A system and method for remote communication control of an excavator

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of excavator long-distance communication control systems and methods, system includes: control control unit, with the control control unit communication excavator execution unit;Control control unit includes operating device, transceiver, rotating platform, directional high gain antenna;Excavator execution unit includes transceiver, camera, monopole antenna;Control control unit sends request signal, and receives the upload data of excavator execution unit response request signal, real-time generation control instruction is sent to excavator execution unit, output excavator operating state data, excavator execution unit collects excavator operating state data, and response request signal will current excavator operating state generation upload data, and receive the control instruction of control control unit transmission.The application is transmitted signal by directional high gain antenna high efficiency, no interference, large flow, for the operator remote control excavator provides comprehensive, accurate, real-time data support and reference.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of communication system of engineering machinery, and particularly relates to a system and method for remote communication control of excavators. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of unmanned technology and the further improvement of intelligence of excavators, the research and application of the technology are more and more extensive. Unmanned excavators can autonomously complete a part of work under certain conditions, but human intervention is still needed for complex situations. Therefore, remote wireless communication control is needed. The existing communication control generally uses an omnidirectional antenna, i.e., the antenna sends electromagnetic wave signals to the surrounding 360 degrees without pointing to the communication target, which wastes the transmission energy and also causes signal interference to other ongoing communications.

[0003] Currently, the receiving antenna on the remote-controlled excavator is installed on the side of the vehicle or inside, and the transmitted electromagnetic wave signals cannot directly irradiate the receiving antenna, resulting in weak received signals and low signal-to-noise ratio, which is not conducive to signal reception.

[0004] Although some excavator communication systems perform remote communication control through 4G / 5G networks, this method can achieve very long distance communication control. Although the peak communication speed of 4G / 5G networks is not low and can achieve relatively fast speed, the average effective rate is greatly reduced due to the common use of communication networks by many users. In addition, the transmission speed on the network is low, and the signal propagation needs time in physical distance. The control signal is transmitted from the remote control device to the remote excavator through the network, and the video signal of the camera is transmitted back to the excavator through the network for display. The time delay causes a great sense of lag in operation. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a system and method for remote communication control of excavators, which prolongs the applicable distance of communication control, reduces the invalid radiation and interference of electromagnetic waves, and improves the data transmission efficiency and reduces network delay.

[0006] Technical solution: In a first aspect, the present application provides a system for remote communication control of excavators, comprising:

[0007] a control unit, and an excavator execution unit in communication with the control unit;

[0008] The operation control unit sends a request signal, receives upload data from the excavator execution unit in response to the request signal, generates control instructions in real time according to the upload data and sends the control instructions to the excavator execution unit, and visually outputs excavator operation state data to provide data support and reference for the operator of the operation control unit to remotely control the excavator.

[0009] The excavator execution unit collects excavator operation state data, generates upload data of the current excavator operation state in response to the request signal and transmits the upload data to the operation control unit, and receives control instructions from the operation control unit for executing excavator actions according to the control instructions.

[0010] In further embodiments,

[0011] The operation control unit comprises an operating device, a first transceiver device, a rotating platform, and a first directional high-gain antenna.

[0012] The operating device is assembled by a handle, a switch, a knob, a display device, and a plurality of control input and / or output devices, for facilitating the operator to manually trigger and switch control instructions, and visually displaying excavator operation state data on the display device for the operator to refer to.

[0013] The operating device is electrically connected to the first transceiver device for receiving or sending digital signals.

[0014] The first transceiver device is provided with a radio transceiver, a received signal strength detection unit, and an antenna rotation control unit.

[0015] The first transceiver device communicates with the operating device and the first directional high-gain antenna through the radio transceiver, for receiving digital signals of operating device control instructions or request instructions, converting the digital signals into carrier frequency signals and sending the carrier frequency signals to the first directional high-gain antenna, and through the first directional high-gain antenna, receiving carrier frequency signals of excavator operation state data in real time, and converting the carrier frequency signals of excavator operation state data into digital signals and uploading the digital signals to the operating device.

[0016] The first transceiver device uses the received signal strength detection unit to judge the strength of the received response signal.

[0017] The first transceiver device is electrically connected to the rotating platform through the antenna rotation control unit, for controlling the rotation of the rotating platform.

[0018] The first directional high-gain antenna communicates with the first transceiver device and the excavator, for converting carrier frequency signals of the first transceiver device into electromagnetic wave signals and emitting the electromagnetic wave signals to the excavator, and receiving electromagnetic wave signals of excavator operation state data in real time.

[0019] The rotating platform is fixedly connected with the first directional high-gain antenna, and the rotating platform is controlled to rotate by the first transceiver device so as to drive the first directional high-gain antenna to rotate, thereby adjusting the beam pointing direction of the first directional high-gain antenna.

[0020] In a further embodiment, the operation device further comprises a GPS locator and a GPS solution unit for extracting the relative position of the operation device and the excavator according to the real-time received excavator operation state data.

[0021] In a further embodiment, the excavator execution unit comprises a second transceiver device, a camera, a monopole antenna and / or a second directional high-gain antenna, an excavator controller, a GPS locator.

[0022] The second transceiver device, the camera, the monopole antenna and / or the second directional high-gain antenna, and the GPS receiver are respectively arranged on the excavator.

