EP0900887A1

EP0900887A1 - Controller of construction machine

Info

Publication number: EP0900887A1
Application number: EP97913472A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Shoji Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd TOZAWA; Tomoaki Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd ONO
Original assignee: Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd; Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd
Current assignee: Caterpillar Japan Ltd; Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd
Priority date: 1996-12-03
Filing date: 1997-11-28
Publication date: 1999-03-10
Also published as: CN1210570A; JPH10159123A; CA2242755A1; WO1998024985A1; EP0900887A4; KR19990081852A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control apparatus for a construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator for excavating the ground, and includes angle detection means (20 to 22) for detecting a posture of a joint type arm mechanism in angle information, conversion means (26) for converting the detected angle information into corresponding expansion/contraction displacement information of cylinder type actuators (120 to 122), and controlling means (1) for controlling the actuators (120 to 122) based on the obtained expansion/contraction information so that the actuators (120 to 122) may perform predetermined expansion/contraction displacements, whereby the position and the posture of a working member (400) can be controlled accurately and stably while suppressing the cost low.

Description

Technical Field

This invention relates to a construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator for excavating the ground, and more particularly to a control apparatus for a construction machine of the type mentioned.

Background Art

A construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator has a construction wherein it includes, for example, as schematically shown in FIG. 12, an upper revolving unit 100 with an operator cab (cabin) 600 and provided on a lower traveling body 500 having caterpillar members 500A, and further, a joint type arm mechanism composed of a boom 200, a stick 300 and a bucket 400 is provided on the upper revolving unit 100.
And, based on expansion/contraction displacement information of the boom 200, stick 300 and bucket 400 obtained, for example, by stroke sensors 210, 220 and 230, the boom 200, stick 300 and bucket 400 can be driven suitably by hydraulic cylinders 120, 121 and 122, respectively, to perform an excavating operation while keeping the advancing direction of the bucket or the posture of the bucket 400 fixed so that control of the position and the posture of a working member such as the bucket 400 can be performed accurately and stably.
However, such a conventional hydraulic excavator as described above has a subject in that it requires a high cost as a whole since the stroke sensors 210, 220 and 230 for detecting the expansion/contraction displacements of the boom 200, stick 300 and bucket 400 are expensive.
The present invention has been made in view of such a subject as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a control apparatus for a construction machine by which the position and the posture of a working member can be controlled accurately and stably while suppressing the cost low.

Disclosure of Invention

To this end, a control apparatus for a construction machine of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a construction machine body, a joint type arm mechanism mounted at one end portion thereof for pivotal motion on the construction machine body and having a working member at the other end side thereof, the joint type arm mechanism including at least one pair of arm members connected to each other with a joint part interposed therebetween, a cylinder type actuator mechanism having a plurality of cylinder type actuators for performing expansion/contraction operations to drive the arm mechanism, angle detection means for detecting a posture of the arm mechanism in angle information, conversion means for converting the angle information obtained by the angle detection means into corresponding expansion/contraction displacement information of the cylinder type actuators, and controlling means for controlling the cylinder type actuators based on the expansion/contraction information of the cylinder type actuator obtained by the conversion of the conversion means so that the cylinder type actuators may perform predetermined expansion/contraction displacements.
The joint type arm mechanism may include a boom connected at one end thereof for pivotal motion to the construction machine body, and a stick connected at one end thereof for pivotal motion to the boom with the joint part interposed therebetween, and the working member may be formed as a bucket which is connected at one end thereof for pivotal motion to the stick with a joint part interposed therebetween and can excavate the ground at a tip end thereof and accommodate earth and sand therein.
The cylinder type actuator mechanism may include a boom hydraulic cylinder interposed between the construction machine body and the boom for pivoting the boom with respect to the construction machine body by expanding or contracting a distance between end portions thereof, a stick hydraulic cylinder interposed between the boom and the stick for pivoting the stick with respect to the boom by expanding or contracting a distance between end portions thereof, and a bucket hydraulic cylinder interposed between the stick and the bucket for pivoting the bucket with respect to the stick by expanding or contracting a distance between end portions thereof.
Further, the angle detection means may include a first angle sensor for detecting a posture of the boom, a second angle sensor for detecting a posture of the stick, and a third angle sensor for detecting a posture of the bucket.
Meanwhile, the conversion means may include arithmetic means for determining, from the angle information obtained by the angle detection means, expansion/contraction displacement information of the cylinder type actuators corresponding to the angle information by calculation, or may include storage means for storing the expansion/contraction information of the cylinder type actuators corresponding to the angle information obtained by the angle detection means.
Further, the conversion means may be constructed so as to convert the angle information obtained by the first angle sensor into expansion/contraction displacement information of the boom hydraulic cylinder, convert the angle information obtained by the second angle sensor into expansion/contraction displacement information of the stick hydraulic cylinder, and convert the angle information obtained by the third angle sensor into expansion/contraction displacement information of the bucket hydraulic cylinder.
In the control apparatus for a construction machine of the present invention having such a construction as described above, angle information detected by the angle detection means described above is converted into expansion/contraction displacement information of the cylinder type actuators which drive the arm mechanism by the conversion means and is inputted to the controlling means, even if an expensive stroke sensor for detecting an expansion/contraction displacement of each actuator as in the prior art is not used, control which employs the expansion/contraction displacements of actuators which are used in a conventional control system can be executed. Accordingly, a system which can control the position and the posture of the working member accurately and stably can be provided while suppressing the cost low.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a hydraulic excavator on which a control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted;
FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a general construction (electric system and hydraulic system) of the control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing a control system construction of the control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining a functional construction of the entire control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of essential part of the control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view schematically showing operating parts (a joint type arm mechanism and a bucket) of the hydraulic excavator according to the present embodiment;
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view schematically showing the hydraulic excavator in order to explain operation of the hydraulic excavator according to the present embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view schematically showing the hydraulic excavator in order to explain operation of the hydraulic excavator according to the present embodiment;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view schematically showing the hydraulic excavator in order to explain operation of the hydraulic excavator according to the present embodiment;
FIG. 10 is a side elevational view schematically showing the hydraulic excavator in order to explain operation of the hydraulic excavator according to the present embodiment;
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view schematically showing the hydraulic excavator in order to explain operation of the hydraulic excavator according to the present embodiment; and
FIG. 12 is a side elevational view schematically showing a general construction of a conventional hydraulic excavator.

