Work route design device, work route design method, and program

Abstract

This work route design device (1) is provided with: a current topography data acquisition unit (21) which acquires current topography data of a construction site; a design topography data acquisition unit (22) which acquires design topography data of the construction site; a map creation unit (25) which calculates a soil cutting and banking area on the basis of the current topography data and the design topography data; and a work route search unit (28) which searches for a work route along which a work machine moves during work including a series of unit work. The work route search unit (28) performs a selection process for selecting a plurality of unit work candidates to be cut from a work start point of the soil cutting area, and a determination process for determining, from the plurality of unit work candidates, a unit work with a minimum cost as a unit work for cutting soil from the work start point. The work route search unit (28) determines a series of unit work and obtains a work route by using, as the next work start point, a site close to a soil cutting site including a soil cutting site due to the determined unit work, and repeating the selection process and the determination process for the subsequent unit work until the soil cutting area disappears.

Description

Work path design device, work path design method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a work route design device, a work route design method, and a program.

[0002] When creating a construction plan for land development work, the volume of earth to be cut and filled at the construction site is calculated, and an earthwork plan is created to allocate the volume of earth to the appropriate locations. When creating the earthwork plan, the work area is divided into a cutting area where earth is cut and a filling area where earth is filled, and the soil transportation route for each work area is determined.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses that current topography data showing the current topography of a construction site and design topography data showing the design topography of the construction site are acquired, and construction plan data including earth and sand cut plan data and earth and sand fill plan data are generated from the acquired current topography data and design topography data, and an earth transport route is set for transporting earth and sand from a specified cut area to a specified fill area at the construction site in the construction plan data.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-149395

[0005] However, while the set soil transport route shows the overall movement of soil in each work section, it does not show the details of the cutting and filling operations of each work machine, such as which work machine should be used and how it should be moved in each work section to make work more efficient.A skilled worker can empirically determine how the work machines should be moved, but it is not easy for an inexperienced worker to determine how the work machines should be moved.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to appropriately determine how to operate a work machine in each work section to make work efficient, regardless of the worker's level of skill.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a work route planning device according to the present invention comprises: a current terrain data acquisition unit that acquires current terrain data indicating the current terrain of a construction site; a designed terrain data acquisition unit that acquires designed terrain data indicating the designed terrain of the construction site; a map creation unit that calculates cut areas and fill areas based on the current terrain data and the designed terrain data; and a work route search unit that searches for a work route along which a work machine will move when working on a series of unit operations, wherein the work route search unit comprises: means for selecting a plurality of candidate unit operations that will cut earth at locations close to the cut location of a first unit operation; and means for determining from the plurality of candidate unit operations the unit operation that will have the smallest cost as the second unit operation that will follow the first unit operation, and by first setting the unit operation that cuts earth at the work starting point as the first unit operation and repeating the selecting means and determining means for subsequent unit operations with the second unit operation determined by the determining means as the first unit operation until the cut area is exhausted, the series of unit operations are determined and the work route is found.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately determine how to operate a work machine in each work section to make the work efficient, regardless of the worker's level of skill.

[0009] 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a work path design device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a work path design device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of a work path design process according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a work path search process according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of a work path optimization process according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of optimal work path determination processing when a bulldozer is used as the work machine. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of optimal work path determination processing when a bulldozer is used as the work machine. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of optimal work path determination processing when a bulldozer is used as the work machine. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the operation of a bulldozer in cutting and filling work, where (A) is a view from above and (B) is a view from the side. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of optimal work path determination processing when a shovel is used as the work machine. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of optimal work path determination processing when a shovel is used as the work machine.

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A work route design device, a work route design method, and a program according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] 1, the work path design device 1 comprises a control unit 2 and a memory unit 3. The control unit 2 comprises a current terrain data acquisition unit 21 that acquires terrain data indicating the current terrain of a land development construction site before construction, a designed terrain data acquisition unit 22 that acquires terrain data indicating the designed terrain of the land development construction site, a work range acquisition unit 23 that acquires the work range for which construction planning is desired, a work machine acquisition unit 24 that acquires the range of work machines to be used, a map creation unit 25 that calculates the amount of earth to be worked in the work range from the current terrain data and the designed terrain data and generates a heat map showing the cut area and fill area, a transport route creation unit 26 that creates a route for transporting earth and sand from the cut area to the fill area, a temporary road creation unit 27 that creates routes for temporary roads along which work vehicles will travel, and a work path search unit 28 that searches for work paths for work machines.

[0012] The current terrain data acquisition unit 21 reads two-dimensional or three-dimensional terrain data showing the current terrain of the planned development site before construction from a terrain DB (database) 31 (described later) to acquire the necessary current terrain data. The current terrain data is used when searching for a work route for the work machine.

[0013] The designed terrain data acquisition unit 22 reads two-dimensional or three-dimensional drawing data showing the final design surface of the proposed construction site from a design DB (database) 32 (described later) and acquires the necessary designed terrain data. The designed terrain data, together with the current terrain data, is used when searching for work routes for the work machine.

[0014] The work area acquisition unit 23 acquires the area in which the work machine will work. The area in which the work machine will work is acquired by the user specifying the area using a mouse, etc. Once the work area, current terrain data, and designed terrain data have been acquired, a search for the optimal work route for the work machine begins.

