Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02F—DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING
  • E02F3/00—Dredgers; Soil-shifting machines
  • E02F3/04—Dredgers; Soil-shifting machines mechanically-driven
  • E02F3/28—Dredgers; Soil-shifting machines mechanically-driven with digging tools mounted on a dipper- or bucket-arm, i.e. there is either one arm or a pair of arms, e.g. dippers, buckets
  • E02F3/36—Component parts
  • E02F3/3604—Devices to connect tools to arms, booms or the like
  • E02F3/3677—Devices to connect tools to arms, booms or the like allowing movement, e.g. rotation or translation, of the tool around or along another axis as the movement implied by the boom or arms, e.g. for tilting buckets
  • E02F3/3681—Rotators
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02F—DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING
  • E02F3/00—Dredgers; Soil-shifting machines
  • E02F3/04—Dredgers; Soil-shifting machines mechanically-driven
  • E02F3/28—Dredgers; Soil-shifting machines mechanically-driven with digging tools mounted on a dipper- or bucket-arm, i.e. there is either one arm or a pair of arms, e.g. dippers, buckets
  • E02F3/36—Component parts
  • E02F3/42—Drives for dippers, buckets, dipper-arms or bucket-arms
  • E02F3/43—Control of dipper or bucket position; Control of sequence of drive operations
  • E02F3/435—Control of dipper or bucket position; Control of sequence of drive operations for dipper-arms, backhoes or the like
  • E02F3/437—Control of dipper or bucket position; Control of sequence of drive operations for dipper-arms, backhoes or the like providing automatic sequences of movements, e.g. linear excavation, keeping dipper angle constant

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a work assist device for automatically controlling a bucket and a work machine including the work assist device.
• the leveling work is usually an operation in which a boom, a stick, and a bucket are operated simultaneously to move a bottom surface of the bucket while keeping the bottom surface of the bucket at a predetermined angle with respect to a ground surface, and by this operation, the ground surface in front of an upper revolve body of the hydraulic excavator can be linearly leveled in a front-rear (longitudinal) direction of the vehicle.
• the ground surface to be leveled is over a wide range and exceeds a range in which work can be performed by the movement of the front work device in the front-rear direction, or in a case where the vehicle cannot be safely stopped, such as the to-be-leveled ground surface being a slope
• a special work machine having a structure capable of offsetting the boom called an offset boom in the left-right direction of the vehicle, or to work while moving a machine body position (the position of the front work device) by repeatedly traveling a machine body in the lateral direction, which requires time for the work.
• the bucket when an attachment called a tilt rotator is mounted between the stick and the bucket, the bucket can be revolved left and right, and excavation and leveling operations can be performed in the lateral direction with respect to the direction of the front work implement.
• the movement of the bucket in the lateral direction of the vehicle is due to the revolve of the upper revolve body, so that the bucket moves in an arc shape instead of a straight line, and in order to level the ground in a straight line, it is necessary to adjust a position of the bucket in the front-rear direction of the vehicle by an operation of the boom or the stick in accordance with the revolve operation, and the operation is not easy.
• Patent Document 1 WO2019/049701A
• the present invention is to provide a work assist device capable of easily operating a bucket in a straight line with respect to a workface and a work machine including the same.
• the work assist device of the present invention is a work assist device for automatically controlling a position of a bucket and used for a work machine, wherein the work machine includes a machine body, a work device, and an actuator, wherein the machine body has a lower traveling body capable of traveling and an upper revolve body capable of revolving with respect to the lower traveling body, the work device has a boom reversable with respect to the upper revolve body, a stick reversable with respect to the boom, and a bucket reversable with respect to the stick, the actuator makes the lower traveling body, the upper revolve body, the boom, the stick, and the bucket operate respectively, a tilt mechanism for swingably supporting the bucket in a direction intersecting a reverse direction and a revolve mechanism for revolvably supporting the bucket with respect to the tilt mechanism are attached to the work device, and wherein the work assist device comprises a control unit configured to control operations of the boom, the stick, the bucket, the upper revolve body, the tilt mechanism, and the revolve mechanism so as to linearly move the bucket in a pre
• the bucket can be easily acted linearly on the workface.
• FIGS. 1 to 8 an embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 .
• reference numeral 1 represents a work machine.
• a hydraulic excavator is exemplified as a work machine.