[0023] The camera is provided in a plurality of numbers, and the plurality of cameras are respectively arranged on the plurality of sides of the excavator body for collecting image data containing the action of the excavator and the surrounding environment of the whole vehicle of the excavator.

[0024] The GPS locator is used for uploading the real-time position data of the excavator to the controller.

[0025] The excavator controller is used for receiving the image data and the real-time position data, generating the excavator operation state data, and forwarding the digital signal of the excavator operation state data to the second transceiver device, and receiving the digital signal of the control instruction or the request instruction returned by the second transceiver device.

[0026] The second transceiver device receives the carrier frequency signal converted by the monopole antenna or the second directional high-gain antenna, converts the carrier frequency signal into a digital signal and sends it to the excavator controller, and converts the excavator operation state data generated by the excavator controller into a carrier frequency signal and sends it to the monopole antenna or the second directional high-gain antenna for emission.

[0027] The monopole antenna or the second directional high-gain antenna is used for communication with the first directional high-gain antenna and the second transceiver device respectively, receives the spatial electromagnetic wave signal of the first directional high-gain antenna, and converts the carrier frequency signal of the second transceiver device into an electromagnetic wave signal and emits it to the first directional high-gain antenna.

[0028] In a further embodiment, the first directional high-gain antenna and / or the second directional high-gain antenna are assembled in a radome, the radome is made of PBT+GF30 material, and the expression of the antenna element array of the first directional high-gain antenna and / or the second directional high-gain antenna is m x n.

[0029] Wherein n is the row of antenna units, m is the column of antenna units, the row spacing and column spacing between the antenna units are the same, and the phase of each antenna unit is the same, and the radiation power is distributed according to Chebyshev weight or Taylor weight,

[0030] The half-power beam angle of the array antenna in the elevation direction is approximately The half-power beam angle in the horizontal direction is approximately

[0031] The second aspect of the application provides a long-distance communication method of an excavator, comprising:

[0032] Collecting image data and position data, and receiving electromagnetic wave signals transmitted by the first directional high-gain antenna in real time through the second directional high-gain antenna or monopole antenna;

[0033] The electromagnetic wave signal is modulated into a carrier frequency signal and transmitted to the second transceiver device, and the digital signal of the request instruction is obtained by converting through the second transceiver device;

[0034] According to the digital signal of the request instruction, the image data and the position data are generated to upload the excavator operation state data;

[0035] The excavator operation state data is converted into a carrier frequency signal by the second transceiver device and transmitted to the second directional high-gain antenna or monopole antenna;

[0036] The carrier frequency signal is converted into spatial electromagnetic wave by the second directional high-gain antenna or monopole antenna, and is used to transmit electromagnetic wave signals responding to the request instruction to the first directional high-gain antenna.

[0037] The third aspect of the application provides a long-distance control method of a control control unit, comprising:

[0038] Real-time collection of control control unit position information and current first directional high-gain antenna orientation, and receiving response signals with electromagnetic wave signals as carriers through the first directional high-gain antenna;

[0039] The response signal is converted from the electromagnetic wave signal into a carrier frequency signal and transmitted to the first transceiver device; and the received response signal is judged for intensity by the first transceiver device to obtain the current response signal intensity judgment result;

[0040] The carrier frequency signal is converted into a digital signal by the first transceiver device and transmitted to the operation device, the operation device directly reads the current excavator operation state data and performs visual output, which is used to provide reference for the control personnel to manually trigger and switch control instructions to remotely control the excavator;

[0041] The excavator operating state data includes image data and position data of the real-time operation of the excavator; the first directional high-gain antenna is controlled to rotate in real time according to the response signal strength judgment result and the position data, and the distance scalar of the excavator is obtained by calculating the position data, and whether to control the first directional high-gain antenna to rotate is determined according to the distance scalar.

[0042] In a further embodiment, the method for judging the strength of the received response signal by the first transceiver device to obtain the response signal strength judgment result is:

[0043] The response signal is compared with the preset value to obtain the response signal strength judgment result; wherein the response signal strength judgment result includes: strength value valid and strength value invalid;

[0044] If the response signal is greater than the preset value, it is judged that the strength value is valid, so as to output the normal communication state;

[0045] If the response signal is less than the preset value, it is judged that the strength value is invalid, and the first directional high-gain antenna is controlled to rotate and record whether the response signal strength is invalid during the rotation process, according to the rotation search result, select the system fault information for prompting the user to repair; wherein during the rotation process of the first directional high-gain antenna, the signal change trend is analyzed according to the rotation search result, and the direction with rising change trend is selected as the rotation direction of the first directional high-gain antenna.

[0046] In a further embodiment, the method for adjusting the rotation of the first directional high-gain antenna in real time according to the response signal strength judgment result and the position data is:

[0047] The position data of the current excavator operation is extracted from the excavator operating state data, and the response signal strength judgment result is obtained in real time;

[0048] The relative position of the excavator position data and the operating device position is calculated to obtain the relative orientation of the excavator, and the fault data or the first directional high-gain antenna rotation instruction is selected for output according to the response signal strength judgment result, which is used to control the relative orientation of the first directional high-gain antenna and the excavator to always keep consistent.

