A carriage mobile loading tracking system and method based on millimeter wave radar

Abstract

The present invention discloses a millimeter-wave radar-based system and method for tracking carriage movement and loading. The system comprises a loading chute and multiple millimeter-wave radar ranging devices. The ranging devices are equipped with millimeter-wave radars driven by servo motors. The loading chute is positioned above the track via support columns arranged on both sides of the track. The multiple ranging devices are arranged in a row between the support columns and the track. One row of ranging devices faces the loading area of ​​a train carriage parallel to the track, facing the loading chute. The loading chute is positioned at the front end of the loading area. A controller is connected to the ranging devices and is also connected to a chute loading control server. By using millimeter-wave radar sensors with a wavelength of 24GHz or 77GHz, the present invention overcomes interference from dust and foggy weather on detection. By adopting a relay tracking and measurement method, the safety hazard of insensitive and erroneous operation is eliminated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a carriage mobile loading tracking system and method based on millimeter wave radar. Background Art

[0002] During automated railway loading, measuring the relative position of cars and chutes is a key parameter for achieving automated loading. Completely unmanned loading systems rely on determining the relative position of cars and chutes to achieve a series of automated processes, including chute posture control and discharge gate actuation. Currently, gratings and lidar sensors are commonly used to measure the relative position of cars and chutes on-site. However, in actual operation, due to the large amount of dust generated during the loading process and heavy fog outdoors, dust easily interferes with gratings, and fog interferes with lidar sensors. This can lead to insensitive sensor response, measurement errors, and misoperation, posing a safety hazard for automated loading. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a carriage mobile loading tracking system and method based on millimeter-wave radar. By using millimeter-wave radar sensors, the interference of dust and foggy weather on detection is overcome, and by adopting a relay tracking measurement method, the obstruction of millimeter-wave radar sensor signals by steel structures on site is avoided, eliminating the safety hazards of insensitive and erroneous operation.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the scheme of the present invention is:

[0005] A millimeter-wave radar-based carriage mobile loading tracking system includes a loading chute and multiple millimeter-wave radar ranging devices. The loading chute is used for loading bulk materials into train carriages. A millimeter-wave radar driven by a servo motor is provided on the ranging device. The loading chute is placed above the track via support columns provided on both sides of the track. The multiple ranging devices are arranged in a row with intervals between the support columns and the track. A row of ranging devices is parallel to the track and faces the loading area of ​​a train carriage of the loading chute. A controller is connected to the ranging devices, and the controller is also connected to a chute loading control server.

[0006] A further solution is that the multiple distance measuring devices arranged in a row and spaced apart are arranged within the length of the loading area.

[0007] The solution is further that: the loading chute is placed at the front end of the loading area, and the loading chute is obliquely in front of the first distance measuring device of the multiple distance measuring devices. The horizontal and vertical distances between the loading chute and the first distance measuring device along the track direction are no more than 3 meters.

[0008] The solution is further that: there are two of the multiple millimeter wave radar ranging devices.

[0009] A method for tracking carriage movement and loading based on millimeter-wave radar is a method for tracking carriage movement and loading based on the carriage movement and loading tracking system. The method comprises at least two millimeter-wave radar ranging devices, the millimeter-wave radars on the two millimeter-wave radar ranging devices being referred to as a first millimeter-wave radar and a second millimeter-wave radar in the order from the front to the rear of the oncoming carriage. The first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar are arranged in sequence with an interval, and the loading chute is located at the oblique front end of the first millimeter-wave radar. The method is characterized in that the millimeter-wave radar tracks the carriage movement and loading in a relay manner, and the relay tracking includes millimeter-wave radar initialization setting and millimeter-wave radar relay tracking.

[0010] The millimeter wave radar initialization setting is: setting the steering angles of the first millimeter wave radar and the second millimeter wave radar facing the vertical direction of the track and the direction of the carriage, which are the initial first steering angle of the first millimeter wave radar and the initial second steering angle of the second millimeter wave radar respectively; wherein:

[0011] The initial first steering angle is: when the first millimeter-wave radar detects the length of the vehicle head-on, when the length multiplied by the cosine of the first steering angle equals the vertical distance between the first millimeter-wave radar and the vehicle head-on, the vehicle head-on at this time is the vehicle head-on turning angle;

[0012] The initial second steering angle is: when the first millimeter-wave radar detects and tracks the oncoming turning angle of the front of the vehicle and turns toward the second millimeter-wave radar to form an intersection with the second millimeter-wave radar detection point, the initial angle set by the second millimeter-wave radar corresponding to the intersection point;

[0013] The millimeter wave radar relay tracking is:

