Scrap pile shape measuring device, scrap pile shape measuring method, and program

Abstract

To provide a scrap pile shape measuring device that can improve the measurement accuracy of scrap pile shapes.SOLUTION: A scrap pile shape measuring device of the invention is provided with an optical ranging sensor installed on a garter traveling on the runway of an overhead crane installed above the scrap yard, which moves with the garter and measures the distance to the surface of the scrap pile at each location in the scrap yard, and a calculation unit that calculates the height of the scrap pile at each location based on the distance measured by the optical ranging sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a scrap pile shape measuring device, a scrap pile shape measuring method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for measuring the height of scrap piles at each address stored in a scrap yard by utilizing the parallax obtained from the stereo view of a pair of cameras. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-197170 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] However, with the above technology, the camera is fixed to the building pillars of the scrap yard, which presents a challenge in that blind spots increase as the scrap pile gets taller, making it difficult to measure the height.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main objective is to provide a scrap pile shape measuring device, a scrap pile shape measuring method, and a program that can improve the accuracy of measuring the shape of a scrap pile. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, a scrap pile shape measuring device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an optical distance sensor installed on a girder that travels along the runway of an overhead crane installed above a scrap yard, and which measures the distance to the surface of the scrap pile at each position in the scrap yard while moving together with the girder, and a calculation unit that calculates the height of the scrap pile at each position based on the distance measured by the optical distance sensor. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of measuring the shape of the scrap pile.

[0007] In the above embodiment, the calculation unit may calculate the height at each position based on the distance measured by the optical distance sensor and the angle of the irradiated light. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of height measurement.

[0008] In the above embodiment, the optical distance measuring sensor may move together with the girder and measure the distance at each position while scanning the emitted light in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the girder. This makes it possible to improve the measurement efficiency.

[0009] In the above embodiment, the calculation unit may calculate the cross-sectional area of ​​the scrap pile based on the height of each position aligned in the scanning direction of the irradiated light. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of the measurement of the cross-sectional area.

[0010] In the above embodiment, the calculation unit may calculate the volume of the scrap pile based on the cross-sectional area at each position in the direction of travel of the girder. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of volume measurement.

[0011] In the above embodiment, the calculation unit may calculate the weight of the scrap pile based on the volume and specific gravity of the scrap pile. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of weight measurement.

[0012] In the above embodiment, a plurality of optical distance measuring sensors may be installed spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the girder. This makes it possible to further reduce blind spots.

[0013] Furthermore, in another embodiment of the present invention, a scrap pile shape measurement method involves using an optical distance sensor installed on a girder that travels along the runway of an overhead crane installed above the scrap yard to measure the distance to the surface of the scrap pile at each position in the scrap yard while moving together with the girder, and calculating the height of the scrap pile at each position based on the distance measured by the optical distance sensor. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of measuring the shape of the scrap pile.

[0014] Furthermore, in another embodiment of the present invention, a program causes a computer to perform the following actions: obtain the distance to the surface of the scrap pile at each position in the scrap yard, measured by an optical distance sensor installed on a girder that travels along the runway of an overhead crane installed above the scrap yard, while moving along the girder; and calculate the height of the scrap pile at each position based on the distance. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of measuring the shape of the scrap pile. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of a scrap yard and an overhead crane. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a scrap pile shape measuring device. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a mountain shape database. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a method for measuring the shape of a scrap pile. [Figure 5] This is a diagram to explain how to calculate the cross-sectional area of ​​a scrap pile. [Figure 6] This is a diagram to explain how to calculate the volume of a scrap pile. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a brand-specific gravity table. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of three-dimensional shape data. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of three-dimensional shape data. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of region division. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of region division. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing another arrangement example of the optical distance measurement sensor.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration example of a scrap yard SY and an overhead crane 9. The scrap yard SY is, for example, a facility for an electric furnace manufacturer to accept iron scrap. In the scrap yard SY, a scrap pile SM in which iron scrap is stacked is formed.

