Excavator and collaborative operation method, processor, vehicle-mounted terminal, and control terminal

Abstract

The embodiment of the present invention provides an excavator and a collaborative operation method, a processor, a vehicle-mounted terminal, and a control terminal. The method for collaborative operation of the excavator includes: obtaining the position information of the object to be operated; sending the position information and the number of slave excavators that need to work collaboratively to the control terminal, so that the control terminal determines the number of slave excavators and the respective target positions of the master excavator and the slave excavator from the candidate excavators, and instructs the master excavator and the slave excavator to move to their respective target positions; receiving the target position of the master excavator sent by the control terminal; moving to the target position of the master excavator; and sending its own operation information to the control terminal when it is determined that the master excavator and the slave excavator have reached their respective target positions. The embodiment of the present invention can improve the safety of the operation, reduce the difficulty of operation and the degree of participation of the operator, save labor costs, improve the efficiency of collaborative operation and the stability of the collaborative operation process, and is applicable to a wide range of operating conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of excavators, and in particular to an excavator and a collaborative operation method, a processor, a vehicle-mounted terminal, and a control terminal. Background Art

[0002] At the construction site, it is very common to use the working device of the excavator to perform collaborative operations such as collaborative handling. If the materials are long tubes or longitudinal beams, multiple excavators need to coordinate the handling. During the handling operation, it is necessary not only to ensure the stability of the movement of each excavator, but also to ensure that the movements of each excavator are basically consistent. At the same time, this operation mode has high requirements on the coordination mode of the operation and the driving skills of the operator. Therefore, in order to ensure the efficiency and safety of the operation and reduce the difficulty of the operation of the excavator handling operation, an excavator collaborative handling system and control method are proposed. Usually, when the excavator is carrying long tubes or longitudinal beams, the excavator is manually driven, and after they are side by side, multiple operators perform the same operation to control the walking mechanism and working device of each excavator. The multiple excavators shown in the figure perform the same action at the same time, so as to ensure that the materials will not fall due to inconsistency in the action. Before the operation, the operator of each excavator needs to communicate and confirm with each other through some communication equipment to ensure the safety of the handling operation process. Although, the synchronous action of multiple excavators is achieved by the operators performing the same operation at the same time, so as to complete the handling of long tubes or longitudinal beams by the excavator. However, during the operation, operators will be affected by their subjective consciousness and may make mistakes. It is also difficult to ensure that multiple excavators are completely synchronized, which will reduce the stability and safety of the handling operation. At the same time, there will be time differences in the way operators receive and process information. Coupled with the high difficulty of operation, this will not only reduce the efficiency of the excavator's coordinated handling, but also increase the overall labor cost. Therefore, it is urgent to propose a technical solution to solve the above technical problems in the prior art. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide an excavator and a collaborative operation method, a processor, a vehicle-mounted terminal, and a control terminal to solve the above-mentioned technical problems in the prior art.

[0004] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the first aspect of the present invention provides a method for cooperative operation of excavators, wherein a control terminal is configured to communicate with a plurality of excavators, and the method for cooperative operation of excavators is applied to a master excavator among the plurality of excavators, and the method comprises: obtaining position information of an object to be operated; sending the position information and the number of slave excavators that need to cooperate to the control terminal, wherein the control terminal determines a number of slave excavators from candidate excavators, and determines the respective target positions of the master excavator and the slave excavator, and instructs the master excavator and the slave excavator to move to their respective target positions, wherein the candidate excavators are the remaining excavators among the plurality of excavators except the master excavator; receiving the target position of the master excavator sent by the control terminal; moving to the target position of the master excavator; and sending its own operation information to the control terminal when it is determined that the master excavator and the slave excavator have both reached their respective target positions, wherein the control terminal sends the operation information to the slave excavator so that the slave excavator cooperates with the master excavator.

[0005] In an embodiment of the present invention, the object to be operated is a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material, the position information includes the position of the geometric center of the two side end faces of the object to be operated, and obtaining the position information of the object to be operated includes: obtaining an image of the object to be operated; and determining the position information based on the image.

[0006] In an embodiment of the present invention, the object to be operated is a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material, and the method for collaborative operation of the excavator also includes: obtaining the length, cross-sectional area and material information of the object to be operated; and determining the quantity according to the length, cross-sectional area and material information.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present invention, the material information includes an average density of the object to be operated, and determining the quantity according to the length, the cross-sectional area and the material information includes: determining a maximum length that the main excavator can operate on the object to be operated according to the cross-sectional area and the average density of the object to be operated; and determining the quantity according to the length and the maximum length; wherein, in the case where the working device of the main excavator is a bucket, the maximum length is determined according to the following formula:

[0008]

[0009] Among them, Lmax is the maximum length, V D is the capacity of the bucket, ρ n is the average density of soil, ρ h is the average density of the object to be operated, A is the cross-sectional area;

[0010] When the main excavator's working device is a mechanical claw, the maximum length is determined according to the following formula:

[0011]

[0012] Where Lmax is the maximum length, W is the maximum weight that the robot gripper can bear, and ρ h is the average density of the object to be operated, and A is the cross-sectional area.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the method for cooperative operation of excavators further includes: determining that cooperative operation cannot be performed when the cross-sectional area is greater than the maximum cross-sectional area that the main excavator can operate; wherein the maximum cross-sectional area is determined according to the following formula:

[0014]

[0015] Among them, Amax is the maximum cross-sectional area; when the working device of the main excavator is a bucket, Dmax is the maximum bucket radius of the bucket; when the working device of the main excavator is a mechanical claw, Dmax is the maximum gripping diameter of the mechanical claw.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the method for cooperative operation of excavators further includes: when the master excavator reaches the target position, sending arrival information indicating arrival at the target position to the control terminal.

