JPH0820975A - Construction machinery monitoring equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] In a construction machine for unmanned work, ensure that a necessary forward field of view in the turning direction is obtained when the upper-part turning body turns. [Structure] In addition to the TV camera 11 in the cab 3 of the hydraulic excavator, a second TV camera 20 on the roof of the cab 3 operates in conjunction with the turning motion of the upper swing body 2. It is installed so as to be attached to the platform 21. When the turning operation means 10a of the remote control device 10 is operated, the turning operation detection circuit 28 detects the turning direction and the turning amount, and the signals thereof are input to the second camera platform control circuit 29 to cause the electric motor 25 to move. The second platform 21 is driven by controlling the operation of. Second pan head control circuit 2
In 9, the rotation direction of the second platform 21 is determined based on the signal related to the turning direction, and based on the signal related to the turning amount, the second platform 2 is rotated until the required panning angle is reached.
1 rotates. When the operation of the turning operation means 10a is stopped, it is detected by the turning operation detection circuit 28, and this signal is the second signal.
The second television camera 20 is returned to the original position by being taken into the pan head control circuit 29 of FIG.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a construction machine monitoring apparatus for monitoring the periphery of a work site in a construction machine that is remotely controlled.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a construction machine, for example, when a hydraulic excavator is carried into a dangerous area to perform work such as excavation of earth and sand, an operator does not board the vehicle, but operates as an unmanned machine that can be operated by a remote control device. With this remote control device, the traveling of the lower traveling structure, the revolving of the upper revolving structure, and the operation of the working mechanism are performed. In remotely operating such an unmanned hydraulic excavator, the operator must confirm the work site where this hydraulic excavator is placed, and for this purpose, install a TV camera in the cab,
An image obtained by this television camera is displayed on a monitor device attached to the remote operation device, and the operator operates the remote operation device while visually observing the image obtained by this monitor device.

In order to improve the safety of operation and the efficiency of work, it is necessary that the visual field of the television camera is substantially the same as the visual field obtained when the operator actually rides on the hydraulic excavator. For this reason, there is a configuration in which the television camera is not fixedly provided, but is mounted on a platform so that the visual field direction can be appropriately changed.
This pan head must also be able to be operated remotely. For this purpose, a pan head control means is attached to the remote control device, and by operating this pan head control means, the field of view of the TV camera can be changed in the horizontal direction. There is also known one configured so that it can be changed to the (pan direction) and the vertical direction (tilt direction).

With such a configuration, when the remote control device is operated, when the traveling by the lower traveling body of the hydraulic excavator, the revolving of the upper revolving body and the operation of the front working mechanism are performed, an image obtained from the television camera is used. , The necessary field of view is secured for the operation.

[0005]

By the way, the operator operates the remote control device to operate the hydraulic excavator. In addition to this, the operator also operates the camera platform control means to adjust the field of view of the television camera. There is a need to do. When traveling the hydraulic excavator, it is only necessary to secure the front field of view, and it is not necessary to operate the platform operation means at the same time as the remote operation device. Further, when operating the front work mechanism, in order to maintain the field of view of the TV camera at the site where the work is performed, the platform control means is operated in advance to bring the field of view of the TV camera at the site where the work is performed. In some cases, it is necessary to turn the front working mechanism, but it is not necessary to change the special field of view when actually operating the front working mechanism.For this purpose, the platform control means must be operated while operating the remote control device. It is rare that the situation will not occur.