[0018] The scrap pile SM is formed, for example, for each brand of iron scrap. The brand of iron scrap is, for example, a variety such as heavy, press, or shredder. The brand of iron scrap may further include grades such as HS to H2.

[0019] An overhead crane 9 is installed above the scrap yard SY. The overhead crane 9 is, for example, a trolley-type overhead crane, and includes a pair of runways 91, a garter 92 that runs on the runways 91, a club trolley 93 that runs on the garter 92, and a hook block 94 suspended from the club trolley 93.

[0020] In the diagram, the z direction represents the extension direction of runway 91, i.e., the direction of travel of the girder 92 running along runway 91. The x direction represents the extension direction of girder 92, i.e., the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of girder 92. The y direction represents the height direction. Also, in the diagram, W represents the width of scrapyard SY in the x direction. T represents the height from the ground of scrapyard SY to girder 92 (more specifically, the height to optical distance sensor 2).

[0021] In this embodiment, an optical distance sensor 2 is installed on the girder 92. The optical distance sensor 2 moves in the z direction together with the girder 92 and measures the distance L to the surface of the scrap pile SM at each position in the scrap yard SY. The optical distance sensor 2 is, for example, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor.

[0022] More specifically, the optical ranging sensor 2 is a 2D-LiDAR that scans the irradiated light P in the x-direction. That is, the optical ranging sensor 2 moves in the z-direction together with the girder 92 and measures the distance L to the surface of the scrap pile SM while scanning the irradiated light P in the x-direction. However, the optical ranging sensor 2 may also be a 3D-LiDAR that scans the irradiated light P in both the x and z directions.

[0023] The optical distance sensor 2 is preferably installed in the center of the girder 92 to reduce blind spots. That is, the optical distance sensor 2 is preferably installed above the center of the x-direction of the scrap yard SY. However, it is not limited to this, and the optical distance sensor 2 may be installed at a position away from the center of the girder 92.

[0024] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the scrap pile shape measuring device 1. In addition to the optical distance sensor 2, the scrap pile shape measuring device 1 includes a calculation unit 10, an operation unit 4, a display unit 5, and a memory 6. The scrap pile shape measuring device 1 may further include a crane control unit 3.

[0025] The arithmetic unit 10 is a computer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, and input / output interfaces. The operation unit 4 is, for example, a keyboard or mouse. The display unit 5 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device.

[0026] The CPU of the arithmetic unit 10 performs information processing according to the program loaded from memory 6 into RAM. The program may be supplied via an information storage medium such as an optical disc or memory card, or via a communication network such as the Internet or LAN.

[0027] The calculation unit 10 calculates the height, cross-sectional area, volume, and weight of the scrap pile SM based on the distance L measured by the optical distance sensor 2. The specific calculation methods for these will be described later.

[0028] The crane control unit 3 includes a motor, inverter, and encoder for controlling the overhead crane 9. The calculation unit 10 may calculate the position of the girder 92 in the z direction based on the detection signal from the encoder.

[0029] Memory 6 is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD. Memory 6 has a mountain-shaped database (DB) 61 for storing measurement results from the optical distance sensor 2 and calculation results from the calculation unit 10.

[0030] Figure 3 shows an example of the contents of the mountain shape DB61. The mountain shape DB61 stores three-dimensional shape data representing the shape of the scrap pile SM. Specifically, the mountain shape DB61 includes fields such as "No.", "θ", "x", "L", "y(=H)", and "z".

[0031] "θ" represents the angle in the x-direction of the illumination light P emitted from the optical distance sensor 2 with respect to the vertical axis (see Figure 1). The angle θ changes at a predetermined pitch as the illumination light P is scanned. "x" represents the position in the x-direction in the scrap yard SY. x is converted from the angle θ of the illumination light P. Specifically, x is expressed as W / 2 + T × tanθ.

