JP7632993B2 - Solenoid proportional valves, construction machinery - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electromagnetic proportional valve and a construction machine.

It is known to drive a driven device by an electrically controlled hydraulic actuator. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an intelligent hydraulic actuator for use in an injection molding machine having a system controller. This hydraulic actuator has a microcontroller connected to the system controller, and moves linearly between a first position and a second position according to the flow rate of hydraulic oil to drive the injection molding structure to be driven. This microcontroller is located in close proximity to the hydraulic actuator.

JP 2000-120603 A

The inventors have come to the following realization regarding a device having a solenoid valve that controls a hydraulic cylinder.

A construction machine has attachments such as a boom, arm, and bucket that are each driven by multiple hydraulic cylinders, and these driven bodies are moved individually to perform a specific task. In order to drive the multiple hydraulic cylinders, it is possible to combine multiple solenoid valves that adjust the hydraulic pressure supplied to the hydraulic cylinders, multiple hydraulic sensors that detect the hydraulic pressure, and a system controller that controls the multiple solenoid valves depending on the detection results.

However, with this configuration, the system controller controls the solenoid valves while controlling the construction machine itself, which places a heavy processing burden. In addition, a large number of wires must be installed between each solenoid valve and sensor and the system controller, making the configuration large-scale. Furthermore, changing the system configuration, such as adding or changing attachments, requires replacing the system controller with a larger one, increasing the number of wires, and rewriting the system controller program, which requires a great deal of work.

For these reasons, it cannot be said that the invention described in Patent Document 1 adequately addresses the issue of making it easy to change the configuration of the device. Such issues can arise not only in construction machines but also in other types of movable devices.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and one of its objectives is to provide technology that allows easy modification of the configuration of a device equipped with a solenoid valve that supplies working fluid to an actuator.

To solve the above problems, one embodiment of the electromagnetic proportional valve of the present invention includes a proportional valve body that supplies a working fluid to an actuator that drives a driven body, and an electromagnetic valve control unit that is integral with the proportional valve body to control the proportional valve body.

In addition, any combination of the above, or mutual substitution of the components or expressions of the present invention among methods, devices, programs, temporary or non-temporary storage media recording programs, systems, etc. are also valid aspects of the present invention.

The present invention provides a technology that allows easy modification of the configuration of a device equipped with a solenoid valve that supplies a working fluid to an actuator.

1 is a side view showing a construction machine equipped with a control system including an electromagnetic proportional valve according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the control system of FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control system according to a comparative example. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a proportional valve body and a solenoid valve control section of the solenoid proportional valve of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of an assembly block of the solenoid proportional valve of FIG. 1 . 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the control system of FIG. 1 .

The present invention will be described below based on a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments and modified examples, identical or equivalent components and parts are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the dimensions of the parts in each drawing are shown enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Furthermore, some parts that are not important for explaining the embodiment are omitted in each drawing.

In addition, terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second are used to describe various components, but these terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another and do not limit the components.

[First embodiment]
The configuration of an electromagnetic proportional valve 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The electromagnetic proportional valve 10 is a valve mechanism that controls a working fluid supplied to an actuator that drives a driven body. There is no limitation on the driven body, but the driven body in this embodiment is a boom, arm, bucket, etc. of a construction machine. There is no limitation on the actuator, but the actuator in this embodiment is a hydraulic cylinder that provides a driving force to the boom, arm, and bucket by the pressure of a working fluid such as hydraulic oil.

Figure 1 is a side view showing a construction machine 100 equipped with a control system 1 including an electromagnetic proportional valve 10 of the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the control system 1. The control system 1 mainly includes an electromagnetic proportional valve 10 and a detection means 16. The components of the control system 1 shown in Figure 2 may be provided integrally, separately, or separately from each other. The electromagnetic proportional valve 10 mainly includes a proportional valve body 12 and an electromagnetic valve control unit 14. The proportional valve body 12 includes a solenoid 10d, a spool 10e, and a casing 10c, which will be described later, and supplies a working fluid to an actuator 56 that drives a driven body. The electromagnetic valve control unit 14 functions as a local control means provided integrally with the proportional valve body 12 to control the proportional valve body 12.

