Mining work machine

• US 10,656,265 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2017
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Uotsu, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Akonai, Olumide Ajibade
• Application Number:
  US15/756,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20180252810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 47/00 Machines for obtaining or the removal of materials in open-pit mines obtaining peat E21C49/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/726 Multiple target tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93276 in the windshield area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/412 based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/415 Identification of targets based on measurements of movement associated with the target
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A mining work machine includes an obstacle determination device connected to a periphery detection device. If measurement points detected by the periphery detection device in a current cycle are equal to or greater than predetermined size thresholds equivalent in size to the mining work machine, these measurement points are put into a single obstacle candidate group. Based on relative speeds of the obstacle candidate at the measurement points and a traveling speed of the mining work machine, it is determined whether the obstacle candidate is a stationary object or a moving object, and whether the stationary object has been also detected by the periphery detection device in a preceding cycle. If a position of detection of the stationary object detected for the first time is equal to or smaller than a non-obstacle determination distance threshold, the obstacle determination device outputs the obstacle candidate as a non-obstacle.

Claims

1. A mining work machine including:

a periphery detection device that radially irradiates millimeter-waves forward in a traveling direction, receives reflected waves from a plurality of measurement points, and periodically detects positions of the measurement points and speeds of the measurement points relative to the mining work machine, and

a speed sensor that detects a traveling speed of the mining work machine, wherein;

the mining work machine further comprises an obstacle determination device that determines whether an obstacle candidate is a non-obstacle which would not interfere with traveling of the mining work machine; and

the obstacle determination device comprises;

a grouping processing section that puts the detected measurement points into a single group, in which the measurement points are located on the same obstacle candidate, if the detected measurement points are equal to or smaller than predetermined size thresholds equivalent in size to the mining work machine,

a stationary/moving determination section that, based on the relative speeds of the obstacle candidate at the measurement points put into the group and the traveling speed of the mining work machine as detected in a current cycle, determines whether the obstacle candidate is a stationary object or a moving object, and

a size determination section that determines a type of the obstacle candidate based on a result of a comparison between a size of the obstacle candidate associated with the measurement points put into the group by the grouping processing section and the predetermined size thresholds.

2. The mining work machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

a continuous capture processing section that determines the obstacle candidate, which has been determined to be the stationary object by the stationary/moving determination section, as a stationary small obstacle candidate if the former obstacle candidate is equal to or smaller than the size thresholds, or as a structure in a periphery of a road surface if the former obstacle candidate is greater than the size thresholds, and that by using a position of detection in the current cycle as a basis, sets a retrieval area, where there is in a preceding cycle a possibility of detection of the stationary small obstacle candidate based on a position of the stationary small obstacle candidate, according to the distance range based on the traveling speed of the mining work machine, and determines whether the same stationary small obstacle candidate as the stationary small obstacle candidate in the current cycle has been detected in the retrieval area in the preceding cycle,

a non-obstacle determination section that determines a stationary small obstacle candidate, which has been detected for the first time in a subsequent cycle, as a non-obstacle if a position of detection of the stationary small obstacle candidate detected for the first time in the subsequent cycle is equal to or smaller than a non-obstacle determination distance threshold set based on a maximum distance at which reflected waves from an obstacle smaller than the mining work machine can be received, and

an output device that outputs, as an obstacle, the obstacle candidate other than the obstacle candidate, which has been determined as the non-obstacle, among the obstacle candidates detected by the periphery detection device.

3. The mining work machine according to claim 1, wherein:

the size determination section determines the obstacle candidate, which has been determined to be the moving object by the stationary/moving determination section, as a moving machine if the obstacle candidate is equal to or smaller than the size thresholds, or, if the obstacle candidate is greater than the size thresholds, cancels by the grouping processing section the grouping of the measurement points on the obstacle candidate and determines that plural moving machines have been detected as superimposed.