[0032] "L" represents the distance measured by the optical distance sensor 2. That is, L represents the distance from the optical distance sensor 2 to the surface of the scrap pile SM. "y (=H)" represents the height of the surface of the scrap pile SM. y is converted from the angle θ of the irradiated light P and the measured distance L. Specifically, y is expressed as TL × cosθ.

[0033] "z" represents the position in the z-direction within the scrap yard SY. Since the measurement by the optical distance sensor 2 is performed while the girder 92 is traveling at a constant speed in the z-direction, z is proportional to the elapsed time from the start of measurement. Note that the scanning speed of the light P emitted by the optical distance sensor 2 is sufficiently higher than the travel speed of the girder 92. However, z may also be calculated based on the detection signal from the encoder of the crane control unit 3.

[0034] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for measuring the shape of a scrap pile implemented in the scrap pile shape measuring device 1. The calculation unit 10 of the scrap pile shape measuring device 1 executes the information processing shown in the figure according to the program.

[0035] First, the calculation unit 10 acquires measurement data measured by the optical distance sensor 2 from the mountain shape DB 61 (S11). The measurement data includes distance L and angle θ.

[0036] Next, the calculation unit 10 calculates the height y of the scrap pile SM at each position in the x and z directions based on the distance L measured by the optical distance sensor 2 and the angle θ of the irradiated light P (S12). As described above, y is expressed as TL × cosθ.

[0037] Next, the calculation unit 10 calculates the cross-sectional area S of the scrap pile SM based on the height y of each position aligned in the x direction (S13). That is, the calculation unit 10 calculates the cross-sectional area S when the scrap pile SM is cut in the x direction. The calculation unit 10 calculates the cross-sectional area S of the scrap pile SM for each position in the z direction.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the calculation of the cross-sectional area S of the scrap mountain SM. The figure shows a plurality of points EP detected when the irradiation light P is scanned once in the x direction. The cross-sectional area S of the scrap mountain SM is the height y of each point EP , , j , ,

[0044] , , , j , and the interval x in the x direction i+1 -x i and is calculated by adding up the areas of strip-shaped regions defined thereby. Specifically, the cross-sectional area S of the scrap mountain SM is represented by the following formula (1).

[0039]

Equation

[0040] i corresponds to the position in the x direction, and j corresponds to the position in the z direction. x i,j represents the value of x at the i-th position in the x direction and the j-th position in the z direction. y i,j represents the value of y at the i-th position in the x direction and the j-th position in the z direction. S j represents the cross-sectional area at the j-th position in the z direction.

[0041] Next, the calculation unit 10 calculates the volume V of the scrap mountain SM based on the cross-sectional area S at each position in the z direction (S14).

[0042] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the calculation of the volume V of the scrap mountain SM. The volume V of the scrap mountain SM is the cross-sectional area S<​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[0045] Next, the calculation unit 10 calculates the weight of the scrap pile SM based on its volume V and specific gravity (S15). Specifically, the calculation unit 10 calculates the weight of the scrap pile SM by multiplying the calculated volume V of the scrap pile SM by the specific gravity corresponding to the type of iron scrap contained in the scrap pile SM.

[0046] For example, the calculation unit 10 refers to the brand-specific gravity table (see Figure 7) stored in memory 6 to obtain the specific gravity corresponding to the specified brand. The brand is specified by the user operating the operation unit 4. For example, a brand is predetermined for each storage area of ​​scrap yard SY, and the specific gravity is determined based on the area where the scrap pile SM is located.

[0047] According to the embodiment described above, the shape of the scrap pile SM is measured while the optical distance sensor 2 is moved together with the girder 92, making it possible to reduce blind spots and improve measurement accuracy.

[0048] The following provides a detailed explanation of data processing examples for 3D shape data stored in the mountain shape DB61.

[0049] Figures 8 and 9 are perspective and plan views showing examples of 3D shape data DD. These figures are contour maps, color-coded by height. As shown in these figures, the 3D shape data DD includes multiple scrap piles SM.