The solenoid valve control unit 14 may operate in cooperation with a means for controlling a main body device in which the control system 1 is mounted (hereinafter referred to as "another control means"). The other control means is, for example, a higher-level control means. The solenoid valve control unit 14 can be configured to include a computer processor. The detection means 16 functions as a pressure sensor that detects information related to the working fluid Fd supplied from the proportional valve main body 12 to the actuator 56. The detection result of the detection means 16 is provided to the solenoid valve control unit 14.
The configuration of the construction machine 100 will be explained first, and the control system 1 will be described in detail later.

The construction machine 100 of this embodiment is a construction machine that performs work by moving a bucket 46, and functions as a so-called power shovel. The construction machine 100 includes a host control means 20 and a surrounding environment monitoring means 32. In this example, the host control means 20 exemplifies other control means. The host control means 20 can be configured to include a computer processor, and functions as a main body solenoid valve control unit that controls the operation of each part of the construction machine 100. The surrounding environment monitoring means 32 can acquire various information related to the surrounding environment of the construction machine 100. The surrounding environment monitoring means 32 of this embodiment includes an image sensor 32d for acquiring image information Gp that captures the construction machine 100 and its surroundings. The surrounding environment monitoring means 32 will be described later.

The construction machine 100 also has a lower running section 36, an upper body section 34, an arm mechanism 48, and a bucket 46. In this embodiment, the arm mechanism 48 and the bucket 46 constitute the working section 40. The lower running section 36 is configured to be able to run in a predetermined direction by caterpillars or the like. The upper body section 34 is mounted on the lower running section 36. The upper body section 34 and the working section 40 are configured to be able to rotate around a rotation axis La relative to the lower running section 36 by a slewing drive section 60. The slewing drive section 60 can be configured, for example, by a slewing motor (not shown) and a slewing gear (not shown). A cockpit 38 is provided on the upper body section 34.

The cockpit 38 is provided with an operating unit 54 for operating the working unit 40. When an operation is input from the operating unit 54, the multiple solenoid proportional valves 10 open and close in response to the operation. In response to the opening and closing of the solenoid proportional valves 10, the working fluid Fd supplied from the pump 58p is supplied to the multiple actuators 56. The actuators 56 include actuators 56a, 56b, and 56c.

Each of the multiple electromagnetic proportional valves 10 controls an actuator 56a, 56b, or 56c. The actuators 56a, 56b, or 56c expand or contract depending on the amount of working fluid Fd supplied from each electromagnetic proportional valve 10.

The detection means 16 includes detection means 16a, 16b, and 16c that detect the pressure of the working fluid Fd supplied to the actuators 56a, 56b, and 56c.

The base end of the arm mechanism 48 is provided, for example, on the right side of the cockpit 38 in the upper body section 34. The arm mechanism 48 includes, for example, a boom 42 and an arm 44 extending forward from the upper body section 34. A bucket 46 is attached to the tip side of the arm mechanism 48. In this way, the construction machine 100 can drive the bucket 46 to perform the desired work by changing the attitude of the working unit 40 in response to the operation of the operator. In addition, the construction machine 100 can move the bucket 46 in three dimensions by rotating the upper body section 34 and the working unit 40.

Here, a control system 510 of a comparative example will be described. This comparative example was devised by the inventors in the process of creating the present invention. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic of the control system 510 of this comparative example, and corresponds to Figure 2. In the drawings and explanation of this comparative example, components and members that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the different configurations will be explained.

This comparative example has solenoid valves 512a, 512b, and 512c that control actuators 56a, 56b, and 56c. Solenoid valves 512a, 512b, and 512c do not have individual solenoid valve control units. Solenoid valves 512a, 512b, and 512c are controlled by a main body solenoid valve control unit 520. Pressure sensors 516a, 516b, and 516c detect the pressure of the working fluid Fd supplied to actuators 56a, 56b, and 56c, and output a pressure signal to the main body solenoid valve control unit 520.

In this comparative example, the main body solenoid valve control unit 520 directly receives the operation result of the operation unit 554 and determines the control target value of each of the actuators 56a to 56c according to the operation result. The main body solenoid valve control unit 520 feedback controls each of the solenoid valves 512a to 512c according to the comparison result with the control target value, using the pressure signals from each of the pressure sensors 516a to 516c as feedback amounts. As a result, the extension length of the actuators 56a to 56c changes according to the operation of the operation unit 554, and the attitude of the boom 42, arm 44, and bucket 46 changes.

