# US 10,767,341 B2 · Control system for work vehicle, and method for setting trajectory of work implement

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- Number: US 10,767,341 B2
- Document ID: US10767341B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/579,982
- Filed: 2017-01-31
- Published: 2019-07-18
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-01-31
- Assignees: Komatsu Ltd.
- Applicants: Komatsu Ltd.
- Inventors: Kazuhiro Hashimoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10767341B2

## CPC

- E02F 3/43: Control of dipper or bucket position; Control of sequence of drive operations
- E02F 3/844: {for positioning the blade, e.g. hydraulically}
- E02F 3/815: Blades; Levelling {or scarifying} tools {(E02F3/40 takes precedence)}
- E02F 3/84: Drives or control devices therefor {, e.g. hydraulic drive systems}
- E02F 9/20: Drives; Control devices (gearings in general F16H; controlling in general G05; electric multi-motor drives H02K, H02P)
- G05D 1/0274: {using mapping information stored in a memory device (navigation using map-matching G01C21/30)}
- E02F 3/76: Graders, bulldozers, or the like with scraper plates or ploughshare-like elements (soil-working A01B); Levelling {scarifying} devices {(street cleaning E01H; construction of roads E01C19/00, E01C23/00)}
- E02F: DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING (winning peat E21C49/00)
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES

## Abstract

A control system includes a controller. The controller acquires current terrain data that indicates the current terrain to be worked. The controller decides on a target design terrain that is displaced vertically from the current terrain by referring to target displacement data. The target displacement data indicates the target displacement of a work implement according to the amount of movement from a work start position. The controller generates a command signal to move the work implement toward the target design terrain.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A control system for a work vehicle including a work implement, the control system comprising:
a controller programmed to
acquire current terrain data indicating current terrain to be worked,
decide a target design terrain displaced vertically from the current terrain by referring to target displacement data indicating target displacement of the work implement according to an amount of movement from a work start position, and
generate a command signal to move the work implement toward the target design terrain.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the target displacement data includes a first region and a second region,
the first region is a region that begins when the amount of movement is smaller than in the second region, and
in the first region, the target displacement is defined to be greater than in the second region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein
the target displacement data includes a transitional region located between the first region and the second region, and
in the transitional region, the target displacement is defined to decrease gradually according to increase in the amount of movement.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein
the target displacement data includes a digging start region located between the first region and a digging start position, and
in the digging start region, the target displacement is defined to increase gradually according to increase in the amount of movement.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein
the target displacement is constant at a first target value in the first region, and
the target displacement is constant at a second target value in the second region, with the second target value being less than the first target value.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein
with the target displacement data, the first region ends when the amount of movement is a first end value, and
the controller is further programmed to
acquire a current held soil volume of the work implement,
acquire the amount of movement of the work vehicle at a point when the current held soil volume exceeds a specific threshold, as an updated value for the first end value, and
update the first end value to the updated value when the updated value is less than a current value of the first end value.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the controller is further programmed to
acquire a current held soil volume of the work implement,
determine whether the current held soil volume is greater than a specific threshold, and
update the target displacement data based on a result of determining whether the current held soil volume is greater than the specific threshold.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the controller is further programmed to
accept a control mode selected from a plurality of control modes, and
change the target displacement according to the selected control mode.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the controller is further programmed to
perform smoothing of the current terrain, and
decide the target design terrain displaced vertically by the target displacement from the smoothed current terrain.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the work implement includes a blade, and
the amount of movement from the work start position is an amount of movement of the blade.

### Claim 11

A method for setting a trajectory of a work implement of a work vehicle, the method comprising:
acquiring current terrain data indicating current terrain to be worked;
deciding a target design terrain displaced vertically from the current terrain by referring to target displacement data indicating target displacement of the work implement according to an amount of movement from a work start position;
setting the target design terrain as the trajectory of the work implement and
generating a command signal to move the work implement toward the target design terrain.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method for setting the trajectory of a work implement according to claim 11, wherein
the target displacement data includes a first region and a second region,
the first region is a region that begins when the amount of movement is smaller than in the second region, and
in the first region, the target displacement is defined to be greater than in the second region.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method for setting the trajectory of a work implement according to claim 12, wherein
the target displacement data includes a transitional region located between the first region and the second region, and
in the transitional region, the target displacement is defined to decrease gradually according to increase in the amount of movement.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method for setting the trajectory of a work implement according to claim 11, further comprising:
acquiring a current held soil volume of the work implement,
determining whether the current held soil volume is greater than a specific threshold, and
updating the target displacement data based on a result of determining whether the current held soil volume is greater than the specific threshold.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The method for setting the trajectory of a work implement according to claim 11, further comprising:
accepting a control mode selected from a plurality of control modes, and
changing the target displacement according to the selected control mode.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The method for setting the trajectory of a work implement according to claim 11, further comprising:
performing smoothing of the current terrain; and
deciding the target design terrain displaced vertically by the target displacement from the smoothed current terrain.

### Claim 17

A control system for a work vehicle including a work implement, the control system comprising:
a controller programmed to
acquire current terrain data indicating current terrain to be worked,
decide a target design terrain displaced vertically from the current terrain by referring to a target load parameter that defines relation between an amount of movement from a work start position and a target load parameter that defines a load on the work implement, and
generate a command signal to move the work implement toward the target design terrain.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 17, wherein
the target design terrain is displaced vertically with respect to the current terrain, and
the controller is further programmed to decide a target displacement between the current terrain and the target design terrain according to a magnitude of the target load parameter.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 17, wherein
the target load parameter indicates a target soil volume of the work implement.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 17, wherein
the target design terrain is displaced vertically with respect to the current terrain, and
the target load parameter indicates the target displacement between the current terrain and the target design terrain.

### Claim 21 (depends on 17)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 17, wherein
the target load parameter includes a first region and a second region,
the first region is a region that begins when the amount of movement is smaller than in the second region, and
in the first region, the target load parameter is defined to be greater than in the second region.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 21, wherein
the target load parameter includes a transitional region located between the first region and the second region, and
in the transitional region, the target load parameter is defined to decrease gradually according to increase in the amount of movement.

### Claim 23 (depends on 17)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 17, wherein
the controller is further programmed to
acquire a current held soil volume of the work implement,
determine whether the current held soil volume is greater than a specific threshold, and
update the target load parameter data based on a result of determining whether the current held soil volume is greater than the specific threshold.

### Claim 24 (depends on 17)

The control system for a work vehicle according to claim 17, wherein
the controller is further programmed to
accept a control mode selected from a plurality of control modes, and
change the target load parameter according to the selected control mode.