[0015] The work machine acquisition unit 24 acquires the range of work machines that can be used for work, specifically the type and number of work machines. Work machines include bulldozers, shovels, dump trucks, etc. The range of work machines that can be used for work is acquired by the user specifying the range via a keyboard, touch panel, mouse, etc.

[0016] The storage unit 3 includes a topography DB 31 and a design DB 32. The topography DB 31 is a database that stores current topography data, and the design DB 32 is a database that stores designed topography data.

[0017] The map creation unit 25 calculates the cut area and the amount of cut from the cut area, and the fill area and the amount of fill from the fill area from the fill area, from the difference between the current topography and the design topography based on the current topography data acquired by the current topography data acquisition unit 21 and the design topography data acquired by the design topography data acquisition unit 22 in the work range acquired by the work range acquisition unit 23, and generates a heat map in which the cut area and the fill area are color-coded.

[0018] The transportation route creation unit 26 generates a transportation route for transporting the earth and sand excavated in the cut area to the fill area. When the cut area and the fill area are separated from each other, for example, the earth and sand excavated from the cut area by a shovel is loaded onto a dump truck and transported to the fill area by the dump truck. The route traveled by the dump truck at this time is the transportation route. When the dump truck reaches the fill area, it unloads the loaded earth and sand into the fill area.

[0019] The temporary road creation unit 27 creates a route along which temporary roads will be created for work vehicles, including work machines. Temporary roads are roads that are constructed at a construction site when roads required for the construction plan do not exist among existing roads, and involve more extensive construction work than the transportation route. Temporary road routes are planned taking into consideration factors such as compatibility with the final design surface, the boundaries of the construction area, slope gradients, the amount of cut and fill soil, and whether the road will remain intact until the end.

[0020] The work path searching unit 28 searches for an optimal route for the work path along which the work machine will travel during work within the work range specified by the user, which is acquired by the work range acquisition unit 23. In the process of excavating earth and sand from a cut area within the work range and moving it to a fill area, the work path searching unit 28 determines a work machine to be used from among work machines such as bulldozers, shovels, and dump trucks acquired by the work machine acquisition unit 24, and searches for a work path along which the work machine will travel during work consisting of a series of unit tasks performed by the determined work machine. Here, a unit task, for example, in the case of a bulldozer, is an operation in which a blade is excavated in a single forward movement and the excavated earth and sand is transported to a discharge position. In the case of an excavator, it is an operation in which a bucket is excavated at a vehicle stop position, the excavated earth and sand is loaded into a dump truck, and the dump truck then transports the loaded earth and sand to a discharge position.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2 , the hardware of the work route design device 1 includes a processor 41 that processes data according to a control program, a main memory unit 42 that functions as a work area for the processor, an auxiliary memory unit 43 for long-term data storage, an input / output unit 44 that accepts data input and outputs the data, an operation unit 45, a display unit 46, a communication unit 47 that communicates with other devices, and a bus that interconnects these elements. The auxiliary memory unit 43 stores the control program executed by the processor 41. The operation unit 45 is a device for inputting various instructions to the control unit 2 and includes a keyboard, operation buttons, etc. The display unit 46 displays screens showing the execution results of various processes, operation screens, etc. The processor 41 loads the programs stored in the auxiliary memory unit 43 into the main memory unit 42 and executes them, thereby functioning as the current terrain data acquisition unit 21, the designed terrain data acquisition unit 22, the work area acquisition unit 23, the work machine acquisition unit 24, the map creation unit 25, the haul route creation unit 26, the temporary road creation unit 27, and the work route search unit 28 shown in FIG. 1 . The auxiliary storage unit 43 also functions as a topographical DB 31 and a design DB 32 .

[0022] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the work path design process. As shown in FIG. 3, in step S101, the current terrain data acquisition unit 21 of the control unit 2 accesses the terrain DB 31 of the storage unit 3 to acquire current terrain data for the construction site. Next, in step S102, the design terrain data acquisition unit 22 of the control unit 2 accesses the design DB 32 of the storage unit 3 to acquire final design surface data for the site. Next, in step S103, the work range acquisition unit 23 of the control unit 2 acquires the work range for cutting and filling earth and sand at the site based on input from the user. Next, in step S104, the work machine acquisition unit 24 of the control unit 2 acquires the type and number of work machines as the range of work machines available for the work, based on input from the user. Once the range of work machines has been acquired in step S104, the work path search unit 28 of the control unit 2 executes a work path search process to determine an optimal work path (step S105). Once the optimal work path has been determined, the process ends.