In this comparative example, a large number of wires are provided between each of the solenoid valves 512a-512c and each of the pressure sensors 516a-516c and the main body solenoid valve control unit 520, making the wiring work complicated. The main body solenoid valve control unit processes the feedback control of each of the solenoid valves 512a-512c, so the total processing load is likely to become excessive. For this reason, when adding a solenoid valve, it is necessary to replace the processor of the main body solenoid valve control unit 520 with a high-speed, large-capacity type. In addition, when changing the control characteristics of the solenoid valve, it is necessary to change the program of the main body solenoid valve control unit 520, which raises concerns about the impact on other controls. Thus, this comparative example has the problem that the configuration is complicated and it is difficult to change the system configuration.

The present embodiment will be described based on the description of the comparative example. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, each component communicates with each other via a shared communication line 28. Although various communication methods can be adopted for the communication line 28, this embodiment adopts CAN (registered trademark). The communication line 28 may be various other methods such as USB (registered trademark) and Ethernet (registered trademark). The communication line 28 may be wired, including optical communication, or may be wireless. In this embodiment, by using the shared communication line 28, attachments can be easily added and changed. By adopting CAN for the communication line 28, good noise resistance can be ensured.

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the solenoid valve control unit 14, the detection means 16, the operation unit 54, and the surrounding environment monitoring means 32 are configured to be able to communicate with the upper control means 20 via the communication line 28 in order to transmit (send and receive) information. In other words, the solenoid valve control unit 14, the detection means 16, the operation unit 54, the surrounding environment monitoring means 32, and the upper control means 20 have a communication unit 28c and are configured to be able to communicate with each other via the communication line 28.

The operation result of the operation unit 54 may be input directly to the upper control means 20, but in this embodiment, it is sent to the upper control means 20 via the communication line 28. The upper control means 20 determines the control target values Cs of the individual actuators 56a to 56c according to the operation result of the operation unit 54. The individual control target values Cs are transmitted to the individual solenoid valve control units 14 via the communication line 28. The solenoid valve control units 14 receive the control target values Cs.

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the detection results (pressure signals) of the detection means 16a to 16c are input to the solenoid valve control unit 14. The solenoid valve control unit 14 acquires the detection results of the detection means 16a to 16c as a feedback amount Cx. The solenoid valve control unit 14 feedback controls the proportional valve body 12 according to the comparison result between the control target value Cs and the feedback amount Cx. In this way, by controlling the proportional valve body by a local solenoid valve control unit, the processing burden on the upper control means 20 is reduced, and a small-scale processor can be used for the upper control means 20.

The solenoid valve control unit 14 may obtain the operation result of the operation unit 54 via the communication line 28 and autonomously determine the control target value Cs. In this case, the processing load on the upper control means 20 can be further reduced.

The electromagnetic proportional valve 10 will now be described. In this embodiment, the electromagnetic valve control unit 14 and the proportional valve body 12 are integrally configured. FIG. 4 is a side view that shows a schematic diagram of the electromagnetic proportional valve 10. The electromagnetic proportional valve 10 includes the electromagnetic valve control unit 14, a solenoid 10d, a spool 10e, and a casing 10c.

The casing 10c in this embodiment has a hollow cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, the solenoid valve control unit 14, the solenoid 10d, and the spool 10e are arranged in this order, and the whole is housed in the casing 10c. The solenoid 10d moves a movable iron core (not shown) according to the control of the solenoid valve control unit 14. The spool 10e moves together with the movable iron core, and opens and closes multiple input/output ports (not shown) provided in the casing 10c. In other words, the solenoid 10d is electrically driven by the solenoid valve control unit 14, and drives the spool 10e via the movable iron core.

Returning to FIG. 2, the operation of the solenoid proportional valve 10 will be described. The working fluid Fd in the tank 58t is supplied to the input port of the solenoid proportional valve 10 by the pump 58p. The working fluid Fd, the pressure of which has been adjusted according to the control of the solenoid valve control unit 14, is supplied to the actuator 56 from the output port of the solenoid proportional valve 10. The solenoid proportional valve 10 controls the pressure of the working fluid Fd supplied from the output port according to the comparison result between the control target value Cs from the upper control means 20 and the feedback amount Cx from the detection means 16.

In the solenoid proportional valve 10, the pressure of the working fluid Fd is controlled by control characteristics according to a program built into the solenoid valve control unit 14. Therefore, in the solenoid proportional valve 10, the program can be flexibly changed. By changing the program, the solenoid proportional valve 10 can control the pressure of the working fluid Fd with desired characteristics, such as linear or nonlinear, relative to the control target value Cs.

