Slope excavation controller of hydraulic shovel, target slope setting device and slope excavation forming method

• US 6,076,029 A
• Filed: 10/08/1998
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fujishima, Kazuo, Watanabe, Hiroshi, Haga, Masakazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US09/155,887
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 37/348, 37/382, 414/680, 172/4, 172/4.5
• US Class Current: 701/50
• 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 9/265 with follow-up actions (e.g. control signals sent to actuate the work tool)

Abstract

A slope excavation control system for a hydraulic excavator and a slope excavation method using a hydraulic excavator include an external reference 80 which extends horizontally in the direction of advance of a target slope face. A vertical distance hry and a horizontal distance hrx from the external reference to a reference point on a target slope face, and an angle of the target slope face are set by using a setting device. When a front reference provided at a bucket end is aligned with the external reference and an external reference setting switch is depressed, a control unit calculates a vertical distance hfy and a horizontal distance hfx from a body center of the excavator to the external reference, then calculates a vertical distance hsy and a horizontal distance hsx from the body center to the reference point of the target slope face by using the distances hsy and hsx as modification values. The control unit then sets the target slope face on the basis of a body of the excavator from the distances hsy and hsx and the angle input by the setting device, thereby carrying out area limiting excavation control.

Claims

1. A slope excavation control system for a hydraulic excavator comprising a plurality of vertically pivotable front members making up a multi-articulated front device, and a body for supporting said front device, said slope excavation control system including excavation plane setting means for setting a target excavation plane to be formed by excavation using said front device, said front device excavating the position of the target excavation plane under area limiting excavation control with which said front device is moved along the target excavation plane when said front device comes close to the target excavation plane, wherein said excavation plane setting means comprises:

(a) a front reference disposed on said front device and providing a reference for aligning said front device with an external reference provided to extend in the direction of advance of a target slope face;

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

(c) 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;

(d) first setting means for setting a positional relationship between said external reference and the target slope face;

(e) an external reference setting switch operated when said front reference is aligned with said external reference;

(f) second calculating means 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 external reference setting switch is operated, and calculating a positional relationship between said body and the target slope face from the positional relationship between said body and said external reference and the positional relationship between said external reference and the target slope face set by said first setting means; and

(g) second setting means for setting the target slope face as a positional relationship on the basis of said body from the positional relationship between said body and the target slope face calculated by said second calculating means, and defining the set target slope face as said target excavation plane.

2. A slope excavation control system for a hydraulic excavator according to claim 1, wherein said first setting means is means for setting, as the positional relationship between said external reference and the target slope face, a vertical distance and a horizontal distance from said external reference to a reference point on the target slope face, and angle information of the target slope face.

3. A slope excavation control system for a hydraulic excavator according to claim 1, wherein said first setting means is means for setting the positional relationship between said external reference and the target slope face based on data input from a setting device.

4. A slope excavation control system for a hydraulic excavator according to claim 1, wherein said first setting means includes means for calculating, based on information about the position and posture of said front device calculated by said first calculating means, a position of an end of said front device taken when the end of said front device is aligned with a reference point on the target slope face, means for calculating, based on the information about the position and posture of said front device calculated by said first calculating means, a position of said front reference taken when said front reference is aligned with said external reference, means for calculating the positional relationship between said external reference and the reference point on the target slope face based on the position of the end of said front device and the position of said front reference, and means for storing the positional relationship calculated by said means and angle data input from a setting device.

5. A slope excavation control system for a hydraulic excavator according to claim 1, wherein said first setting means includes means for calculating, based on information about the position and posture of said front device calculated by said first calculating means, a position of an end of said front device taken when the end of said front device is aligned with a first reference point on the target slope face and a position of the end of said front device taken when the end of said front device is aligned with a second reference point on the target slope face, means for calculating angle information of the target slope face based on the positions of the end of said front device at said first and second reference points, means for calculating, based on the information about the position and posture of said front device calculated by said first calculating means, a position of said front reference taken when said front reference is aligned with said external reference, means for calculating a positional relationship between said external reference and one of the first and second reference points on the target slope face based on the position of the end of said front device and the position of said front reference, and means for storing the positional relationship calculated by said means and said angle information.