[0050] Multiple scrap piles SM contain different types of iron scrap. Therefore, the calculation unit 10 calculates the volume of each scrap pile SM for each type of scrap.

[0051] Specifically, the calculation unit 10 displays an image representing the 3D shape data DD on the display unit 5, and determines the boundary lines for dividing the scrap piles SM for each brand based on user input to the operation unit 4.

[0052] For example, as shown in Figure 10, boundary points VP are input by the user onto the image of the 3D shape data DD. Then, as shown in Figure 11, the boundary line BL connecting the boundary points VP is determined. This determines the regions A1-A4 for each brand. The region numbers may be assigned automatically or by the user.

[0053] The calculation unit 10 then calculates the volume of the scrap pile SM for each region A1-A4, and further calculates the weight using the specific gravity corresponding to the brand. For example, the volume of the scrap pile SM for one region selected from regions A1-A4 is calculated by setting the height of the other regions to "0" and calculating the volume of the scrap pile SM for all regions.

[0054] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are of course possible for those skilled in the art.

[0055] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which one optical distance sensor 2 is installed in the center of the girder 92. However, as shown in Figure 12, multiple optical distance sensors 2 may be installed spaced apart from each other in the x-direction. This makes it possible to further reduce blind spots.

[0056] If multiple optical distance measuring sensors 2 measure the distance at the same location, the average of the measured distances may be used, or the distance measured by the closest optical distance measuring sensor 2 may be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Scrap pile shape measuring device, 2 Optical distance sensor, 3 Crane control unit, 4 Operation unit, 5 Display unit, 6 Memory, 61 Pile shape DB, 10 Calculation unit, 9 Overhead crane, 91 Runway, 92 Girder, 93 Crab trolley, 94 Hook block, SY Scrap yard, SM Scrap pile

Claims

1. An optical distance sensor is installed on a girder that travels along the runway of an overhead crane installed above the scrap yard, and as it moves with the girder, it measures the distance to the surface of the scrap pile at each position in the scrap yard. A calculation unit that calculates the height of the scrap pile at each of the positions based on the distance measured by the optical distance sensor, Equipped with, The optical distance measuring sensor moves together with the girder and measures the distance at each of the positions while scanning the emitted light in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the girder. The calculation unit calculates the cross-sectional area of ​​the scrap pile based on the height of each position aligned in the scanning direction of the irradiated light. Scrap pile shape measuring device.

2. The calculation unit calculates the height at each of the positions based on the distance measured by the optical distance sensor and the angle of the irradiated light. The scrap pile shape measuring device according to claim 1.

3. The calculation unit calculates the volume of the scrap pile based on the cross-sectional area at each position in the direction of travel of the girder. The scrap pile shape measuring device according to claim 1.

4. The calculation unit calculates the weight of the scrap pile based on the volume and specific gravity of the scrap pile. The scrap pile shape measuring device according to claim 3.

5. Multiple optical distance measuring sensors are installed at intervals from each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the girder. The scrap pile shape measuring device according to claim 1.

6. An optical distance sensor installed on a girder traveling along the runway of an overhead crane mounted above the scrap yard measures the distance to the surface of the scrap pile at each position in the scrap yard, while moving with the girder and scanning the emitted light in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the girder. Based on the distance measured by the optical distance sensor, the height of the scrap pile at each of the aforementioned locations is calculated. Based on the heights of each position aligned in the scanning direction of the irradiated light, the cross-sectional area of ​​the scrap pile is calculated. Method for measuring the shape of a scrap pile.

7. Obtain the distance to the surface of the scrap pile at each position in the scrap yard, measured by an optical distance sensor installed on a girder traveling along the runway of an overhead crane installed above the scrap yard, while moving with the girder and scanning the emitted light in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the girder. Based on the aforementioned distance, calculate the height of the scrap pile at each of the aforementioned locations, and Based on the heights of each position aligned in the scanning direction of the irradiated light, the cross-sectional area of ​​the scrap pile is calculated. A program that causes a computer to execute something.

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