The assembly block 18 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 5. Figure 5 is a perspective view that shows a schematic example of the assembly block 18. In order to distinguish between multiple electromagnetic proportional valves 10, the reference numerals are suffixed with "-A", "-B", and "-C". Although the electromagnetic proportional valves 10-A, 10-B, and 10-C may be arranged separately, in this embodiment, the electromagnetic proportional valves 10-A, 10-B, and 10-C are arranged in an integrated assembly block 18. By arranging multiple electromagnetic proportional valves in the assembly block 18, the entire system can be configured compactly.

The surrounding environment monitoring means 32 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The surrounding environment monitoring means 32 has one or more image sensors 32d and is installed on the roof of the cockpit 38. The surrounding environment monitoring means 32 captures images of the surrounding environment of the construction machine 100 and the working unit 40, and acquires the image information Gp.

By using the image information Gp, the construction machine 100 can be equipped with a contact avoidance function that prevents the working unit 40 from coming into contact with people or objects in the vicinity. In order to realize the contact avoidance function, a configuration is conceivable in which the host control means 20 performs image processing of the image information Gp and avoidance control (hereinafter referred to as "contact avoidance processing"). However, with this configuration, when incorporating the contact avoidance function into an existing construction machine 100, it is necessary to significantly rewrite the software of the host control means 20. In addition, the processing capacity of the host control means 20 may be insufficient, and it may be necessary to replace the host control means 20 with a high-speed, large-capacity type. Therefore, major changes are unavoidable in order to realize the contact avoidance function.

In this embodiment, the solenoid valve control unit 14 of the solenoid proportional valve 10 is configured to perform contact avoidance processing. In this case, the solenoid proportional valve 10 incorporating software for contact avoidance processing can be added as an add-on, so that the software of the upper control means 20 does not need to be changed much.

Next, the contact avoidance process of the control system 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the contact avoidance process S70 of the control system 1. Process S70 is a process for controlling the operation of the working unit 40 so as to avoid contact with obstacles such as surrounding people or objects based on the image information Gp. Here, an example will be described in which the control system 1 identifies an obstacle, predicts interference between the working unit 40 and the obstacle, and causes the working unit 40 to perform avoidance operations such as decelerating, stopping, or changing trajectory based on the prediction result. Process S70 is started when an instruction for contact avoidance process is input by the administrator.

When the timing for contact avoidance processing arrives (Y in step S71), the solenoid valve control unit 14 of the solenoid proportional valve 10 acquires image information Gp from the surrounding environment monitoring means 32 via the communication line 28 (step S72). This step may be executed by any of the solenoid valve control units 14, but in this embodiment it is executed by each of the solenoid valve control units 14. This is to distribute and execute subsequent processing. Note that the image information Gp may be acquired by any of the solenoid valve control units 14, and the image information that has undergone a certain amount of image processing, such as compressing the amount of information, may be shared by the solenoid valve control unit 14.

Once the image information Gp is acquired, the solenoid valve control unit 14 identifies the position and speed of the working unit 40 from the image information Gp (step S73).

Once the working unit 40 has been identified, the solenoid valve control unit 14 identifies the position and speed of the obstacle from the image information Gp (step S74).

Once an obstacle is identified, the solenoid valve control unit 14 predicts the change in distance between the working unit 40 and the obstacle (step S75).

The processing of steps S73 to S75 may be executed by any one of the solenoid valve control units 14, but in this embodiment, they are executed in a distributed manner by the solenoid valve control units 14. For example, step S73 may be executed by one solenoid valve control unit, step S74 may be executed by another solenoid valve control unit, and step S75 may be executed by yet another solenoid valve control unit. By distributing the processing, the concentration of the processing load can be alleviated.

After predicting the change in distance, the solenoid valve control unit 14 determines the mode of the avoidance operation according to the predicted minimum distance between the working unit 40 and the obstacle (hereinafter referred to as the "predicted minimum distance") (step S76). For example, the mode of the avoidance operation may be determined according to the predicted minimum distance as follows.
(1) If the predicted minimum distance is equal to or greater than the first distance: no avoidance action is taken.
(2) If the predicted minimum distance is less than the first distance and is equal to or greater than the second distance: the movement of the working unit 40 is decelerated.
(3) If the predicted minimum distance is less than the second distance and is equal to or greater than the third distance: stop the movement of the working unit 40.
(4) If the predicted minimum distance is less than the third distance: the movement trajectory of the working unit 40 is changed.

