Posture computing apparatus for work machine, work machine, and posture computation method for work machine

• US 9,598,845 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Baba, Akinori, Ichihara, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Application Number:
  US14/386,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20160237655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 9/2033 Limiting the movement of frames or implements, e.g. to avoid collision between implements and the cabin sub-groups of E02F3/431 of E02F3/435 take precedence; for turntables E02F9/123
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2037 Coordinating the movements of the implement and of the frame
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/262 with follow-up actions to control the work tool, e.g. controller
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/264 Sensors and their calibration for indicating the position of the work tool

Abstract

A posture computing apparatus for a work machine is an apparatus that obtains a posture angle of a work machine including a traveling body and a swing body that is mounted on the traveling body and that rotates relative to the traveling body. The posture computing apparatus includes a detection apparatus that is provided to the swing body and detects angular velocity and acceleration; an acceleration correcting unit that corrects the acceleration detected by the detection apparatus, based on a position where the detection apparatus is placed and information on the detection apparatus; and a posture angle computing unit that obtains a posture angle of the work machine from the acceleration corrected by the acceleration correcting unit and the angular velocity detected by the detection apparatus.

Claims

1. A posture computing apparatus for a work machine, to obtain a posture angle of the work machine including a traveling body and a swing body that is mounted on the traveling body and that rotates relative to the traveling body, the posture computing apparatus comprising:

a detection apparatus that detects angular velocity and acceleration of the work machine, the detection apparatus being provided to the swing body;

an acceleration correcting unit that corrects the acceleration detected by the detection apparatus to reflect as if the acceleration was detected from a center of the swing body, by subtracting components of acceleration acting on the detection apparatus including a centrifugal acceleration which is determined from centrifugal force from the acceleration detected by the detection apparatus based on a position where the detection apparatus is placed in the swing body with respect to the center of the swing body and the angular velocity and acceleration detected by the detection apparatus; and

a posture angle computing unit that obtains a posture angle of the work machine from the acceleration corrected by the acceleration correcting unit and the angular velocity detected by the detection apparatus.

2. The posture computing apparatus for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration correcting unit corrects the acceleration detected by the detection apparatus to reflect as if the acceleration was detected from a center of the swing body, by subtracting the components of acceleration acting on the detection apparatus including the centrifugal acceleration which is determined from centrifugal force from the acceleration detected by the detection apparatus based on further

a tilt angle about an axis other than a vertical axis of a local coordinate system of the detection apparatus,

a placement angle representing a tilt of the position where the detection apparatus is placed in a local coordinate system of the work machine,

a distance to the detection apparatus with reference to a vertical axis of the local coordinate system of the work machine, and

angular velocity about the vertical axis of the work machine.

3. The posture computing apparatus for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein

the acceleration correcting unit corrects the acceleration in two directions, by subtracting the components of acceleration acting on the detection apparatus including the centrifugal acceleration which is determined from centrifugal force from the acceleration detected by the detection apparatus based on a distance from a central rotation axis of the swing body to the detection apparatus in a plane orthogonal to the central rotation axis of the swing body, and a tilt of the position where the detection apparatus is placed with respect to a reference axis of the swing body in the plane orthogonal to the central rotation axis of the swing body, the two directions being orthogonal to the central rotation axis, and

the posture angle computing unit obtains the posture angle of the work machine from the acceleration in the two directions orthogonal to the central rotation axis corrected by the acceleration correcting unit, acceleration in a direction of the central rotation axis detected by the detection apparatus, and the angular velocity detected by the detection apparatus.

4. The posture computing apparatus for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein

the acceleration correcting unit

corrects acceleration in two directions among the acceleration detected by the detection apparatus, the two directions being orthogonal to a central rotation axis of the swing body, and

further includes

a first posture angle computing unit that obtains a posture angle of the work machine from the angular velocity and the acceleration detected by the detection apparatus,

a low-pass filter that allows the posture angle obtained by the first posture angle computing unit to pass therethrough to output the posture angle as a first posture angle,

a second posture angle computing unit that outputs a posture angle as a second posture angle without allowing the posture angle to pass through the low-pass filter, the posture angle being obtained from the acceleration in the two directions orthogonal to the central rotation axis corrected by the acceleration correcting unit, acceleration in a direction of the central rotation axis detected by the detection apparatus, and the angular velocity detected by the detection apparatus, and

a selecting unit that outputs the first posture angle and the second posture angle in a switching manner, based on information about a change in an angle of the work machine.

5. A work machine comprising the posture computing apparatus for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein

a position of at least a part of the work machine is determined using the posture angle outputted from the posture computing apparatus for a work machine.

6. The work machine according to claim 5, comprising:

a work implement;

a position detection apparatus that detects position information of the work machine;

a target excavation topography generating apparatus that determines a position of the work implement based on the position information detected by the position detection apparatus, and generates information about a target excavation topography representing a target shape of an excavation object of the work implement, from information on a target working plane representing the target shape; and

a work implement control apparatus that performs excavation control such that a speed in a direction in which the work implement approaches the excavation object is less than or equal to a speed limit, based on the information about the target excavation topography obtained from the posture computing apparatus.

8. The posture computing apparatus for a work machine according to claim 1, wherein the components of acceleration subtracted from the acceleration detected by the detection apparatus by the acceleration correcting unit further includes angular acceleration.

7. A posture computation method for a work machine, to obtain a posture angle of the work machine including a traveling body and a swing body that is mounted on the traveling body and that rotates relative to the traveling body, the posture computation method comprising:

being provided to the swing body and detecting angular velocity and acceleration of the work machine;

correcting the detected acceleration detected by a detection apparatus to reflect as if the acceleration was detected from a center of the swing body placed on a center of the swing body, by subtracting components of acceleration acting on the detection apparatus including a centrifugal acceleration which is determined from centrifugal force from the detected acceleration based on a position where the detection apparatus is placed in the swing body with respect to the center of the swing body and the angular velocity and acceleration detected by the detection apparatus, the detection apparatus detecting the angular velocity and the acceleration; and

obtaining a posture angle of the work machine from the corrected acceleration and the detected angular velocity.

9. The posture computation method for a work machine according to claim 7, wherein the components of acceleration subtracted from the detected acceleration further includes angular acceleration.