Automatic control system for construction machinery

• US 6,171,018 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1997
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon, Topcon Laser Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Omori, Makoto, Brabec, Vernon J., Hirano, Satoshi, Ohtomo, Fumio, Kimura, Kazuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lillis, Eileen D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADDIE, RAYMOND W
• Application Number:
  US08/967,009
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 404/84.5, 404/84, 172/4.5, 356/141.4, 356/141.5, 356/4.08
• US Class Current: 404/84.5
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/006 by laser or ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/847 using electromagnetic, optical or acoustic beams to determine the blade position, e.g. laser beams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46

Abstract

An automatic control system for a construction machine includes the construction machine provided with a ground leveling implement, a target, and a laser sensor; a survey unit that has a coordinate position measuring element and projects a beam of tracking light indicating a finished-plane height toward the target; a storage unit for storing finished-plane height data in correspondence with a horizontal coordinate position in the coordinate position; and a computation unit for computing the finished-plane height data. The survey unit is equipped with a rotation unit for rotating the laser beam in a vertical direction so that a height of the laser beam at the horizontal coordinate position becomes a height from a determined finished plane. The construction machine is provided with a control unit for controlling the ground leveling implement so that it reaches the finished-plane height, based on a position at which the laser beam is received on the laser sensor. The computation unit computes a vertical deviation between a predetermined vertical position of the target and an actually measured value thereof.

Claims

1. An automatic control system for a construction machine, comprising:

a construction machine situated on a construction site and provided with a ground leveling implement, a target, and a laser sensor;

a survey unit including means for projecting a first laser beam indicating a finished-plane height toward said laser sensor, said survey unit having coordinate position measuring means separate from the first laser beam for optically measuring a coordinate position of said target by projecting a second laser beam toward said target and receiving a reflection of said second laser beam from said target, said survey unit having means for scanning a third laser beam to detect a vertical position of the target;

storage means for storing predetermined finished-plane height data in correspondence with horizontal coordinates of the construction site; and

computation means for computing a finished-plane height at the measured coordinate position based on the predetermined finished-plane height data;

wherein said survey unit includes means for projecting the first laser beam to a height corresponding to the finished-plane height at the measured coordinate position, wherein said construction machine includes control means for controlling said ground leveling implement so that said ground leveling implement approaches said finished-plane height based on a position at which said first laser beam is received on said laser sensor, wherein said survey unit measures the height of the target by scanning the third laser beam after ground leveling at the coordinate position, and wherein said computation means further computes a deviation based on the measured height and the finished-plane height at the coordinate position after ground leveling and the deviation is stored in said storage means and used as construction evaluation data.

2. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

modulation means for modulating said laser beam, based on construction information at said horizontal coordinate position, and for transmitting said construction information to said construction site; and

demodulation means for demodulating said construction information, based on the laser beam received by said laser sensor.

3. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 2, wherein said laser sensor and said target are integrally stood up in said ground leveling implement.

4. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 2, wherein when data on the coordinate position of said target is input from said survey unit to said computation means, said computation means controls said rotation means, based on said finished-plane height data and predetermined finished-height data that is stored in said storage means and concerns a finished height from a lower edge of said ground leveling implement to a vertical center of said laser sensor.

5. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said survey unit can measure a distance from itself to said target.

6. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 2, wherein said construction information is inclination information of said ground leveling implement.

7. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 2, wherein said construction information is management information of a center line of road construction.

8. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 2, wherein said construction information is vertical deviation data in an automatic vertical tracking mode.

9. An automatic control system for a construction machine situated on a construction site and having a ground leveling implement, comprising:

a target and a laser sensor coupled to the implement for movement therewith;

a control means coupled to the construction machine for controlling the height of said implement based on a position at which a first laser beam is received by said laser sensor;

a survey unit for projecting the first laser beam toward said laser sensor, said survey unit having coordinate position measuring means for measuring a horizontal coordinate position of said target;

storage means for storing finished-plane height data corresponding to horizontal coordinates of the construction site;

computation means for computing a finished-plane height at the measured horizontal coordinate position of the target based on the stored finished-plane height data;

means for aiming the laser beam to a vertical height corresponding to the finished-plane height at the measured horizontal coordinate position of the target; and

means for determining a height deviation of the implement relative to the finished-plane height at the measured horizontal coordinate position, wherein the determining means includes means coupled to the survey unit for scanning a second laser beam to detect the vertical position of the target and means for using the detected vertical position of the target and the finished-plane height to determine said height deviation, and wherein the resulting height deviation data is stored in said storage means for use as construction evaluation data.

10. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 9, further comprising:

modulation means for modulating said laser beam, based on construction information at said measured horizontal coordinate position of the target, and for transmitting said construction information to said construction site; and

demodulation means for demodulating said construction information, based on the laser beam received by said laser sensor.

11. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 10, wherein said laser sensor and said target are integrally attached to a mast that is attached to said ground leveling implement.

12. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 10, wherein when data on the measured horizontal coordinate position of said target is input from said survey unit to said computation means, said computation means controls said means for aiming the laser beam based on said finished-plane height data and a predetermined vertical distance from a lower edge of said ground leveling implement to a vertical center of said laser sensor.

13. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 9, wherein said survey unit can measure a distance from itself to said target.

14. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 10, wherein said construction information is inclination information of said ground leveling implement.

15. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 10, wherein said construction information is management information of a center line of road construction.

16. The automatic control system for a construction machine as set forth in claim 10, wherein said construction information is vertical deviation data in an automatic vertical tracking mode.