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

In the following, an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings.
A hydraulic excavator as a construction machine according to the present embodiment includes, for example, as schematically shown in FIG. 1, an upper revolving unit (construction machine body) 100 with an operator cab 600 for revolving movement in a horizontal plane on a lower traveling unit 500 which has caterpillar members 500A on the left and right thereof.
A boom (arm member) 200 having one end connected for swinging motion is provided on the upper revolving unit 100, and a stick (arm member) 300 connected at one end thereof for swinging motion by a joint part is provided on the boom 200.
A bucket (working member) 400 which is connected at one end thereof for swinging motion by a joint part and can excavate the ground with a tip thereof and accommodate earth and sand therein is provided on the stick 300.
In this manner, a joint type arm mechanism which is mounted at one end portion thereof for pivotal motion on the upper revolving unit 100 and has the bucket 400 on the other end side thereof and further has at least the boom 200 and the stick 300 as a pair of arm members connected to each other by the joint part is composed of the boom 200, stick 300 and bucket 400.
Further, a boom hydraulic cylinder 120, a stick hydraulic cylinder 121 and a bucket hydraulic cylinder 122 (in the following description, the boom hydraulic cylinder 120 may be referred to as boom cylinder 120 or merely as cylinder 120, the stick hydraulic cylinder 121 may be referred to as stick cylinder 121 or merely as cylinder 121, and the bucket hydraulic cylinder 122 may be referred to as bucket cylinder 122 or merely as cylinder 122) as cylinder type actuators are provided.
Here, the boom hydraulic cylinder 120 is connected at one end thereof for swinging motion to the upper revolving unit 100 and is connected at the other one end thereof for swinging motion to the boom 200, or in other words, the boom hydraulic cylinder 120 is interposed between the upper revolving unit 100 and the boom 200, such that, as the distance between the opposite end portions is expanded or contracted, the boom 200 can be swung with respect to the upper revolving unit 100.
The stick hydraulic cylinder 121 is connected at one end thereof for swinging motion to the boom 200 and connected at the other one end thereof for swinging motion to the stick 300, or in other words, the stick hydraulic cylinder 121 is interposed between the boom 200 and the stick 300, such that, as the distance between the opposite end portions is expanded or contracted, the stick 300 can be swung with respect to the boom 200.
The bucket cylinder 122 is connected at one end thereof for swinging motion to the stick 300 and connected at the other one end thereof for swinging motion to the bucket 400, or in other words, the bucket cylinder 122 is interposed between the stick 300 and the bucket 400, such that, as the distance between the opposite end portions thereof is expanded or contracted, the bucket 400 can be swung with respect to the stick 300. It is to be noted that a linkage 130 is provided at a free end portion of the bucket hydraulic cylinder 122.
In this manner, a cylinder type actuator mechanism having a plurality of cylinder type actuators for driving the arm mechanism by performing expanding or contracting operations is composed of the cylinders 120 to 122 described above.
It is to be noted that, though not shown in the figure, also hydraulic motors for driving the left and right caterpillar members 500A and a revolving motor for driving the upper revolving unit 100 to revolve are provided.
By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, the hydraulic excavator described above includes a hydraulic circuit for the cylinders 120 to 122, the hydraulic motors and the revolving motor described above, and in addition to pumps 51 and 52 of the variable discharge type which are driven by an engine E such as a Diesel engine, a boom main control valve (control valve) 13, a stick main control valve (control valve) 14, a bucket main control valve (control valve) 15 and so forth are interposed in the hydraulic circuit.
It is to be noted that the pumps 51 and 52 of the variable discharge type are each constructed such that the tilt angle thereof is controlled by an engine pump controller 27 which will be hereinafter described so that the discharge of working oil to the hydraulic circuit can be varied. Further, where each line which interconnects two components is a solid line in FIG. 2, this represents that this line is an electric system, but where each line which interconnects two components is a broken line, this represents that the line is a hydraulic system.
Further, in order to control the main control valves 13, 14 and 15, a pilot hydraulic circuit is provided, and a pilot pump 50 driven by the engine E, solenoid proportional valves 3A, 3B and 3C, solenoid directional control valves 4A, 4B and 4C, selector valves 18A, 18B and 18C and so forth are interposed in the pilot hydraulic circuit.
In the hydraulic excavator of the present embodiment, a controller (controlling means) 1 for controlling the main control valves 13, 14 and 15 via the solenoid proportional valves 3A, 3B and 3C to control the boom 200, the stick 300 and the bucket 400 in response to a mode in which they should be controlled so that they may have desired expansion/contraction displacements is provided. It is to be noted that the controller 1 is composed of a microprocessor, memories such as a ROM and a RAM, suitable input/output interfaces and so forth.
To the controller 1, detection signals (including setting signals) from various sensors are inputted, and the controller 1 executes the control described above based on the detection signals from the sensors. It is to be noted that such control by the controller 1 is called semiautomatic control, and even during excavation under the semiautomatic control (semiautomatic excavation mode), it is possible to manually effect fine adjustment of the bucket angle and the aimed slope face height.