[0017] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for collaborative operation of excavators, wherein a control terminal is configured to communicate with a plurality of excavators, and the method for collaborative operation of excavators is applied to the control terminal, and the method comprises: receiving collaborative demand information sent by a master excavator among a plurality of excavators, wherein the collaborative demand information comprises position information of an object to be operated and the number of slave excavators that need to collaborate in operation; determining target positions of the master excavator and the slave excavators that need to collaborate in operation according to the position information and the number of the object to be operated; obtaining the position information of the master excavator and the position information and working status of candidate excavators, wherein the candidate excavators are the remaining excavators among the plurality of excavators except the master excavator; determining a number of slave excavators from the candidate excavators according to the position information of the master excavator and the position information and working status of the candidate excavators; distributing the target positions to the master excavator and the slave excavator so that the master excavator and the slave excavator move to their respective target positions; receiving operation information sent by the master excavator when it is determined that the master excavator and the slave excavator have both reached their respective target positions; and sending the operation information to the slave excavator so that the slave excavator collaborates with the master excavator in operation.

[0018] In the embodiment of the present invention, the object to be operated is a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material, and the position information includes the position of the geometric center of the two side end surfaces of the object to be operated.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present invention, the method for cooperative operation of excavators further includes: upon receiving arrival information indicating arrival at a target position sent by the master excavator and all slave excavators, determining that the master excavator and the slave excavators have all arrived at their respective target positions.

[0020] In the embodiment of the present invention, the object to be operated is a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material, and determining the target position of the master excavator and the slave excavators that need to work together according to the position information and quantity of the object to be operated includes:

[0021] Determine the distance between the target position and the target end face in the length direction of the object to be processed according to the following formula:

[0022]

[0023] Wherein, Xn represents the distance between the target position of the nth excavator and the target end face in the length direction of the object to be operated, L represents the length of the object to be operated, N is the number, and the target end face is any side end face of the object to be operated; and

[0024] The target position is determined according to the position information of the object to be operated and the distance between the target position and the target end surface in the length direction of the object to be operated.

[0025] A third aspect of the present invention provides a processor configured to execute the method for cooperative operation of excavators of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0026] The fourth aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle-mounted terminal, which is arranged on an excavator, and the vehicle-mounted terminal includes: a communication device; a positioning device, which is used to provide the position information of the excavator; an image acquisition device, which is used to acquire the image of the object to be worked on; a human-computer interaction device, which is used to obtain the input length, cross-sectional area and material information of the object to be worked on; and a processor, which is configured to execute the method for collaborative work of the excavator of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0027] A fifth aspect of the present invention provides an excavator, comprising the vehicle-mounted terminal of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0028] A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a control terminal configured to execute the method for collaborative operation of excavators of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0029] A seventh aspect of the present invention provides a machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, enables the processor to implement the method for collaborative operation of excavators of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0030] The embodiment of the present invention can realize the synchronous operation of multiple excavators through the above-mentioned technical scheme. The operation process does not require an operator or only requires one operator to participate in the operation, and does not require communication with other operators. The influence of the operator's subjective consciousness on the collaborative operation process can be reduced, the operation safety is improved, the operation difficulty and the degree of participation of the operator in the operation are reduced, the labor cost is saved, the operation difficulty of the excavator during collaborative operation is reduced, and the efficiency of the excavator collaborative operation is improved; the target position of each excavator can be determined according to information such as the length of the object to be operated, so that the various excavators in the collaborative operation are kept at a uniform distance, the material is uniformly stressed, and the stability of the collaborative operation process is ensured; it can be used for smaller working platforms such as narrow bridges, and there is no need to manually fix long tubes or longitudinal beams. It can be directly completed by the excavator working device alone, which solves the problem that collaborative operations cannot be completed under some special working conditions, and is applicable to a wide range of working conditions.

[0031] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in the subsequent detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the following specific implementations, they are used to explain the embodiments of the present invention, but do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0033] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a method 100 for cooperative operation of an excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a method 200 for cooperative operation of excavators according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a method 300 for cooperative operation of an excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle-mounted terminal 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle-mounted terminal 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an excavator 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an excavator 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 8It is a structural schematic diagram of an excavator cooperative handling system according to an example of the present invention;

[0041] Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle-mounted terminal according to an example of the present invention;

[0042] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a cooperative transport control method for an excavator executed by a control module of an excavator according to an example of the present invention; and

[0043] Fig.11 It is a flowchart of a collaborative transport control method for an excavator executed by a control terminal according to an example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The specific implementation of the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific implementation described here is only used to illustrate and explain the embodiment of the present invention, and is not used to limit the embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] It should be noted that if the implementation methods of the present application involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...), such directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0046] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the implementation methods of this application, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions between the various implementation methods can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by this application.

[0047] like Figure 1 As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, a method 100 for cooperative operation of excavators is provided, the control terminal is configured to communicate with multiple excavators, the method 100 for cooperative operation of excavators is applied to a main excavator among the multiple excavators, and the method 100 for cooperative operation of excavators includes the following steps:

[0048] Step S110: Acquire the position information of the object to be operated.