• the work machine 1 is provided with a machine body 4 in which an upper revolve body 3 is rotatably provided with respect to a lower traveling body 2, and the upper revolve body 3 is equipped with a work device (front work machine) 5 and a cab 6 that surrounds an operator's cabin in which an operator is boarded.
• the work device 5 includes a boom 7, a stick (arm) 8, and a bucket 9 as an end attachment.
• a proximal end portion of the boom 7 is reversably attached to the upper revolve body 3, and a proximal end portion of the stick 8 is reversably attached to a tip part of the boom 7.
• a tilt rotator 10 can be attached to the work device 5, and the bucket 9 is reversably attached to the distal end portion of the stick 8 via the tilt rotator 10.
• the boom 7 may be formed of a plurality of boom members, such as a so-called two-piece boom employed in an aerial demolition machine or the like.
• the bucket 9 has a curved or bent bottom plate 12, side plates 13 connected to both sides of the bottom plate 12, and a connecting part 14 for connecting with the tilt rotator 10.
• a distal end portion of the bottom plate 12 is a blade portion 15 extending in a width direction of the bucket 9.
• a back surface portion of the bottom plate 12 on the distal end portion side other than the curved part is a planar leveling portion 16 for leveling the workface.
• the lower traveling body 2, the upper revolving body 3, and the work device 5 are each driven by an actuator.
• the actuator is, for example, a fluid pressure actuator, in this embodiment a hydraulic actuator; and a hydraulic cylinder, a hydraulic motor, etc. are used.
• the lower traveling body 2 is driven by a left-right traveling motor 17, which is a hydraulic motor as an actuator, to drive the work machine 1.
• the upper revolve body 3 is driven by a revolve motor 18, which is a hydraulic motor as an actuator, to revolve with respect to the lower traveling body 2.
• the boom 7 is driven by a boom cylinder 19, which is a hydraulic cylinder as an actuator, and reverses with respect to the upper revolve body 3.
• a proximal end portion, that is, a cylinder portion, of the boom cylinder 19 is axially supported by the upper revolve body 3 to be rotatable toward the side of the cab 6, and a distal end portion, that is, a rod is axially supported by the boom 7 so as to be reversable.
• the stick 8 is driven by a stick cylinder (arm cylinder) 20, which is a hydraulic cylinder as an actuator, to rotate relative to the boom 7.
• a proximal end or cylinder portion of the stick cylinder 20 is reversably and axially supported at a top of the boom 7, and the distal end portion or rod is reversably and axially supported at the proximal end of the stick 8.
• the bucket 9 is driven by a bucket cylinder 21, which is a hydraulic cylinder as an actuator, to reverse with the tilt rotator 10 relative to the stick 8.
• a proximal end or cylinder portion of the bucket cylinder 21 is reversably and axially supported to the front of the stick 8, and the distal end portion or rod is reversably and axially supported to the idler link 22 that is reversably connected to the distal end portion of the stick 8.
• the tilt rotator 10 has a tilt mechanism 25 and a revolve mechanism 26, and allows the distal end portion of the blade portion 15 of the bucket 9 to be changed, that is, the angle of the blade portion and the orientation of the bucket 9, thereby enabling multi-directional and diverse work by the bucket 9 to the workface without requiring movement of the work machine 1 or a large work space.
• the tilt mechanism 25 swingably supports the bucket 9 with the revolve mechanism 26 together on the stick 8.
• the tilt mechanism 25 includes a first portion 31 on the root side that is attached to the stick 8, a second portion 32 on the distal end side that is attached to the bucket 9, and a tilt cylinder 33 which is a hydraulic cylinder as an actuator that swings the second portion 32, or a bucket 9 side, relative to the first portion 31. As shown in FIGS.
• the first portion 31 is formed in parallel with a mounting hole 35 reversably, directly, or indirectly via an adapter or coupler, axially supported on the distal end of the stick 8, and an axial support hole 36 reversably and axially supported on the idler link 22, either directly or indirectly via an adapter or coupler.
• the second portion 32 is reversably and axially supported on the first portion 31 via a tilt shaft 38 along a direction intersecting or orthogonal to a direction of penetration of the mounting hole 35 and the axial support hole 36 of the first portion 31.
• the second portion 32 and the bucket 9 attached to the second portion 32 are capable of swinging at a predetermined angle range in a direction intersecting or orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, that is, the width direction of the bucket 9, relative to the first portion 31 and the stick 8 to which the first portion 31 is attached.
