MAP GENERATION DEVICE

• US 20170285655A1
• Filed: 10/28/2015
• Published: 10/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: KATOU, Manabu, MORIZANE, Hiroto, KAWAMATA, Yukihiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,253,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2045 Guiding machines along a predetermined path for graders E02F3/841; machines for construction of roads E01C19/004
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2054 Fleet management
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/261 Surveying the work-site to be treated
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3848 Data obtained from both position sensors and additional sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/00 Maps; Plans; Charts; Diagrams, e.g. route diagram star maps G09B27/04; devices for holding or supporting maps A47B97/02; for computing purposes G06G1/14, G09B1/16; display boards G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/003 Maps
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

Abstract

The present invention includes: a map information storage unit 18 storing map data 18A representing a travelable area for a dump truck 7; a work machine information accumulation unit 19 accumulating position data 6A and operational data 6B of a hydraulic excavator 6; an operational range arithmetic processing unit 21 calculating an operational range of the hydraulic excavator 7 on the basis of the position data 6A and the operational data 6B accumulated in the work machine information accumulation unit 19; and a map information update unit 22 verifying the operational range of the hydraulic excavator 6 calculated by the operational range arithmetic processing unit 21 against the map data 18A stored in the map information storage unit 18 in order to correct the boundary 18a of the loading site 1 in the map data 18A and then update the map data 18A.

Claims

1. A map generation device, which is applied to a system that controls operation of work machines including a haulage vehicle hauling a load and a loading machine loading the load on to the haulage vehicle, and generates travelable map information representing an area capable of being traveled by the haulage vehicle, the map generation device comprising:

a map information storage unit storing the travelable map information;

a work machine information accumulation unit accumulating position information representing a position of the work machine and operational information representing an operational status of the work machine;

an operational range arithmetic unit calculating an operational range of the work machine on the basis of the position information and the operational information accumulated in the work machine information accumulation unit; and

a map information update unit verifying the operational range of the work machine calculated by the operational range arithmetic unit against the travelable map information stored in the map information storage unit in order to correct a boundary of a working site in the travelable map information and then update the travelable map information.

2. The map generation device according to claim 1, wherein the map information update unit includes a boundary correction unit that corrects the boundary of the working site in the travelable map information to decrease an area of the working site when a predetermined reference point of the operational range of at least one of the haulage vehicle and the loading machine calculated by the operational range arithmetic unit is located within the boundary of the working site in the travelable map information, but corrects the boundary of the working site in the travelable information to increase the area of the working site when the predetermined reference point of the operational range of the loading machine calculated by the operational range arithmetic unit is located on the boundary and without the boundary of the working site in the travelable map information.

3. The map generation device according to claim 1, wherein the operational range arithmetic unit calculates the operational range of the loading machine from a predetermined operational status of the loading machine in the operational information, and a position of the loading machine associated with the predetermined operational status in the position information.

4. The map generation device according to claim 3, wherein

the operational range arithmetic unit further calculates the operational range of the haulage vehicle from a position of the haulage vehicle associated with the predetermined operational status in the position information, and

the map information update unit verifies the operational ranges of the loading machine and the haulage vehicle calculated by the operational range arithmetic unit against the travelable map information stored in the map information storage unit in order to correct the boundary of the working site in the travelable map information and then update the travelable map information.

5. The map generation device according to claim 1, further comprising

an update determination unit that determines, based on a kind of dumping work of dumping the load by the haulage vehicle, whether or not the map information update unit should update the travelable map information.

6. The map generation device according to claim 5, wherein

in paddock dumping in which the load is dumped while the haulage vehicle changes from one dumping position to another,

when the haulage vehicle dumps the load at a same point of the working site a predetermined number of time, the update determination unit determines to update the travelable map information, and

when the haulage vehicle does not dump the load at the same point of the working site the predetermined number of time, the update determination unit does not determine to update the travelable map information.

7. The map generation device according to claim 1, further comprising

an operational information collection unit that is connected to a management system that transmits an operational instruction for operating the work machine to the work machine and manages the operational status of the work machine, the operational information collection unit collecting, as the operational information, contents of the operational instruction transmitted from the management system to the work machine,

wherein the operational information collection unit accumulates the operational information thus collected in the work machine information accumulation unit.

8. The map generation device according to claim 2, wherein

when the predetermined reference point of the operational range of the loading machine calculated by the operational range arithmetic unit is located on the boundary and without the boundary of the working site in the travelable map information, before the boundary of the working site in the travelable map information is corrected to increase the area of the working site by the boundary correction unit, the map information update unit transmits a confirmation instruction for confirming the boundary of the working site to the work machine.