Control system for work machine, work machine, and management system for work machine

• US 10,119,830 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakai, Atsushi, Tanaka, Daisuke, Ryuman, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): RINK, RYAN J
• Application Number:
  US15/305,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20170248439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3848 Data obtained from both position sensors and additional sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3859 Differential updating map data
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/004 Map manufacture or repair; Tear or ink or water resistant maps; Long-life maps printing processes for maps B41M3/02; by permanently attaching map sections to sheets B42B7/00

Abstract

A control system includes: a detector detecting a position of a work machine running on a running path; a non-contact sensor detecting an object at a side of the running path; a generator generating map data of a work site based on detection data from the detector and the non-contact sensor; a first storage storing past map data generated in the generator based on the detection data from the detector and the non-contact sensor acquired in a predetermined period in a past; a second storage storing current map data generated in the generator based on the detection data from the detector and the non-contact sensor; a first calculator calculating integrated map data by integrating the past map data and the current map data; and a second calculator by matching the integrated map data and the detection data from the non-contact sensor, calculates the position of the work machine.

Claims

1. A control system for a work machine, comprising:

a position detecting device that detects a position of a work machine that runs on a running path of a work site of a mine of which a current landform changes day by day;

a non-contact sensor that detects, in a non-contact manner, an object at a side of the running path on which the work machine runs;

a map data generating unit that generates map data that indicates a map of a work site based on detection data from the position detecting device and detection data from the non-contact sensor;

a first storage unit that stores a plurality of past map data generated by the map data generating unit based on the detection data from the position detecting device and the detection data from the non-contact sensor acquired at different predetermined periods in a past, each of the plurality of past map data being generated at a different predetermined period;

a second storage unit that stores current map data generated in the map data generating unit based on the detection data from the position detecting device and the detection data from the non-contact sensor;

an integrated map data calculation unit that calculates integrated map data by integrating a predetermined number of past map data from the plurality of the past map data stored in the first storage unit and the current map data stored in the second storage unit, the predetermined number being greater than one; and

a position calculation unit that by matching the integrated map data calculated by the integrated map data calculation unit and the detection data from the non-contact sensor, calculates the position of the work machine.

2. The control system for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein

the past map data and the current map data are each defined by a plurality of grids,

the grids include binary data that indicate a presence/absence of the object, and

the integration of the past map data and the current map data includes calculation of a logical sum of the binary data of the grids that indicate specific positions of the work site in the past map data, and the binary data of the grids that indicate the specific positions of the work site in the current map data.

3. The control system for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein

when the current map data is stored in the first storage unit, at least one of the plurality of past map data stored in the first storage unit is deleted.

4. The control system for a work machine according to claim 3, comprising

an updating unit that, when a sum of the number of the current map data and the number of the past map data stored in the first storage unit exceeds a predefined value, deletes at least one of the plurality of past map data stored in the first storage unit and stores the current map data in the first storage unit.

5. A work machine comprising a control system, the control system including:

a position detecting device that detects a position of a work machine that runs on a running path of a work site of a mine of which a current landform changes day by day;

a non-contact sensor that detects, in a non-contact manner, an object at a side of the running path on which the work machine runs;

a map data generating unit that generates map data that indicates a map of a work site based on detection data from the position detecting device and detection data from the non-contact sensor;

a first storage unit that stores a plurality of past map data generated by the map data generating unit based on the detection data from the position detecting device and the detection data from the non-contact sensor acquired at different predetermined periods in a past, each of the plurality of past map data being generated at a different predetermined period;

a second storage unit that stores current map data generated in the map data generating unit based on the detection data from the position detecting device and the detection data from the non-contact sensor;

an integrated map data calculation unit that calculates integrated map data by integrating a predetermined number of past map data from the plurality of the past map data stored in the first storage unit and the current map data stored in the second storage unit, the predetermined number being greater than one; and

a position calculation unit that by matching the integrated map data calculated by the integrated map data calculation unit and the detection data from the non-contact sensor, calculates the position of the work machine.

6. A management system for a work machine, comprising:

a work machine comprising a control system that includes;

a position detecting device that detects a position of a work machine that runs on a running path of a work site of a mine of which a current landform changes day by day,

a non-contact sensor that detects, in a non-contact manner, an object at a side of the running path on which the work machine runs,

a map data generating unit that generates map data that indicates a map of a work site based on detection data from the position detecting device and detection data from the non-contact sensor,

a first storage unit that stores a plurality of past map data generated by the map data generating unit based on the detection data from the position detecting device and the detection data from the non-contact sensor acquired at different predetermined periods in a past, each of the plurality of past map data being generated at a different predetermined period,

a second storage unit that stores current map data generated in the map data generating unit based on the detection data from the position detecting device and the detection data from the non-contact sensor,

an integrated map data calculation unit that calculates integrated map data by integrating a predetermined number of past map data from the plurality of the past map data stored in the first storage unit and the current map data stored in the second storage unit, the predetermined number being greater than one, and

a position calculation unit that by matching the integrated map data calculated by the integrated map data calculation unit and the detection data from the non-contact sensor, calculates the position of the work machine; and

a management device that outputs course data that defines the running path to the work machine.