[0049] In a further embodiment, the method for calculating the position data to obtain the distance scalar of the excavator and determining whether to control the first directional high-gain antenna to rotate according to the distance scalar includes:

[0050] The distance scalar of the excavator beyond the coverage area of the first directional high-gain antenna is set as the adjustment calibration, and when the distance scalar of the excavator is greater than the calibration, a plurality of continuous response signal strength judgment results between the distance scalar of the excavator are obtained;

[0051] According to the multiple continuous response signal strength judgment results, the response signal strength change during the walking of the excavator is obtained;

[0052] If the response signal strength change is a drop, and the drop is greater than a set value, then a prompt is output to the excavator user to stop moving, the first directional high gain antenna is controlled to rotate and the upper limit value of the response signal strength and the angle at which the upper limit value is located during the rotation are recorded, and the first directional high gain antenna is controlled to be oriented to coincide with the angle at which the upper limit value is located.

[0053] If the response signal strength change is a rise, the first directional high gain antenna is controlled to rotate and the upper limit value of the response signal strength and the angle at which the upper limit value is located during the rotation are recorded, and the first directional high gain antenna is controlled to be oriented to coincide with the angle at which the upper limit value is located.

[0054] Advantages: Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:

[0055] (1) The system of the present application realizes long-distance mass data transmission using directional high gain antennas; the operating device communicates with the excavator to obtain the actions and surrounding environment of the excavator, and displays information such as the running state of the excavator, the task progress state, etc., to facilitate the real-time remote operation of multiple excavators or other working vehicles by the operator to provide data support and reference for judgment;

[0056] (2) The system and method of the present application prolong the applicable distance of communication control through directional high gain antennas, reduce the invalid radiation and interference of electromagnetic waves, and improve the real-time efficiency of data transmission and reduce network delay;

[0057] (3) By using array antennas or reflecting surfaces, the phenomenon of excessively large radiation angle range of the original single antenna is changed, the radiation angle of the overall antenna is reduced, the electromagnetic wave energy density at the specified angle is improved to avoid signal weakening in the transmission distance of the electromagnetic wave, and the rotating platform is set to adjust the beam pointing direction according to the real-time running position of the excavator, to maintain stable transmission of the communication signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0058] Figure 1 The system structure diagram for long-distance communication control of the excavator of the present application;

[0059] Figure 2 The array antenna structure diagram of the first directional high gain antenna or the second directional high gain antenna according to the present application;

[0060] Figure 3 The antenna cover structure diagram of the first directional high gain antenna or the second directional high gain antenna according to the present application;

[0061] Figure 4 The embodiment diagram of the internal functional modules of the first transceiver device according to the present application;

[0062] Figure 5 Flow chart for initial direction selection for the system of the present invention;

[0063] Figure 6 Flow chart for communication and position calibration for the system of the present invention;

[0064] Figure 7 Flow chart for excavator movement tracking for the system of the present invention;

[0065] Figure 8 Flow chart for obstacle anomaly handling for the system of the present invention.

[0066] In the figure, the reference signs are: 1 - operating device; 2 - first transceiver device; 3 - rotating platform; 4 - first directional high-gain antenna; 5 - directional high-gain antenna beam; 6 - monopole antenna beam; 7 - monopole antenna; 8 - second transceiver device; 9 - camera; 10 - antenna unit; 11 - antenna cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] In order to more fully understand the technical content of the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention are further introduced and described below in combination with specific embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0068] In combination with Figures 1 to 4 A system for long-distance communication control of an excavator, comprising: a control control unit, and an excavator execution unit in communication with the control control unit;

[0069] The control control unit sends a request signal, and receives upload data of the excavator execution unit in response to the request signal, generates control instructions in real time according to the upload data and sends them to the excavator execution unit, and visually outputs excavator operation state data, which is used to provide data support and reference for the operator of the control control unit to remotely control the excavator;

[0070] The excavator execution unit collects excavator operation state data, and in response to the request signal, generates upload data of the current excavator operation state and transmits it to the control control unit, and receives control instructions transmitted by the control control unit for executing excavator actions according to the control instructions.

[0071] The control control unit comprises: an operating device 1, a first transceiver device 2, a rotating platform 3, and a first directional high-gain antenna 4;

[0072] The operating device 1 is assembled from a handle, a switch, a knob, a display device, and a plurality of control input and / or output devices, which are used to facilitate the operator to manually trigger and switch control instructions, and to visually display excavator operation state data through the display device for the operator to refer to;

[0073] The operating device 1 is electrically connected with the first transceiving device 2 for receiving or sending digital signals;

[0074] The first transceiving device 2 is provided with a radio transceiver, a received signal strength detection unit, and an antenna rotation control unit;

[0075] The first transceiving device 2 communicates with the operating device 1 and the first directional high-gain antenna 4 respectively through the radio transceiver, for receiving the digital signals of the control instructions or request instructions of the operating device 1, converting the digital signals into carrier frequency signals, and sending the carrier frequency signals to the first directional high-gain antenna 4, and receiving the carrier frequency signals of the excavator operation state data in real time through the first directional high-gain antenna 4, and converting the carrier frequency signals of the excavator operation state data into digital signals and uploading the digital signals to the operating device 1;