[0023] Next, the work path search process of step S105 will be described in detail based on the flowchart of the work path search process in Figure 4. As shown in the flowchart of Figure 4, first, in step S201, the map creation unit 25 of the control unit 2 creates a heat map of the construction earth volume grouped into cut areas where cutting is required and fill areas where fill is required in the work area, based on the current topography data, final design surface data, and work area acquired from the current topography data acquisition unit 21, design topography data acquisition unit 22, and work area acquisition unit 23, respectively. Once the heat map has been created, the work path search unit 28 calculates the distance between the cut area and the fill area, and compares the calculated distance with a threshold value V ｔｈ (Step S202). ｔｈ is set to select a work machine that can efficiently perform cutting and filling work from a cut area to a fill area according to the distance. Here, the work machine to be used is selected to perform cutting and filling work is either a bulldozer or a shovel. When the distance from the cut area to the fill area is short, it is more efficient to use a bulldozer to excavate earth and sand from the cut area with its blade and then proceed directly to the fill area to unload it, rather than loading it onto a dump truck and unloading it. On the other hand, when the distance from the cut area to the fill area is long, it is more efficient to use a shovel to excavate earth and sand from the cut area with its bucket, load the excavated earth and sand onto a dump truck, and then move the dump truck to the fill area to unload it, rather than proceeding directly with a bulldozer to unload it. Therefore, the threshold value V ｔｈ is set as the boundary value between the distance where it is more efficient to travel by bulldozer and the distance where it is more efficient to travel by dump truck. ｔｈ As a result of the comparison, the calculated distance is equal to or greater than the threshold value V ｔｈ If it is smaller (step S202: Yes), it is decided to use a bulldozer as the work machine, and a work path optimization process is executed to search for a work path when cutting and filling work is performed using a bulldozer (step S203). The work path optimization process when cutting and filling work is performed using a bulldozer will be described later.

[0024] In contrast, the threshold Vｔｈ As a result of the comparison, the calculated distance is equal to or greater than the threshold value V ｔｈ If it is greater than this (step S202: No), it is decided to use a shovel as the work machine, and cut and fill work is to be performed using the shovel and a dump truck, and the transport route creation unit 26 creates a transport route for the dump truck to travel between the cut area and the fill area (step S204). The transport route creation unit 26 creates a transport route based on the gradient of the current topography. The transport route is created within the range of allowable gradient that allows travel by the dump truck.

[0025] The created transport route is displayed on the display unit 46. The display unit 46 further displays a display requesting the user to indicate whether or not to adopt the created transport route. The user checks the displayed transport route, and if the user accepts the adoption, operates the operation unit 45 to input an instruction to adopt it, or if the user rejects the adoption, operates the operation unit 45 to input an instruction not to adopt it. The work route search unit 28 determines whether or not to adopt the transport route created based on input from the user (step S205).

[0026] If the work path searching unit 28 determines to adopt the created transport route (step S205: Yes), it displays on the display unit 46 a message requesting the user to indicate whether road surface maintenance is required for the created transport route. Road surface maintenance requires work such as excavating and moving soil to create the road surface, which changes the cut and fill areas of the work area, so confirmation is required when searching for a work path. If the user determines that road surface maintenance is not required, the user operates the operation unit 45 to input an instruction that road surface maintenance is not required. If the user determines that road surface maintenance is required, the user operates the operation unit 45 to input an instruction that road surface maintenance is required. Based on the user's input, the work path searching unit 28 determines whether road surface maintenance is required for the created transport route (step S206). If the work path searching unit 28 determines that road surface maintenance is not required for the created transport route (step S206: No), it executes a work path optimization process to search for a work route for cutting and filling work using a shovel as a work machine (step S207). The work route optimization process for cutting and filling work using a shovel will be described later. On the other hand, if the work route searching unit 28 determines that road surface preparation is necessary for the created transport route (step S206: Yes), the process returns to step S201 and instructs the map creating unit 25 to create a new heat map taking into account the road surface preparation. Then, the processes from step S202 onwards are executed according to the newly created heat map.

[0027] Returning to step S205, if the work route searching unit 28 determines not to adopt the created transport route (step S205: No), it displays on the display unit 46 a message requesting the user's instructions on how to create a route different from the created transport route (step S208). The display unit 46 displays a button for selecting, as option 1, a route plan in which the start and end points are separately specified and a transport route is created based on a gradient, and a button for selecting, as option 2, a route plan in which a temporary road involving construction is created. If the user presses the button for selecting option 1 as the alternative route creation method, a route plan in which the start and end points are separately specified and a transport route is created again is selected (step S209), and a screen for specifying the start and end points of the transport route is displayed on the display unit 46. When the user inputs the start and end points, the process returns to step S204, and the transport route creation unit 26 creates a new transport route based on the input start and end points. Then, the processing from step S205 onwards is executed according to the newly created transport route. Furthermore, if the user presses a button to select option 2 as an alternative route creation method, a route plan for creating a temporary road is selected (step S210), and the process proceeds to temporary road creation processing (step S211). The temporary road creation unit 27 creates an optimal route while taking into consideration factors such as compatibility with the final design surface, the boundaries of the construction area, the slope gradient, the amount of cut and fill soil, and whether the road is likely to remain until the end. Because the creation of a temporary road involves significant construction work, once the temporary road route has been created, the process returns to step S201, and a new heat map is created taking into account the construction of the temporary road. Then, processing from step S202 onwards is executed according to the newly created heat map.

[0028] Next, the work path optimization process executed in steps S203 and S207 will be described in detail. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the work path optimization process executed by the work path searching unit 28. As shown in Figure 5, first, in step S301, the work path searching unit 28 executes a selection process to select candidates for unit tasks to be performed by the work machine determined in step S202 of Figure 4. The work path searching unit 28 first selects a plurality of unit tasks to cut the work start point in a cut area as candidates. The subsequent processing from step S302 onwards is executed for the selected node candidates.