[0014] Step 1: Turn the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar to their respective initial angles;

[0015] Step 2: When the carriage moves towards you, obtain the distance data between the first millimeter-wave radar and the point facing the head of the carriage. When the distance data multiplied by the cosine of the first steering angle equals the vertical distance between the first millimeter-wave radar and the carriage, the point facing the head of the carriage measured at this distance is the corner point between the head of the carriage and the side of the carriage facing the millimeter-wave radar. The chute loading control server is notified that the carriage has entered the loading area, the first millimeter-wave radar is rotated to track the corner point in real time, and the distance position of the head of the carriage into the loading area is notified in real time. The distance position of the head of the carriage into the loading area is calculated based on the relationship between the known position of the first millimeter-wave radar in the loading area and the real-time tracking angle of the first millimeter-wave radar.

[0016] Step 3: When the first millimeter-wave radar rotates so that the detection of the first millimeter-wave radar reaches the intersection point, the second millimeter-wave radar is rotated to relay and track the oncoming corner point of the car in real time, and continues to notify the distance position of the head of the car entering the loading area in real time. The distance position of the head of the car entering the loading area is calculated based on the relationship between the known position of the second millimeter-wave radar in the loading area and the real-time tracking angle of the second millimeter-wave radar. While the second millimeter-wave radar is rotated to relay and track the oncoming corner point of the car in real time, the first millimeter-wave radar is reset to its initial angle;

[0017] Step 4: Obtain the distance data between the first millimeter-wave radar and the carriage. When the obtained distance data multiplied by the cosine of the initial first steering angle is not equal to the vertical distance between the first millimeter-wave radar and the carriage, notify the chute loading control server that the rear end of the carriage has left the loading area;

[0018] Step 5: Reset the second millimeter-wave radar to its initial angle and return to step 2.

[0019] The solution further includes: the intersection point is the point where the head of the vehicle enters between the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar, and the head of the vehicle reaches the position where the center of the distance between the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar is vertically projected onto the vehicle; or, the intersection point is the point where the second millimeter-wave radar measures the head-on turning angle of the vehicle head after the first millimeter-wave radar rotates toward the side of the second millimeter-wave radar, or after the head of the vehicle passes the first millimeter-wave radar;

[0020] Furthermore, the initial second steering angle is the angle between the distance from the intersection point to the second millimeter-wave radar and the vertical distance from the second millimeter-wave radar to the vehicle compartment.

[0021] The solution is further that: the initial first steering angle is not greater than 60 degrees.

[0022] The solution is further that: the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar are arranged within the length of the loading area, and the horizontal and vertical distances between the first millimeter-wave radar and the front end of the loading area along the track are not greater than 3 meters.

[0023] The solution is further that: the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar are millimeter-wave radars with a frequency of 24 GHZ or 77 GHZ.

[0024] The solution is further: the method further includes: obtaining known car length information, and in the fourth step correcting the time when the car tail end detection occurs based on the obtained car length, that is: judging whether the distance moved by the car head is equal to the car length, and if it is equal to the car length, notifying the chute loading control server that the tail end of the car has left the loading area.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are: by using a millimeter-wave radar sensor with a wavelength of 24 GHz or 77 GHz, the dynamic distance between a point on the surface of the vehicle body and the radar is measured by taking advantage of the single-point measurement characteristic of the millimeter-wave radar. Even in foggy and rainy days, and even if the vehicle body is covered with dust, it can be used normally, overcoming the interference of dust and foggy weather on detection. In addition, by adopting a relay tracking measurement method, the obstruction of the millimeter-wave radar sensor signal by the steel structure on site is avoided, eliminating the safety hazard of insensitive and erroneous operation.

[0026] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a side schematic diagram of the system structure of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the top view of the system structure of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 2. It is a schematic diagram of the initial first steering angle state of the first millimeter-wave radar of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the initial second steering angle state of the second millimeter-wave radar of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 This is another schematic diagram of the initial second steering angle state of the second millimeter-wave radar of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Example 1:

[0033] A carriage mobile loading tracking system based on millimeter wave radar, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the millimeter-wave radar-based train car mobile loading tracking system includes a loading chute 1 and multiple millimeter-wave radar ranging devices 2. The loading chute 1 is used for bulk material loading of train cars 3. The ranging device 2 includes a pan-tilt head 201 and a millimeter-wave radar 202 arranged on the pan-tilt head 201. The servo motor of the pan-tilt head 201 drives the millimeter-wave radar 202 to rotate horizontally. The loading chute 1 is placed above the track 4 through support columns 5 arranged on both sides of the track 4, wherein: the multiple ranging devices 2 are arranged in a row between the support columns 5 and the track 4, and a row of ranging devices 2 is parallel to the track 4 facing the loading area S. The loading area S is the loading length area of ​​the loading chute for one train car. The length of the loading area is the length that the moving car passes under the stationary loading chute, that is, the length of one train car. A controller (not shown in the figure) is connected to the ranging device 2, and the controller is also connected to the chute loading control server (not shown in the figure).