Once the mode of the avoidance operation has been determined, the solenoid valve control unit 14 adjusts the supply amount of the working fluid Fd to control the actuators 56a to 56c so that the avoidance operation is performed in accordance with that mode (step S77). After step S77 is executed, process S70 ends. Steps S71 to S77 are repeatedly executed until there is no longer an instruction for contact avoidance processing.

If the timing for contact avoidance processing has not yet arrived (N in step S71), steps S72 to S77 are skipped. This process S70 is merely an example, and the order of the steps may be changed, and some steps may be added, deleted, or modified. Part of process S70 may be executed by the upper control means 20. In this case, the processing burden on the solenoid valve control unit 14 can be reduced.

The features of the control system 1 of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. The control system 1 includes a proportional valve body 12 that supplies the working fluid Fd to the actuator 56 that drives the working unit 40, and a solenoid valve control unit 14 that is integrally provided with the proportional valve body 12 to control the proportional valve body 12.

In this case, since the solenoid valve control unit 14 is provided integrally with the proportional valve body 12, the control processing can be distributed among the solenoid valve control units, and the processing burden on the upper control means 20 that controls the solenoid valve control units 14 can be reduced. Also, since the solenoid valve control unit 14 controls the proportional valve body 12, the wiring between the upper control means 20 can be simplified. Also, when adding or changing the proportional valve body 12, this can be accommodated by making slight changes to the software of the upper control means 20. By changing the software of the solenoid valve control unit 14, it is possible to change the control characteristics of the actuator 56 and the operating characteristics of the driven body.

The solenoid valve control unit 14 obtains detection results from the detection means 16 that detects information about the working fluid Fd supplied from the proportional valve body 12, and controls the proportional valve body 12 based on the detection results. In this case, feedback control can be performed by the detection means 16 and the solenoid valve control unit 14.

The solenoid valve control unit 14 controls the proportional valve body 12 based on information about the surrounding environment from the surrounding environment monitoring means 32. In this case, the operation of the driven body can be changed according to the surrounding environment conditions.

The solenoid valve control unit 14 is configured to prevent the working unit 40 from coming into contact with people or objects in the surrounding environment by controlling the proportional valve body 12 based on the image information Gp from the surrounding environment monitoring means 32. In this case, the operation of the working unit 40 can be changed depending on the situation of people or objects in the surrounding environment to avoid contact.

The solenoid valve control unit 14 is configured integrally with the proportional valve body 12. In this case, the control system 1 can be configured compactly.

The proportional valve body 12 is arranged in an assembly block 18 in which multiple solenoid valves are integrated. In this case, the control system 1 can be made even more compact.

The solenoid valve control unit 14 communicates with the upper control means 20 to send or receive information. In this case, it can operate in cooperation with the upper control means 20. It can receive information for controlling the proportional valve main body 12. It can send specified information to the upper control means 20.

The solenoid valve control unit 14 communicates with the upper control means 20 via at least one of a data bus or a network. In this case, the shared communication line 28 is used, so the configuration can be simplified. When changing the system configuration, the range of changes to the upper control means 20 can be reduced.

Next, second and third embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the drawings and description of the second and third embodiments, components and members that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on the configurations that differ from the first embodiment.

[Second embodiment]
The second embodiment of the present invention is also an electromagnetic proportional valve 10. The electromagnetic proportional valve 10 includes a proportional valve body 12 having a solenoid 10d and a spool 10e driven by the solenoid 10d, which supplies a working fluid Fd to an actuator that drives a driven body, a solenoid valve control unit 14 that is integrally configured with the proportional valve body 12 and controls the proportional valve body 12, and a casing 10c that accommodates the solenoid 10d, the spool 10e, and the solenoid valve control unit 14. As an example, the driven body may be a working unit 40, and the actuator may be an actuator 56. The configuration of the second embodiment provides the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

[Third embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention is a construction machine 100. This construction machine 100 includes a working unit 40 whose posture changes due to the action of an actuator driven by working fluid Fd, a proportional valve body 12 that supplies working fluid Fd to the actuator, and a solenoid valve control unit 14 that is integral with the proportional valve body 12 and controls the proportional valve body 12 based on the detection result of detection means 16 that detects information related to the working fluid Fd. As an example, the actuator may be an actuator 56. According to the configuration of the third embodiment, the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