As such a semiautomatic control mode (semiautomatic excavation mode) as described above, a bucket angle control mode (refer to FIG. 7), a slope face excavation mode (bucket tip linear excavation mode or raking mode) (refer to FIG. 8), a smoothing mode which is a combination of the slope face excavation mode and the bucket angle control mode (refer to FIG. 9), a bucket angle automatic return mode (automatic return mode) (refer to FIG. 10) and so forth are available.
Here, the bucket angle control mode is a mode in which the angle (bucket angle) of the bucket 400 with respect to the horizontal direction (vertical direction) is always kept constant even if the stick 300 and the boom 200 are moved as shown in FIG. 7, and this mode is executed if a bucket angle control switch on a monitor panel 10 which will be hereinafter described is switched ON. It is to be noted that this mode is cancelled when the bucket 400 is moved manually, and a bucket angle at a point of time when the bucket 400 is stopped is stored as a new bucket holding angle.
The slope face excavation mode is a mode in which a tip 112 (which may sometimes be referred to as bucket tip 112) of the bucket 400 moves linearly as shown in FIG. 8. However, the bucket cylinder 122 does not move. Further, the bucket angle ø varies as the bucket 400 moves.
The slope face excavation mode + bucket angle control mode (smoothing mode) is a mode in which the tip 112 of the bucket 400 moves linearly and also the bucket angle ø is kept constant during excavation as shown in FIG. 9.
The bucket automatic return mode is a mode in which the bucket angle is automatically returned to an angle set in advance as shown in FIG. 10, and the return bucket angle is set by the monitor panel 10. This mode is started when a bucket automatic return start switch 7 on a boom/bucket operation lever 6 is switched ON. This mode is cancelled at a point of time when the bucket 400 returns to the angle set in advance.
Here, the slope face excavation mode and the smoothing mode described above are entered when a semiautomatic control switch on the monitor panel 10 is switched ON and a slope face excavation switch 9 on a stick operation lever 8 is switched ON and besides both or either one of the stick operation lever 8 and the boom/bucket operation lever 6 is moved. It is to be noted that the aimed slope face angle is set by a switch operation on the monitor panel 10.
Further, in the slope face excavation mode and the smoothing mode, the operation amount of the stick operation lever 8 provides a bucket tip moving velocity in a parallel direction to the aimed slope face angle, and the operation amount of the boom/bucket operation lever 6 provides a bucket tip moving velocity in the perpendicular direction. Accordingly, if the stick operation lever 8 is moved, then the tip 112 of the bucket 400 starts its linear movement along the aimed slope face angle, and fine adjustment of the aimed slope face height by a manual operation can be performed by moving the boom/bucket operation lever 6 during excavation.
Furthermore, in the slope face excavation mode and the smoothing mode, not only the bucket angle during excavation can be adjusted finely, but also the aimed slope face height can be changed, by operating the boom/bucket operation lever 6.
It is to be noted that, in the present system, also a manual mode is possible, and in this manual mode, not only operation equivalent to that of a conventional hydraulic excavator is possible, but also coordinate indication of the tip 112 of the bucket 400 is possible.
Also a service mode for performing service maintenance of the entire semiautomatic system is prepared, and this service mode is enabled by connecting an external terminal 2 to the controller 1. And, by this service mode, adjustment of control gains, initialization of various sensors and so forth are performed.
By the way, as the various sensors connected to the controller 1, as shown in FIG. 2, pressure switches 16, pressure sensors 19, 28A and 28B, resolvers (angle sensors) 20 to 22, a vehicle inclination angle sensor 24 and so forth are provided. Further, to the controller 1, the engine pump controller 27, an ON-OFF switch (bucket automatic return start switch described above) 7, another ON-OFF switch (slope face excavation switch described hereinabove) 9, the monitor panel (display switch panel) 10 with an aimed slope face angle setting unit are connected. It is to be noted that the external terminal 2 is connected to the controller 1 upon adjustment of the control gains, initialization of the sensors and so forth.
The engine pump controller 27 receives engine velocity information from an engine rotational speed sensor 23 and controls the tilt angles of the engine E and the pumps 51 and 52 of the variable discharge type described above. The engine pump controller 27 can communicate coordination information with the controller 1.
The pressure sensors 19 are attached to pilot pipes connected from the operation levers 6 and 8 for expansion/contraction of the stick 300 and for upward/downward movement of the boom 200 to the main control valves 13, 14 and 15 and detect pilot hydraulic pressures in the pilot pipes. Since the pilot hydraulic pressures in such pilot pipes are varied by the operation amounts of the operation levers 6 and 8, the operation amounts of the operation levers 6 and 8 can be estimated by measuring the hydraulic pressures.
The pressure sensors 28A and 28B detect expansion/contraction conditions of the boom cylinder 120 and stick cylinder 121.