[0034] The multiple distance measuring devices arranged in a row and spaced apart are arranged within the length of the loading area S. The loading chute is placed at the front end of the loading area, diagonally in front of the first distance measuring device of the multiple distance measuring devices, and the horizontal and vertical distance L between the center of the loading chute and the first distance measuring device along the track is no more than 3 meters. The distance measuring device of the above structure is located at the front end of the support column 5 to avoid the obstruction of the millimeter wave radar sensor signal by the on-site steel structure. Currently, the length of the carriage is generally between 10-13 meters depending on the carriage model, and the distance between the support column 5 and the carriage passing on the track is 2 meters. Therefore, a preferred solution is: there are two of the multiple millimeter wave radar distance measuring devices, and the millimeter wave radar is a millimeter wave radar with a frequency of 24GHZ or 77GHZ. The millimeter wave radar with a frequency of 24GHZ or 77GHZ has a strong wavelength anti-interference ability and can be used normally even in foggy and rainy days, even if the car is covered with dust.

[0035] Example 2:

[0036] A method for tracking carriage movement and loading based on millimeter wave radar is a method for tracking carriage movement and loading based on the carriage movement and loading tracking system described in Example 1. Therefore, the content of Example 1 should be regarded as the content of this embodiment, wherein: the plurality of millimeter wave radar ranging devices are at least two, such as Figure 3 As shown, the millimeter-wave radars on the two millimeter-wave radar ranging devices are sequentially referred to as the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 and the second millimeter-wave radar 202-2 from the front to the rear of the oncoming carriage 3. The first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 and the second millimeter-wave radar 202-2 are arranged in sequence. The loading chute is located at the oblique front end of the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1. The millimeter-wave radars track the moving loading of the carriage in a relay manner, which includes millimeter-wave radar initialization settings and millimeter-wave radar relay tracking.

[0037] The millimeter wave radar initialization setting is: setting the steering angles of the first millimeter wave radar and the second millimeter wave radar facing the vertical direction of the track and the direction of the carriage, which are respectively the initial first steering angle a of the first millimeter wave radar and the initial second steering angle b of the second millimeter wave radar; wherein:

[0038] The initial first steering angle a is: Figure 3 As shown, when the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 detects the length distance L1 of the vehicle head-on, and when the length distance L1 multiplied by the cosine of the first steering angle a is equal to the initial angle when the vertical distance h1 between the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 and the vehicle 3 is equal, the vehicle head-on detected at this time is the vehicle head-on turning angle;

[0039] The initial second steering angle b is: Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, when the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 detects and tracks the oncoming corner of the front of the car and turns toward the second millimeter-wave radar to form an intersection point o with the second millimeter-wave radar detection point, the initial angle set by the second millimeter-wave radar corresponding to the intersection point o is the angle between the length L2 measured by the second millimeter-wave radar 202-2 at the intersection point o and the vertical distance h2 between the second millimeter-wave radar 202-2 and the car 3; and, based on the intersection point o, the rotation angle of the first millimeter-wave radar can be determined, and based on the rotation angle of the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 at this time, it is determined that the measurement point of the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 has reached the intersection point o; wherein: Figure 4 As shown, the intersection point o is the position point where the head of the carriage enters between the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 and the second millimeter-wave radar 202-2, and the head of the carriage reaches the center c of the distance L3 between the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 and the second millimeter-wave radar 202-2 and is vertically projected onto the carriage 3; or, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the intersection point is the measurement point of the head-on turning angle of the vehicle head by the second millimeter-wave radar 202-2 after the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 rotates toward the side of the second millimeter-wave radar 202-2, or after the head of the vehicle body passes the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1; furthermore, the initial second steering angle b is the angle between the distance L2 from the intersection point o to the second millimeter-wave radar and the vertical distance h2 from the second millimeter-wave radar to the vehicle body.