6. A target slope face setting system for a hydraulic excavator comprising a plurality of vertically pivotable front members making up a multi-articulated front device, and a body for supporting said front device, said front device excavating the position of a preset target excavation plane under area limiting excavation control with which said front device is moved along the target excavation plane when said front device comes close to the target excavation plane, wherein said target slope face setting means comprises:

(a) an external reference provided to extend in the direction of advance of a target slope face;

(b) a front reference disposed on said front device and providing a reference for aligning said front device with said external reference;

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

(d) first calculating means for calculating the position and posture of said front device on the basis of said body (1B) from signals of said detecting means;

(e) first setting means for setting a positional relationship between said external reference and the target slope face;

(f) an external reference setting switch operated when said front reference is aligned with said external reference;

(g) second calculating means 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 external reference setting switch is operated, and calculating a positional relationship between said body and the target slope face from the positional relationship between said body and said external reference and the positional relationship between said external reference and the target slope face set by said first setting means; and

(h) second setting means for setting the target slope face as a positional relationship on the basis of said body from the positional relationship between said body and the target slope face calculated by said second calculating means, and defining the set target slope face as said target excavation plane.

7. A target slope face setting system for a hydraulic excavator according to claim 6, wherein said external reference is a leveling string stretched to extend in the direction of advance of the target slope face.

8. A target slope face setting system for a hydraulic excavator according to claim 6, wherein said external reference comprises a plurality of poles provided in spaced relation in the direction of advance of the target slope face.

9. A target slope face setting system for a hydraulic excavator according to claim 6, wherein said external reference is a laser beam emitted in the direction of advance of the target slope face.

10. A slope excavation method using a hydraulic excavator comprising a plurality of vertically pivotable front members making up a multi-articulated front device, and a body for supporting said front device, said front device excavating the position of a preset target excavation plane under area limiting excavation control with which said front device is moved along the target excavation plane when said front device comes close to the target excavation plane, wherein said slope excavation method comprises the steps of:

(a) providing an external reference to extend in the direction of advance of a target slope face;

(b) setting a positional relationship between said external reference and the target slope face;

(c) aligning a front reference provided on said front device with said external reference, calculating a positional relationship between said body and said external reference, calculating a positional relationship between said body and the target slope face from the positional relationship between said body and said external reference and the positional relationship between said external reference and the target slope face set, setting the target slope face as a positional relationship on the basis of said body from the positional relationship between said body and the target slope face, and defining the set target slope face as said target excavation plane;

(d) forming a slope in a position of the target slope face by excavation carried out in a current body position of said hydraulic excavator under the area limiting excavation control;

(e) moving said body of said hydraulic excavator in the lateral direction relative to the slope formed by excavation in said step (d);

(f) carrying out the same steps as said steps (c) and (d) in a body position after movement in the lateral direction; and

(g) carrying out said steps (e) and (f) repeatedly.

11. A slope excavation method according to claim 10, wherein said body of said hydraulic excavator comprises an upper revolving structure supporting said front device and a lower track structure mounting thereon said upper revolving structure in a revolvable manner, said step (d) of forming a slope by excavation is performed with said lower track structure held in a posture parallel to the direction of advance of the target slope face, and said step (e) of moving said body in the lateral direction is performed by traveling said lower track structure in the same posture as in said step (d).

12. A slope excavation method according to claim 10, wherein said body of said hydraulic excavator comprises an upper revolving structure supporting said front device and lower track structure mounting thereon said upper revolving structure in a revolvable manner, said step (d) of forming a slope by excavation is performed with said lower track structure held in a posture crossing the direction of advance of the target slope face, and said step (e) of moving said body in the lateral direction is performed by shifting said lower track structure in the transverse direction thereof by moving said lower track structure forward and backward repeatedly in the same posture as in said step (d).

13. A slope excavation method according to claim 10, wherein when the target slope face is curved in the direction of advance thereof in said step (a) of providing an external reference (80), said external reference (80) is also curved in the direction of advance of the curving target slope face.