A method for unmanned crane to lift steel coils to fixed saddle trucks

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for unmanned vehicles to lift steel coils to fixed saddle trucks, comprising the following steps: 1) installing a scanner on the unmanned vehicle, the scanner continuously scans the truck and calculates the front coordinates and height value to form a height value curve; 2) identifying the height value of the truck's deck according to the height value curve; 3) identifying the saddle feature points based on the deck height value; 4) identifying and calculating the center coordinates of the available saddle based on the saddle feature points; 5) feeding back the calculation results to the warehouse management system; 6) the warehouse management system starts the unmanned vehicle to lift the steel coils out of the warehouse according to the center coordinates of the saddle. The present invention uses a scanner to scan the outline of the truck, identifies the center coordinates of the available saddle by calculation, and uses this as a basis to cooperate with the warehouse management system to realize a fully automatic method for steel coils out of the warehouse, thereby improving the efficiency of outbound delivery while reducing safety hazards.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to unmanned crane lifting technology in the intelligent hot rolling industry, and more specifically, to a method for unmanned crane lifting steel coils to fixed saddle trucks. Background Art

[0002] With the deepening of the construction of intelligent hot rolling plants, more and more intelligent hot rolling plants in China have begun to apply unmanned driving technology in their storage areas. During operation, unmanned driving technology has huge advantages in responding to work instructions, executing work tasks, and reducing the wear of driving machinery and equipment. It can greatly improve labor efficiency, which is also the key to the promotion and application of this technology.

[0003] At present, the lifting of steel coils from the warehouse to the truck has always been a difficult problem in the built warehouse area. The main reason is that the saddles on the trucks are of various types and the position spacing is not uniform. The current method is to use manual intervention to locate them. The specific steps are as follows:

[0004] 1) The driver parks the truck at the designated location;

[0005] 2) The driver uses a positioning gun to manually locate the coordinates of the truck;

[0006] 3) The warehouse management system records and generates the driving instructions for lifting;

[0007] 4) After the unmanned vehicle runs over the truck, it is lowered according to the recorded coordinates.

[0008] The existing unmanned vehicles have the following main disadvantages when performing steel coil outbound operations:

[0009] 1) Low efficiency: Before the steel coils are placed on the truck saddle, the driver needs to locate the target saddles one by one through the positioning gun. If it is a detachable frame truck, the operator needs to go to the site to locate them one by one. The whole process takes a long time, which is not conducive to the efficiency of automatic driving.

[0010] 2) There are certain safety risks: In the positioning process, the driver's vision is blocked in some cases, which may lead to inaccurate positioning. At the same time, due to the difference in skills of operators, the accuracy of positioning is also uneven, which poses certain hidden dangers to the safety of landing. Summary of the invention

[0011] In view of the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a method for unmanned crane to lift steel coils to a fixed saddle truck, which uses a scanner to scan the outline of the truck, and identifies the center coordinates of the available saddle through calculation. Based on this, a fully automatic method for steel coil outbound delivery is realized in cooperation with the warehouse management system, thereby improving outbound delivery efficiency while reducing safety hazards.

[0012] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0013] A method for lifting a steel coil to a fixed saddle truck by an unmanned crane comprises the following steps:

[0014] 1) When the unmanned vehicle runs to the truck parking space, the scanner installed on the unmanned vehicle is used to continuously scan the outline of the truck and calculate the coordinates and height values ​​of multiple points on the truck head, the truck plate and the saddle on the truck plate to form a height value curve;

[0015] 2) identifying the height value of the truck bed according to the height value curve;

[0016] 3) Identifying the characteristic points of the saddle based on the height of the vehicle plate;

[0017] 4) Based on the saddle feature points, identifying and calculating the center coordinates of the available saddle;

[0018] 5) Feedback the calculation results to the warehouse management system;

[0019] 6) The warehouse management system starts the unmanned crane to lift the steel coil out of the warehouse according to the center coordinates of the saddle.

[0020] Preferably, the scanner is mounted above the clamp of the unmanned vehicle.