[0040] The millimeter wave radar relay tracking is:

[0041] Step 1: Turn the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar to their respective initial angles;

[0042] Step 2: When the carriage moves towards you, obtain the distance data from the first millimeter-wave radar to the point facing the head of the carriage. When the distance data multiplied by the cosine of the first steering angle is equal to the vertical distance between the first millimeter-wave radar and the carriage, the point facing the head of the carriage measured at this distance is the corner point between the head of the carriage and the side of the carriage facing the millimeter-wave radar. Notify the chute loading control server that the carriage has entered the loading area, start the servo motor of the first millimeter-wave radar device to rotate the first millimeter-wave radar to track the corner point in real time, and notify the distance position of the head of the carriage entering the loading area in real time. The distance position of the head of the carriage entering the loading area is calculated based on the relationship between the known position of the first millimeter-wave radar in the loading area and the real-time tracking angle of the first millimeter-wave radar; due to the rotation The angle can be obtained by setting the code disk by the servo motor. It is known that the vertical distances h1 and h2 between the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar and the carriage are equal. The distance L3 between the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar is known. The relative position of the loading chute 1 and the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar is fixed and known. Therefore, based on geometric knowledge, the change in the relative position of the moving carriage 3 and the loading chute 1 can be calculated to realize the control of the loading of the loading chute 1. For example: the moving distance of the carriage 3 can be obtained by multiplying the vertical distances h1 and h2 between the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar and the carriage by the cotangent of the rotation angles q and b of the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar. This calculation is common knowledge and will not be repeated here.

[0043] Step 3: When the first millimeter-wave radar rotates so that the detection of the first millimeter-wave radar reaches the intersection point, the second millimeter-wave radar is rotated to track the oncoming corner point of the car in real time, and the distance position of the head of the car entering the loading area is continued to be notified in real time. The distance position of the head of the car entering the loading area is calculated based on the relationship between the position of the second millimeter-wave radar in the loading area and the angle tracked by the second millimeter-wave radar in real time. While the second millimeter-wave radar is rotated to track the oncoming corner point of the car in real time, the first millimeter-wave radar is reset to its initial angle;

[0044] Step 4: Obtain distance data between the first millimeter-wave radar and the carriage. When the obtained distance data multiplied by the cosine of the initial first steering angle is not equal to the vertical distance h1 between the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 and the carriage, notify the chute loading control server that the rear end of the carriage has left the loading area.

[0045] Step 5: Reset the second millimeter-wave radar to its initial angle and return to step 2.

[0046] The method also includes: obtaining known car length information, and in the fourth step, correcting the time when the car tail end detection occurs based on the previously obtained car length (which can be obtained from the input loading vehicle registration database), that is, determining whether the distance moved by the car head is equal to the car length. If it is equal to the car length, notifying the chute loading control server that the tail end of the car has moved out of the loading area.

[0047] Since the distance between the millimeter-wave radar and the track is generally no more than 2 meters (avoiding support 5), and considering the detection distance of the millimeter-wave radar, in order to improve detection reliability, the initial first steering angle is no more than 60 degrees, and the optimal angle is 45 degrees.

[0048] Among them: the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar are arranged within the length of the loading area, and the horizontal and vertical distance between the first millimeter-wave radar 202-1 and the front end of the loading area along the track is not greater than 3 meters, that is, the oblique horizontal straight-line distance of the loading chute 1 is not greater than 3 meters.

[0049] The first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar are millimeter-wave radars with a frequency of 24 GHZ or 77 GHZ.

[0050] In the embodiment, if the carriage is too long, it may have more than two millimeter-wave radar ranging devices. The number of ranging devices is selected to ensure that at least one of the front edge and the rear edge of the carriage must be in a tracked state. Then, when there are more than two millimeter-wave radar ranging devices, the more than two millimeter-wave radar ranging devices are arranged in sequence and spaced backward after the second millimeter-wave radar ranging device. The initialization setting of the millimeter-wave radars and the millimeter-wave radar relay tracking on the more than two millimeter-wave radar ranging devices are performed according to the setting relationship and relay tracking relationship between the second millimeter-wave radar and the first millimeter-wave radar.

[0051] The above-mentioned Example 1 and Example 2, by using a millimeter-wave radar sensor with a wavelength of 24GHZ or 77GHZ, can be used normally even in foggy and rainy days, and even if the car body is covered with dust, thereby overcoming the interference of dust and foggy weather on detection. In addition, by adopting a relay tracking measurement method, the obstruction of the millimeter-wave radar sensor signal by the steel structure on site is avoided, eliminating the safety hazard of insensitive and erroneous operation.