• One or two tilt cylinders 33 are disposed.
• the tilt cylinder 33 is axially supported such that the proximal end or cylinder portion is reversable to the first portion 31 and the distal end or rod is axially supported such that it is reversable to the second portion 32.
• the tilt mechanism 25 allows the bucket 9 to swing at a predetermined angle in the width direction, for example, in a range of 40 degrees, as indicated by arrow D1.
• the revolve mechanism 26 revolvably supports the bucket 9 by the tilt mechanism 25.
• the revolve mechanism 26 comprises a second portion 32 of the tilt mechanism 25, a revolve axis 40, and a revolve motor 41, which is a hydraulic motor as an actuator to revolve the bucket 9 side relative to the second portion 32.
• the revolve axis 40 reversably supports the bucket 9 to the second portion 32 along a direction intersecting or orthogonal to the tilt axis 38.
• the bucket 9 is revolvable relative to the second portion 32 while remaining parallel or substantially parallel to the tilt axis 38.
• the bucket 9 is rotatable by 360° with respect to the second portion 32 as indicated by an arrow D2 by the rotational mechanism 26.
• a flow rate and direction of the hydraulic oil, which is the hydraulic fluid supplied to each actuator, are controlled by a control valve 43 shown in FIG. 3 .
• a control valve that is a spool is disposed corresponding to each actuator, and hydraulic oil is supplied and discharged to each actuator via each control valve.
• a main pump 45 is connected, and the main pump 45 is driven by an engine 46.
• the main pump 45 is a variable-displacement pump, wherein a variable-displacement means, such as an inclined plate, is controlled via a regulator 47 or a control valve, so that a discharge flow rate is variable and adjustable.
• each control valve of the control valve 43, the main pump 45, and the engine 46, etc. is controlled by a controller 50 as a control unit.
• the controller 50 generates a control signal based on a command signal input from an operator via an operation device 51, such as an operating lever or an operating pedal disposed in the cab 6 ( FIG. 1 ), and outputs the control signal to each control valve of the control valve 43, the main pump 45, the engine 46, etc.
• each control valve is an electromagnetic proportional valve directly operated by an electrical signal, but it is not limited thereto, and may be a control valve operated by pilot pressure.
• the controller 50 is equipped with a function to automatically control the position of the bucket 9 shown in FIG. 1 , as a work assist device.
• the automatic control function of the controller 50 will be described. Note that, in FIG. 4 , in order to clarify the description, basically only portions related to the automatic control function of the controller 50 are illustrated, and other portions are omitted.
• FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) in an excavation operation or a leveling operation, there is a case that the workface A is at a position laterally offset from the work device 5, that is, the workface A outside the vehicle may be excavated or leveled more than a work range B of the work device 5 at a stop angle of the upper revolve body 3.
• the work plane C on which the work machine 1 can be safely stopped there may be a workface A on a slope where it is difficult for the work machine 1 to safely stop, and work may be performed in a direction intersecting or orthogonal to the slope direction (a direction shown by arrow D3) with respect to the workface A.
• the controller 50 has an automatic control (automatic linear operation control) function that automatically performs an excavation operation or a leveling operation on the workface A by the bucket 9, when the boom 7, the stick 8, the bucket 9, the upper revolve body 3, and the tilt rotator 10 (the tilt mechanism 25 and the revolve mechanism 26) are operated to move the bucket 9 in a linear manner in a predetermined direction and angle, based on an operation command of the revolve of the upper revolve body 3 and the reverse of the stick 8 by the operator, that is, at least when the revolve of the upper revolve body 3 and the reverse of the stick 8 are simultaneously operated.
• An automatic control mode capable of performing the automatic control function is set.
• the workface A may be based on 3D data of the construction site or the like stored in advance in a storage unit that can be referenced by the controller 50, or it may be based on data input by an operator through an input means such as a touch panel monitor provided inside the cab 6, for example. Also shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) is an example of the workface A located to the left relative to the work machine 1 or the operator, but the same applies even to the right.
• the automatic control mode described above can be switched on and off, for example, by an operator via an input means or the like.
• the controller 50 needs to detect the local three-dimensional coordinates of a predetermined point, such as the blade portion 15 (cutting edge) or the leveling portion 16 of the bucket 9.
• a posture detection sensor unit 52 that acquires information for determining a posture of the work machine 1 is connected to the controller 50.