[0029] In step S302, the work path search unit 28 calculates an evaluation function for each of the multiple unit task candidates. The evaluation function is a cost function in the A* algorithm and is expressed by the following equation (1): f(n) = g(n) + h(n) (1) g(n) is the cost from the work start point to point n and is a workload function indicating the workload of the work. h(n) is the estimated cost from point n to the end point and is a volume function indicating the remaining cut earth volume, or a volume function indicating the remaining cut earth volume and a workload function indicating the workload of the remaining work. Because g(n) and h(n) are parameters with different units than workload and volume, they are normalized. Normalization allows the fluctuation ranges of g(n) and h(n) in the work path evaluation process to be approximately the same. Because the weights of normalized g(n) and h(n) are approximately the same, the evaluation function f(n) can be expressed as in equation (1). Normalization makes g(n) and h(n) dimensionless, and therefore the evaluation function f(n) is a dimensionless quantity.

[0030] In step S303, the work path search unit 28 executes a determination process to determine the unit work at point n that minimizes the evaluation function f(n) from among a plurality of candidates.

[0031] In step S304, the work path searching unit 28 determines whether or not there is any unexcavated portion remaining in the cut area at the end of the determined unit task, i.e., whether or not there is any remaining cut area. If there is any remaining cut area (step S304: Yes), the process returns to step S301, and the work path searching unit 28 executes the processes of steps S301 to S303, setting a location close to the cut area, including the cut area for the determined unit task, as the next task start point, and determines the next unit task. If there is no remaining cut area (step S304: No), the work path searching unit 28 regards the unit tasks determined so far as a series of unit tasks, determines the work route from the start of the tasks to the end of the series of unit tasks as the optimal work route (step S305), and ends the optimal work path determination process.

[0032] Next, a specific example of the optimum work route determination process by the work route search unit 28 will be described. Here, the optimum work route determination process when a bulldozer is used as the work machine in step S203 of FIG. 4 will be described. FIGS. 6 to 8 are diagrams showing a specific example of the optimum work route determination process. FIG. 6A is an xy plan view of the construction site seen from above, showing the state before work begins in the work area. As shown in FIG. 6, the distance between the cutting area 61 and the filling area 62 is a threshold value V ｔｈ In this example, the cut area 61 and the banking area 62 are adjacent, and the cut / fill boundary between the cut area 61 and the banking area 62 is shown by a solid line. In addition, offset lines are shown by dotted lines at positions each corresponding to one vehicle length of the bulldozer 63 from the cut / fill boundary toward the cut area 61. The offset line is used as the reference for the unit work start position, and positions on the offset line closest to the cut / fill boundary are set as candidate unit work start points at intervals of the vehicle width of the bulldozer 63, in order from the end of the work range. In the state of (A) in Figure 6, the unit work has not yet been determined, so g(n) = 0.

[0033] Examples of candidates for the first (n=1) unit task are shown in (B1) to (B4) in FIG. 6 . Here, the unit task is a cut / fill task in which a bulldozer 63 makes a single forward movement, excavating the excavated soil from the cut area 61 with a blade and transporting the excavated soil to a disposal location in the fill area 62. The first candidate unit task is a unit task whose start point is the excavation start point 1-1, which is on the offset line closest to the cut / fill boundary and closest to the edge of the work area. One of the candidates, (B1), indicates a unit task in which the vehicle travel angle is set to -45° with respect to the offset line from the excavation start point 1-1, and the vehicle travel distance is one vehicle length. Here, the vehicle travel angle is selected as a candidate in the negative to positive direction in a predetermined angle order. The predetermined angle is set by the user in the initial setting. In this example, it is set at 45° intervals. The vehicle travel distance is changed in increments of one vehicle length. The maximum vehicle travel distance is set by the user in the initial setting. Another candidate (B2) indicates a unit task in which the vehicle travel angle is set to -45° and the vehicle travel distance is moved by two vehicle lengths from the excavation start point 1-1. Also, (B3) indicates a unit task in which the vehicle travel angle is set to -45° and the vehicle travel distance is moved by three vehicle lengths from the excavation start point 1-1. Also, (B4) indicates a unit task in which the vehicle travel angle is set to 0° and the vehicle travel distance is moved by one vehicle length from the excavation start point 1-1. In addition to the above, unit tasks in which the vehicle travel angle and vehicle travel distance are changed are selected as candidates.

[0034] The work path search unit 28 calculates the evaluation function f(n) of equation (1) for each of the selected candidates.