[0049] Step S130: Send the position information and the number of slave excavators that need to work together to the control terminal, wherein the control terminal determines the number of slave excavators from the candidate excavators, determines the target positions of the master excavator and the slave excavators, and instructs the master excavator and the slave excavators to move to their respective target positions. The candidate excavators are the remaining excavators among the multiple excavators except the master excavator.

[0050] Step S150: receiving the target position of the master excavator sent by the control terminal. The target position may be, for example, the target position that the rotation center of the corresponding excavator needs to reach. Of course, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and may also be the target position that other points of the excavator need to reach.

[0051] Step S170: Move to the target position of the main excavator.

[0052] Step S190: When it is determined that both the master excavator and the slave excavator have reached their respective target positions, the master excavator and the slave excavator send their own operation information to the control terminal, wherein the control terminal sends the operation information to the slave excavator so that the slave excavator and the master excavator work in coordination. The coordinated work may be, for example, coordinated transport or other types of coordinated work. More specifically, the excavator reaches the target position, for example, in a predetermined posture at the target position, and the predetermined posture may be, for example, any posture that facilitates the excavator to carry out the coordinated work.

[0053] The plurality of excavators are, for example, excavators of the same model or the same configuration.

[0054] Specifically, the object to be processed is, for example, a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material. Of course, the object to be processed can also be other materials with regular shapes.

[0055] Specifically, the position information includes, for example, the positions of the geometric centers of the two side end surfaces of the object to be operated. Of course, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the position information may also include, for example, the positions of any two points on the object to be operated.

[0056] Specifically, obtaining the position information of the object to be operated, that is, step S110, for example, includes:

[0057] (a1) obtaining an image of the object to be operated. Specifically, for example, the image of the object to be operated may be obtained by using an image acquisition device such as a camera; and

[0058] (a2) Determining position information based on an image: After acquiring an image of the object to be operated, the position information of the object to be operated can be determined based on an image recognition method.

[0059] Of course, the method of "obtaining the position information of the object to be operated" in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned method of obtaining the image of the object to be operated by an image acquisition device such as a camera and determining it based on the image. For example, the object to be operated can be scanned by a millimeter wave radar or a lidar and then the position information of the object to be operated can be determined based on the scanned information. For example, the position information of the object to be operated can also be determined in advance and obtained by inputting the predetermined position information of the object to be operated on a human-computer interaction device.

[0060] Furthermore, the method 100 for cooperative operation of excavators may also include the following steps:

[0061] Obtain the length, cross-sectional area and material information of the object to be operated. The length, cross-sectional area and material information of the object to be operated are, for example, determined in advance and obtained by inputting the predetermined information on a human-computer interaction device. Of course, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. The length, cross-sectional area and / or material information of the object to be operated can also be obtained by identifying other auxiliary devices, such as by acquiring an image of the object to be operated through an image acquisition device such as a camera and performing image recognition on the acquired image. And

[0062] Determine quantity based on length, cross-sectional area and material information.

[0063] Specifically, the material information includes, for example, the average density of the object to be operated. The embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the material information may also be other information that can identify the material of the object to be operated, as long as the average density of the object to be operated can be uniquely determined based on the information.

[0064] Specifically, the quantity is determined according to the length, cross-sectional area and material information, that is, step S123 includes, for example:

[0065] (b1) determining the maximum length of the object to be worked on by the main excavator according to the cross-sectional area and the average density of the object to be worked; and

[0066] (b2) Determine the quantity based on the length and maximum length.

[0067] Specifically, when the working device of the main excavator is a bucket, the maximum length is determined, for example, according to the following formula:

[0068]

[0069] Among them, Lmax is the maximum length, V D is the capacity of the bucket, ρ n is the average density of soil, ρ h is the average density of the object to be operated, and A is the cross-sectional area.

[0070] Specifically, when the working device of the main excavator is a mechanical claw, the maximum length is determined, for example, according to the following formula:

[0071]

[0072] Where Lmax is the maximum length, W is the maximum weight that the robot gripper can bear, and ρ h is the average density of the object to be operated, and A is the cross-sectional area.

[0073] Specifically, the operation information includes, for example, preset operation procedures or operation actions. Specifically, for example, when it is determined that both the master excavator and the slave excavator have reached their respective target positions, the operator selects the preset operation procedure that the master excavator wants to execute on the master excavator and sends it to the control terminal, which is then forwarded to the slave excavator by the control terminal for the slave excavator to work in coordination with the master excavator, or the operator directly controls the master excavator to perform the operation action and collects the operation action in real time and sends it to the control terminal, which is then forwarded to the slave excavator by the control terminal for the slave excavator to work in coordination with the master excavator. More specifically, the operation action may be, for example, a manipulation instruction sent by the operator through the manipulation mechanism.

[0074] Furthermore, the method 100 for cooperative operation of excavators may also include the following steps:

[0075] When the cross-sectional area is larger than the maximum cross-sectional area that the main excavator can operate, it is determined that the collaborative operation cannot be performed. Specifically, a prompt message may be displayed through a display such as a human-machine interactive device such as an excavator dashboard, such as a prompt message indicating that the cross-sectional area is larger than the maximum cross-sectional area that the main excavator can operate, and that the collaborative operation cannot be performed.