• the sensor unit 52 detects posture information of each part of the work machine 1 and inputs a signal indicating the detected posture information to the controller 50, whereby the controller 50 calculates coordinates of a predetermined point of the bucket 9.
• the sensor unit 52 is provided with a machine-body tilt angle sensor 54.
• the machine-body tilt angle sensor 54 is a sensor that detects a roll angle (a relative tilt angle of the machine body 4 in the left-right direction with respect to the horizontal direction) and a pitch angle (a relative tilt angle of the machine body 4 in the front-rear direction with respect to the horizontal direction) of the machine body 4.
• the machine-body tilt angle sensor 54 is an acceleration sensor, such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU), and may be located at any position if each angle can be detected, but in the illustrated example is located, for example, at the upper revolve body 3.
• IMU inertial measurement unit
• the sensor unit 52 is provided with a boom angle sensor 56, a stick angle sensor 57, and a bucket angle sensor 58.
• the boom angle sensor 56 is a sensor that detects a reverse angle of the boom 7 relative to the machine body 4; the stick angle sensor 57 is a sensor that detects a reverse angle of the stick 8 relative to the boom 7; and the bucket angle sensor 58 is a sensor that detects a reverse angle of the bucket 9 relative to the stick 8.
• the sensors 56, 57, and 58 are acceleration sensors such as inertial measurement units, and may be disposed at any position as long as the respective angles can be detected, but in the illustrated example, the boom angle sensor 56 is disposed between both end portions of the boom 7; the stick angle sensor 57 is disposed between both end portions of the stick 8; and the bucket angle sensor 58 is disposed at a distal end portion of the idler link 22.
• the sensors 56, 57, and 58 may be, for example, general rotation angle sensors or the like, or may detect the angle by detecting the amount of expansion and contraction of the cylinders 19, 20, and 21. Further, in a case where the boom 7 is composed of a plurality of boom members such as a two-piece boom, the boom angle sensor 56 may be disposed for each boom member, and the reverse angle of the boom 7 may be detected from the detection results.
• the sensor unit 52 shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) is provided with a tilt angle sensor 60 and a revolve angle sensor 61.
• the tilt angle sensor 60 is a sensor that detects the tilt angle of the bucket 9 by the tilt mechanism 25.
• the tilt angle sensor 60 is, for example, an acceleration sensor such as an inertial measurement unit, and may be disposed at an arbitrary position as long as the relative tilt angle can be detected, but in the illustrated example, the tilt angle sensor 60 is disposed, for example, on the second portion 32 side of the tilt mechanism 25, for example, in the second portion 32.
• the tilt angle sensor 60 may be, for example, a general rotation angle sensor or the like, or may detect the relative tilt angle by detecting the amount of expansion and contraction of at least one of the tilt cylinders 33.
• the revolve angle sensor 61 is a sensor that detects the revolve angle (rotation angle) of the bucket 9.
• the revolve angle sensor 61 is, for example, a rotation angle sensor (rotary encoder) and may be positioned at any position if the rotation angle can be detected, but in the illustrated example is positioned, for example, on the second portion 32 side of the tilt mechanism 25, for example, within the second portion 32.
• the sensor unit 52 shown in FIG. 4 is provided with a pressure sensor 63.
• the pressure sensor 63 detects the pressure corresponding to, for example, the operation of the operation device 51 by an operator, i.e., the operation of the boom 7, the stick 8, the bucket 9, the travel of the lower traveling body 2, and the revolve of the upper revolve body 3, etc., as shown in FIG. 1 .
• the controller 50 illustrated in FIG. 4 includes at least a determination unit 65 that processes signals input from the operation device 51, the sensor unit 52, and the like and makes a determination based on those signals, a calculation unit 66 that processes the signals input from the sensor unit 52 and calculates control information, and a machine control unit 67 that generates and outputs a control signal based on the information calculated by the calculation unit 66.
• the determination unit 65 determines whether or not each operation is input by the operation device 51, whether or not automatic control can be performed, and the like.
• the calculation unit 66 is a target calculation unit that calculates a target automatic control amount (target angular speed) of each of the upper revolve body 3, the boom 7, the stick 8, the bucket 9, the tilt mechanism 25 and the revolve mechanism 26 shown in FIG. 1 , which is necessary to operate the bucket 9 in a linear manner with a predetermined orientation and angle.