[0076] The first transceiving device 2 is used for judging the strength of the received response signals through the received signal strength detection unit;

[0077] The first transceiving device 2 is electrically connected with the rotating platform 3 through the antenna rotation control unit, for controlling the rotation of the rotating platform 3;

[0078] The first directional high-gain antenna 4 communicates with the first transceiving device 2 and the excavator respectively, for converting the carrier frequency signals of the first transceiving device 2 into electromagnetic wave signals and emitting the electromagnetic wave signals to the excavator, and receiving the electromagnetic wave signals of the excavator operation state data in real time;

[0079] The rotating platform 3 is fixedly connected with the first directional high-gain antenna 4, and the rotation of the rotating platform 3 is controlled by the first transceiving device 2 to drive the rotation of the first directional high-gain antenna 4, for adjusting the beam pointing direction of the first directional high-gain antenna 4.

[0080] The operating device 1 further comprises a GPS locator and a GPS solution unit, for extracting the relative position of the operating device 1 and the excavator according to the real-time received excavator operation state data.

[0081] The excavator execution unit comprises a second transceiving device 8, a camera 9, a monopole antenna 7 and / or a second directional high-gain antenna, an excavator controller, and a GPS locator;

[0082] The second transceiving device 8, the camera 9, the monopole antenna 7 and / or the second directional high-gain antenna, and the GPS receiver are respectively arranged on the excavator;

[0083] The camera 9 is provided in a plurality of numbers, and the plurality of cameras 9 are arranged on the plurality of sides of the excavator body for collecting image data containing the action of the excavator and the surrounding environment of the whole vehicle of the excavator;

[0084] The GPS locator is used for uploading the real-time position data of the excavator to the controller;

[0085] The excavator controller is used for receiving image data and real-time position data, generating excavator operation state data, and forwarding a digital signal of the excavator operation state data to the second transceiver 8 and receiving a digital signal of a control instruction or a request instruction returned by the second transceiver 8;

[0086] The second transceiver 8 receives a carrier frequency signal converted by the monopole antenna 7 or the second directional high-gain antenna, sends the carrier frequency signal to the excavator controller in a digital signal, and sends excavator operation state data generated by the excavator controller to the monopole antenna 7 or the second directional high-gain antenna in a carrier frequency signal for emission;

[0087] The monopole antenna 7 or the second directional high-gain antenna is respectively used for communication with the first directional high-gain antenna 4 and the second transceiver 8, receiving a spatial electromagnetic wave signal of the first directional high-gain antenna 4, and emitting an electromagnetic wave signal converted from a carrier frequency signal of the second transceiver 8 to the first directional high-gain antenna 4;

[0088] In the embodiment, the monopole antenna 7 and the first directional high-gain antenna 4 are used in combination, so that the disadvantages of the beam 6 of the monopole antenna 7 are effectively reduced, and the first directional high-gain antenna 4 and the second directional high-gain antenna can also be used in combination for communication;

[0089] In order to effectively utilize electromagnetic wave energy, the monopole antenna 7 is arranged on the top of the excavator rotating platform 3, and the maximum intensity direction of the beam 6 thereof is opposite to the directional high-gain antenna, so that the received signal strength can be effectively improved;

[0090] The directional high-gain antenna changes the phenomenon that the original single antenna has a too large radiation angle range through an array antenna or a reflecting surface, so that the radiation angle of the whole antenna is reduced, and the electromagnetic wave energy density of the beam 5 of the directional high-gain antenna at a specified angle is improved.

[0091] The first directional high-gain antenna 4 and / or the second directional high-gain antenna are assembled in the antenna cover 11, and the antenna cover 11 is made of PBT+GF30 material; the material has good wave transmission performance, is anti-aging, resistant to hydrolysis, and has high strength; the antenna cover 11 can effectively protect the array and reduce damage during hoisting and transportation;

[0092] The expression of the array of the antenna units 10 of the first directional high-gain antenna 4 and / or the second directional high-gain antenna is m×n;

[0093] Wherein n is the number of rows of the antenna units 10, m is the number of columns of the antenna units 10, the row spacing and the column spacing between the antenna units 10 are the same, and the phase of each antenna unit 10 is also the same, and the radiation power is distributed according to Chebyshev weight or Taylor weight;

[0094] The half-power beam angle of the array antenna in the elevation direction in the embodiment is approximately The half-power beam angle in the horizontal direction is approximately Generally, the directional high-gain antenna can cover a certain area, and the excavator does not need to be adjusted all the time when it is in operation. Therefore, the horizontal beam angle of the antenna cannot be too small, and the elevation angle of the beam of the antenna can be small because the elevation of the excavator does not change much in an engineering area. Therefore, generally, n is greater than m. The distance d between the antenna elements is generally 0.5λ. In actual engineering applications, considering that the antenna elements are not a point and the side lobe requirement is not particularly high, the distance d can be slightly greater than 0.5λ when the array antenna does not have a phase shifter and does not have a phase scanning function. The increase of the distance d can achieve the effect of more antennas with fewer antenna elements, reduce the coupling between the antenna elements, and give the antenna elements more size space.