It is to be noted that, upon the semiautomatic control described above, the stick operation lever 8 is used to determine the bucket tip moving velocity in a parallel direction with respect to a set excavation slant face, and the boom/bucket operation lever 6 is used to determine the bucket tip moving velocity in the perpendicular direction with respect to the set slant face. Accordingly, when the stick operation lever 8 and the boom/bucket operation lever 6 are operated simultaneously, the moving direction and the moving velocity of the tip 112 of the bucket 400 are determined by a composite vector in the parallel and perpendicular direction with respect to the set slant face.
The pressure switches 16 are attached to the pilot pipes for the operation levers 6 and 8 for the boom 200, stick 300 and bucket 400 with selectors 17 or the like interposed therebetween and are used to detect whether or not the operation levers 6 and 8 are in a neutral condition. In particular, when the operation lever 6 or 8 is in the neutral condition, the output of the pressure switch 16 is OFF, but when the operation lever 6 or 8 is used, the output of the pressure switch 16 is ON. It is to be noted that the pressure switches 16 for detection of a neutral condition are used also for detection of an abnormal condition of the pressure sensors 19 and for switching between the manual/semiautomatic modes.
The resolver 20 is provided at a pivotally mounted portion (joint part) of the boom 200 on the construction machine body 100 at which the posture of the boom 200 can be monitored and functions as a first angle sensor for detecting the posture of the boom 200. The resolver 21 is provided at a pivotally mounted portion (joint part) of the stick 300 on the boom 200 at which the posture of the stick 300 can be monitored and functions as a second angle sensor for detecting the posture of the stick 300. Further, the resolver 22 is provided at a linkage pivotally mounted portion at which the posture of the bucket 400 can be monitored and functions as a third angle sensor for detecting the posture of the bucket 400. By those resolvers 20 to 22, angle detection means for detecting the posture of the arm mechanism in angle information is composed.
A signal converter (conversion means) 26 converts angle information obtained by the resolver 20 into expansion/contraction displacement information of the boom cylinder 120, converts angle information obtained by the resolver 21 into expansion/contraction displacement information of the stick cylinder 121, and converts angle information obtained by the resolver 22 into expansion/contraction displacement information of the bucket cylinder 122, that is, converts angle information obtained by the resolvers 20 to 22 into corresponding expansion/contraction displacement information of the cylinders 120 to 122.
To this end, the signal converter 26 includes an input interface 26A for receiving signals from the resolvers 20 to 22, a memory (storage means) 26B in which a lookup table 26B-1 for storing expansion/contraction displacement information of the cylinders 120 to 122 corresponding to angle information obtained by the resolvers 20 to 22 is held, a main arithmetic unit (CPU) 26C which can calculate the expansion/contraction displacement information of the cylinders 120 to 122 corresponding to angle information obtained by the resolvers 20 to 22 and communicate the cylinder expansion/contraction displacement information with the controller 1, and an output interface 26D for sending out the cylinder expansion/contraction displacement information from the main arithmetic unit (CPU) 26C.
By the way, the expansion/contraction displacement information λ bm, λ st and λ bk of the cylinders 120 to 122 corresponding to the angle information  bm,  st and  bk obtained by the resolvers 20 to 22 can be calculated using the cosine theorem in accordance with the following expressions (1) to (3): λ bm = (L101/102 2 + L101/111 2 - 2L101/102·L101/111cos( bm + Axbm)) 1/2 λ st = (L103/104 2 + L104/105 2 - 2L103/104·L104/105cos  st)1/2 λ bk = (L106/107 2 + L107/109 2 - 2L106/107·L107/109cos  bk) 1/2
Here, in the expressions (1) to (3) above, L_i/j represents a fixed length, Axbm represents a fixed angle, and the suffix i/j to L has information between the nodes i and j. For example, L_101/102 represents the distance between the node 101 and the node 102. It is to be noted that the node 101 is determined as the origin of the xy coordinate system (refer to FIG. 6).
Naturally, each time the angle information  bm,  st and  bk is obtained by the resolvers 20 to 22, the expressions above may be calculated by arithmetic means (for example, the CPU 26C). In this instance, the CPU 26C forms the arithmetic means which calculates, from the angle information obtained by the resolvers 20 to 22, expansion/contraction displacement information of the cylinders 120 to 122 corresponding to the angle information by calculation.
It is to be noted that signals obtained by the conversion by the signal converter 26 are utilized not only for feedback control upon semiautomatic control but also to measure coordinates for measurement/indication of the position of the bucket tip 112.
The position of the bucket tip 112 (the position may be hereinafter referred to as bucket tip position 112) in the semiautomatic system is calculated using a certain point of the upper revolving unit 100 of the hydraulic excavator as the origin. However, when the upper revolving unit 100 is inclined in the front linkage direction, it is necessary to rotate the coordinate system for control calculation by an angle by which the vehicle is inclined. The vehicle inclination angle sensor 24 is used to correct the coordinate system for an amount of the rotation of the coordinate system.
While the solenoid proportional valves 3A to 3C control the hydraulic pressures supplied from the pilot pump 50 in response to electric signals from the controller 1 and the controlled hydraulic pressures are passed through the control valves 4A to 4C or the selector valves 18A to 18C so as to act upon the main control valves 13, 14 and 15 to control the spool positions of the main control valves 13, 14 and 15 so that aimed cylinder velocities may be obtained, if the control valves 4A to 4C are set to the manual mode side, then the cylinders 120 to 122 can be controlled manually.
