Effects of Machine Instability Feedback on Safety During Digging Operation in Teleoperated Excavators

Teleoperated excavators have a risk of overturning or falling when digging because it is more difficult to receive information regarding the machine posture and the work object condition than in the case of actual machine boarding. In this study, the machine instability derived from the attachment posture and the digging reaction force has been proposed. In addition, for feedback regarding the machine instability to the operator, an intuitive visual presentation method using a meter is proposed. To verify the effect of the proposed machine instability feedback, an excavation operation simulator was constructed, and an experiment was conducted. As a result, by using the machine instability feedback, it was confirmed that digging could be performed without generating the tilting and forward movements of the machine body, and that the ratio of the time during which the machine instability exceeded 100% decreased, while the productivity remained constant. Additionally, by verifying the effect of the subject experiment, even in the actual teleoperated excavator, it was confirmed that the work could be conducted without generating a greater tilting of the machine body, while maintaining productivity. Therefore, the possibility of working safely in the teleoperated excavator using machine instability feedback was clarified.