Excavation area setting system for area limiting excavation control in construction machines

• US 5,960,378 A
• Filed: 01/16/1997
• Issued: 09/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fujishima, Kazuo, Haga, Masakazu, Watanabe, Hiroshi, Hirata, Toichi
• Primary Examiner(s): ASSOUAD, PATRICK J
• Application Number:
  US08/776,007
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 364/559, 364/561, 364/562, 364/556, 364/140.02, 364/167.07, 364/172, 37/347, 37/348, 37/411, 37/415, 37/416, 37/443, 172/4.5, 356/4.08, 356/4, 356/27, 56/10.2 R, 56/10.2 D, 56/10.2 E, 73/1.81, 73/1.79, 73/65.01, 702/150, 702/152, 702/94
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/32 working downwardly and towards the machine, e.g. with backhoes
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/437 providing automatic sequences of movements, e.g. linear excavation, keeping dipper angle constant
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2285 Pilot-operated systems
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2296 Systems with a variable displacement pump
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/26 Indicating devices E02F5/145 takes precedence

Abstract

An excavation area setting system for area limiting excavation control in construction machines, with the excavation control being performed to calculate a target speed vector for control of a front device on the basis of a body, modify the target speed vector to limit a moving speed of the front device in the direction toward a boundary of a preset excavation area when the front device comes close to the boundary of the excavation area, and move the front device along the boundary of the excavation area. To set the excavation area, an external reference is installed horizontally outside the hydraulic excavator and a depth from the external reference to the boundary of the excavation area is set by using a setting device. The excavation area is set in a manner matched with the excavation control in which calculation is executed based on the position of the body.

Claims

1. An excavation area setting system for area limiting excavation control in construction machines comprising a plurality of vertically pivotable front members making up a multi-articulated front device, and a body for supporting said front device, the excavation control being performed to calculate a target speed vector for control of said front device on the basis of said body, modify the target speed vector to limit a moving speed of said front device in the direction toward a boundary of a preset excavation area when said front device comes close to the boundary of the excavation area, and move said front device along the boundary of the excavation area, said excavation area setting system comprising:

an external reference member installed outside said construction machine and providing an external reference serving as a reference position for the excavation area;

a front reference member disposed on said front device and providing a front reference serving as a target used for aligning said front device with said external reference;

detecting means for detecting status variables in relation to a position and posture of said front device;

first calculating means for calculating the position and posture of said front device on the basis of said body from signals of said detecting means;

first setting means for setting the excavation area from a positional relationship with respect to said external reference;

second calculating means (9m,

     140) for calculating a positional relationship between said body and said external reference based on information about the position and posture of said front device calculated by said first calculating means when said front reference is aligned with said external reference, and calculating a positional relationship between said body and the excavation area from the positional relationship between said body and said external reference and the positional relationship between said external reference and the excavation area set by said first setting means; and

second setting means for setting an excavation area on the basis of said body from the positional relationship between said body and the excavation area calculated by said second calculating means.

2. An excavation area setting system for area limiting excavation control in construction machines according to claim 1, further comprising:

an external reference setting switch depressed when said front reference is aligned with said external reference;

wherein said second calculating means performs the calculation when said external reference setting switch is depressed.

3. An excavation area setting system for area limiting excavation control in construction machines according to claim 1, wherein said first setting means is means for setting a depth from said external reference to the boundary of the excavation area.

4. An excavation area setting system for area limiting excavation control in construction machines according to claim 1, wherein said first setting means is means for setting a depth from said external reference to a reference point of the excavation area, a distance from said body to the reference point, and a tilting angle of the boundary of the excavation area.

5. An excavation area setting system for area limiting excavation control in construction machines according to claim 1, wherein said first setting means is means for setting the positional relationship between said external reference and the excavation area based on data input from a setting device.

6. An excavation area setting system for area limiting excavation control in construction machines according to claim 1, wherein said first setting means includes means for calculating a position of a tip end of said front device taken when said front device is moved and the tip end of said front device comes to the boundary of the set area, based on information about the position and posture of said front device (1A) calculated by said first calculating means (9b, 120), means (192, 193) for calculating a position of said front reference taken when said front device is moved and said front reference is aligned with said external reference, based on the information about the position and posture of said front device calculated by said first calculating means, and means for calculating and storing a positional relationship between said external reference and the excavation area from the position of the tip end of said front device and the position of said front reference.