[0076] Specifically, the maximum cross-sectional area is determined, for example, according to the following formula:

[0077]

[0078] Wherein, Amax is the maximum cross-sectional area. When the working device of the main excavator is a bucket, Dmax is the maximum bucket radius of the bucket. When the working device of the main excavator is a mechanical claw, Dmax is the maximum gripping diameter of the mechanical claw.

[0079] Furthermore, the method 100 for cooperative operation of excavators may also include the following steps:

[0080] When the master excavator reaches the target position, arrival information indicating that the master excavator has reached the target position is transmitted to the control terminal.

[0081] like Figure 2As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, a method 200 for cooperative operation of excavators is provided, the control terminal is configured to communicate with multiple excavators, the method 200 for cooperative operation of excavators is applied to slave excavators among the multiple excavators, and the method 200 for cooperative operation of excavators includes the following steps:

[0082] Step S210: receiving the target position of the slave excavator sent by the control terminal. The target position may be, for example, the target position that the rotation center of the corresponding excavator needs to reach. Of course, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and may also be, for example, the target position that other points of the excavator need to reach.

[0083] Step S230: Move to the target position.

[0084] Step S250: receiving the operation information sent by the control terminal.

[0085] Step S270: Cooperate with a main excavator among the multiple excavators according to the operation information. The cooperative operation may be, for example, cooperative transport or other types of cooperative operations.

[0086] The plurality of excavators are, for example, excavators of the same model or the same configuration.

[0087] Specifically, the operation information includes, for example, preset operation procedures or operation actions. Specifically, for example, when it is determined that both the master excavator and the slave excavator have reached their respective target positions, the operator selects the preset operation procedure that the master excavator wants to execute on the master excavator and sends it to the control terminal, which is then forwarded to the slave excavator by the control terminal for the slave excavator to work in coordination with the master excavator, or the operator directly controls the master excavator to perform the operation action and collects the operation action in real time and sends it to the control terminal, which is then forwarded to the slave excavator by the control terminal for the slave excavator to work in coordination with the master excavator. More specifically, the operation action may be, for example, a manipulation instruction sent by the operator through the manipulation mechanism.

[0088] Furthermore, the method 200 for cooperative operation of excavators may also include the following steps:

[0089] When the slave excavator reaches the target position, arrival information indicating that the target position has been reached is transmitted to the control terminal.

[0090] like Figure 3 As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, a method 300 for cooperative operation of excavators is provided, the control terminal is configured to communicate with a plurality of excavators, the method 300 for cooperative operation of excavators is applied to the control terminal, and the method 300 for cooperative operation of excavators includes the following steps:

[0091] Step S310: receiving the coordination requirement information sent by the master excavator among the multiple excavators, wherein the coordination requirement information includes the location information of the object to be operated and the number of slave excavators that need to cooperate in the operation.

[0092] Step S320: Determine the target position of the master excavator and the slave excavators that need to work together according to the position information and number of the objects to be worked on. The target position may be, for example, the target position that the rotation center of the corresponding excavator needs to reach. Of course, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and may also be, for example, the target position that other points of the excavator need to reach.

[0093] Step S330: Acquire the position information of the main excavator and the position information and working status of the candidate excavators, wherein the candidate excavators are the remaining excavators among the multiple excavators except the main excavator.

[0094] Step S340: determining a number of slave excavators from the candidate excavators according to the position information of the master excavator and the position information and working status of the candidate excavators.

[0095] Step S350: Distribute the target position to the master excavator and the slave excavator, so that the master excavator and the slave excavator move to their respective target positions.

[0096] Step S360: When it is determined that both the master excavator and the slave excavator have reached their respective target positions, receiving operation information sent by the master excavator.

[0097] Step S370: Sending operation information to the slave excavator so that the slave excavator and the master excavator can work in coordination. The coordinated work can be, for example, coordinated transport or other types of coordinated work.

[0098] In the embodiment of the present invention, the multiple excavators are, for example, excavators of the same model or the same configuration.

[0099] Specifically, the object to be processed is, for example, a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material. Of course, the object to be processed can also be other materials with regular shapes.

[0100] Specifically, the position information includes, for example, the positions of the geometric centers of the two side end surfaces of the object to be operated. Of course, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the position information may also include, for example, the positions of any two points on the object to be operated.

[0101] Specifically, the operation information includes, for example, preset operation procedures or operation actions. The operation information may be, for example, the preset operation procedures and operation actions of the master excavator itself obtained by the control terminal. Specifically, for example, when it is determined that both the master excavator and the slave excavator have reached their respective target positions, the operator may select the preset operation procedure that the master excavator wants to execute on the master excavator and send it to the control terminal, and the control terminal may forward it to the slave excavator for the slave excavator to work in coordination with the master excavator, or the operator may directly manipulate the master excavator to perform the operation action and collect the operation action in real time and send it to the control terminal, and the control terminal may forward it to the slave excavator for the slave excavator to work in coordination with the master excavator. More specifically, the operation action may be, for example, a manipulation instruction sent by the operator through the manipulation mechanism.

[0102] Furthermore, the method 300 for cooperative operation of excavators may also include the following steps:

[0103] When arrival information indicating arrival at the target position is received from the master excavator and all the slave excavators, it is determined that both the master excavator and the slave excavators have arrived at their respective target positions.