It is to be noted that a stick confluence control proportional valve 11 adjusts the confluence ratio of the two pumps 51 and 52 in order to obtain an oil amount corresponding to an aimed cylinder velocity.
Further, the ON-OFF switch (slope face excavation switch) 9 described hereinabove is mounted on the stick operation lever 8, and as an operator operates the switch 9, a semiautomatic mode is selected or not selected. Then, if a semiautomatic mode is selected, then the tip 112 of the bucket 400 can be moved linearly.
Furthermore, the ON-OFF switch (bucket automatic return start switch) 7 described hereinabove is mounted on the boom/bucket operation lever 6, and as an operator switches on the switch 7, the bucket 400 can be automatically returned to an angle set in advance.
Safety valves 5 are provided to switch the pilot pressures to be supplied to the solenoid proportional valves 3A to 3C, and only when the safety valves 5 are in an ON state, the pilot pressures are supplied to the solenoid proportional valves 3A to 3C. Accordingly, when some failure occurs or in a like case in the semiautomatic control, automatic control of the linkage can be stopped rapidly by switching the safety valves 5 to an OFF state.
The rotational velocity of the engine E is different depending upon the position of the engine throttle set by an operator [the position is set by operating a throttle dial (not shown)], and further, even if the engine throttle is fixed, the engine rotational velocity varies depending upon the load. Since the pumps 50, 51 and 52 are directly coupled to the engine E, if the engine rotational velocity varies, then also the pump discharges vary, and consequently, even if the spool positions of the main control valves 13, 14 and 15 are fixed, the cylinder velocities are varied by the variation of the engine rotational velocity. In order to correct this, the engine rotational speed sensor 23 is mounted, and when the engine rotational velocity is low, the aimed moving velocity of the bucket tip 112 is set slow.
The monitor panel 10 with an aimed slope face angle setting unit (which may sometimes be referred to simply as "monitor panel 10") is not only used as a setting unit for the aimed slope face angle α (refer to FIGS. 6 and 11) and the bucket return angle, but also used as an indicator for coordinates of the bucket tip 112, the slope face angle measured or the distance between coordinates of two points measured. It is to be noted that the monitor panel 10 is provided in the operator cab 600 together with the operation levers 6 and 8.
In particular, in the system according to the present embodiment, the pressure sensors 19 and the pressure switches 16 are incorporated in conventional pilot hydraulic lines to detect operation amounts of the operation levers 6 and 8 and feedback control is effected using the resolvers 20, 21 and 22 while multiple freedom degree feedback control can be effected independently for each of the cylinders 120, 121 and 122. Consequently, the requirement for addition of an oil unit such as a pressure compensation valve is eliminated. Further, an influence of inclination of the upper revolving unit 100 is corrected using the vehicle inclination angle sensor 24, and the solenoid proportional valves 3A to 3C are utilized in order to drive the cylinders 120, 121 and 122 with electric signals from the controller 1. It is to be noted that an operator can select a mode arbitrarily using the manual/semiautomatic mode change-over switch 9 and besides can set an aimed slope face angle.
In the following, a control algorithm of the semiautomatic system performed by the controller 1 is described. The control algorithm of the semiautomatic control mode (except the bucket automatic return mode) effected by the controller 1 is substantially such as illustrated in FIG. 4.
In particular, the moving velocity and direction of the bucket tip 122 are first calculated from information of the aimed slope face set angle, the pilot hydraulic pressures for controlling the stick cylinder 121 and the boom cylinder 120, the vehicle inclination angle and the engine rotational velocity. Then, aimed velocities of the hydraulic cylinders 120, 121 and 122 are calculated based on the calculated information (moving velocity and moving direction of the bucket tip 112). In this instance, the information of the engine rotational velocity is required to determine an upper limit to the cylinder velocities.
Further, the controller 1 includes, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, control sections 1A, 1B and 1C provided independently of each other for the cylinders 120, 121 and 122, and the controls are constructed as independent control feedback loops as shown in FIG. 4 so that they may not interfere with each other.
Here, essential part of the control apparatus of the present embodiment is described. The compensation construction in the closed loop controls shown in FIG. 4 has, in each of the control sections 1A, 1B and 1C, a multiple freedom degree construction including a feedback loop and a feedforward loop with regard to the displacement and the velocity as shown in FIG. 5, and includes feedback loop type compensation means 72 having a variable control gain (control parameter), and feedforward loop type compensation means 73 having a variable control gain (control parameter).
In particular, if an aimed velocity is given, then processes according to a route wherein a deviation between the aimed velocity and velocity feedback information is multiplied by a predetermined gain Kvp (refer to reference numeral 62), another route wherein the aimed velocity is integrated once (refer to an integration element 61 of FIG. 5) and a deviation between the aimed velocity integration information and displacement feedback information is multiplied by a predetermined gain Kpp (refer to reference numeral 63) and a further route wherein the deviation between the aimed velocity integration information and the displacement feedback information is multiplied by a predetermined gain Kpi (refer to reference numeral 64) and further integrated (refer to reference numeral 66) are performed by the feedback loop type compensation means 72 while, by the feedforward loop type compensation means 73, a process by a route wherein the aimed velocity is multiplied by a predetermined gain Kf (refer to reference numeral 65) is performed.