• the machine control unit 67 shown in FIG. 4 is a signal generating unit that calculates a current value, which is a calculated value according to the automatic control amount of the actuator, in accordance with each target automatic control amount calculated by the calculation unit 66, and generates a signal to output the current value to a control valve, which is an electromagnetic proportional valve that controls the amount of oil supplied to the actuator.
• Control valves 70-75 are set as control valves. The control valves 70-75 correspond to each of the revolve motor 18, the boom cylinder 19, the stick cylinder 20, the bucket cylinder 21, the tilt cylinder 33, and the revolve motor 41 shown in FIG. 1 .
• the machine control unit 67 generates and outputs a control signal of the regulator 47 ( FIG. 3 ) for the main pump 45.
• the machine control unit 67 calculates a current value to be output to the regulator 47 ( FIG. 3 ) in accordance with the current value to be output to the control valves 70 to 75, and outputs the current value to the control valve 76 for controlling the regulator 47 ( FIG. 3 ).
• the automatic control function of the controller 50 of the present embodiment preferably operates only when the operator desires while the automatic control mode is on.
• a trigger switch 77 is provided to indicate the operator's intention to start the automatic control function, and the automatic control function is configured to operate with the automatic control mode on, provided that the trigger switch 77 is pressed at least in addition to the revolving of the upper revolve body 3 and the reverse of the stick 8 shown in FIG. 1 .
• the trigger switch 77 is disposed in the operation device 51, such as an operating lever disposed inside the cab 6.
• a direction of the lower traveling body 2 of the work machine 1 (a direction of a straight line formed by a side edge of a crawler belt of the lower traveling body 2) is the X-axis direction; a direction perpendicular to the X-axis (a direction perpendicular to the straight line L formed by the side edge of the crawler belt of the lower traveling body 2) on the work plane C on which the lower traveling body 2 is placed is the Y-axis direction; and a direction perpendicular to the work plane C on which the lower traveling body 2 is placed is the Z-axis direction.
• the controller 50 carries out excavation or leveling work parallel or substantially parallel to the X axis by the bucket 9 based on the rotation of the operator and the operation of the stick 8.
• the operator adjusts the bucket 9 to a desired work start position by means of operations of the normal work device 5.
• the work start position is a position away from the lower traveling body 2 of the work machine 1 to the side (right or left), and can be set to a desired position in a range in which the blade portion 15 or the leveling portion 16 of the bucket 9 reaches the workface A in the work device 5, that is, a range in which work can be performed in the work device 5.
• This operation is performed manually by the operator and is not included in the automatic control function by the controller 50.
• the controller 50 automatically moves the bucket 9 in the direction of movement along a virtual line L1, which is parallel or substantially parallel to the X axis passing through a starting point P, the starting point P being the work start position, while maintaining an angle of the cutting edge or the leveling portion 16 of the bucket 9 relative to the workface A shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) .
• the bucket 9 is in a posture in which automatic control can be carried out.
• automatic control can be implemented only when the posture of the work machine 1 is within a predetermined range.
• the posture of the work machine 1 is, for example, the orientation of the bucket 9 with respect to the workface A, and as an example, if the bucket 9 is determined to be lateral or upward with respect to the workface A, it is a posture in which automatic control should not be implemented.
• a notification means such as a touch panel monitor.
• the controller 50 controls the operation of the boom 7, the stick 8, the bucket 9, the tilt mechanism 25 and the revolve mechanism 26, respectively, based on the revolve speed and revolve angle of the upper revolve body 3.
• the automatic control by the controller 50 continues until the work device 5 deviates from the range reached by the blade portion 15 or leveling portion 16 of the bucket 9, that is, the work device 5 can work, provided that the revolve operation of the upper revolve body 3 by the operation device 51, the reverse operation of the stick 8 by the operation device 51, and the input of the trigger switch 77 are carried out.
• the execution of automatic control is stopped.
• the automatic control mode may continue even if the execution of the automatic control is stopped.
• the control of the normal work device 5 may be implemented in accordance with the operator's operation input by the operation device 51.
• step S1 the controller 50 determines, based on the input from the sensor unit 52, whether the angle of the blade portion 15 (cutting edge) or the leveling portion 16 of the bucket 9 is within a predetermined angle range by the determination unit 65. In step S1, when it is determined that the angle of the blade portion 15 (cutting edge) or the leveling portion 16 of the bucket 9 is not within a predetermined angle range (in the case of NO in step S1), step S1 is repeated without performing automatic control.
