IP Library Granted Patent US 12668954
Granted Patent B2
US 12668954 · App. 18/697,836 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Bucket information acquisition device and construction machine provided with same

Inventors: Ryota Hashimoto (Hiroshima, JP); Yasuhiko Shimazu (Hiroshima, JP); Takunori Yamaguchi (Hiroshima, JP); Sho Okimoto (Hiroshima, JP)
Assignees: HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY; KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
E02F9/264
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12668954
App. No.
18/697,836
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A bucket information acquisition device for acquiring information regarding the shape of a bucket that rotates about a rotational center axis along a predetermined moving plane in a construction machine includes: a distance distribution acquisition unit that acquires the three-dimensional distance distribution of the bucket with respect to a reference point; a reference cross section extraction unit that extracts, from the distance distribution acquired by the distance distribution acquisition unit, a reference cross section which is a cross section of the bucket obtained by cutting the bucket along a plane parallel to the moving plane; an approximate line identification unit that identifies, based on the reference cross section, an approximate line approximating the reference cross section composed of a straight line and a curve; and a bucket shape calculation unit that calculates bucket shape information regarding the shape of the bucket based on the approximate line.

Claims (51)

1 . A bucket information acquisition device that acquires information regarding a shape of a bucket that rotates about a rotational center axis along a predetermined moving plane in a construction machine, the bucket information acquisition device comprising a processor configured to function as:

a distance distribution acquisition unit that has a reference point and acquires three-dimensional distance data of the bucket with respect to the reference point, the three-dimensional distance data being distribution data of distances between the reference point and a plurality of measurement points of the bucket;

a reference cross section extraction unit that extracts two-dimensional data of a reference cross section, which is a cross section of the bucket obtained by cutting the bucket along a plane parallel to the moving plane, from the three-dimensional distance data acquired by the distance distribution acquisition unit, based on the distribution data of distances between the reference point and a plurality of measurement points of the bucket;

an approximate line identification unit that identifies, based on the reference cross section, an approximate line that includes a straight line and a curve and is approximate to the two-dimensional data of the reference cross section; and

a bucket shape calculation unit that calculates a shape of the approximate line as one type of bucket shape information, which is information regarding a shape of the bucket, based on the approximate line.

2 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 1 , wherein

the approximate line identification unit identifies the approximate line such that the approximate line includes a pair of line segments and at least one curve connecting the pair of line segments.

3 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 2 , wherein

the at least one curve includes at least one arc, and

the bucket shape calculation unit calculates a length of each of the pair of line segments and a curvature radius of the at least one arc as the bucket shape information.

4 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to function as a drive command input unit that is connected to a bucket drive unit included in the construction machine and capable of rotating the bucket about the rotational center axis,

the drive command input unit inputting a drive command signal to the bucket drive unit, the drive command signal causing the bucket to sequentially take a plurality of postures different from each other with respect to ground, wherein

the bucket shape calculation unit calculates a relative position of the rotational center axis with respect to the reference point as the bucket shape information based on the approximate line identified in each of the plurality of postures set by the bucket drive unit.

5 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 4 , wherein

the plurality of postures include at least three postures, and

the bucket shape calculation unit calculates a center position of one arc passing through a tip of at least three of the approximate lines corresponding to the at least three postures as the relative position of the rotational center axis.

6 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 1 , wherein

the bucket shape calculation unit calculates, as the bucket shape information, an accommodation cross sectional area that is an area of a region surrounded by a line segment connecting a tip of the approximate line and a base end opposite to the tip and the approximate line.

7 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 6 , wherein

the bucket shape calculation unit calculates a width dimension that is a dimension of the bucket in a left-right direction from the three-dimensional distance data acquired by the distance distribution acquisition unit, and calculates accommodation volume of the bucket as the bucket shape information from the accommodation cross sectional area and the width dimension.

8 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 7 , wherein

the bucket shape calculation unit calculates a relative position of a pair of left and right side walls of the bucket with respect to the reference point from the three-dimensional distance data, calculates a relative position of a centroid of a region surrounded by a line segment connecting the tip and the base end and the approximate line with respect to the reference point, and calculates, as the width dimension, a distance between a pair of left and right intersections where a straight line passing through the centroid and extending in the left-right direction intersects the pair of left and right side walls.

9 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to function as an output characteristic signal input unit that is connected to a drive unit provided in the construction machine, the drive unit being used for driving the construction machine,

the output characteristic signal input unit inputs, to the drive unit, an output characteristic signal for changing an output characteristic of the construction machine according to the bucket shape information calculated by the bucket shape calculation unit.

10 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 1 , wherein

the bucket shape calculation unit is capable of calculating the bucket shape information at a predetermined cycle, the bucket information acquisition device further comprising:

a storage unit that is composed of a storage and stores the bucket shape information calculated by the bucket shape calculation unit; and

the processor is further configured to function as

a determination unit that determines whether or not a deviation amount between past bucket shape information stored in the storage unit and new bucket shape information calculated by the bucket shape calculation unit is equal to less than a preset threshold; and

a warning signal output unit that is connected to a notification unit provided in the construction machine, the notification unit being used for notifying a worker of predetermined notification information,

the warning signal output unit outputs, to the notification unit, a warning signal in a case where a deviation amount between the past bucket shape information and the new bucket shape information exceeds the preset threshold by the determination unit.

11 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 1 , further comprising

a display unit capable of displaying the approximate line identified by the approximate line identification unit.

12 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 11 , wherein

the display unit is capable of displaying the approximate line and the reference cross section in a superimposed manner.

13 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 12 , further comprising

a correction command input unit capable of receiving a command for correcting the approximate line according to a relative position between the approximate line displayed on the display unit and the reference cross section, wherein

the approximate line identification unit is capable of correcting a shape of the approximate line according to the command input to the correction command input unit.

14 . The bucket information acquisition device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the construction machine at a work site; and

a transmission unit that is communicably connected to a management device arranged at a position away from the construction machine,

the transmission unit transmits the position information and the bucket shape information in association with each other to the management device.

15 . A construction machine comprising:

a machine body;

a derricking body that has a tip portion and is supported by the machine body in a derrickable manner;

a bucket rotatably supported by the tip portion of the derricking body about a rotational center axis extending in a left-right direction; and

a bucket information acquisition device capable of acquiring bucket shape information that is information regarding a shape of the bucket, the bucket information acquisition device comprising a processor configured to function as:

a distance distribution acquisition unit that has a reference point and acquires three-dimensional distance data of the bucket with respect to the reference point, the three-dimensional distance data being distribution data of distances between the reference point and a plurality of measurement points of the bucket;

a reference cross section extraction unit that extracts two-dimensional data of a reference cross section, which is a cross section of the bucket obtained by cutting the bucket along a plane parallel to the moving plane, from the three-dimensional distance data acquired by the distance distribution acquisition unit, based on the distribution data of distances between the reference point and a plurality of measurement points of the bucket;

an approximate line identification unit that identifies, based on the reference cross section, an approximate line that includes a straight line and a curve and is approximate to the two-dimensional data of the reference cross section; and

a bucket shape calculation unit that calculates a shape of the approximate line as one type of bucket shape information, which is information regarding a shape of the bucket, based on the approximate line.