Of the processes mentioned, the feedback loop processes are described in more detail. The present apparatus includes, as shown in FIG. 5, operation information detection means 91 for detecting operation information of the cylinders 120 to 122, and the controller 1 receives the detection information from the operation information detection means 91 and aimed operation information (for example, an aimed moving velocity) set by aimed value setting means 80 as input information and sets and outputs control signals so that the arm members such as the boom 200 and the bucket (working member) 400 may exhibit aimed operation conditions. Further, the operation information detection means 91 particularly is cylinder position detection means 83 which can detect positions of the cylinders 120 to 122, and in the present embodiment, the cylinder position detection means 83 is composed of the resolvers 20 to 22 and the signal converter 26 described hereinabove.
It is to be noted that the values of the gains Kvp, Kpp, Kpi and Kf can be changed by a gain scheduler 70.
Further, while a non-linearity removal table 71 is provided to remove non-linear properties of the solenoid proportional valves 3A to 3C, the main control valves 13 to 15 and so forth, a process in which the non-linearity removal table 71 is used is performed at a high speed by a computer using a table lookup technique.
When such a slope face excavating operation of an aimed slope face angle α as shown in FIG. 11 is performed semi-automatically using the hydraulic excavator having the construction described above, in the system of the present embodiment, such semiautomatic control functions as described above can be realized by an electronic hydraulic system which automatically adjusts the composite moving amount of the boom 200 and the stick 300 in accordance with the excavating velocity in contrast with a conventional system of manual control.
In particular, detection signals (including setting information of an aimed slope face angle) are inputted from the various sensors to the controller 1 mounted on the hydraulic excavator, and the controller 1 controls the main control valves 13, 14 and 15 through the solenoid proportional valves 3A, 3B and 3C based on the detection signals from the sensors (including detection signals of the resolvers 20 to 22 received via the signal converter 26) to effect such control that the boom 200, stick 300 and bucket 400 may exhibit desired expansion/contraction displacements to effect such semiautomatic control as described above.
Then, upon the semiautomatic control, the moving velocity and direction of the bucket tip 112 are calculated from information of the aimed slope face set angle, the pilot hydraulic pressures which control the stick cylinder 121 and the boom cylinder 120, the vehicle inclination angle and the engine rotational velocity, and aimed velocities of the cylinders 120, 121 and 122 are calculated based on the information. In this instance, the information of the engine rotational velocity is required when an upper limit to the cylinder velocities is determined. Further, the controls are performed as the feedback loops independent of each other for the cylinders 120, 121 and 122 and do not interfere with each other.
It is to be noted that the setting of the aimed slope face angle in the semiautomatic system can be performed by a method which is based on inputting of a numerical value by switches on the monitor panel 10, a two point coordinate inputting method, or an inputting method by a bucket angle, and similarly, for the setting of the bucket return angle in the semiautomatic system, a method which is based on inputting of a numerical value by the switches on the monitor panel 10 or a method which is based on bucket movement is performed. For all of them, known techniques are used.
Further, the semiautomatic control modes described above and the controlling methods are performed in the following manner based on cylinder expansion/contraction displacement information obtained by conversion by the signal converter 26 of the angle information detected by the resolvers 20 to 22.
First, in the bucket angle control mode, the length of the bucket cylinder 122 is controlled so that the angle (bucket angle) ø defined between the bucket 400 and the x axis may be fixed at each arbitrary position. In this instance, the bucket cylinder length λ bk is determined if the boom cylinder length λ bm, the stick cylinder length λ st and the angle ø mentioned above is determined.
In the smoothing mode, since the bucket angle ø is kept fixed, the bucket tip position 112 and a node 108 move in parallel. First, a case wherein the node 108 moves in parallel to the x axis (horizontal excavation) is considered.
In particular, in this instance, the coordinates of the node 108 in the linkage posture when excavation is started are represented by (x₁₀₈, y₁₀₈), and the cylinder lengths of the boom cylinder 120 and the stick cylinder 121 in the linkage posture in this instance are calculated and the velocities of the boom 200 and the stick 300 are calculated so that x₁₀₈ may move horizontally. It is to be noted that the moving velocity of the node 108 depends upon the operation amount of the stick operation lever 8.
On the other hand, where parallel movement of the node 108 is considered, the coordinates of the node 108 after the very short time Δt are represented by (x₁₀₈ + Δx, y₁₀₈). Δx is a very small displacement which depends upon the moving velocity. Accordingly, by taking Δx into consideration of x₁₀₈, aimed lengths of the boom and stick cylinders after Δt can be calculated.