• step S2 determines by the determination unit 65 whether the revolve angle of the upper revolve body 3 and the revolve angle of the bucket 9 by the revolve mechanism 26 are within a predetermined angle range, respectively, based on the input from the sensor unit 52.
• Steps S1 and S2 are steps of determining in advance whether or not the posture of the work machine 1 (the orientation of the bucket 9) is within a predetermined range. The order of step S1 and step S2 may be reversed.
• step S2 When it is determined in step S2 that at least one of the revolve angle of the upper revolve body 3 and the revolve angle of the bucket 9 by the revolve mechanism 26 is not within a predetermined angle range (in the case of NO in step S2), the process proceeds to step S1 without performing automatic control.
• step S3 the controller 50 determines by the determination unit 65 whether the revolve operation of the upper revolve body 3 by the operation device 51, the reverse operation of the stick 8 by the operation device 51, and the input of the trigger switch 77 are performed, respectively, based on the input from the operation device 51 and/or the pressure sensor 63 and the input of the trigger switch 77.
• step S3 when it is determined that at least one of the revolve operation of the upper revolve body 3 by the operation device 51, the reverse operation of the stick 8 by the operation device 51, and the input of the trigger switch 77 have not been performed (in the case of NO in step S3), the process proceeds to step S1 without performing automatic control.
• step S4 when it is determined in step S3 that the revolve operation of the upper revolve body 3 by the operation device 51, the reverse operation of the stick 8 by the operation device 51, and the input of the trigger switch 77 are respectively performed (in the case of Yes in step S3), in step S4, the controller 50 notifies the operator via a notification means such as a display means that the conditions for performing automatic control are met.
• step S5 the controller 50 calculates the target automatic control amount of revolve of the upper revolve body 3 by the calculation unit 66 in accordance with an operation amount input of the revolve operation of the upper revolve body 3 by the operation device 51.
• the controller 50 calculates the target automatic control amount (target angular speed) of the revolve of the upper revolve body 3 by the calculation unit 66.
• This control is identical to, for example, the output to the control valve 70 for the normal revolve operation of the upper revolve body 3. That is, the angular speed of the revolve of the upper revolve body 3 is determined in response to the operation amount input of the operation device 51 for the revolve operation.
• step S6 the controller 50 calculates, by the calculation unit 66, in accordance with the input from the sensor unit 52, the target automatic control amount of revolve of the upper revolve body 3 calculated in step S5, and an operating direction of the reverse operation of the stick 8 by the operation device 51, a target automatic control amount of reverse of the boom 7, the stick 8 and the bucket 9 in order to keep the blade portion 15 (cutting edge) or the leveling portion 16 of the bucket 9 along the workface A and the rotation angle of the bucket 9 the same as at the start of control, and a target automatic control amount of swing and revolve of the bucket 9.
• the bucket 9 moves in an arc-shaped trajectory L2, whereas in this automatic control, the bucket 9 is moved along a virtual line L1 parallel or substantially parallel to the X axis.
• the speed of movement of the bucket 9 in the X-axis direction is defined as an X-axis component of the angular speed of the bucket 9, and thus will vary depending on the revolve angle of the upper revolve body 3. That is, the speed of movement of the bucket 9 in the X-axis direction is determined according to the revolve angular speed and revolve angle of the upper revolve body 3. Therefore, in order to calculate the target automatic control amount, in addition to the revolve angular speed of the upper revolve body 3, the revolve angle is required.
• the operation amount input of the operation device 51 ( FIG. 1 ) for operating the stick 8 is used only for detection of the input direction by the operator and not for speed control of the stick 8 (stick cylinder 20).
• the controller 50 calculates, by the calculation unit 66 ( FIG. 4 ), a boom target automatic control amount (boom cylinder speed), a stick target automatic control amount (stick cylinder speed), a bucket target automatic control amount (bucket cylinder speed), a tilt target angular speed automatic control amount (tilt cylinder speed), and a revolve angular speed target automatic control amount (revolve motor speed).
• a boom target automatic control amount boom cylinder speed
• a stick target automatic control amount stick cylinder speed
• bucket cylinder speed bucket target automatic control amount
• tilt target angular speed automatic control amount tilt target angular speed automatic control amount
• a revolve angular speed target automatic control amount revolve motor speed.
• the calculation unit 66 may further calculate the main pump target automatic control amount (pump discharge amount).
