. The time required to calculate the design surface cross section is mostly taken up by the time required to calculate the intersection between the TIN triangle and the cut-out cross section of the target shape. The shape of the design surface is defined by a plurality of TIN triangles.

[0034] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the processing load for calculating a design surface cross section. FIG. 8 is a cross section showing an example of a design surface cross section. In automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 100, a target position and target posture of the work implement of the hydraulic excavator 100 are required. In order to specify the target position and target posture of the work implement of the hydraulic excavator 100, a design surface cross section L, which is an extracted surface of the hydraulic excavator 100 as shown in FIG. 8, is calculated from a design surface such as that shown in FIG. 7. The target position and target posture of the work implement of the hydraulic excavator 100 are controlled based on the design surface cross section L. The hydraulic excavator 100 is automatically controlled based on the design surface cross section L. The design surface cross section L is information for controlling the target position and target posture of the work implement of the hydraulic excavator 100. The design surface cross section L is information for automatically controlling the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0035] 7 , TIN triangles that intersect with a target rectangular parallelepiped (bounding box) B that includes the cutout surface F of the hydraulic excavator 100 or have a target rectangular parallelepiped included in the target rectangular parallelepiped B are shaded and indicated by the symbol A. The greater the number of shaded TIN triangles A, the higher the density of the design surface and the higher the processing load.

[0036] The calculation unit 43 calculates the processing load for calculating a design surface cross section, which is a cross section of the design surface, based on design surface data, which is design information.

[0037] In this embodiment, the calculation unit 43 may calculate the processing load based on the number of TIN triangles on the design surface.

[0038] The calculation unit 43 calculates the processing load based on the number of design surfaces within a certain range (hereinafter referred to as the "predetermined range") from a predetermined position of the hydraulic excavator 100. In the present embodiment, the calculation unit 43 may calculate the processing load based on the number of TIN triangles that constitute the design surfaces and that exist within the predetermined range of the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0039] In this embodiment, the calculation unit 43 may calculate the number of TIN triangles that exist within a certain range from an arbitrary point on the design surface.

[0040] An example of calculation of the processing load will be described using Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of spatial division of the design surface. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of evaluation points and judgment ranges. First, the calculation unit 43 constructs an rtree for the design surface. In the rtree for the design surface, leaf nodes correspond to symmetric rectangular rectangles that surround one TIN triangle that constitutes the design surface. In this embodiment, the maximum number of child nodes for each node is 16. The depth of the lowest layer in the node hierarchy of the rtree, i.e., the layer where the leaf node is located, is defined as level 0, and the layer one layer shallower than that is defined as level 1. The maximum number of nodes belonging to level 1 is the number of TIN triangles included in the design surface divided by 16.

[0041] Then, the calculation unit 43 traces the constructed rtree and determines the evaluation score P. In this embodiment, for example, the center points of all nodes at level 1 are determined as the evaluation score P.

[0042] Then, for all evaluation points P, the calculation unit 43 calculates the number of TIN triangles included in the determination range Q centered on the evaluation point P.

[0043] In this embodiment, the judgment range Q is a square of a predetermined size with the evaluation point P at its center.

[0044] In this way, the calculation unit 43 calculates the number of TIN triangles around the evaluation point P, in other words, the judgment range Q centered on the evaluation point P, for the evaluation point P distributed over the entire design surface.

[0045] The determination unit 44 determines whether the processing load calculated by the calculation unit 43 is higher than a predetermined load threshold. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 44 determines whether the number of TIN triangles in a determination range Q centered on the evaluation point P is higher than a predetermined number threshold, for all evaluation points P calculated by the calculation unit 43. The determination unit 44 determines that the processing load is high when the processing load calculated by the calculation unit 43 is higher than the predetermined load threshold. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 44 determines that the processing load is high when the number of TIN triangles in a determination range Q centered on the evaluation point P calculated by the calculation unit 43 is higher than the predetermined number threshold.

[0046] The predetermined load threshold is, for example, a value at which there is a risk of delaying the transmission of the design surface cross section data.

[0047] The predetermined number threshold is set depending on the type of bucket of the hydraulic excavator 100. The predetermined number threshold is, for example, about several thousand.

[0048] In the present embodiment, when the processing load calculated by the calculation unit 43 is higher than the stop threshold, the determination unit 44 determines that the processing load is high enough to affect automatic control. The stop threshold is a value higher than a predetermined load threshold.