On the other hand, when the upper revolving structure is turned, it must be confirmed that there are no obstacles around it.
It is necessary to direct the visual field forward in the turning direction, and how much the visual field should be directed forward in the turning direction depends on the size of the turning and the turning speed. Therefore, it is ideal to operate the platform control means so as to obtain a proper visual field in the front of the turning direction while performing the turning operation by the remote control device. However, it is extremely difficult to perform a combined operation of operating the remote control device and the platform control device at the same time. In particular, it is substantially impossible to simultaneously operate the platform control device while performing a combined operation of turning and the front working mechanism. For this purpose, the operator first operates the platform control means so that the television camera is directed forward in the turning direction. With the television camera fixed at this position, the operator operates the remote control device to move the upper swing body. Therefore, there is a problem in that an appropriate field of view cannot always be obtained when turning. In addition, it cannot be said that the visual field in the lateral direction can be effectively secured depending on the television camera installed in the driver's cab in the first place, and therefore, the visual field that can be secured during turning is limited. From the above, it has been extremely difficult to ensure the safety of the swing operation of the upper swing body without an unmanned construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator at a work site with many obstacles.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to automatically obtain a necessary visual field in the front of the turning direction when the upper turning body turns. It is in.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention mounts an upper revolving structure on a lower traveling structure so that the upper revolving structure is revolvable, and a working mechanism is mounted on the upper revolving structure. In a construction machine for unmanned work in which the traveling of the lower traveling body, the revolving of the upper swing body, and the operation of the working mechanism are performed by the operation, a television camera for monitoring the swing and the television camera installed on the upper swing body. Based on a signal from a pan head that horizontally turns the pan and a turning operation means that constitutes a remote control device, the pan head is operated in conjunction with the operation of turning the upper swing body, and the television camera Is provided with a platform control means for rotating the upper revolving structure so as to secure a visual field in the front of the revolving direction of the upper revolving structure.

[0009]

When the turning operation means is operated to turn the upper revolving structure, the television camera for turning monitoring turns forward in the turning direction, so that the field of view forward in the turning direction is secured. When the swing of the upper swing body is small and the swing is slow, the field of view of the television camera does not need to be so much in front of the field of view, but rather it is preferable to obtain a relatively close field of view. On the other hand, when the upper revolving superstructure is large and swivels at a high speed, it is necessary to obtain a considerably front view with a television camera. When the operation amount of the platform control means is small (that is, when the upper swing body is slightly swung), the turning angle of the television camera is small and a relatively close visual field can be obtained. On the other hand, when the operation amount is large (that is, when the upper-part turning body is turned largely), the turning speed of the television camera increases. As a result, when the turning operation is performed, the direction of the television camera is automatically changed / adjusted so that the necessary visual field in the turning direction can be obtained according to the operation amount. As a result, it is possible to effectively monitor the front in the turning direction and avoid any obstacles or the like.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the overall construction of a hydraulic excavator as a typical construction machine. In the figure, 1
Is a lower traveling body, 2 is an upper revolving body, and the upper revolving body 2
Is provided with a driver's cab 3 similar to a normal hydraulic excavator, and is also equipped with a front working mechanism 4. As is well known, the front working mechanism 4 is a front attachment such as a boom, an arm, and a bucket (none of them are shown).
Consists of The lower traveling structure 1 is driven by operating a traveling hydraulic motor, the upper revolving structure 2 is driven by operating a revolving hydraulic motor, and the front working mechanism 4 is driven by a hydraulic cylinder. It has become so.

Although this hydraulic excavator is provided with a driver's cab 3, it is designed so that it can be operated remotely without an operator. Therefore, in order to control the operation of the traveling hydraulic motor, the turning hydraulic motor, and the hydraulic cylinders for the front working mechanism 4 (hereinafter collectively referred to as hydraulic actuators), the remote control device 10 is operated.
Is provided. The remote control device 10 is installed at a safe position and wirelessly operates a hydraulic actuator. A television camera 11 is installed in the driver's cab 3 in order to enable the operator to operate the remote control device 10, and the television camera 11 can obtain a view of the work site. There is. The television camera 11 is mounted on the platform 12 so as to be capable of panning in a horizontal direction and tilting in a vertical direction. The platform control device 13 for remotely operating the platform 12 is a television The remote control device 1 together with the monitor device 14 for displaying the image from the camera 11
It is attached to 0.