[0035] Here, in the work performed by the bulldozer 63, g(n) is expressed by the following equation (2): g(n)=L （土砂ｘｙ実績） V （切土実績） / L （土砂ｘｙノミナル） V （切土ノミナル） +W （ブル移動実績） / W （ブル移動ノミナル） (2) L （土砂ｘｙ実績） is the actual distance traveled by the soil in the x-y direction. （切土実績） is the actual amount of excavated earth. （土砂ｘｙノミナル） is the nominal value of the distance traveled by the soil in the x-y direction. （切土ノミナル）is the nominal value of the excavated volume. （土砂ｘｙ実績） V （切土実績） represents the workload, and L （土砂ｘｙノミナル） V （切土ノミナル） It is normalized by W （ブル移動実績） is the workload due to the movement of the bulldozer in the x-y direction. Figure 9 shows the movement of a bulldozer 63 in cutting and filling work. In Figure 9, the bulldozer 63 excavates with its blade from a cutting area 61 in one forward movement (one pass) in the direction of the arrow, and carries the excavated earth beyond the cut and fill boundary to a discharge position in a filling area 62. (A) is a view from above, and (B) is a view from the side. Here, the excavation depth in one pass is calculated by the blade capacity / pass area of ​​the cutting area. Also, the banking depth in one pass is calculated by the blade capacity / pass area of ​​the banking area. The length of the arrow shown in (A) is the movement distance L of the bulldozer 63 in the x-y direction. （車体ｘｙ） It also represents M （車体） indicates the vehicle weight of the bulldozer 63. Therefore, the amount of work done by the movement of the bulldozer 63 in the x-y direction, W （ブル移動実績） Is W （ブル移動実績） =L （車体ｘｙ） M （車体） It is expressed as W （ブル移動ノミナル） is the nominal value of the amount of work done by the movement of the bulldozer 63. （ブル移動実績） Is W （ブル移動ノミナル） is normalized by

[0036] Furthermore, h(n) is expressed by the following equation (3): h(n)=V （切土残り実績） / V （切土残りノミナル） + (L （土砂ｚノミナル） V （切土ノミナル） -L （土砂ｚ実績） V （切土実績） ) / L （土砂ｚノミナル） V （切土ノミナル） (3) V （切土残り実績） is the actual amount of remaining cut soil that has not been excavated. （切土残りノミナル） is the nominal value of the remaining cut volume. （切土残り実績） is V （切土残りノミナル） It is normalized by L （土砂ｚノミナル） is the nominal value of the distance traveled by the soil in the z-axis direction. （切土ノミナル）is the nominal value of the excavation volume. （土砂ｚ実績） is the actual distance traveled by the sediment in the z-axis direction. （切土実績） is the actual amount of excavated earth. （土砂ｚ実績） and V （切土実績） 9B, the following will be described. In the cut and fill work, the bulldozer 63 moves downward along the slope from the cut area 61 to the fill area 62, i.e., in the z-axis direction. At this time, the distance in the z-axis direction between the midpoint (z-midpoint) of the cut area and the midpoint (z-midpoint) of the fill area, with the cut and fill boundary as the center, is the actual distance L of the soil movement in the z-axis direction. （土砂ｚ実績） In addition, in (B), the actual cut volume of the cut portion excavated from the cut area 61 is V （切土実績） It is said that. (L （土砂ｚノミナル） V （切土ノミナル） -L （土砂ｚ実績） V （切土実績） ) represents the remaining work in the z-axis direction, and L （土砂ｚノミナル） V （切土ノミナル） is normalized by

[0037] The work path searching unit 28 calculates the evaluation function f(n) for all of the selected candidates (B1), (B2), (B3), (B4), ..., and determines the candidate with the smallest value of evaluation function f(n) as the first unit task. Here, as shown in Figure 7, the value of the evaluation function f(n) calculated for candidate (B1) is the smallest, and so candidate (B1) is determined to be the first unit task.

[0038] At this stage, since there are still unexcavated portions in the cut earth area 61, a candidate unit task to be executed from the second (n=2) starting point is selected to determine the next unit task. Examples of candidate unit tasks are shown in (C1) to (C4) in FIG. 7. As the second candidate unit task, (C1) indicates a unit task that moves one vehicle length from the excavation start point 1-1 at a vehicle travel angle of -45°. (C1) is the same as (B1), which was determined as the first unit task. Since the amount of earth and sand that can be excavated in one pass is limited, if the amount of earth and sand to be excavated is large, excavation is performed multiple times on the same pass. Another candidate, (C2), is the same as (B2), and indicates a unit task that moves two vehicle lengths from the excavation start point 1-1 at a vehicle travel angle of -45°. Furthermore, (C3) is the same as (B3) and indicates a unit work in which the vehicle travels three vehicle lengths from the excavation start point 1-1 at a vehicle travel angle of -45°. Furthermore, (C4) indicates a unit work in which the vehicle travels one vehicle length from the excavation start point 1-2, which is moved from the excavation start point 1-1 along the offset line by the vehicle width of the bulldozer 63, at a vehicle travel angle of 0°. In addition to the above, unit works in which the vehicle travel angle and vehicle travel distance are changed are selected as candidates.

[0039] The work path searching unit 28 calculates the evaluation function f(n) for all of the selected candidates (C1), (C2), (C3), (C4), ..., and determines the candidate with the smallest value of the evaluation function f(n) as the second unit task. Note that in the calculation of the evaluation function f(n), the movement distance L of the bulldozer 63 in the x-y direction is （車体ｘｙ） The backward movement distance from the end position of the previous unit task to the start position of the current unit task is also included in the above. As a result of the calculation, as shown in Fig. 8, the value of the evaluation function f(n) calculated for candidate (C4) is deemed to be the smallest, and candidate (C4) is therefore determined to be the second unit task.

[0040] Similarly, if there are any unexcavated portions remaining in the cut earth area 61, the work path searching unit 28 will carry out the process of determining the next unit task. If there are no more unexcavated portions in the cut earth area 61, the work path searching unit 28 will determine the work path from the start of work to the unit tasks that have been determined up to that point as the optimal work path. Figure 8 (D) shows the work paths from the start of work to the end of the series of unit tasks that have been determined until the remaining cut earth area is gone. Once the optimal work path has been determined, the optimal work path determination process ends.