[0049] If evaluation were performed on all TIN triangles included in the design surface without using the evaluation point P, the evaluation would take a long time if there were a large number of triangles. In contrast, when space division is performed using Rtree as described above, the more densely triangles are divided, the deeper the hierarchy becomes. Therefore, by extracting the node (object rectangular prism) one layer above the bottom layer (level 0), the evaluation point is reduced to 1 / 16 of the total number of triangles, as described above. Furthermore, since this evaluation point is the center point of a node deep in the hierarchy, it can be set to be located in an area where triangles that are predicted to have a high load are densely concentrated.

[0050] If the processing load calculated by the calculation unit 43 is higher than a predetermined load threshold, the notification unit 45 notifies the operator of information indicating that the processing load is high.

[0051] In this embodiment, the notification unit 45 may only issue a notification when the processing load is higher than a predetermined load threshold and equal to or lower than a stop threshold.

[0052] The notification unit 45 is, for example, a display unit that notifies by an image, etc. In this embodiment, the notification unit 45 may be the display unit 151.

[0053] <Work Machine Controller> Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing the work machine controller and its surroundings. The work machine controller 60 controls the hydraulic excavator 100. The work machine controller 60 receives data indicating the target position and target attitude of the hydraulic excavator 100 and design surface cross section data indicating the design surface cross section from the target position calculation device 40 as data necessary for the automatic operation of the hydraulic excavator 100. The work machine controller 60 acquires various data necessary for the automatic operation of the hydraulic excavator 100 from, for example, a work machine angle detection device (not shown) and various sensors. The work machine controller 60 includes a numerical calculation device (processor) such as a CPU. The work machine controller 60 includes a computer system 1000 shown in Fig. 4.

[0054] The work machine controller 60 includes a design surface cross section data acquisition unit 61 , a memory unit 62 , a display control unit 63 , and an automatic control unit 64 .

[0055] The design surface cross section data acquisition unit 61 acquires design surface cross section data indicating a design surface cross section from the target position calculation device 40 .

[0056] The storage unit 62 is a storage device that stores design information. In this embodiment, the storage unit 62 stores the design surface cross-section data acquired by the design surface cross-section data acquisition unit 61.

[0057] The display control unit 63 generates a display signal to be displayed on the display unit 151. Based on the design surface cross-section data, the display control unit 63 generates a display signal to display an image showing the design surface cross-section on the display unit 151. For example, the display control unit 63 generates a display signal for displaying an image showing the design surface cross-section as shown in FIG.

[0058] In this embodiment, the display control unit 63 displays an image related to guidance for the hydraulic excavator 100, and may generate a display signal for displaying a design surface cross section, which is design information, together with an image of the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0059] The automatic control unit 64 outputs various control signals for automatically controlling the hydraulic excavator 100. The automatic control unit 64 performs automatic control based on data indicating the target position and target attitude of the hydraulic excavator 100 and design surface cross section data indicating the design surface cross section, which are received from the target position calculation device 40, as well as data acquired from the angle detection device of the work machine and various sensors, etc.

[0060] In this embodiment, the automatic control unit 64 may stop automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 100 when the processing load calculated by the calculation unit 43 of the target position calculation device 40 is higher than a stop threshold that is higher than a predetermined load threshold.

[0061] The display system 1 configured in this manner includes a memory unit 42 of the target position calculation device 40 that stores design information, a display unit 151 of the hydraulic excavator 100 that displays the design information, a display control unit 63 of the work machine controller 60 that generates a display signal for displaying the design information on the display unit 151, and a calculation unit 43 of the target position calculation device 40 that calculates the processing load for calculating a design surface cross section, which is a cross section of the design surface, based on the design information.

[0062] <Display method> Figure 12 is a flowchart showing a display method for a work machine according to this embodiment. When the key on the hydraulic excavator 100 is turned on, the display system 1 of the hydraulic excavator 100 is started. When the display system 1 of the hydraulic excavator 100 is started, the processing of the flowchart shown in Figure 12 is started before automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 100 is started.

[0063] The target position calculation device 40 acquires design surface data indicating the design surface from the display controller 20 using the design surface data acquisition unit 41 (step ST11). The target position calculation device 40 then proceeds to step ST12.

[0064] The target position calculation device 40 constructs an rtree by the calculation unit 43 (step ST12), and then the target position calculation device 40 proceeds to step ST13.

[0065] The target position calculation device 40 determines the evaluation point by tracing the rtree using the calculation unit 43 (step ST13), and then the target position calculation device 40 proceeds to step ST14.

[0066] The target position calculation device 40 calculates the number of TIN triangles in the determination range centered on the evaluation point using the calculation unit 43 (step ST14). The target position calculation device 40 then proceeds to step ST15.

[0067] The target position calculation device 40 makes a determination by the determination unit 44 based on the number of TIN triangles (step ST15).

