Excavator, remote operation system, and control method

Abstract

An excavator includes an undercarriage, an upper structure swingably mounted on the undercarriage, a boom attached to the upper structure, an arm attached to the boom, an end attachment attached to the arm, and a control device that controls at least one of the boom, the arm, or the end attachment when a swing operation of the upper structure is performed in accordance with an operation by an operator, so that a working portion of the end attachment follows a construction surface after the working portion contacts the construction surface, the construction surface being a construction target of the end attachment.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An excavator, comprising: 
 an undercarriage;   an upper structure swingably mounted on the undercarriage;   a boom attached to the upper structure;   an arm attached to the boom;   an end attachment attached to the arm; and   a control device that controls at least one of the boom, the arm, or the end attachment when a swing operation of the upper structure is performed in accordance with an operation by an operator, so that a working portion of the end attachment follows a construction surface after the working portion contacts the construction surface, the construction surface being a construction target of the end attachment.   
     
     
         2 . The excavator according to  claim 1 , wherein 
       the control device controls the boom and the arm so that the working portion is maintained at a substantially same height from a surface where the excavator is grounded. 
     
     
         3 . The excavator according to  claim 1 , wherein 
       the control device controls the end attachment so that a lateral end edge of the working portion contacts the construction surface in a substantially parallel state. 
     
     
         4 . The excavator according to  claim 3 , wherein 
       the control device controls the end attachment so that the end edge contacts the construction surface in the substantially parallel state when an angle between the end edge and the construction surface is smaller than a predetermined angle. 
     
     
         5 . The excavator according to  claim 4 , wherein 
       the control device controls the end attachment so that the end edge contacts the construction surface in the substantially parallel state when the angle between the end edge and the construction surface is greater than the predetermined angle. 
     
     
         6 . The excavator according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 an attitude detection unit that outputs detection information on an attitude of the undercarriage, wherein   the control device controls at least one of the boom, the arm, or the end attachment when it is determined that the excavator is inclined from a horizontal plane based on the detection information, so that the working portion moves along a trajectory during the swing operation of the upper structure, the trajectory being obtained by intersection between the construction surface and a plane including a position of the working portion and being inclined by an inclination angle of the excavator from the horizontal plane.   
     
     
         7 . A remote operation system, comprising: 
 a remote operation device that transmits operation information indicating an operation received by an operating device; and   an excavator including: an undercarriage; an upper structure swingably mounted on the undercarriage; a boom attached to the upper structure; an arm attached to the boom; an end attachment attached to the arm; an attitude detection unit that outputs detection information on an attitude of a working portion of the end attachment; a communication device that receives the operation information from the remote operation device; and a control device that controls at least one of the boom, the arm, or the end attachment so that the working portion of the end attachment follows a construction surface after the working portion contacts the construction surface when a swing operation of the upper structure is performed in accordance with an operation indicated by the operation information, the construction surface being a construction target of the end attachment.   
     
     
         8 . A control method, comprising: 
 causing a control device to control an excavator to perform a swing operation of an upper structure in accordance with an operation from an operator, the excavator including an undercarriage, the upper structure swingably mounted on the undercarriage, a boom attached to the upper structure, an arm attached to the boom, and an end attachment attached to the arm; and   causing the control device to control at least one of the boom, the arm, or the end attachment during the swing operation of the upper structure so that a working portion of the end attachment follows a construction surface after the working portion contacts the construction surface, the construction surface being a construction target of the end attachment.