[0095] Embodiment 2: Further illustrate a method for long-distance communication of an excavator, comprising the following working steps:

[0096] Collecting image data and position data, and receiving electromagnetic wave signals transmitted by the first directional high-gain antenna 4 in real time through the second directional high-gain antenna or monopole antenna 7;

[0097] The electromagnetic wave signals are modulated into carrier frequency signals and transmitted to the second transceiver 8, and the second transceiver 8 is converted to obtain a digital signal of a request instruction;

[0098] The image data and the position data are generated into excavator operation state data for uploading according to the digital signal of the request instruction;

[0099] The excavator operation state data is converted into carrier frequency signals by the second transceiver 8 and transmitted to the second directional high-gain antenna or monopole antenna 7;

[0100] The carrier frequency signals are converted into spatial electromagnetic waves by the second directional high-gain antenna or monopole antenna 7, and are used to emit electromagnetic wave signals responding to the request instruction to the first directional high-gain antenna 4.

[0101] Embodiment 3: Further illustrate a method for long-distance control of a control unit, comprising the following working steps:

[0102] Real-time collection of position information of the control unit and current orientation of the first directional high-gain antenna 4, and receiving a response signal taking electromagnetic wave signals as a carrier through the first directional high-gain antenna 4;

[0103] The response signal is converted from the electromagnetic wave signal into a carrier frequency signal and transmitted to the first transceiver 2; and the first transceiver 2 judges the strength of the received response signal to obtain a current response signal strength judgment result;

[0104] The carrier frequency signal is converted into a digital signal by the first transceiver device 2 and transmitted to the operating device 1, and the operating device 1 directly reads the current excavator operating state data and visually outputs, which is used as a reference for the operator to manually trigger and switch the control instruction to remotely control the excavator;

[0105] The excavator operating state data includes image data and position data of the real-time operation of the excavator; the first directional high-gain antenna 4 is rotated in real time according to the response signal strength judgment result and the position data, and the position data is calculated to obtain the distance scalar of the excavator, and the distance scalar is used to determine whether to control the first directional high-gain antenna 4 to rotate.

[0106] The strength of the received response signal is judged by the first transceiver device 2, and the method for obtaining the response signal strength judgment result is:

[0107] The response signal is compared with the preset value to obtain the response signal strength judgment result; wherein the response signal strength judgment result includes: strength value valid and strength value invalid;

[0108] If the response signal is greater than the preset value, it is judged that the strength value is valid, so as to output the communication normal state;

[0109] If the response signal is less than the preset value, it is judged that the strength value is invalid, and the first directional high-gain antenna 4 is controlled to rotate and record whether the response signal strength is invalid during the rotation process, according to the rotation search result, the system fault information is selected to output for prompting the user to repair;

[0110] During the rotation process of the first directional high-gain antenna 4, the signal change trend is analyzed according to the rotation search result, and the direction with the upward change trend is selected as the rotation direction of the first directional high-gain antenna 4.

[0111] The method for adjusting the rotation of the first directional high-gain antenna 4 in real time according to the response signal strength judgment result and the position data is:

[0112] The position data of the current excavator operation is extracted from the excavator operating state data, and the response signal strength judgment result is obtained in real time;

[0113] The relative position of the excavator position data and the operating device 1 position is calculated to obtain the relative orientation of the excavator, and the fault data or the first directional high-gain antenna 4 rotation instruction is selected to output according to the response signal strength judgment result, which is used to control the relative orientation of the first directional high-gain antenna 4 and the excavator to always keep consistent.

[0114] The method for calculating the position data to obtain the distance scalar of the excavator and judging whether to control the first directional high-gain antenna 4 to rotate according to the distance scalar includes:

[0115] The distance scalar of the excavator beyond the coverage area of ​​the first directional high-gain antenna 4 is preset as the adjustment calibrated value. When the distance scalar of the excavator is greater than the calibrated value, the strength judgment results of multiple consecutive response signals between the distance scalars of the excavator are obtained.

[0116] Based on the results of multiple consecutive response signal intensity judgments, the changes in response signal intensity during the excavator's travel are obtained;

[0117] If the response signal strength changes by a decrease, and the decrease is greater than the set value, the system will output a prompt to the user to stop moving. At the same time, the system will control the first directional high-gain antenna 4 to rotate and record the upper limit value of the response signal strength and the angle at which the upper limit value is located during the rotation. The system will then control the first directional high-gain antenna 4 to face the angle at which the upper limit value is located.

[0118] If the change in response signal strength is an increase, control the first directional high-gain antenna 4 to rotate and record the upper limit value of the response signal strength and the angle at which the upper limit value is located during the rotation process, and control the first directional high-gain antenna 4 to align with the angle at which the upper limit value is located.

[0119] Example 4: In actual excavation or operation, this example combines different working conditions. Figures 5 to 8 Further applications of the communication system, operating device 1, and excavator of the present invention in various scenarios:

[0120] like Figure 5 As shown, the initial direction selection process includes the following steps:

[0121] Step S101: Drive the rotating platform 3 to rotate the directional high-gain antenna, and receive the electromagnetic wave signal of the controlled excavator while rotating;

[0122] Step S102: The first transceiver 2 detects the signal strength transmitted from the directional high-gain antenna and the antenna orientation transmitted from the rotating platform 3. If the signal strength is greater than the calibration value a, the strength value is considered valid. If the signal strength is less than or equal to the calibration value a, the strength value is considered invalid.