[0104] Specifically, the target positions of the master excavator and the slave excavators that need to work together are determined according to the position information and number of the objects to be worked on, that is, step S320 includes, for example:

[0105] (c1) Determine the distance between the target position and the target end surface in the length direction of the object to be processed according to the following formula:

[0106]

[0107] Wherein, Xn represents the distance between the target position of the nth excavator and the target end face in the length direction of the object to be operated, L represents the length of the object to be operated, N is the number, and the target end face is any side end face of the object to be operated; and

[0108] (c2) Determine the target position according to the position information of the object to be operated and the distance between the target position and the target end face in the length direction of the object to be operated. Specifically, for example, the appropriate distance between the target position and the object to be operated in the length direction perpendicular to the object to be operated can be determined according to the size information of the excavator, and the target position can be determined in combination with the distance between the target position and the target end face in the length direction of the object to be operated.

[0109] Specifically, according to the position information of the master excavator and the position information and working status of the candidate excavators, a number of slave excavators are determined from the candidate excavators, that is, step S340 includes, for example:

[0110] (d) Determine the number of excavators that are closest to the master excavator and are not in operation among the candidate excavators as slave excavators.

[0111] In an embodiment of the present invention, a processor is provided, which is configured to execute any one of the aforementioned methods 100 for cooperative operation of excavators. The specific functions and details of the method 100 for cooperative operation of excavators can be referred to the relevant description of the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0112] In an embodiment of the present invention, a processor is provided, which is configured to execute any one of the methods 200 for cooperative operation of excavators in the foregoing embodiments. The specific functions and details of the method 200 for cooperative operation of excavators can be referred to the relevant description of the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0113] In an embodiment of the present invention, a processor is provided, which is configured to execute any one of the methods 300 for cooperative operation of excavators in the foregoing embodiments. The specific functions and details of the method 300 for cooperative operation of excavators can be referred to the relevant description of the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0114] like Figure 4 As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle-mounted terminal 400 is provided, which is arranged on an excavator. The vehicle-mounted terminal 400 includes: a processor 410, a communication device 430 and a positioning device 450.

[0115] The processor 410 is configured to execute any one of the aforementioned embodiments of the method 100 for cooperative operation of excavators. The specific functions and details of the method 100 for cooperative operation of excavators can be referred to the relevant description of the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0116] The positioning device 450 is used, for example, to provide position information of an excavator.

[0117] Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted terminal 400 may also include, for example: an image acquisition device 470 , and the image acquisition device 470 is used to acquire an image of an object to be operated, for example.

[0118] Furthermore, the vehicle terminal 400 may also include: a human-machine interaction device 490, which is used to obtain the length, cross-sectional area and material information of the input object to be operated. The human-machine interaction device 490 may be a display such as an instrument panel of an excavator.

[0119] like Figure 5 As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle-mounted terminal 500 is provided, which is arranged on an excavator. The vehicle-mounted terminal 500 includes: a processor 510, a communication device 530 and a positioning device 550.

[0120] The processor 510 is configured to execute any one of the aforementioned embodiments of the method 200 for cooperative operation of excavators. The specific functions and details of the method 200 for cooperative operation of excavators can be referred to the relevant description of the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0121] The positioning device 550 is used, for example, to provide position information of an excavator.

[0122] like Figure 6 As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, an excavator 600 is provided, comprising any one of the vehicle-mounted terminals 400 of the aforementioned embodiments. The specific functions and details of the vehicle-mounted terminal 400 can refer to the relevant description of the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0123] like Figure 7 As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, an excavator 700 is provided, comprising any one of the vehicle-mounted terminals 500 of the aforementioned embodiments. The specific functions and details of the vehicle-mounted terminal 500 can refer to the relevant description of the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0124] In an embodiment of the present invention, a control terminal is provided, which is configured to execute any one of the methods 300 for cooperative operation of excavators in the foregoing embodiments. The specific functions and details of the method 300 for cooperative operation of excavators can be referred to the relevant description of the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0125] In an embodiment of the present invention, a machine-readable storage medium is provided, on which instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the processor implements any one of the methods 100 for cooperative operation of excavators in the aforementioned embodiments. The specific functions and details of the method 100 for cooperative operation of excavators can be referred to the relevant description of the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0126] In an embodiment of the present invention, a machine-readable storage medium is provided, on which instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the processor implements any one of the methods 200 for cooperative operation of excavators in the aforementioned embodiments. The specific functions and details of the method 200 for cooperative operation of excavators can be referred to the relevant description of the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0127] In an embodiment of the present invention, a machine-readable storage medium is provided, on which instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the processor implements any one of the methods 300 for cooperative operation of excavators in the aforementioned embodiments. The specific functions and details of the method 300 for cooperative operation of excavators can be referred to the relevant description of the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0128] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention is explained below in conjunction with an application example. The specific application example is as follows.

[0129] like Figure 8 As shown, a schematic diagram of the structure of an excavator cooperative handling system is provided as an example of the present invention, which mainly includes a control terminal and multiple excavators (excavator 1, excavator 2, ..., excavator n). All excavators can communicate with the control terminal and can be controlled by the control terminal. The control terminal can be, for example, a remotely set control terminal. The following is a detailed description of long tubes or longitudinal beam materials as an example.