[0021] Preferably, in step 1), the scanner continuously scans the truck and calculates the coordinates Yc and height values ​​Hc of multiple points on the truck head, the truck plate, and the saddle on the truck plate, as follows:

[0022] According to the distance AC between the position point A of the scanner and the scanning point C of the truck and the scanning angle θ, it is calculated that:

[0023] The vertical distance value AH between the position point A of the scanner and the vertical point H of the scanning point C of the truck is AC*cosθ;

[0024] The offset distance value HC between the vertical point H and the scanning point C of the truck is AC*sinθ;

[0025] According to the fixed height h of the scanner from the ground, the height value Hc of the scanning point C of the truck is calculated:

[0026] Hc=h-AH;

[0027] The height values ​​Hc obtained by continuous scanning and calculation are formed into a height value curve;

[0028] The trolley coordinate Yc of the scanning point C of the truck:

[0029] Yc=Y 扫 -HC,Y 扫 are the coordinates of the scanner's trolley.

[0030] Preferably, in step 2), the height value of the truck bed is identified as follows:

[0031] 2.1) Determine whether each of the height values ​​Hc meets the set value requirement, if yes, proceed to step 2.2), if no, determine the next height value Hc;

[0032] 2.2) Determine whether the difference between the height value Hc and the previous height value Hc meets the set value requirement, if yes, proceed to step 2.3), if not, the height value Hc is re-recorded, and the accumulated length is cleared;

[0033] 2.3) recording the height value Hc, and accumulating the distance between the height value Hc and the previous height value Hc;

[0034] 2.4) Determine whether the accumulated distance meets the set value requirement, if so, proceed to step 2.5), if not, determine whether the height value curve has been judged to be complete, if so, end, if not, return to step 2.1);

[0035] 2.5) Calculate the average value of the accumulated height values ​​Hc, which is the truck bed height value C.

[0036] Preferably, in step 2.1), it is determined whether each of the height values ​​Hc is greater than 1.5 m and less than 2 m.

[0037] Preferably, in step 2.2), it is determined whether the difference between the height value Hc and the previous height value Hc is less than 0.1 m.

[0038] Preferably, in step 2.4), it is determined whether the accumulated distance is greater than 0.3 m.

[0039] Preferably, in step 3), the saddle feature points are identified as follows:

[0040] 3.1) Taking the vehicle plate height value C as a reference, determine whether each height value meets the set value requirement, if yes, proceed to step 3.2), if not, determine the next height value;

[0041] 3.2) recording the height value as the saddle feature point;

[0042] 3.3) Determine whether the height value curve has been traversed, if so, end, if not, return to step 3.1).

[0043] Preferably, in step 3.1), it is determined whether each height value is greater than (C+0.3m) and less than (C+0.4m).

[0044] Preferably, in step 4), the center coordinates of the available saddle are identified and calculated as follows:

[0045] 4.1) Traversing from the second saddle feature point;

[0046] 4.2) Whether the distance between the current saddle feature point and the previous saddle feature point meets the set value requirement, if yes, proceed to step 4.3), if not, remove the next saddle feature point;

[0047] 4.3) Calculate and record the center coordinates of the two saddle feature points that meet the set value requirements;

[0048] 4.4) Determine whether the traversal of all the saddle feature points is completed, if so, end, if not, return to step 4.2).

[0049] Preferably, in step 4.2), the distance between the current saddle feature point and the previous saddle feature point is greater than 1.1 m and less than 1.3 m.

[0050] The method for lifting a steel coil to a fixed saddle truck by an unmanned vehicle provided by the present invention also has the following beneficial effects:

[0051] 1) Greatly improve the efficiency of outbound delivery: Under the condition of traditional manual positioning, the average loading time per vehicle (4 rolls) is about 30 minutes, while after adopting the method of the present invention, the average loading time per vehicle can be reduced to about 20 minutes;

[0052] 2) Reduce safety hazards: The method of scanning, positioning and identifying by the scanner eliminates the differences caused by operating skills and reduces the hidden dangers caused by inaccurate positioning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a scanner and its scanning angle in step 1) of a method for an unmanned vehicle to lift a steel coil to a fixed saddle truck of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the distance value and scanning angle fed back by the scanner in step 1) of a method for lifting a steel coil to a fixed saddle truck by an unmanned vehicle of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of forming a height value curve in step 1) of a method for lifting a steel coil to a fixed saddle truck by an unmanned vehicle of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 4 This is a schematic flow chart of step 2) of a method for unmanned crane to lift steel coils to a fixed saddle truck of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 5 This is a schematic flow chart of step 3) of a method for unmanned crane to lift steel coils to a fixed saddle truck of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 6 This is a schematic flow chart of step 4) of a method for unmanned crane to lift steel coils to a fixed saddle truck of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of forming a height value curve in an embodiment of a method for an unmanned vehicle to lift a steel coil to a fixed saddle truck of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] In order to better understand the above technical solution of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0061] The present invention provides a method for lifting a steel coil to a fixed saddle truck by an unmanned vehicle, comprising the following steps:

[0062] 1) A scanner 1 is installed above the clamp of the unmanned vehicle 100. After the unmanned vehicle 100 runs to the parking space of the truck 200, the scanner 1 continuously scans the outline of the truck 200 and calculates the coordinates Yc and height values ​​Hc of multiple points of the front of the truck 200, the vehicle plate, and the saddle 300 on the vehicle plate to form a height value curve.

[0063] Please combine Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a scanner 1 and its scanning angle of view in a method for lifting a steel coil to a fixed saddle truck by an unmanned vehicle according to the present invention.

[0064] When the scanner 1 continuously scans the outline of the truck 200, it continuously scans from the front position of the truck 200 to the rear position of the truck 200 point by point (such as Figure 1 D, C, and B in the figure), when the scanner 1 continuously scans the truck 200, the saddle 300 placed on the flat bed of the truck 200 is also scanned. Figure 1 Taking the scanning point C as an example, the relevant calculation process is explained.

[0065] Please combine Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the distance value and scanning angle fed back by the scanner in a method for lifting a steel coil to a fixed saddle truck by an unmanned vehicle of the present invention.

[0066] According to the distance AC between the position point A of the scanner 1 and the scanning point C of the front of the truck 200 and the scanning angle θ, it is calculated that:

[0067] The vertical distance value AH between the position point A of the scanner 1 and the vertical point H of the front scanning point C of the truck 200 is AC*cosθ;

[0068] The offset distance value HC between the vertical point H and the front scanning point C of the truck 200 is AC*sinθ;

[0069] Since the scanner 1 is installed above the clamp of the unmanned vehicle 100, the height of the scanner 1 from the ground is a fixed height. According to the fixed height h of the scanner 1 from the ground, the height value Hc of the front scanning point C of the truck 200 is calculated:

[0070] Hc=h-AH;

[0071] The height values ​​Hc obtained by continuous scanning and calculation are formed into a height value curve (such as Figure 3 shown);

[0072] The front coordinate Yc of the truck's front scanning point C:

[0073] Yc=Y 扫 -HC, is the coordinate of the trolley of scanner 1;

[0074] 2) According to the height value curve, identify the height value of the truck 200. Figure 4 As shown, the details are as follows:

[0075] 2.1) Determine whether each height value Hc is greater than 1.5m and less than 2m. If so, proceed to step 2.2). If not, determine the next height value Hc;

[0076] 2.2) Determine whether the difference with the previous height value Hc is less than 0.1m, if so, proceed to step 2.3), if not, the height value Hc is re-recorded, and the accumulated length is cleared;

[0077] 2.3) Record the height value Hc and accumulate the distance between the height value Hc and the previous height value Hc;

[0078] 2.4) Determine whether the accumulated distance is greater than 0.3m, if so, proceed to step 2.5), if not, determine whether the height value curve has been judged to be complete, if so, end, if not, return to step 2.1);

[0079] 2.5) Calculate the average value of the accumulated height values ​​Hc, which is the truck bed height value C;

[0080] The flatbed portion (saddle 300) of the truck 200 is identified by judging the fluctuation and continuous length of the continuous height values, thereby calculating the height of the vehicle board. Currently, the vehicle board height of most trucks 200 with fixed saddles 300 is between 1.6m and 1.8m, and the height of the saddle 300 is between 0.3m and 0.4m;

[0081] 3) Based on the car plate height value C, identify the saddle feature points. Figure 5 As shown, the details are as follows:

[0082] 3.1) Taking the vehicle height value C as the reference, determine whether each height value is greater than (C+0.3m) and less than (C+0.4m). If so, proceed to step 3.2). If not, determine the next height value.

