Excavator Front-Facing Control for Target Work Surface Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of excavators feel burdened when manually aligning the upper turning body to face the target work surface, requiring repetitive turning operations.
Innovation Solution
An excavator control apparatus that automatically aligns the upper turning body to face the target work surface using information about the work surface and the turning body's orientation, enabling autonomous or semi-autonomous front-facing control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual turning operation is performed to align the upper turning body with the target work surface, then the alignment accuracy is improved, but the operator burden and operation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control apparatus automatically performs the alignment operation using detection information about the upper turning body's orientation and the target work surface, eliminating the need for manual turning operations while maintaining alignment accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical turning operation with an automated control system that uses detection information and control signals to achieve alignment, reducing operator burden while maintaining precision
2Measurement precision
If manual turning operation is performed to align the upper turning body with the target work surface, then the alignment accuracy is improved, but the operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control apparatus continuously detects the orientation of the upper turning body and the target work surface in advance, and automatically performs alignment operations without waiting for manual intervention, thereby reducing operation time while maintaining accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically performs alignment operations based on detected information, eliminating the time-consuming manual turning process while ensuring accurate alignment with the target work surface
3Ease of operation
If automatic front-face control is implemented, then the operator burden is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control apparatus integrates multiple functions including detection of upper turning body orientation, detection of target work surface characteristics, automatic calculation of alignment parameters, and control signal generation, thereby reducing operator burden while managing complexity through functional integration
Solution Approach 2:
The control apparatus acts as an intermediary between the detection systems and the turning mechanism, processing detection information and generating appropriate control signals, which manages the complexity by providing a centralized control interface
Data Source
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AI summary
A technique capable of reducing burden felt by an operator when making the upper turning body of the excavator front-face the target work surface, is provided. The excavator 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the controller 30 configured to perform front-face control to operate the turning hydraulic motor 2A such that the upper turning body 3 is caused to front-face a target work surface, based on information regarding the target work surface and information regarding the orientation of the upper turning body 3, wherein the controller 30 performs the front-face control such that the upper turning body 3 maintains a state of front-facing the target work surface. Further, in an excavator according to another embodiment, the controller 30 starts performing the front-face control when the upper turning body 3 is operated to turn in a direction such that the attachment comes near the target work surface.