Claims

1. A method for tracking carriage movement and loading based on millimeter-wave radar, which is a method for tracking carriage movement and loading in a carriage movement and loading tracking system, the system includes a loading chute and multiple millimeter-wave radar ranging devices, the loading chute is used for loading bulk materials in train carriages, a millimeter-wave radar driven by a servo motor is provided on the ranging device, the loading chute is placed above the track through support columns provided on both sides of the track, the multiple ranging devices are arranged in a row between the support columns and the track, a row of ranging devices is parallel to the track and faces the loading area of ​​a train carriage facing the loading chute, a controller is connected to the ranging device, and the controller is also connected to the chute loading control server; there are at least two millimeter-wave radar ranging devices, the millimeter-wave radars on the two millimeter-wave radar ranging devices are called the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar in the order from the front to the rear of the oncoming carriage, the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar are arranged in sequence, and the loading chute is located at the oblique front end of the first millimeter-wave radar, characterized in that The millimeter wave radar is a relay tracking for the carriage moving loading, and the relay tracking includes millimeter wave radar initialization setting and millimeter wave radar relay tracking; The millimeter-wave radar initialization setting is: setting the steering angles of the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar facing the vertical direction of the track and turning towards the direction of the carriage, which are the first initial steering angle of the first millimeter-wave radar and the second initial steering angle of the millimeter-wave radar respectively; wherein: The initial first steering angle is: when the first millimeter-wave radar detects the length of the vehicle head-on, when the length multiplied by the cosine of the first steering angle equals the vertical distance between the first millimeter-wave radar and the vehicle head-on, the vehicle head-on at this time is the vehicle head-on turning angle; The initial second steering angle is: when the first millimeter-wave radar detects and tracks the oncoming turning angle of the front of the vehicle and turns toward the second millimeter-wave radar to form an intersection with the second millimeter-wave radar detection point, the initial angle set by the second millimeter-wave radar corresponding to the intersection point; The millimeter wave radar relay tracking is: Step 1: Turn the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar to their respective initial angles; Step 2: When the carriage moves towards you, obtain the distance data between the first millimeter-wave radar and the point facing the head of the carriage. When the distance data multiplied by the cosine of the first steering angle equals the vertical distance between the first millimeter-wave radar and the carriage, the point facing the head of the carriage measured at this distance is the corner point between the head of the carriage and the side of the carriage facing the millimeter-wave radar. The chute loading control server is notified that the carriage has entered the loading area, the first millimeter-wave radar is rotated to track the corner point in real time, and the distance position of the head of the carriage into the loading area is notified in real time. The distance position of the head of the carriage into the loading area is calculated based on the relationship between the known position of the first millimeter-wave radar in the loading area and the real-time tracking angle of the first millimeter-wave radar. Step 3: When the first millimeter-wave radar rotates so that the detection of the first millimeter-wave radar reaches the intersection point, the second millimeter-wave radar is rotated to relay and track the oncoming corner point of the car in real time, and continues to notify the distance position of the head of the car entering the loading area in real time. The distance position of the head of the car entering the loading area is calculated based on the relationship between the known position of the second millimeter-wave radar in the loading area and the real-time tracking angle of the second millimeter-wave radar. While the second millimeter-wave radar is rotated to relay and track the oncoming corner point of the car in real time, the first millimeter-wave radar is reset to its initial angle; Step 4: Obtain the distance data between the first millimeter-wave radar and the carriage. When the obtained distance data multiplied by the cosine of the initial first steering angle is not equal to the vertical distance between the first millimeter-wave radar and the carriage, notify the chute loading control server that the rear end of the carriage has left the loading area; Step 5: Reset the second millimeter-wave radar to its initial angle and return to step 2.

2. The tracking method according to claim 1, characterized in that The intersection point is when the head of the car enters between the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar, and the head of the car reaches the position point where the center of the distance between the first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar is vertically projected onto the car; or, the intersection point is when the first millimeter-wave radar turns toward the second millimeter-wave radar, or when the head of the car passes the first millimeter-wave radar, and the second millimeter-wave radar measures the head-on turning angle of the car head; furthermore, the initial second steering angle is the angle between the distance from the intersection point to the second millimeter-wave radar and the vertical distance from the second millimeter-wave radar to the car.

3. The tracking method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The initial first steering angle is no greater than 60 degrees.

4. The tracking method according to claim 1, wherein: The first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar are arranged within the length of the loading area, and the horizontal and vertical distances between the first millimeter-wave radar and the front end of the loading area along the track are not greater than 3 meters.

5. The tracking method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first millimeter-wave radar and the second millimeter-wave radar are millimeter-wave radars with a frequency of 24 GHZ or 77 GHZ.

6. The tracking method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further includes: obtaining known car length information, and in a fourth step, correcting the time when the car tail end detection occurs based on the obtained car length, that is, determining whether the distance moved by the car head is equal to the car length. If it is equal to the car length, notifying the chute loading control server that the tail end of the car has left the loading area.

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