In addition to the television camera 11, the hydraulic excavator is installed on the roof of the operator's cab 3 such that a second television camera 20 used for turning monitoring is mounted on a second platform 21. ing. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the second television camera 20 is in a state in which the front working mechanism 4 is within the visual field in a normal state, and this is the origin position of the second television camera 20. When the upper swing body 2 swings, the second pan / tilt head 21 is operated and the second television camera 20 is panned from the origin position as indicated by an arrow in the figure, thereby turning the swing direction. It is for monitoring the front in. Then, the video image taken by the second television camera 20 is displayed on the second monitor device 22 attached to the remote control device 10 together with the monitor device 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second platform 21 has a panning base 2 to which a second television camera 20 is fixed.
1a, and a rotary shaft 23 is connected to the pan 21a. A gear 24 is connected to the rotary shaft 23, and the gear 24 meshes with a drive gear 26 that is connected to an electric motor 25 for panning, which can rotate in the forward and reverse directions.
Therefore, when the electric motor 25 is operated, the rotating shaft 23 is rotated and the pan 21a is horizontally rotated, so that the field of view of the second television camera 20 is changed. The panning angle of the second television camera 20 can be detected by the encoder 27 that detects the rotation angle of the rotation shaft 23.

Thus, the second platform 21 is designed to operate in conjunction with the swinging motion of the upper swing body 2.
For this purpose, the camera platform control means is provided, and the camera platform control means is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the turning operation detecting circuit 28 for detecting the operation is connected to the turning operation means 10a of the operating means of the hydraulic actuator constituting the remote operation device 10, and the turning operation means 10a is operated. And this turning operation detection circuit 2
The turning direction and the turning amount are detected by 8. Then, the signal regarding the turning direction and the signal regarding the turning amount are input to the second platform control circuit 29. And
By controlling the operation of the electric motor 25 based on the signal from the second platform control circuit 29, the second platform 21
Is designed to drive. Here, in the second platform control circuit 29, based on the signal relating to the turning direction detected by the turning operation detection circuit 28, the electric motor 25
Is determined to be normally or reversely rotated, a necessary panning angle is set on the basis of a signal relating to the turning amount, the output signal from the encoder 27 is compared with the comparator 30, and the second cloud The electric motor 25 is operated until it is detected that the platform 21 has reached the set panning angle. Further, when the operation of the turning operation means 10a is stopped, it is detected by the turning operation detection circuit 28, and this signal is taken into the second camera platform control circuit 29 so that the second television camera 20 is returned to the origin position. It has become.

With the above construction, the hydraulic excavator can be operated by remote control using the remote control device 10. TV camera 11 in the cab 3
Is provided, and the image from the TV camera 11 is displayed on the monitor device 14 attached to the remote control device 10. Therefore, by visually observing the monitor device 14,
A view of the working area is obtained. As the operation of the hydraulic excavator, first, the lower traveling body 1 travels. Since the front view is obtained by the monitor device 14, this monitor device 14
By operating the remote control device 10 while visually observing, it is possible to drive safely and smoothly.

Also, when performing work by the front work mechanism 4, it is possible to drive the hydraulic cylinder of the front work mechanism 4 in the remote control device 10 while viewing the image of the work area on the monitor device 14. here,
When traveling, the field of view by the TV camera 11 is almost straight ahead, but when operating the front work mechanism 4, it may be preferable to point it slightly diagonally in the lateral direction.
Depending on the work site, it may be preferable to direct the field of view downward or upward. In this case, the viewing direction of the television camera 11 can be arbitrarily adjusted by operating the platform operating device 13.

On the other hand, when the upper revolving superstructure 2 is revolving, it is necessary to monitor the front in the revolving direction in order to avoid collision with an obstacle or the like. For this reason, a forward visual field in the turning direction is required, but it is preferable from the viewpoint of safety and the like to adjust this visual field according to the turning amount and the turning speed. However, since it is necessary to operate the remote control device 10, it is difficult to perform the turning operation and the operation of changing the visual field of the television camera 11 at the same time.

However, when the turning operation means 10a of the remote control device 10 is operated, the turning operation and the turning amount of this operation are detected by the turning operation detection circuit 28, and the signals relating to the turning direction and the turning amount are detected by the second operation. It is taken into the platform control circuit 29. Then, based on the signal from the second camera platform control circuit 29, the second camera platform 21 is activated and the second TV camera 20 at the origin position is rotated forward in the turning direction in the horizontal direction. Move. As a result, an image in the front of the turning direction is displayed on the second monitor device 22, so that the operator visually checks the image on the second monitor device 22 so that an obstacle or the like appears on the turning trajectory of the upper swing body 2. Whether or not there is an obstacle can be monitored, and if there is an obstacle or the like, the avoidance operation can be performed.