[0083] 3.2) Record the height value as the saddle feature point;

[0084] 3.3) Determine whether the height value curve has been traversed, if so, end, if not, return to step 3.1);

[0085] Taking the car plate height value C as the reference, the points with car plate height values ​​between 0.3m and 0.4m are taken as the saddle characteristic points;

[0086] 4) Based on the saddle feature points, identify and calculate the center coordinates of the available saddle. Figure 6 As shown, the details are as follows:

[0087] 4.1) Start traversing from the second saddle feature point;

[0088] 4.2) Is the distance between the current saddle feature point and the previous saddle feature point greater than 1.1m and less than 1.3m? If yes, proceed to step 4.3), if not, take the next saddle feature point;

[0089] 4.3) Calculate and record the center coordinates of the two saddle feature points that meet the set value requirements;

[0090] 4.4) Determine whether all saddle feature points have been traversed, if so, end, if not, return to step 4.2);

[0091] Determine the distance between the two saddle feature points. If it is between 1.1m and 1.3m, it is considered to be a saddle point, and calculate the center coordinates between the two points. This coordinate is the center coordinate of the available saddle (the target steel coil drop coordinate);

[0092] 5) Feedback the calculation results to the warehouse management system;

[0093] 6) The warehouse management system starts the unmanned crane 100 to lift the steel coil out of the warehouse according to the center coordinates of the saddle.

[0094] Example

[0095] The existing truck with a fixed saddle is parked at a designated location in the warehouse area and needs to perform a warehouse-out task. The scanning position coordinates of the unmanned vehicle are: 27.00m, the installation position of the scanner is offset from the center position of the vehicle: 2m, and the installation height of the scanner is h: 5m. The warehouse-out instruction of the steel coil is generated by the warehouse management system, and the management system of the unmanned vehicle interacts with the warehouse management system in real time.

[0096] 1) After the unmanned vehicle runs to the parking space of the truck (the Y-axis coordinate of the unmanned vehicle: 25m), the feedback data obtained by the scanner scanning the truck is shown in Table 1 below:

[0097] Table 1

[0098]

[0099]

[0100] 2) Calculate the truck height value and the car coordinate value according to the scan data in Table 1, as shown in Table 2 below:

[0101] Table 2

[0102]

[0103]

[0104]

[0105] Calculated height value = fixed height of scanner from the ground - feedback distance * cos scanning angle;

[0106] Y coordinate = current coordinate of scanner - feedback distance * sin scanning angle;

[0107] If the scanning angle is negative, the Y coordinate = current coordinate of the scanner + feedback distance * sin scanning angle;

[0108] The final height value curve is as follows: Figure 7 As shown;

[0109] 3) According to the formed height value curve, identify the truck bed height in Table 2;

[0110] According to the recognition rules, the scanning points of No. 4, 5, and 6 meet the requirements that the height fluctuation is less than 0.1m and the cumulative length is greater than 0.3m. The average value is used to calculate the height of the vehicle plate to be 1505mm.

[0111] 4) According to the recognition rules, the saddle feature points in Table 2 are calculated and recognized, where the scanning points with serial numbers 7, 16, 18, 29, and 31 meet the requirements of the saddle feature points;

[0112] 5) Identify and calculate the available saddle center coordinates;

[0113] According to the recognition rules, the saddle feature points of scanning points No. 7 and No. 16 and the saddle feature points of scanning points No. 18 and No. 29 meet the requirement that the spacing is greater than 1.1m and less than 1.3m. Therefore, the scanning results show that the truck has two valid saddle seats, and the center coordinates are calculated as follows:

[0114] The first valid saddle feature point [7, 16] Y axis center coordinate = (25324 + 26445) / 2.0 = 25884 mm;

[0115] The second effective saddle feature point [18, 29] Y axis center coordinate = (26669 + 27902) / 2.0 = 27285 mm;

[0116] 6) The unmanned vehicle management system feeds back the effective saddle number and center coordinates to the warehouse management system;

[0117] 7) The warehouse management system organizes the automatic crane to lift the steel coils out of the warehouse according to the number of saddles received and the center coordinates of the saddles.

[0118] The present invention discloses a method for lifting steel coils to a fixed saddle truck by an unmanned vehicle, which realizes fully automatic lifting and unloading. The method of the present invention can significantly improve the efficiency of unloading and further improve the safety of the unmanned vehicle. At present, unmanned storage management of slab warehouses, steel coil warehouses, etc. is a development trend. Therefore, the method of the present invention can be put into use in storage management involving the steel industry, and has great application and promotion value.