[0123] Step S103: Based on the effective signal strength value and the angle at which the signal strength value is located, analyze whether there are extreme points in the signal strength;

[0124] Step S104: If the directional high-gain antenna rotates one full turn, check whether the results of the follow-up detection by the first transceiver 2 are all less than or equal to the minimum detectable signal;

[0125] Step S105: If the result of step S104 is that there is no valid signal after one rotation, then the user is prompted that the system is faulty and cannot detect a signal.

[0126] Step S106: According to the intensity value recorded in step S103 and the maximum point analysis result, it is judged whether there is a maximum value, i.e. when the directional high-gain antenna is directed to the antenna of the controlled excavator, the signal intensity is strong;

[0127] Step S107: If there is no maximum point, it is judged whether the signal is monotonically increasing. If the intensity value of the received signal becomes larger and larger with the rotating direction, it indicates that the directional high-gain antenna is being directed to the controlled target, otherwise it is being away from the target.

[0128] Step S108: If the current rotating direction of the directional high-gain antenna is away from the controlled target, the signal intensity gradually decreases, then the reverse direction is rotated to find the maximum point.

[0129] Step S109: If the signal intensity value recorded in the rotating process, then the current rotating direction is continued, and the position of the maximum point is recorded.

[0130] Step S110: If the maximum point has been found, the directional high-gain antenna is turned to the position for communication.

[0131] As shown in Figure 6 , the communication flow and position correction include the following steps:

[0132] Step S201: When the high-gain antenna has been adjusted and can communicate, the operating device 1 sends a state information request to the controlled excavator.

[0133] Step S202: The first transceiver device 2 converts the digitized state request information into a carrier frequency signal and transmits it to the directional high-gain antenna.

[0134] Step S203: The directional high-gain antenna converts the traveling wave signal provided by the first transceiver device 2 into a spatial wave. The antenna elements 10 of the array antenna form an array according to certain weight, phase and spacing, and concentrate the electromagnetic wave to form a concentrated beam.

[0135] Step S204: The single machine antenna on the excavator acts as a receiving antenna and receives the electromagnetic wave and converts it into a traveling wave in the transmission line, which is transmitted to the second transceiver device 8.

[0136] Step S205: The second transceiver device 8 converts the received traveling wave state signal into digitized request information, and the vehicle controller of the controlled excavator receives the data request.

[0137] Step S206: The second transceiver device 8 receives the data information returned by the vehicle and sends it out through the single machine antenna of the controlled excavator, while the directional high-gain antenna acts as a receiving antenna to receive the signal and then sends it to the operating device 1 through the first transceiver device 2.

[0138] Step S207: The operating device 1 extracts the GPS positioning information of the controlled excavator from the reply information;

[0139] Step S208: The operating device 1 obtains its position and orientation based on its own positioning sensor;

[0140] Step S209: The operating device 1 calculates the location of the controlled excavator based on the GPS information and orientation, and checks whether it is consistent with the orientation of the current directional high-gain antenna;

[0141] Step S210: If the relative orientation calculated based on the GPS positioning information is inconsistent with the orientation of the directional high-gain antenna, then turn the directional high-gain antenna toward the orientation of the controlled excavator provided by the GPS and record the received signal strength at the new location.

[0142] Step S211: Compare the azimuth signal strength provided by the GPS signal with the signal strength of the previously searched maximum point to determine whether the current azimuth signal strength provided by the GPS is higher.

[0143] Step S212: If the result of the comparison in step S211 is lower, that is, less than or equal to the original position, then the directional high-gain antenna is turned back to the original position for communication.

[0144] like Figure 7 As shown, the excavator movement tracking process includes the following steps:

[0145] Step S301: During the communication control process, if the excavator's cumulative travel distance after the last antenna adjustment reaches a certain calibration value b;

[0146] Step S302: Calculate the distance between the operating device 1 and the controlled excavator based on their GPS positioning information, and calculate the theoretical signal strength at this time.

[0147] Step S303: Calculate the signal reduction based on the theoretical strength value from step 302 and the current received signal strength value, and determine whether the reduction reaches the calibration value c;

[0148] Step S304: If the reduction reaches the calibrated value, prepare to adjust the orientation of the directional high-gain antenna, and prompt the user that the antenna is being adjusted and the controlled excavator cannot be moved temporarily;

[0149] Step S305: If the orientation is consistent with step S209, then the orientation of the directional high-gain antenna is corrected according to the positioning information provided by GPS. If the orientation is inconsistent with step S209, then steps S101 to S110 are executed.

[0150] Step S306: Inform the user that the adjustment is complete and normal operation is possible.

[0151] As shown in Figure 8 the obstacle abnormality processing flow includes the following steps:

[0152] Step S401: The first transceiving device 2 detects that the received signal has a significant abnormal change, which is caused by the movement of the non-controlled excavator;

[0153] Step S402: Determine whether the signal is interrupted by detecting the signal strength and the verification of the response data;

[0154] Step S403: If the signal is not interrupted, only the received signal is weakened, determine whether the signal strength is less than the minimum value;

[0155] Step S404: If the result of step S403 is no, do not handle temporarily, continue to maintain communication;

[0156] Step S405: If the result of step S402 is yes or the result of step S403 is yes, notify the user that the signal strength has a failure;

[0157] Step S406: Monitor the received signal strength of the directional high-gain antenna, whether the signal strength has a sustained change;

[0158] Step S407: If the signal strength does not have a sustained change, the directional high-gain antenna is automatically adjusted, that is, steps S101 to S110;

[0159] Step S408: After executing the above step S407, determine whether the received signal strength can meet the requirements for communication;

[0160] Step S409: If the result of step S408 is still not met, display that the communication system is abnormal, and wait for fault handling.