The above provides a detailed explanation of examples of the embodiments of the present invention. All of the above-mentioned embodiments merely show specific examples of how to put the present invention into practice. The contents of the embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design changes, such as changing, adding, or deleting components, are possible within the scope of the idea of the invention defined in the claims. In the above-mentioned embodiments, the contents for which such design changes are possible are explained using notations such as "in the embodiment" and "in the embodiment," but this does not mean that design changes are not permitted for contents without such notations.

[Modification]
The following describes the modified examples. In the drawings and description of the modified examples, the same components and members as those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on the configurations that differ from the first embodiment.

In the explanation of the first embodiment, an example was shown in which the electromagnetic proportional valve 10 is mounted on the construction machine 100, but the present invention is not limited to this. The electromagnetic proportional valve 10 can be provided on various movable devices having an actuator driven by a working fluid. In addition, although an example was shown in which the construction machine 100 has a bucket 46, the construction machine 100 may have various attachments other than a bucket.

In the explanation of the first embodiment, an example was given in which the actuator was a hydraulic cylinder, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the actuator may be a hydraulic motor that generates rotational motion using fluid power, or an oscillating actuator that generates oscillating motion using fluid power.

In the description of the first embodiment, an example was shown in which the assembly block 18 has three solenoid proportional valves 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. The assembly block may have two or four or more solenoid valves. In addition, the assembly block may include a solenoid valve that does not have a solenoid valve control unit.

In the explanation of the first embodiment, an example was shown in which multiple solenoid proportional valves 10 were configured as an integrally formed block, but multiple solenoid valves that were formed separately may also be connected to form an assembly block.

In the description of the first embodiment, an example was given in which the detection means 16 detects the pressure of the working fluid Fd, but the detection means may also acquire various information other than this pressure. For example, the detection means may acquire information on the supply amount or flow rate of the working fluid Fd supplied from the proportional valve body.

In the explanation of the first embodiment, an example was shown in which the solenoid valve control unit 14 communicates with the upper control means 20, but it is not essential that the solenoid valve control unit 14 communicates with the upper control means 20. For example, the solenoid valve control unit may autonomously control the proportional valve body.

In the description of the first embodiment, an example was shown in which the ambient environment monitoring means 32 acquires image information Gp, but the ambient environment monitoring means may acquire various ambient environment information other than image information. For example, the ambient environment monitoring means may acquire temperature information of the ambient environment. In this case, the solenoid valve control unit may change the control characteristics according to the temperature information and the temperature characteristics of the working fluid Fd.

In the explanation of the first embodiment, an example was shown in which the surrounding environment monitoring means 32 is provided on the roof of the cockpit 38, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the surrounding environment monitoring means 32 may be disposed on the side of the cockpit 38 or on the cover of the upper body section 34. The surrounding environment monitoring means 32 may also be disposed in the working section 40.

In the explanation of the first embodiment, an example was given in which the avoidance operation includes deceleration, stopping, and a change in trajectory of the driven body, but the present invention is not limited to this. The avoidance operation may include one of these operations, may include other operations, or may be a completely different operation.

In the description of the first embodiment, an example was shown in which the arm mechanism 48 is provided on the right side of the cockpit 38, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the arm mechanism may be provided on the left side of the cockpit or in front of the cockpit.

In the description of the first embodiment, an example was shown in which the construction machine 100 is operated by a driver from the control room 38, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the construction machine may be automatically controlled or remotely controlled.

In the explanation of the first embodiment, an example was shown in which the proportional valve body 12 and the solenoid valve control unit 14 were provided integrally, but the proportional valve body 12 and the solenoid valve control unit 14 only need to be connected one-to-one, and they may also be provided separately or apart from each other.

The above-mentioned modified example provides the same effects and advantages as the first embodiment.

Any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. The new embodiment resulting from the combination has the combined effects of each of the combined embodiments and modifications.

1 Control system, 12 Proportional valve body, 14 Solenoid valve control unit, 16 Detection means, 10 Solenoid proportional valve, 20 Upper control means, 28 Communication line, 32 Surrounding environment monitoring means, 38 Control room, 40 Working unit, 42 Boom, 44 Arm, 46 Bucket, 54 Operation unit, 56 Actuator, 100 Construction machine.