[0119] Those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. As long as they are within the spirit of the present invention, any changes or modifications to the above embodiments will fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for lifting steel coils from an unmanned vehicle to a fixed saddle truck, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: 1) When the unmanned vehicle runs to the truck parking space, the scanner installed on the unmanned vehicle is used to continuously scan the outline of the truck and calculate the coordinates and height values ​​of multiple points on the truck head, the truck plate and the saddle on the truck plate to form a height value curve; 2) identifying the height value of the truck bed according to the height value curve; 3) Identifying the characteristic points of the saddle based on the height of the vehicle plate; 4) Based on the saddle feature points, identifying and calculating the center coordinates of the available saddle; 5) Feedback the calculation results to the warehouse management system; 6) The warehouse management system starts the unmanned vehicle to lift the steel coil out of the warehouse according to the center coordinates of the saddle. The scanner is mounted above the clamp of the unmanned vehicle. In the step 1), the scanner continuously scans the truck and calculates the coordinates Yc and height values ​​Hc of multiple points on the truck head, the truck plate, and the saddle on the truck plate, as follows: According to the distance AC between the position point A of the scanner and the scanning point C of the truck and the scanning angle θ, it is calculated that: The vertical distance value AH between the position point A of the scanner and the vertical point H of the scanning point C of the truck is AC*cosθ; The offset distance value HC between the vertical point H and the scanning point C of the truck is AC*sinθ; According to the fixed height h of the scanner from the ground, the height value Hc of the scanning point C of the truck is calculated: Hc=h-AH; The height values ​​Hc obtained by continuous scanning and calculation are formed into a height value curve; The trolley coordinate Yc of the scanning point C of the truck: Yc=Y 扫 -HC,Y 扫 is the coordinate of the scanner trolley, In the step 2), the height value of the truck bed is identified as follows: 2.1) Determine whether each of the height values ​​Hc meets the set value requirement, if yes, proceed to step 2.2), if no, determine the next height value Hc; 2.2) Determine whether the difference between the height value Hc and the previous height value Hc meets the set value requirement, if yes, proceed to step 2.3), if not, the height value Hc is re-recorded, and the accumulated length is cleared; 2.3) recording the height value Hc, and accumulating the distance between the height value Hc and the previous height value Hc; 2.4) Determine whether the accumulated distance meets the set value requirement, if so, proceed to step 2.5), if not, determine whether the height value curve has been judged to be complete, if so, end, if not, return to step 2.1); 2.5) Calculate the average value of the accumulated height values ​​Hc, which is the truck bed height value C. In the step 3), the saddle feature points are identified as follows: 3.1) Taking the vehicle plate height value C as a reference, determine whether each height value meets the set value requirement, if yes, proceed to step 3.2), if not, determine the next height value; In step 3.1), determine whether each height value is greater than (C+0.3m) and less than (C+0.4m); 3.2) recording the height value as the saddle feature point; 3.3) Determine whether the height value curve has been traversed, if so, end, if not, return to step 3.1).

2. The method for lifting steel coils to fixed saddle trucks by unmanned crane according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step 2.1), it is determined whether each of the height values ​​Hc is greater than 1.5 m and less than 2 m.

3. The method for lifting steel coils to fixed saddle trucks by unmanned cranes according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step 2.2), it is determined whether the difference between the height value Hc and the previous height value Hc is less than 0.1 m.

4. The method for lifting steel coils to fixed saddle trucks by unmanned cranes according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step 2.4), it is determined whether the accumulated distance is greater than 0.3 m.

5. The method for lifting steel coils to fixed saddle trucks by unmanned cranes according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 4), the center coordinates of the available saddle are identified and calculated as follows: 4.1) Traversing from the second saddle feature point; 4.2) Whether the distance between the current saddle feature point and the previous saddle feature point meets the set value requirement, if yes, proceed to step 4.3), if not, remove the next saddle feature point; 4.3) Calculate and record the center coordinates of the two saddle feature points that meet the set value requirements; 4.4) Determine whether the traversal of all the saddle feature points is completed, if so, end, if not, return to step 4.2).

6. The method for lifting steel coils to fixed saddle trucks by unmanned vehicles according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the step 4.2), the distance between the current saddle feature point and the previous saddle feature point is greater than 1.1 m and less than 1.3 m.

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