[0161] In summary, the system of the present application realizes long-distance and large-volume data transmission by using a directional high-gain antenna; the control device communicates with the excavator to obtain the action of the excavator and the surrounding environment, and displays the running state of the excavator, the task progress state and other information, which facilitates the operator to remotely control multiple excavators or other working vehicles in real time to provide data support and reference for judgment; the system and method of the present application prolong the applicable distance of communication control by using a directional high-gain antenna, reduce the invalid radiation and interference of electromagnetic waves, and improve the real-time efficiency of data transmission and reduce network delay; by using an array antenna or a reflecting surface, the phenomenon of too large radiation angle range of the original single antenna is changed, the radiation angle of the whole antenna is reduced, the electromagnetic wave energy density at a specified angle is improved to avoid signal weakening in the transmission distance of electromagnetic waves, and the rotating platform 3 is arranged to adjust the beam pointing direction according to the real-time running position of the excavator, so that the stable transmission of the communication signal is maintained.

[0162] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the application can be devised for a method, a system, or a computer program product. Accordingly, the present application can be embodied in the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application can take the form of a computer program product on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, etc.) embodying computer readable program code.

[0163] The present application is described in reference to the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0164] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer- readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the functions specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0165] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0166] The above description is only preferred embodiments of the application. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, some improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the application, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered as falling within the scope of the application.

Claims

1. A system for long-distance communication control of an excavator, characterized in that, include: Control and control unit, and excavator actuator unit that communicates with the control and control unit; The control unit sends request signals and receives uploaded data from the excavator execution unit in response to the request signals. Based on the uploaded data, it generates control commands in real time and sends them to the excavator execution unit. It also visualizes and outputs excavator operating status data to provide data support and reference for operators of the control unit to remotely operate the excavator. The excavator execution unit collects excavator operating status data, responds to request signals to generate and upload the current excavator operating status data to the control control unit, and receives control commands from the control control unit to execute excavator actions according to the control commands. The control unit includes: an operating device, a first transceiver device, a rotating platform, and a first directional high-gain antenna; its control method is to collect the position information of the control unit and the current orientation of the first directional high-gain antenna in real time, and receive the response signal with electromagnetic wave signal as carrier through the first directional high-gain antenna. The response signal is converted from an electromagnetic wave signal into a carrier frequency signal and transmitted to the first transceiver device; the first transceiver device then performs an intensity judgment on the received response signal to obtain the current response signal intensity judgment result. The carrier frequency signal is converted into a digital signal by the first transceiver and transmitted to the operating device. The operating device directly reads the current excavator operating status data and outputs it visually, which is used as a reference for operators to manually trigger and switch control commands to remotely control the excavator. The excavator's operating status data includes real-time image data and position data of the excavator; based on the response signal strength judgment result and the position data, the first directional high-gain antenna is rotated in real time, and the distance scalar of the excavator is calculated from the position data, and the rotation of the first directional high-gain antenna is controlled based on the distance scalar.

2. The system for long-distance communication control of excavators according to claim 1, characterized in that, The operating device is assembled from a handle, switch, knob, display device, and several control input and / or output devices. It is used to facilitate the operator to manually trigger and switch control commands, and to visualize the excavator's operating status data through the display device for the operator's reference. The operating device is electrically connected to the first transceiver device for receiving or sending digital signals; The first transceiver device includes a radio transceiver, a received signal strength detection unit, and an antenna rotation control unit; The first transceiver communicates with the operating device and the first directional high-gain antenna via a radio transceiver. It is used to receive digital signals of control commands or request commands from the operating device, convert the digital signals into carrier frequency signals and send them to the first directional high-gain antenna, and receive carrier frequency signals of excavator operating status data in real time through the first directional high-gain antenna, convert the carrier frequency signals of excavator operating status data into digital signals and upload them to the operating device. The first transceiver device uses a received signal strength detection unit to determine the strength of the received response signal; The first transceiver device is electrically connected to the rotating platform via an antenna rotation control unit to control the rotation of the rotating platform; The first directional high-gain antenna communicates with the first transceiver and the excavator respectively to convert the carrier frequency signal of the first transceiver into an electromagnetic wave signal and transmit it to the excavator. And electromagnetic wave signals for receiving excavator operating status data in real time; The rotating platform is fixedly connected to the first directional high-gain antenna. The first transceiver device controls the rotation of the rotating platform, thereby driving the first directional high-gain antenna to rotate, which is used to adjust the beam pointing of the first directional high-gain antenna.

3. The excavator long-distance communication control system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The operating device also includes a GPS locator and a GPS calculation unit for extracting the relative position of the operating device and the excavator based on real-time received excavator operating status data.