In the slope face excavation mode, control similar to that in the smoothing mode may be performed. However, the point which moves is changed from the node 108 to the bucket tip position 112, and further, the control takes it into consideration that the bucket cylinder length is fixed.
Further, in correction of a finish inclination angle by the vehicle inclination angle sensor 24, calculation of the front linkage position is performed on the xy coordinate system whose origin is a node 101 of FIG. 6. Accordingly, if the vehicle body is inclined with respect to the xy plane, then the xy coordinates are rotated, and the aimed inclination angle with respect to the ground surface is varied. In order to correct this, the vehicle inclination angle sensor 24 is mounted on the vehicle, and when it is detected by the vehicle inclination angle sensor 24 that the vehicle body is rotated by β with respect to the xy plane, the aimed inclination angle should be corrected by replacing it with a value obtained by adding β to it.
Prevention of deterioration of the control accuracy by the engine rotational speed sensor 23 is such as follows. In particular, with regard to correction of the aimed bucket tip velocity, the aimed bucket tip velocity depends upon the positions of the stick operation lever 8 and the boom/bucket operation lever 6 and the engine rotational velocity. Meanwhile, since the hydraulic pumps 51 and 52 are directly coupled to the engine E, when the engine rotational velocity is low, also the pump discharges are small and the cylinder velocities are low. Therefore, the engine rotational velocity is detected, and the aimed bucket tip velocity is calculated so as to conform with the variation of the pump discharges.
Meanwhile, with regard to correction of the maximum values of the aimed cylinder velocities, correction is performed taking it into consideration that the aimed cylinder velocities are varied by the posture of the linkage and the aimed slope face inclination angle and that, when the pump discharges decrease as the engine rotational velocity decreases, also the maximum cylinder velocities must be decreased. It is to be noted that, if an aimed cylinder velocity exceeds its maximum cylinder velocity, then the aimed bucket tip velocity is decreased so that the aimed cylinder velocity may not exceed the maximum cylinder velocity.
While the various control modes and the controlling methods are described above, they all employ a technique wherein they are performed based on cylinder expansion/contraction displacement information, and control contents according to this technique are publicly known. In particular, in the system according to the present embodiment, since angle information is detected by the resolvers 20 to 22 and then the angle information is converted into cylinder expansion/contraction displacement information by the signal converter 26, the known controlling technique can be used for later processing.
While various controls are performed by the controller 1 in this manner, in the system according to the present invention, since angle information signals detected by the resolvers 20 to 22 are converted into cylinder displacement information by the signal converter 26 and then inputted to the controller 1, control in which cylinder expansion/contraction displacements which are used in a conventional control system are used can be executed even if an expensive stroke sensor for detecting an expansion/contraction displacement of each of the cylinders for the boom 200, stick 300 and bucket 400 as in the prior art is not used. Consequently, while the cost ls suppressed low, a system which can control the position and the posture of the bucket 400 accurately and stably can be provided.
Further, since the feedback control loops are independent of each other for the cylinders 120, 121 and 122 and the control algorithm is multiple freedom control of the displacement, velocity and feedforward, the control system can be simplified. Further, since the non-linearity of a hydraulic apparatus can be converted into linearity at a high speed by a table lookup technique, the present system contributes also to augmentation of the control accuracy.
Furthermore, since deterioration of the control accuracy by the position and load variations of the engine throttle is corrected by correcting the influence of the vehicle inclination by the vehicle inclination angle sensor 24 or reading in the engine rotational velocity, the present system contributes to realization of more accurate control.
Further, since also maintenance such as gain adjustment can be performed using the external terminal 2, also an advantage that adjustment or the like is easy can be obtained. Furthermore, since operation amounts of the operation levers 7 and 8 are determined based on variations of the pilot pressures using the pressure sensors 19 and so forth and besides a conventional open center valve hydraulic system is utilized as it is, there is an advantage that addition of a pressure compensation valve or the like is not required, and also it is possible to display the bucket tip coordinates on the real time basis on the monitor panel 10 with an aimed slope face angle setting unit. Further, due to the construction which employs the safety valve 5, also an abnormal system operation when the system is abnormal can be prevented.
It is to be noted that, while it is described in the embodiment described above that the present invention is applied to a hydraulic excavator, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied similarly to a construction machine such as a tractor, a loader or a bulldozer only if the construction machine has a joint type arm mechanism which is driven by cylinder type actuators, and in any construction machine, similar effects to those described above can be obtained.
Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and can be carried out in various modified forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability of the Invention