[0041] Next, as a specific example of the optimum work path determination process by the work path search unit 28, the optimum work path determination process when a shovel is used as the work machine in step S207 of Fig. 4 will be described. Figs. 10 to 12 are diagrams showing a specific example of the optimum work path determination process. Fig. 10(A) is an xy plan view of the construction site seen from above, showing the state before work begins in the work area. As shown in Fig. 10, the cut earth area 71 and the fill earth area 72 are located at a distance from each other, and the distance between the cut earth area 71 and the fill earth area 72 is equal to or less than the threshold value V ｔｈ Therefore, earth and sand excavated by a shovel 73 in the cutting area 71 is loaded onto a dump truck 74, which then transports it to the filling area 72 and unloads it. The transportation route of the dump truck between the cutting area 71 and the filling area 72 is shown by a solid line. The candidate for the unit work start point is set to a position close to the end of the cutting area 71 so that the excavated earth and sand can be loaded. In the state of FIG. 10(A), the unit work has not yet been determined, so g(n) = 0.

[0042] Examples of candidates for the first (n=1) unit operation are shown in (B1) to (B3) in FIG. 10 . Here, the unit operation involves stopping the shovel 73, rotating the swing body at the stopping position, and excavating with the bucket within the swing angle range, loading the excavated soil into a dump truck 74, which then transports the loaded soil to the embankment area 72 and unloads it. The first candidate unit operation is a unit operation in which excavation is performed at a position on a circumference of a circle whose center is the road edge of the dump truck 74 and whose radius is the distance the shovel 73 can excavate, with the shovel 73 stopping as the stopping position. One of the candidates, (B1), represents a unit operation in which excavation is performed at shovel position 1-1 within a range of an excavation swing angle of ±45°. Shovel position 1-1 is located on the circumference of the candidate circle, shown by a dotted line, whose center is the road edge of the dump truck 74 and whose radius is the distance the shovel 73 can excavate. (B2) shows a unit task of excavating at the same shovel position 1-1 as (B1) with an excavation swing angle in the range of ±90°. In this example, the excavation swing angle is selected as a candidate at 45° intervals. The interval between the excavation swing angles selected as candidates and the maximum swing angle are set by the user in the initial setting. (B3) shows a unit task of excavating at shovel position 1-2 with an excavation swing angle in the range of ±45°. Shovel position 1-2 is on the same circumference as shovel position 1-1, but is rotated a predetermined angle from shovel position 1-1. The interval between shovel positions on the same circumference selected as candidates is set by the user in the initial setting. In addition to the above, unit tasks with different shovel positions and excavation swing angles are selected as candidates. A dump truck 74 loaded with soil excavated by a shovel 73 transports the soil to an embankment area 72 and unloads it starting from the farthest position of the embankment area 72 indicated by a circle.

[0043] The work path search unit 28 calculates the evaluation function f(n) of equation (1) for each of the selected candidates.

[0044] Here, in the work performed by the shovel 73, g(n) is expressed by the following equation (4): g(n)=L （土砂ｘｙ実績） V （積載実績） / L （土砂ｘｙノミナル） V （切土ノミナル） +W（ショベル荷積み実績） / W （ショベル荷積みノミナル） +W （ショベル移動実績） / W （ショベル移動ノミナル） +W （ダンプ移動実績） / W （ダンプル移動ノミナル） (4) L （土砂ｘｙ実績） is the actual distance traveled by the sediment in the x-y direction, and L （土砂ｘｙ実績） = length of earth and sand transport route × number of transports. The length of the earth and sand transport route is the distance of the transport route along which the dump truck 74 transports the loaded earth and sand from the candidate point in the cutting area 71 to the discharge position in the filling area 72. V （積載実績） is the actual amount of cut earth excavated by the shovel 73 and loaded onto the dump truck 74. （土砂ｘｙノミナル） is the nominal value of the distance traveled by the soil in the x-y direction. （切土ノミナル） is the nominal value of the excavation volume. （土砂ｘｙ実績） V （積載実績） represents the workload, and L （土砂ｘｙノミナル） V （切土ノミナル） It is normalized by W （ショベル荷積み実績） is the actual amount of work performed by the excavator 73 loading the dump truck 74, and W （ショベル荷積み実績） = Height difference H of the shovel baguette movement （ショベル） × Number of times loading from the shovel to the dump truck × Capacity of the shovel baguette. （ショベル） is the difference in elevation, which is the vertical distance traveled by the baguette from the position where the baguette excavates the soil to the position where the baguette loads the soil onto the dump truck 74 when the shovel 73 loads the soil onto the dump truck 74. The number of times the shovel 73 loads the dump truck 74 is the number of times the baguette excavates soil within the excavation swing angle range at the position where the shovel 73 is stopped and loads it onto the dump truck 74. W （ショベル荷積みノミナル） is the nominal value of the amount of work performed by the excavator 73 loading the dump truck 74. （ショベル荷積み実績） Is W （ショベル荷積みノミナル） It is normalized by W （ショベル移動実績） is the actual amount of work performed by the movement of the excavator 73, and W （ショベル移動実績） = (weight of excavator body x length of route to next candidate point) （ショベル移動ノミナル） is the nominal value of the amount of work done by the movement of the shovel 73.（ショベル移動実績） Is W （ショベル移動ノミナル） It is normalized by W （ダンプ移動実績） is the actual amount of work performed by the dump truck 74, and W （ダンプ移動実績） = (weight of the dump truck body x length of the route from the next candidate point to the unloading position). W （ダンプ移動ノミナル） is the nominal value of the amount of work done by the movement of the dump truck 74. （ダンプ移動実績） Is W （ダンプ移動ノミナル） is normalized by