Here, the field of view in the front of the turning direction by the second television camera 20 needs to be changed according to the turning amount and the turning speed. That is, when the degree of turning is small and the player turns slowly, the field of view of the second television camera 20 should be slightly directed forward in the turning direction, and should not be directed very forward. However, when the upper swing body 2 is swung to a large extent, the second television camera 20 needs to take a visual field forward.
The second platform control circuit 29 is adapted to detect not only the turning direction but also the operation amount of the turning operation based on the turning operation detection circuit 28. The panning angle of the pan head 21 is controlled.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the second camera platform control circuit 29
The panning angle signal proportional to the turning amount input to is output to the comparator 30, and the panning angle signal is compared with the current position signal of the second platform 21 output from the encoder 27. The pan base 21a of the second platform 21 is rotated until they match. As a result, the required front view in the turning direction can be reliably ensured depending on whether the vehicle makes a large turn or a small amount of turn. Further, when the turning operation is completed or interrupted, the second platform control circuit 2
Since the panning angle signal captured by 9 becomes 0, the second platform 21 operates and immediately the second TV camera 2
0 returns to the origin position.

The second television camera 20 is not only used for ensuring monitoring in the front of the turning direction, but is held at the origin position except when turning, so that the second monitor device 22 is provided with the front working mechanism 4. Since the image is taken, the efficiency, certainty, safety, etc. of the work can be further improved by referring to the image of the second monitor device 22 when performing work such as excavation of earth and sand by the front work mechanism 4. To be done. When the front working mechanism 4 is operated, if the television camera 11 installed in the cab 3 is operated so as to be directed slightly downward, it is possible to secure an extremely wide field of view at the work site. Become. Further, a signal from the traveling operation means of the remote control device is also incorporated into the second platform control circuit, and when the lower traveling body 1 is moved backward by this traveling operation means, the second television camera 20 is operated. If it is rotated by 180 °, it is possible to effectively secure the rear visual field when the vehicle is moving backward, and it is possible to ensure the safety when driving the vehicle backward.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, a television camera for turning monitoring is installed on the upper swinging body of a construction machine so as to be horizontally rotatable by a pan head, and the swing operation is performed by a remote control device. When the operation of rotating the upper revolving structure is performed by the means, the platform control unit operates the platform in conjunction with the revolving operation so that the television camera secures the field of view in the front of the upper revolving structure in the revolving direction. Since it is configured to rotate in the vertical direction, the required field of view in the front of the turning direction can be automatically acquired when the upper revolving structure is turned, and it becomes possible to effectively monitor the front of the turning direction and perform a safe turning operation. There is an effect that it can be made.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a hydraulic excavator as a construction machine and a remote control device thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the hydraulic excavator shown together with a remote control device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a second platform.

FIG. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram of control means of a second platform.

FIG. 5 is an output signal characteristic diagram of a second platform control circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower traveling body 2 Upper revolving structure 3 Driver's cab 4 Front working mechanism 10 Remote control device 11 TV camera 14 Monitor device 20 Second TV camera 21 Second pan head 21a Panning base 22 Second monitor device 25 Electric motor 27 Encoder 28 Turning operation detection circuit 29 Second pan head control circuit 30 Comparator

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An upper revolving structure is rotatably mounted on a lower traveling structure, a working mechanism is mounted on the upper revolving structure, and the lower traveling structure is moved by a remote operation. In a construction machine for unmanned work that is operated, a turn monitoring television camera, a platform installed on the upper swing body and horizontally turning the television camera, and a remote control device are provided. Based on a signal from the turning operation means, the pan head is operated in conjunction with the operation of turning the upper revolving structure, and the television camera is rotated so as to secure a field of view in the front of the upper revolving structure in the turning direction. A construction machine monitoring device, characterized in that it is configured to include a pan head control means. 2. The pan / tilt head control means is configured to detect an operation amount of the turning operation means and rotate the television camera so as to form an angle corresponding to the operation amount. Item 1. A construction machine monitoring device according to item 1.