4. The system for long-distance communication control of excavators according to claim 1, characterized in that, The excavator execution unit includes: a second transceiver, a camera, a monopole antenna and / or a second directional high-gain antenna, an excavator controller, and a GPS locator; The second transceiver, camera, monopole antenna and / or second directional high-gain antenna, and GPS receiver are respectively mounted on the excavator; The number of cameras is multiple, and the multiple cameras are respectively set on multiple sides of the excavator body to collect image data including the excavator's movements and the surrounding environment of the excavator. The GPS locator is used to upload the excavator's real-time location data to the controller; The excavator controller is used to receive image data and real-time location data, generate excavator operating status data, and forward the digital signal of the excavator operating status data to the second transceiver, as well as receive the digital signal of control commands or request commands returned by the second transceiver. The second transceiver receives the carrier frequency signal converted by the monopole antenna or the second directional high-gain antenna, converts the carrier frequency signal into a digital signal and sends it to the excavator controller, and converts the excavator operating status data generated by the excavator controller into a carrier frequency signal and sends it to the monopole antenna or the second directional high-gain antenna for transmission; The monopole antenna or the second directional high-gain antenna is used to communicate with the first directional high-gain antenna and the second transceiver device respectively; to receive the spatial electromagnetic wave signal from the first directional high-gain antenna; and to convert the carrier frequency signal of the second transceiver device into an electromagnetic wave signal and transmit it to the first directional high-gain antenna. The communication method of the excavator execution unit is to acquire image data and position data, and to receive electromagnetic wave signals emitted by the first directional high-gain antenna in real time through the second directional high-gain antenna or monopole antenna. The electromagnetic wave signal is modulated into a carrier frequency signal and transmitted to the second transceiver device, and then converted by the second transceiver device to obtain the digital signal of the request command; Based on the digital signals of the requested instructions, the image data and location data are used to generate excavator operating status data for uploading; The excavator's operating status data is converted into a carrier frequency signal by the second transceiver and transmitted to the second directional high-gain antenna or monopole antenna; The carrier frequency signal is converted into a space electromagnetic wave by a second directional high-gain antenna or a monopole antenna, which is used to transmit an electromagnetic wave signal in response to a request command to the first directional high-gain antenna.

5. The system for long-distance communication control of an excavator according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that, The first directional high-gain antenna and / or the second directional high-gain antenna are assembled inside an antenna radome, which is made of PBT+GF30 material; the antenna element array expression of the first directional high-gain antenna and / or the second directional high-gain antenna is: m×n; Where n is the row of antenna elements and m is the column of antenna elements, the row spacing and column spacing between antenna elements are the same, and the phase of each antenna element is also the same. The radiated power is allocated according to Chebyshev weights or Taylor weights.

6. The system for long-distance communication control of excavators according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method for obtaining the current response signal strength judgment result by judging the strength of the received response signal through the first transceiver device is as follows: The response signal is compared with a preset value to obtain the response signal strength judgment result; the response signal strength judgment result includes: the strength value is valid and the strength value is invalid. If the response signal is greater than the preset value, the strength value is determined to be valid, and a normal communication status is output. If the response signal is less than the preset value, the strength value is determined to be invalid. In the case of invalid strength value, the first directional high gain antenna is controlled to rotate and the strength of the response signal during the rotation process is recorded as invalid. Based on the rotation search result, the system fault information is selected to prompt the user for maintenance. In particular, during the rotation of the first directional high gain antenna, the trend of signal change is analyzed based on the rotation search result, and the direction of the upward trend is selected as the rotation direction of the first directional high gain antenna.

7. The system for long-distance communication control of excavators according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method for controlling the rotation of the first directional high-gain antenna in real time based on the response signal strength judgment result and position data is as follows: Extract the current location data of the excavator from the excavator's operating status data and obtain the real-time response signal strength judgment results; The relative position calculation is performed on the excavator position data and the position of the operating device to obtain the relative orientation of the excavator. Based on the result of the response signal strength judgment, either fault data or a rotation command for the first directional high-gain antenna is selected to control the relative orientation of the first directional high-gain antenna to always remain consistent with that of the excavator.

8. The system for long-distance communication control of excavators according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method for calculating the excavator's distance scalar from the location data and determining whether to control the rotation of the first directional high-gain antenna based on the distance scalar includes: The distance scalar of the excavator beyond the coverage area of ​​the first directional high-gain antenna is set as the adjustment calibrated value. When the distance scalar of the excavator is greater than the calibrated value, the strength judgment results of multiple consecutive response signals between the distance scalars of the excavator are obtained. Based on the results of multiple consecutive response signal intensity judgments, the changes in response signal intensity during the excavator's travel are obtained; If the response signal strength changes by a decrease, and the decrease is greater than the set value, the excavator user is prompted to stop moving. At the same time, the first directional high-gain antenna is controlled to rotate and the upper limit of the response signal strength and the angle at which the upper limit is located are recorded during the rotation. The first directional high-gain antenna is controlled to be aligned with the angle at which the upper limit is located. If the change in response signal strength is an increase, control the first directional high-gain antenna to rotate and record the upper limit value of the response signal strength and the angle at which the upper limit value is located during the rotation process, and control the first directional high-gain antenna to align with the angle at which the upper limit value is located.

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