[0045] Furthermore, h(n) is expressed by the following equation (5): h(n)=V （切土残り実績） / V （切土残りノミナル） (5) V （切土残り実績） is the actual amount of remaining cut soil that has not been excavated. （切土残りノミナル） is the nominal value of the remaining cut volume. （切土残り実績） is V （切土残りノミナル） is normalized by

[0046] The work path searching unit 28 calculates the evaluation function f(n) for all of the selected candidates (B1), (B2), (B3), ..., and then determines the candidate with the smallest value of evaluation function f(n) as the first unit task. Here, as shown in Figure 11, the value of the evaluation function f(n) calculated for candidate (B1) is the smallest, and so candidate (B1) is determined to be the first unit task.

[0047] At this stage, since there are still unexcavated portions in the cut earth area 71, a candidate unit task to be executed from the second (n=2) starting point is selected to determine the next unit task. Examples of candidate unit tasks are shown in (C1) to (C3) in FIG. 11 . As the second candidate unit task, (C1) indicates a unit task of excavating at the shovel position 2-1 with an excavation swing angle of ±45°. Here, the candidate shovel position is a position on the circumference of a new candidate circle whose center is on the innermost arc, which is the end of the excavated area previously determined in (B1), and whose radius is the shovel reach distance that the shovel 73 can excavate. Shovel position 2-1 is located on the circumference of this new candidate circle. (C2) indicates a unit task of excavating at the same shovel position 2-1 as in (C1), with an excavation swing angle of ±90°. Furthermore, (C3) shows a unit task in which excavation is performed at shovel position 2-2 with an excavation swing angle in the range of ±45°. Shovel position 2-2 is on the same circumference as shovel position 2-1, and is located at a position rotated a predetermined angle set by the user in the initial setup from shovel position 2-1. In addition to the above, unit tasks in which the shovel position and excavation swing angle are changed are selected as candidates. Dump truck 74 loaded with earth excavated by shovel 73 transports the earth to embankment area 72 and unloads it in order from the farthest position of embankment area 72. Here, since the earth excavated in the previously determined (B1) was unloaded at the farthest position of embankment area 72, it is unloaded at the farthest position of embankment area 72 excluding that position.

[0048] The work path searching unit 28 calculates the evaluation function f(n) for all of the selected candidates (C1), (C2), (C3), ..., and then determines the candidate with the smallest value of evaluation function f(n) as the second unit task. As a result of the calculation, as shown in Figure 12, the value of the evaluation function f(n) calculated for candidate (C1) is the smallest, and therefore candidate (C1) is determined to be the second unit task.

[0049] Similarly, if there are any unexcavated portions remaining in the cut earth area 71, the work path searching unit 28 will carry out the process of determining the next unit task. If there are no more unexcavated portions remaining in the cut earth area 71, the work path searching unit 28 will determine the work path from the start of work to the end of the series of unit tasks that have been determined up to that point as the optimal work path. Figure 12 (D) shows the work path from the start of work to the end of the series of unit tasks that have been determined until the remaining cut earth area is gone. Once the optimal work path has been determined, the optimal work path determination process ends.

[0050] As explained above, with the work path design device according to this embodiment, the work path search unit 28 determines an optimal work path from among multiple candidates for a unit task, using the candidate that minimizes the evaluation function f(n). Therefore, regardless of the skill level of the worker, it is possible to appropriately determine which work machine should be used and how to move it in each work section to make work efficient.

[0051] The evaluation function f(n) includes the workload required for cut and fill work within the work area as g(n). It also includes the remaining cut soil volume as h(n). This makes it possible to determine a work route for cut and fill work with a small workload. The workload parameters are the workload obtained by multiplying the volume of cut soil by the distance traveled by the cut soil, and the workload obtained by multiplying the weight of the work machine by the distance traveled by the work machine. A work route that achieves a balanced balance of these items is automatically derived.

[0052] Items other than those mentioned above can be added as items for cost calculation. For example, the CO ２ Items such as emissions, distance traveled by tracked vehicles such as bulldozers and excavators, and construction time may be added. These items may also be selectively added depending on the construction site. Items, including those used in the above embodiment, may be replaced or deleted as needed. Since the impact of some items on costs may differ depending on the item, and since some users may wish to place more importance on certain items, each item may be multiplied by an importance coefficient.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the A* algorithm is used as the search algorithm, but other search algorithms such as the Dijkstra algorithm or the best-first search method may also be used.

[0054] Furthermore, the functions of the work route design device 1 can be realized by dedicated hardware or by an ordinary computer system.

[0055] For example, a device that executes the above-described processing can be configured by storing and distributing the program executed by the processor 41 on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium and installing the program on a computer. Examples of such recording media include flexible disks, CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and MOs (Magneto-Optical Discs).