[0130] Each excavator is equipped with a vehicle-mounted terminal, such as Fig. 9 As shown, it is a structural schematic diagram of the vehicle-mounted terminal of the present invention, and the vehicle-mounted terminal includes a communication module, a positioning module, an information collection module and a control module. The control terminal and the vehicle-mounted terminal of the excavator realize information transmission through the communication module, so that multiple excavators can synchronously perform the same action, thereby realizing collaborative operation. The communication module can use 5G network mode for communication. The real-time location information of the excavator can be obtained through the positioning module, and the positioning module can be realized by GPS or Beidou positioning system. The information collection module is used to obtain the information of the excavator and the information of the material, including a camera, an instrument panel, an inclination sensor, etc., using the camera to take the image of the material, and then determine the location of the material and other related information according to the image recognition of the material. The operator is used to manually input the information such as the cross-sectional area, length, material, etc. and display information such as prompt information, preset operation procedures for selection, etc. The inclination sensor can be used to collect the action, posture and other information of the excavator. The control module is used to process the information received by the communication module, and control the excavator to complete specific actions. The control signal of the control mechanism of the excavator can also be collected in real time to identify the operation action of the excavator.

[0131] like Fig.10 The figure shows a flow chart of the cooperative transport control method for an excavator executed by the control module of the excavator. The operator can start the cooperative transport function through the button on the control terminal or the dashboard on the excavator. After the cooperative transport function is started, initialization will be performed such as loading the program or program-related parameters. After that, it will be determined whether the excavator has received the position instruction sent by the control terminal. If the position instruction sent by the control terminal is not received, it will be determined that the excavator is the main excavator. After that, the main excavator obtains the image through the camera and performs image recognition on the image to obtain the location information of the material, such as the position of the geometric center of the end faces on both sides. Then, the cross-sectional area A of the material input by the operator through the dashboard is obtained, and it is determined whether the cross-sectional area A is less than or equal to the maximum cross-sectional area Amax of the material that can be transported by the working device of the excavator. Among them, Amax can be calculated by the following formula:

[0132]

[0133] When the working device is a bucket, Dmax is the maximum bucket radius of the bucket. When the working device is a mechanical claw, Dmax is the maximum gripping diameter of the mechanical claw. If the judgment is no, the dashboard will prompt that the handling range is exceeded; if the judgment is yes, the length L of the material entered by the operator through the dashboard is obtained, and the total number N of excavators (including the main excavator) required to jointly transport the material is determined based on the length L. First, when N=1, it is determined whether N excavators can transport the current material, that is, whether L is less than or equal to the number multiplied by Lmax, where Lmax represents the maximum length that each excavator can carry. If the working device is a bucket, Lmax can be calculated by the following formula:

[0134]

[0135] V D is the capacity of the bucket, ρ n is the average density of soil, ρ h is the average density of the material. Usually, the average density of soil is 2.65×10 3 kg / m 3 The most common materials transported by excavators are concrete materials, but they can also be rubber materials. The average density of concrete materials is, for example, 2.4×10 3 kg / m 3 .

[0136] If the working device is a mechanical claw, Lmax is calculated by the following formula:

[0137]

[0138] W is the maximum weight that the gripper can bear.

[0139] If it is judged that L>N×Lmax, it means that N excavators cannot transport the material, N=N+1, that is, the material is transported by increasing the number of excavators. Until N satisfies L≤N×Lmax. Then the master excavator sends the collaborative transport demand information including the total number N of excavators required for collaborative transport and the location information of the material to the control terminal to call other excavators. In the example of the present invention, the value of N is controlled within 5, that is, less than 5. When the number of excavators required for collaborative transport of materials is large, the cost is too high, and manpower and traditional cranes can be considered for transport operations. When the determined N is greater than 5, the dashboard will prompt that the excavator's handling range is exceeded. The collaborative transport demand information may also include the number of slave excavators that need to cooperate with the main excavator to transport materials, that is, the total number N of excavators required for collaborative transport minus 1.

[0140] like Fig.11 The figure shows a flow chart of the cooperative transport control method for excavators executed by the control terminal. After the control terminal receives the cooperative transport demand information including N and the location information of the material sent by the communication module of the vehicle terminal of the main excavator, it identifies the equipment code of the main excavator and uses it to obtain the location of the main excavator. Then, according to the cooperative transport demand information, the target position to which the N excavators that need to cooperate in transporting materials need to move is calculated, for example, the target position to which the rotation center of the excavator needs to move. The target position of the excavator is calculated by the following formula:

[0141]

[0142] Wherein, Xn represents the distance between the target position of the nth excavator and the target end face in the length direction of the material, and the target end face is the end face of any side of the object to be operated.

[0143] Then, the target position of each excavator is determined according to the position of the geometric center of the two side end faces of the material and Xn. For example, the size information of the excavator is also combined to reasonably set the distance between the target position of the excavator and the material in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the length of the material.

[0144] Then, N-1 excavators that are closest to the main excavator and are not in working condition are obtained as slave excavators. After the slave excavators are determined, the position instructions including the target positions that the corresponding excavators need to reach are sent to the main excavator and the determined slave excavators in sequence, and the slave excavators are controlled to start their own collaborative transportation functions.

[0145] like Fig.10 As shown, the vehicle terminal of the excavator receives the position instruction sent by the control terminal through the communication module. The vehicle terminal identifies the number n assigned by the control terminal, that is, the current excavator is the nth excavator. Then the excavator is controlled to be at the target position included in the position instruction and required to be reached by the current excavator in a preset posture, and the vehicle terminal of the excavator sends an arrival signal to the control terminal. The preset posture includes, for example, the posture of the working device and the orientation of the walking mechanism.