As described above, according to a control apparatus for a construction machine of the present invention, since the position and the posture of an arm mechanism of the construction machine can be controlled accurately and stably while suppressing the cost low by executing control which employs expansion/contraction displacement information of actuators which are used by a conventional controlling system as described above, the control apparatus for a construction machine contributes very much to reduction in cost for equipment investment expenses, reduction of the working period and so forth in a desired working site such as a construction site, and it is considered that the usefulness of the control apparatus for a construction machine is very high.

Claims

A control apparatus for a construction machine, characterized in that it comprises:

a construction machine body (100);

a joint type arm mechanism mounted at one end portion thereof for pivotal motion on said construction machine body (100) and having a working member at the other end side thereof, said joint type arm mechanism including at least one pair of arm members (200, 300) connected to each other with a joint part interposed therebetween;

a cylinder type actuator mechanism having a plurality of cylinder type actuators (120 to 122) for performing expansion/contraction operations to drive said arm mechanism;

angle detection means (20 to 22) for detecting a posture of said arm mechanism in angle information;

conversion means (26) for converting the angle information obtained by said angle detection means (20 to 22) into corresponding expansion/contraction displacement information of said cylinder type actuators; and

controlling means (1) for controlling said cylinder type actuators (120 to 122) based on the expansion/contraction information of said cylinder type actuators (120 to 122) obtained by the conversion of said conversion means (26) so that said cylinder type actuators (120 to 122) may perform predetermined expansion/contraction displacements.
A control apparatus for a construction machine as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said joint type arm mechanism includes:

a boom (200) connected at one end thereof for pivotal motion to said construction machine body (100); and

a stick (300) connected at one end thereof for pivotal motion to said boom (200) with said joint part interposed therebetween; and that

said working member (400) is formed as a bucket (400) which is connected at one end thereof for pivotal motion to said stick (300) with a joint part interposed therebetween and can excavate the ground at a tip end thereof and accommodate earth and sand therein.
A control apparatus for a construction machine as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that said cylinder type actuator mechanism includes:

a boom hydraulic cylinder (120) interposed between said construction machine body (100) and said boom (200) for pivoting said boom with respect to said construction machine body by expanding or contracting a distance between end portions thereof;

a stick hydraulic cylinder (121) interposed between said boom (200) and said stick (300) for pivoting said stick (300) with respect to said boom (200) by expanding or contracting a distance between end portions thereof; and

a bucket hydraulic cylinder (122) interposed between said stick (300) and said bucket (400) for pivoting said bucket (400) with respect to said stick by expanding or contracting a distance between end portions thereof.
A control apparatus for a construction machine as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that said angle detection means includes:

a first angle sensor (20) for detecting a posture of said boom (200);

a second angle sensor (21) for detecting a posture of said stick (300); and

a third angle sensor (22) for detecting a posture of said bucket (400).
A control apparatus for a construction machine as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said conversion means (26) includes

arithmetic means (26C) for determining, from the angle information obtained by said angle detection means (20 to 22), expansion/contraction displacement information of said cylinder type actuators (120 to 122) corresponding to the angle information by calculation.
A control apparatus for a construction machine as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said conversion means (26) includes:

storage means (26B) for storing the expansion/contraction information of said cylinder type actuators (120 to 122) corresponding to the angle information obtained by said angle detection means (20 to 22).
A control apparatus for a construction machine as set forth in claim 3, characterized in that said conversion means (26) is constructed so as to

convert the angle information obtained by said first angle sensor (20) into expansion/contraction displacement information of said boom hydraulic cylinder (120), convert the angle information obtained by said second angle sensor (21) into expansion/contraction displacement information of said stick hydraulic cylinder (121), and convert the angle information obtained by said third angle sensor (22) into expansion/contraction displacement information of said bucket hydraulic cylinder (122).