[0056] Alternatively, the program may be stored in a disk device of a server device on a communication network such as the Internet, and may be downloaded to a computer by superimposing the program on a carrier wave, for example.

[0057] The above process can also be achieved by starting and executing the program while transferring it via a communication network.

[0058] Furthermore, the above-described processing can also be achieved by executing all or part of the program on a server device, and executing the program while the computer sends and receives information about the processing via a communications network.

[0059] In addition, when the above-mentioned functions are shared and realized by an OS (Operating System) or by the OS working together with an application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on a medium and distributed, or may be downloaded to a computer.

[0060] Furthermore, the means for realizing the functions of the work route design device 1 is not limited to software, and some or all of the functions may be realized by dedicated hardware including circuits.

[0061] The present invention allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. In other words, the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the meaning of the disclosure equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

[0062] The present invention can be widely applied to work route design devices that design work routes.

[0063] 1 Work route design device, 2 Control unit, 3 Memory unit, 21 Current terrain data acquisition unit, 22 Design terrain data acquisition unit, 23 Work range acquisition unit, 24 Work machine acquisition unit, 25 Map creation unit, 26 Transport route creation unit, 27 Temporary road creation unit, 28 Work route search unit, 31 Terrain DB, 32 Design DB, 41 Processor, 42 Main memory unit, 43 Auxiliary memory unit, 44 Input / output unit, 45 Operation unit, 46 Display unit, 47 Communication unit, 61, 71 Cutting area, 62, 72 Filling area, 63 Bulldozer, 73 Excavator, 74 Dump truck.

Claims

a map creation unit that calculates cut areas and fill areas based on said current topography data and said design topography data; and a work path search unit that searches for a work path along which a work machine will travel when performing cut and fill work between said cut areas and said fill areas, which consist of a series of unit operations, wherein said work path search unit includes a selection process that selects a number of candidate unit operations for cutting from a work start point in said cut area, and a determination process that determines from said number of candidate unit operations the unit operation that will minimize cost as the unit operation to be cut from said work start point, and determines the series of unit operations and finds the work path by setting a location close to the cut point, including the cut area of ​​the determined unit operation, as the next work start point, and repeating the selection process and the determination process for subsequent unit operations until there are no more cut areas.

2. The cost is calculated based on the amount of work, CO ２ The work path planning device according to claim 1 , wherein the parameter is at least one of discharge amount, tracked vehicle travel distance, and construction time.

3. The work route planning device according to claim 2, wherein the workload is calculated by multiplying the amount of earth cut by the distance traveled by the earth cut.

4. A work path planning device according to claim 3, wherein the workload further includes a workload obtained by multiplying the weight of the work machine by the distance traveled by the work machine.

5. A work path design device according to claim 1, further comprising a work range acquisition unit that acquires the range in which the work machine will work, and wherein the work path search unit searches for a work path within the work range.

6. A work path design device as described in claim 1, further comprising a work machine acquisition unit that acquires a range of work machines that can be used for work, and the work path search unit searches for work paths for work machines that are included within the range of the work machines.

7. A work path design device according to claim 6, wherein the work path search unit determines the work machine to be used for a unit work based on the distance between the cutting area and the banking area.

8. The work path design device according to claim 7, wherein the work path search unit compares the distance between the cut area and the fill area with a threshold value, and if the distance is smaller than the threshold value, decides to use a bulldozer as the work machine, and if the distance is greater than the threshold value, decides to use a shovel as the work machine.

9. A work route design device according to claim 1, further comprising a transport route creation unit that creates a transport route for transporting cut earth from the cut area to the fill area based on the distance between the cut area and the fill area.

10. A work route design device according to claim 9, wherein, when the transportation route involves road surface maintenance, the map creation unit recalculates the cut area and the fill area taking into account the road surface maintenance.

11. The work route design device according to claim 9, wherein, when a temporary road is established in place of the transportation route, the map creation unit recalculates the cut area and the fill area taking into account the construction of the temporary road.

12. A work path design method comprising the steps of: acquiring current topography data indicating the current topography of the construction site; acquiring design topography data indicating the design topography of the construction site; calculating cut areas and fill areas based on said current topography data and said design topography data; selecting a plurality of candidate unit operations to be cut from a work start point of said cut area, determining from said plurality of candidate unit operations the unit operation with the smallest cost as the unit operation to be cut from said work start point, setting a location close to the cut point including the cut point of the determined unit operation as the next work start point, and repeating said selection and determination for subsequent unit operations until there are no more cut areas, thereby determining a series of unit operations and calculating a work path for a work machine to travel during cut and fill work between the cut area and the fill area consisting of said series of unit operations.

13. A program that causes a computer to execute the following steps: acquiring current topography data indicating the current topography of the construction site; acquiring design topography data indicating the design topography of the construction site; calculating cut areas and fill areas based on said current topography data and said design topography data; selecting multiple candidate unit operations to be cut from the work start point of said cut area, determining from said multiple candidate unit operations the unit operation with the lowest cost as the unit operation to be cut from said work start point, setting a location close to the cut point including the cut point of the determined unit operation as the next work start point, and repeating said selection and determination for subsequent unit operations until there are no more cut areas, thereby determining a series of unit operations and calculating a work route for a work machine to travel during cut and fill work between the cut area and the fill area consisting of said series of unit operations.

Images