[0146] like Fig.11As shown, the control terminal receives the arrival signal sent by the nth excavator, and then executes n=n+1. At this time, it is determined whether n is equal to the total number N. If n is not equal to the total number N, the next position instruction is sent and it is determined whether the excavator has reached the target position until it is determined that all N excavators have reached the target position. After that, the control terminal determines whether the operation information of the first excavator, that is, the master excavator, such as the preset operation program or operation action, is received. If received, the corresponding signal is sent to the slave excavator. Among them, the preset operation program can be manually set on the time axis, so that each excavator can perform synchronous operation according to the designed action; and the operation action is to allow the operator's operation action on the master excavator to be synchronously executed on other excavators. Whether it is automatic operation or operator operation, N excavators can complete synchronous and stable actions to ensure that the material will not be unstable and unsafe during the handling process due to the asynchronous operation of the excavator. In addition, synchronous automated operation can also improve the efficiency of collaborative handling. When the operation information of the master excavator is not received, the control terminal will determine whether it has received the end signal sent by any of the N excavators. If the judgment is no, it will return to continue to determine whether it has received the preset operation procedure or operation action issued by the master excavator; if the judgment is yes, it will return to continue waiting to receive the collaborative transportation requirement information including N sent by the master excavator in the next collaborative transportation process.

[0147] like Fig.10As shown in the figure, when the communication module of the excavator sends an arrival signal to the control terminal and waits for all excavators to reach their respective target positions, the excavator vehicle terminal determines whether the number is 1. If it is, the current excavator is the master excavator. The subsequent process is to transmit the operation information of the master excavator to the control terminal, and then the control terminal sends it to the slave excavator to achieve the synchronization of the actions of multiple excavators and finally achieve the purpose of collaborative material handling. There are two operating modes for the master excavator, corresponding to the information received by the control terminal, namely the automatic operation mode and the operation mode in which one operator controls N excavators. The specific process is as follows: determine whether the automatic operation button is turned on. If the automatic operation button is turned on, it is in the automatic operation mode at this time. The preset operation program can be selected and sent to the control terminal. Through the set timeline operation, it is ensured that the slave excavator also executes this preset operation program synchronously. If the automatic operation button is not turned on, the dashboard prompts the operator to operate manually, and the operator operates the operating mechanism to operate, and collects the operation actions of the master excavator such as operation instructions in real time, and sends the operation actions to the control terminal so that each excavator synchronously executes the operation of the operator of the master excavator. Automatic operation and manipulation operation can also be performed alternately to assist each other. If n is not equal to 1, it is determined whether the preset operation program of the control terminal is received. If the preset operation program is received, the preset operation program is executed, and after the preset operation program is executed, the process of determining whether the collaborative transport function is turned off is executed. If the preset operation program is not received, it is determined whether the operation action is received. If the operation action is received, the operation action is executed, and after the operation action is executed, the process of determining whether the collaborative transport function is turned off is executed. If the operation action is not received, the next step is directly determined, that is, whether the collaborative transport function is turned off. Determine whether the collaborative transport function is turned off. If not, that is, the collaborative transport function is not turned off, then return to the process of determining whether the preset operation program is received to continue the next cycle. If yes, that is, the collaborative transport function is turned off, then send an end signal to the control terminal and end the entire process.

[0148] In the example of the present invention, the cross-sectional area A and length L of the material can also be obtained by, for example, performing image recognition on the image of the material taken by the camera. The image recognition method is a mature prior art and will not be described in detail here. Specifically, for example, the edge detection and target recognition method based on multi-channel color proposed by Zhao Ming et al., and the later target size calculation method with a circle as a reference, that is, the size information of the target can be calculated by setting a reference object.

[0149] The above embodiments of the present invention can achieve some or all of the following technical effects through their technical solutions:

[0150] 1. It can realize the synchronous operation of multiple excavators. No operator is required or only one operator is required to participate in the operation during the operation. There is no need to communicate with other operators. It can reduce the influence of the operator's subjective consciousness on the collaborative operation process, improve the operation safety, reduce the operator's operation difficulty and participation degree, save labor costs, reduce the difficulty of excavator operation during collaborative operation, and improve the efficiency of excavator collaborative operation.

[0151] 2. The target position of each excavator can be determined based on the length of the object to be operated, so that the excavators working in collaboration can maintain a uniform distance, ensure that the material is evenly stressed, and thus ensure the stability of the collaborative operation process.

[0152] 3. It can be used on smaller working platforms such as narrow bridges, and there is no need to manually fix long tubes or longitudinal beams. It can be completed directly by the excavator working device alone. It can solve the problem of being unable to complete collaborative work under some special working conditions and is suitable for a wide range of working conditions.

[0153] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Moreover, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0154] The present invention is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0155] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0156] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0157] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPU), input / output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

[0158] The memory may include non-permanent memory in a computer-readable medium, random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory in the form of read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM. The memory is an example of a computer-readable medium.

[0159] Computer readable media include permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can be implemented by any method or technology to store information. Information can be computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any other non-transmission media that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device. As defined herein, computer readable media does not include temporary computer readable media (transitory media), such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0160] It should also be noted that the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, commodity or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity or device including the elements.