• the coordinates and angles of the bucket 9 are values related to the posture of the work device 5 and the tilt rotator 10 detected by the sensor unit 52 and the revolve angle of the upper revolve body 3, the specific formula is omitted because the respective values can be obtained based on the constraint conditions of the work machine 1 and the work device 5, for example.
• step S7 the controller 50 calculates a current value in the machine control unit 67 so that the current value becomes the target automatic control amount calculated in steps S5 and S6, and outputs the current value to the control valves 70 to 75 and, if necessary, the control valve 76, thereby starting automatic control.
• step S8 the controller 50 determines, by the determination unit 65, whether a revolve operation of the upper revolve body 3 by the operation device 51, a reverse operation of the stick 8 by the operation device 51, and an input of the trigger switch 77 are performed, respectively, based on an input from the operation device 51 and/or the pressure sensor 63, and the trigger switch 77.
• step S8 if it is determined that the revolve operation of the upper revolve body 3 by the operation device 51, the reverse operation of the stick 8 by the operation device 51, and the input of the trigger switch 77 are respectively carried out (in a case of Yes of step S8), in step S9, the controller 50 determines, by the determination unit 65, the calculation unit 66, or the machine control unit 67, etc., whether or not the blade portion 15 (cutting edge) or the leveling portion 16 of the bucket 9 is within a predetermined range reached by the work device 5 based on the posture information and/or the control information of the work machine 1, such as the revolve angle of the upper revolve body 3, the coordinates of the point J, or an upper/lower limit of each automatic control amount, etc.
• step S9 if it is determined that the blade portion 15 (cutting edge) or leveling portion 16 of the bucket 9 is within a predetermined range (in the case of Yes in step S9), the process proceeds to step S8.
• step S8 if it is determined in step S8 that at least one of the revolve operation of the upper revolve body 3 by the operation device 51, the reverse operation of the stick 8 by the operation device 51, and the input of the trigger switch 77 have not been carried out (in the case of NO of step S8), and if it is determined in step S9 that the blade portion 15 or leveling portion 16 of the bucket 9 is not within a predetermined range (in the case of NO of step S9), the automatic control ends in step S10, and the process proceeds to step S1. Note that the steps S8 and S9 may be reversed in order.
• the operator performs automatic control by changing the work start position while stopping the travel of the work machine 1, whereby the workface A can be easily excavated or leveled over a wide range along the X-axis direction.
• the controller 50 controls the operations of the boom 7, the stick 8, the bucket 9, the upper revolve body 3, the tilt mechanism 25, and the revolve mechanism 26 based on the operation command for revolving the upper revolve body 3 and reversing the stick 8, so that the bucket 9 moves linearly in a predetermined direction and angle. Therefore, the operator only performs a revolve operation to determine the movement direction and movement speed of the bucket 9 in a straight line, and a stick operation to determine the movement direction of the bucket 9 in a straight line, so that the bucket 9 automatically operates linearly while maintaining the orientation and angle with respect to the workface A, whereby the bucket 9 can be easily acted linearly with respect to the workface A. It is possible to easily perform operations that generally require proficiency, such as excavation operations and leveling operations in the horizontal (left and right) direction with respect to the orientation of the work device 5, even for inexperienced operators.
• the direction in which the bucket 9 is linearly operated can be determined without requiring complicated teaching operation or data input of the workface A, only by an operator determining the direction of the lower traveling body 2 of the work machine 1 in the direction to be executed and stopping it, and the direction of automatic control of the bucket 9 can be easily determined and corrected with reference to the direction of the lower traveling body 2 according to the situation of the site.
• the bucket 9 is automatically operated linearly while maintaining the angle and height with respect to the workface A at a position on the side of the machine body 4 of the work machine 1 by simply inputting the operation of the upper revolve body 3 and the stick 8 without requiring detailed definition or teaching in advance, and the work machine 1 can be provided which is convenient to easily execute a work requiring the skill of the operator to be operated and which has good workability.
• the present invention has industrial applicability for businesses engaged in manufacturing and sales of work machines such as hydraulic excavators and work assist devices thereof.

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• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
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• Operation Control Of Excavators (AREA)

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• 2024
  • 2024-04-24 JP JP2024070514A patent/JP2025166452A/ja active Pending
• 2025
  • 2025-04-02 EP EP25168125.0A patent/EP4640954A1/de active Pending

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