[0068] By executing the above processing when the hydraulic excavator 100 is started up, in other words, when the display system 1 is started up, the processing load of the design surface of the hydraulic excavator 100 is calculated.

[0069] <Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, a processing load for calculating a design surface cross section, which is a cross section of a design surface, is calculated based on design information including a plurality of design surfaces of a construction target of the hydraulic excavator 100. In this embodiment, the processing load can be calculated before the design surface cross section is calculated. In this embodiment, it is possible to estimate, based on the calculated processing load, whether there is a concern about the design surface before automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 100 is started.

[0070] In this embodiment, if the calculated processing load is higher than a predetermined load threshold, information indicating that the processing load is high can be notified. According to this embodiment, the operator can confirm the notification and determine whether to use the design information as is or change the design information.

[0071] In this embodiment, the processing load can be calculated based on the number of design surfaces.

[0072] In this embodiment, the processing load can be calculated based on the number of design surfaces within a predetermined range of the hydraulic excavator 100.

[0073] In this embodiment, a display signal for displaying a cross section of a design surface can be generated.

[0074] In this embodiment, an image relating to guidance for the hydraulic excavator 100 is displayed, and a signal for displaying design information together with the image of the hydraulic excavator 100 can be generated.

[0075] <Modifications> In the above-described embodiment, when the processing load is higher than a stop threshold that is higher than a predetermined load threshold, automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 100 may be stopped, and when the processing load is higher than the predetermined load threshold but equal to or lower than the stop threshold, only a notification may be issued. In this way, when the processing load is high and there is a possibility that it may affect the automatic control of the hydraulic excavator 100, automatic control is stopped, thereby enabling a higher level of safety to be maintained.

[0076] In the above-described embodiment, the work machine is not limited to a hydraulic excavator, and the display system can be applied to a dump truck, a wheel loader, or other work machines.

[0077] 1...display system, 10...display device, 11...display unit, 20...display unit controller, 21...display control unit, 22...storage unit, 40...target position calculation device, 41...design surface data acquisition unit, 42...storage unit, 43...calculation unit, 44...determination unit, 45...notification unit, 100...hydraulic excavator (work machine), 101...work machine, 102...swing unit, 103...running unit, 103C...track, 104...operator's cab, 104 S...seat, 106...boom, 107...arm, 108...bucket, 109...cutting edge, 110...hydraulic cylinder, 111...boom cylinder, 112...arm cylinder, 113...bucket cylinder, 114...tilt cylinder, 115...rotate cylinder, AX1...boom axis, AX2...arm axis, AX3...bucket axis, AX4...tilt axis, AX5...rotate axis, RX...swivel axis.

Claims

1. A display system for displaying design information of a construction object of a work machine, comprising: a memory unit for storing the design information; a display unit for displaying the design information; a display control unit for generating a display signal for displaying the design information; and a calculation unit for calculating information for automatically controlling the work machine based on the design information, wherein the calculation unit calculates a processing load for calculating the information based on the design information.

2. A display system for a work machine as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies information indicating that the processing load is high when the processing load calculated by the calculation unit is higher than a predetermined load threshold value.

3. A display system for a work machine as described in claim 1, wherein the design information includes a design surface showing a target shape of a construction object, and the information is a design surface cross section that is a cross section of the design surface.

4. The display system for a work machine according to claim 3, wherein the calculation unit calculates the processing load based on the number of the design surfaces.

5. A display system for a work machine according to claim 4, wherein the calculation unit calculates the processing load based on the number of design surfaces within a predetermined range of the work machine.

6. A work machine display system as described in claim 3, wherein the design surface has a shape defined by a plurality of TIN triangles, and the calculation unit calculates the processing load based on the number of TIN triangles constituting the design surface that exist within a certain range from a specified position of the work machine.

7. The display system for a work machine according to claim 3, wherein the display control unit generates a display signal for displaying the design surface cross section.

8. A work machine display system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays an image relating to guidance for the work machine and generates a signal for displaying the design information together with the image of the work machine.

9. A work machine display system as described in claim 2, wherein when the processing load calculated by the calculation unit is higher than a stop threshold which is higher than the predetermined load threshold, automatic control of the work machine is stopped, and when the processing load is higher than the predetermined load threshold and equal to or lower than the stop threshold, only a notification is given.

10. A work machine comprising: a work machine display system according to any one of claims 1 to 9; and a work implement.

11. A display method for displaying design information of a construction target of a work machine, comprising: generating a display signal for displaying the design information on a display unit that displays the design information; calculating information for automatically controlling the work machine based on the design information; and calculating a processing load for calculating the information based on the design information.

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