[0161] The above are only embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent substitution, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for cooperative operation of an excavator, characterized in that: The control terminal is configured to communicate with a plurality of excavators, the method is applied to a master excavator among the plurality of excavators, and the method comprises: Get the location information of the object to be operated; The position information and the number of slave excavators that need to work together are sent to the control terminal, wherein the control terminal determines the number of slave excavators from the candidate excavators, determines the respective target positions of the master excavator and the slave excavators, and instructs the master excavator and the slave excavators to move to their respective target positions, wherein the candidate excavators are the remaining excavators among the multiple excavators except the master excavator; receiving the target position of the master excavator sent by the control terminal; moving to a target position of the master excavator; and When it is determined that the master excavator and the slave excavator have both reached their respective target positions, the master excavator and the slave excavator send their own operation information to the control terminal, wherein the control terminal sends the operation information to the slave excavator so that the slave excavator and the master excavator work in coordination; Wherein, the object to be operated is a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material, and the control terminal determines the target positions of the master excavator and the slave excavator that needs to work in coordination, including: The distance between the target position and the target end surface in the length direction of the object to be processed is determined according to the following formula: Wherein, Xn represents the distance between the target position of the nth excavator and the target end face in the length direction of the object to be operated, L represents the length of the object to be operated, N is the number, and the target end face is any side end face of the object to be operated; and The target position is determined according to the position information of the object to be operated and the distance between the target position and the target end surface in the length direction of the object to be operated.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The object to be operated is a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material, the position information includes the position of the geometric center of the two side end surfaces of the object to be operated, and the acquisition of the position information of the object to be operated includes: Acquiring an image of the object to be operated; and The position information is determined based on the image.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The object to be processed is a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material, and the method further comprises: Obtaining the length, cross-sectional area and material information of the object to be processed; and The quantity is determined according to the length, the cross-sectional area and the material information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The material information includes an average density of the object to be processed, and determining the quantity according to the length, the cross-sectional area and the material information includes: Determining the maximum length of the object to be worked by the main excavator according to the cross-sectional area and the average density of the object to be worked; and determining the number based on the length and the maximum length; Wherein, when the working device of the main excavator is a bucket, the maximum length is determined according to the following formula: Wherein, Lmax is the maximum length, V D is the capacity of the bucket, ρ n is the average density of soil, ρ h is the average density of the object to be operated, and A is the cross-sectional area; When the working device of the main excavator is a mechanical claw, the maximum length is determined according to the following formula: Wherein, Lmax is the maximum length, W is the maximum weight that the mechanical claw can bear, and ρ h is the average density of the object to be operated, and A is the cross-sectional area.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: In the case where the cross-sectional area is larger than the maximum cross-sectional area that the main excavator can operate, determining that the cooperative operation cannot be performed; Wherein, the maximum cross-sectional area is determined according to the following formula: Wherein, Amax is the maximum cross-sectional area; when the working device of the main excavator is a bucket, Dmax is the maximum bucket radius of the bucket; when the working device of the main excavator is a mechanical claw, Dmax is the maximum gripping diameter of the mechanical claw.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: When the master excavator reaches the target position, arrival information indicating that the master excavator has reached the target position is sent to the control terminal.

7. A method for cooperative operation of an excavator, characterized in that: A control terminal is configured to communicate with a plurality of excavators, the method is applied to the control terminal, and the method comprises: Receiving the coordination requirement information sent by the master excavator among the multiple excavators, wherein the coordination requirement information includes the location information of the object to be operated and the number of slave excavators that need to coordinate the operation; Determine the target positions of the master excavator and the slave excavators that need to work together according to the position information and the number of the objects to be worked on; Acquire the position information of the main excavator and the position information and working status of candidate excavators, wherein the candidate excavators are the remaining excavators among the multiple excavators except the main excavator; Determining the number of slave excavators from the candidate excavators according to the position information of the master excavator and the position information and working status of the candidate excavators; Distributing the target position to the master excavator and the slave excavator so that the master excavator and the slave excavator move to the respective target positions; When it is determined that both the master excavator and the slave excavator have reached their respective target positions, receiving operation information sent by the master excavator; and sending the operation information to the slave excavator so that the slave excavator works in coordination with the master excavator; Wherein, the object to be operated is a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material, and determining the target position of the master excavator and the slave excavator that needs to work in coordination according to the position information and the quantity of the object to be operated includes: The distance between the target position and the target end surface in the length direction of the object to be processed is determined according to the following formula: Wherein, Xn represents the distance between the target position of the nth excavator and the target end face in the length direction of the object to be operated, L represents the length of the object to be operated, N is the number, and the target end face is any side end face of the object to be operated; and The target position is determined according to the position information of the object to be operated and the distance between the target position and the target end surface in the length direction of the object to be operated.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The object to be operated is a long tube material or a longitudinal beam material, and the position information includes the positions of the geometric centers of the end surfaces on both sides of the object to be operated.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: Also includes: When the arrival information indicating that the target positions have been reached is received from the master excavator and all the slave excavators, it is determined that the master excavator and the slave excavators have all reached their respective target positions.

10. A processor, characterized in that: The method is configured to execute the method for cooperative working of excavators according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A vehicle-mounted terminal, characterized in that: Set on the excavator, the vehicle-mounted terminal includes: Communications equipment; A positioning device, used to provide location information of the excavator; An image acquisition device, used for acquiring an image of the object to be operated; A human-computer interaction device, used to obtain the input length, cross-sectional area and material information of the object to be operated; and A processor is configured to execute the method for cooperative operation of excavators according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

12. An excavator, characterized in that: It comprises the vehicle-mounted terminal according to claim 11.

13. A control terminal, characterized in that: The method is configured to execute the method for cooperative working of excavators according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

14. A machine-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The machine-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed by a processor, enable the processor to implement the method for cooperative operation of excavators according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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