Claims (9)

a proportional valve body for supplying a working fluid to an actuator for driving a driven body;
a solenoid valve control unit provided integrally with the proportional valve body for controlling the proportional valve body;
the solenoid valve control unit is configured to identify an obstacle based on image information from a surrounding environment monitoring means that captures an image of the surrounding environment and the driven body, predict interference between the driven body and the obstacle, and control the proportional valve body based on a prediction result, thereby preventing the driven body from coming into contact with the obstacle ;
The solenoid valve control unit predicts a change in distance between the driven body and the obstacle based on the image information, determines a mode of avoidance operation in accordance with a predicted minimum distance between the driven body and the obstacle based on the predicted change in distance, and controls the proportional valve body so that the driven body performs an avoidance operation in accordance with the mode of the avoidance operation . a proportional valve body for supplying a working fluid to an actuator for driving a driven body;
a solenoid valve control unit connected one-to-one to the proportional valve body for controlling the proportional valve body;
the solenoid valve control unit is configured to identify an obstacle based on image information from a surrounding environment monitoring means that captures an image of the surrounding environment and the driven body, predict interference between the driven body and the obstacle, and control the proportional valve body based on a prediction result, thereby preventing the driven body from coming into contact with the obstacle ;
The solenoid valve control unit predicts a change in distance between the driven body and the obstacle based on the image information, determines a mode of avoidance operation in accordance with a predicted minimum distance between the driven body and the obstacle based on the predicted change in distance, and controls the proportional valve body so that the driven body performs an avoidance operation in accordance with the mode of the avoidance operation . 3. The solenoid proportional valve according to claim 1, wherein the solenoid valve control unit acquires a detection result from a detection means that detects information regarding the working fluid, and controls the proportional valve body based on the detection result. 4. An electromagnetic proportional valve according to claim 1, wherein the proportional valve body is arranged in an integrated assembly of a plurality of proportional valve bodies. 5. The proportional solenoid valve according to claim 1 , wherein the solenoid valve control section is configured to be able to communicate with other control means to transmit or receive information. 6. The proportional solenoid valve according to claim 5 , wherein the solenoid valve control section communicates with the other control means via at least one of a data bus and a network. a proportional valve body that supplies a working fluid to an actuator that has a solenoid and a spool driven by the solenoid and drives a driven body;
a solenoid valve control unit that is integral with the proportional valve body and controls the proportional valve body by driving the solenoid based on a detection result of a detection means that detects information about the working fluid;
a casing that accommodates the solenoid, the spool, and the solenoid valve control unit;
Equipped with
the solenoid valve control unit is configured to identify an obstacle based on image information from a surrounding environment monitoring means that captures an image of the surrounding environment and the driven body, predict interference between the driven body and the obstacle, and control the proportional valve body based on a prediction result, thereby preventing the driven body from coming into contact with the obstacle ;
The solenoid valve control unit predicts a change in distance between the driven body and the obstacle based on the image information, determines a mode of avoidance operation in accordance with a predicted minimum distance between the driven body and the obstacle based on the predicted change in distance, and controls the proportional valve body so that the driven body performs an avoidance operation in accordance with the mode of the avoidance operation . The solenoid valve control section, the solenoid, and the spool are arranged in this order,
8. The proportional solenoid valve according to claim 7 , wherein the solenoid valve control section, the solenoid, and the spool are entirely housed within the casing. a working unit whose posture changes due to the action of an actuator driven by a working fluid;
a proportional valve body for supplying the hydraulic fluid to the actuator;
a solenoid valve control unit that is integral with the proportional valve body and controls the proportional valve body based on a detection result of a detection means that detects information about the working fluid;
Equipped with
the solenoid valve control unit is configured to identify an obstacle based on image information from a surrounding environment monitoring means that images the surrounding environment and the working unit, predict interference between the working unit and the obstacle, and control the proportional valve body based on a prediction result, thereby preventing the working unit from coming into contact with the obstacle ;
The solenoid valve control unit predicts a change in distance between the working unit and the obstacle based on the image information, determines a mode of avoidance operation according to a predicted minimum distance between the working unit and the obstacle based on the predicted change in distance, and controls the proportional valve body so that the working unit performs an avoidance operation in accordance with the mode of avoidance operation .

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