Unmanned vehicle cargo box control system, unmanned vehicle and controller

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of unmanned driving technology, and provides a cargo box control system for an unmanned vehicle, an unmanned vehicle, and a controller. The cargo box control system can be used for an unmanned vehicle, that is, an unmanned driving device or an automatic driving device. The intelligent driving domain controller of the cargo box control system can send a lifting instruction to the whole vehicle controller. After receiving the lifting instruction, the whole vehicle controller can select the optimal operating parameters based on the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the material unloading time of the material in the cargo box and / or the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the energy consumption of the engine, so that the engine controls the lifting system to lift the cargo box based on the optimal operating parameters. Through the cargo box control system provided by the present disclosure, the energy consumption of the unmanned vehicle can be saved and the operating efficiency of the unmanned vehicle can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of autonomous driving technology, and in particular to a cargo box control system of an unmanned vehicle, an unmanned vehicle, and a controller. Background Art

[0002] With the development of unmanned driving technology, unmanned vehicles are gradually being used in various material transportation scenarios. In the scenario where unmanned vehicles are used for material transportation, saving the energy consumption of unmanned vehicles and improving the operating efficiency of unmanned vehicles are key issues in the application field of unmanned vehicles. Taking the mining scenario as an example, a large amount of soil and rock covering the ore body needs to be transported away during the mining process. At present, many mining areas have begun to use unmanned vehicles to transport soil and rock. Unmanned vehicles can load soil and rock at the loading point and then transport them to the unloading point for unloading. The entire process can be controlled by the unmanned vehicle automatically. Therefore, the control technology of unmanned vehicles can be improved to minimize energy consumption in material transportation scenarios and improve operating efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cargo box control system for an unmanned vehicle, an unmanned vehicle, and a controller.

[0004] In a first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a cargo box control system of an unmanned vehicle is provided, wherein the cargo box control system includes an intelligent driving domain controller, a vehicle controller, an engine, and a cargo box lifting system;

[0005] The intelligent driving domain controller can send a lifting instruction to the vehicle controller;

[0006] After receiving the lifting instruction, the vehicle controller can select the optimal operating parameters based on the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the material unloading time of the materials in the cargo box and / or the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the energy consumption of the engine, and send the optimal operating parameters to the engine;

[0007] The engine controls the lifting system to lift the cargo box based on the optimal operating parameters.

[0008] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an unmanned vehicle, which includes the cargo box control system mentioned in the first aspect above.

[0009] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a controller of an unmanned vehicle is provided, which is communicatively connected to the engine of the unmanned vehicle, and is used to select optimal operating parameters based on the correspondence between the operating parameters of the engine and the material unloading time of the materials in the cargo box of the unmanned vehicle and / or the correspondence between the operating parameters of the engine and the energy consumption of the engine, and send the optimal operating parameters to the engine, so that the engine controls the lifting system of the unmanned vehicle to lift the cargo box based on the optimal operating parameters.

[0010] At least one of the above-mentioned technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of the present disclosure can achieve the following beneficial effects: after receiving the instruction to lift the cargo box, the whole vehicle controller in the cargo box control system of the unmanned vehicle can determine the optimal operating parameters that meet the preset conditions for the engine based on at least one of the correspondence between the engine's operating parameters and the material unloading time of the materials in the cargo box, and the correspondence between the engine's operating parameters and the engine's energy consumption, so that the engine determines the lifting system to lift the cargo box according to the optimal operating parameters, thereby at least reducing the energy consumption in the process of lifting the cargo box and unloading the cargo box materials, or at least reducing the material unloading time, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the unmanned vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0012] FIG. 1( a ) is a schematic diagram of using an unmanned vehicle to transport soil and rocks in a mining area in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG1( b ) is a schematic diagram of an unmanned vehicle lifting a cargo box to unload materials in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a cargo box control system using an unmanned vehicle in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3 The present invention is a schematic diagram of dividing the speed range of the engine of an unmanned vehicle to determine the optimal speed in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a cargo box control system for an unmanned vehicle in one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0018] The terms used in this disclosure are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. The singular forms of "a", "said" and "the" used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0019] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in the present disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining".

[0020] With the development of unmanned driving technology, unmanned vehicles are gradually being used in various material transportation scenarios. Taking mining as an example, a large amount of soil and rocks covering the ore body needs to be transported away during the mining process. At present, many mining areas have begun to use unmanned vehicles to transport soil and rocks. As shown in Figure 1(a), unmanned vehicles can load soil and rocks at the loading point, then transport the soil and rocks to the unloading point, and automatically unload the soil and rocks in the cargo box at the unloading point. The entire process can be automatically realized by unmanned vehicles.

[0021] In the scenario of using unmanned vehicles for material transportation, saving the energy consumption of unmanned vehicles and improving the operating efficiency of unmanned vehicles are key issues in the application field of unmanned vehicles. At present, the main solutions to the energy saving and efficiency improvement of unmanned vehicles are to optimize the engine control technology during the material transportation process of unmanned vehicles to reduce the energy consumption of unmanned vehicles during the material transportation process, or to optimize the scheduling method of unmanned vehicles to reduce the waiting time of unmanned vehicles in queues and improve the utilization rate of unmanned vehicles to achieve energy saving.

[0022] Since the time it takes for unmanned vehicles to unload materials is relatively short, usually only lasting a dozen seconds, the energy consumption problem in this process has been ignored by everyone. At present, no relevant technology has considered saving the fuel consumption of unmanned vehicles during the unloading of materials. However, the applicant found that for the scenario of using unmanned vehicles for material transportation, material unloading is a key link in the entire operation process. Although this link lasts for a short time, the energy consumption of this link accounts for about 2% of the entire operation process. After calculation, the applicant found that, taking the TLI65 model of the mining unmanned vehicle as an example, the fuel consumption of a single vehicle in a single operation process is about 7L. Based on 50 trips per day, 300 working days per year, and a diesel price of 8 yuan / L, the annual fuel consumption of a single vehicle is about 840,000 yuan; if the fuel consumption is saved by 0.1%, the single vehicle can save 840 yuan per year; based on the scale of unmanned vehicles holding 1,000 units, the total fuel cost can be saved by 840,000 yuan per year. It can be seen that if the control technology of the unmanned vehicle material unloading process is optimized and the energy consumption in the material unloading process is reduced, the operating cost can be greatly saved.

[0023] When currently unloading materials, unmanned vehicles mostly operate by driving the lifting system through the engine of the unmanned vehicle. As shown in Figure 1(b), one end of the cargo box can be lifted to a certain height, so that the cargo box is tilted to unload the materials in the cargo box. In the process of lifting the cargo box, the operating parameters of the engine will not only affect the time required for the entire material unloading, and thus affect the operating efficiency of the unmanned vehicle, but also affect the energy consumption of the engine during the material unloading process.

[0024] Based on this, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a cargo box control system for an unmanned vehicle, which can be used to control the lifting of the cargo box of the unmanned vehicle to unload the materials in the cargo box. Figure 2 As shown, the cargo box control system 20 includes an intelligent driving domain controller 21, a vehicle controller 22, an engine 23, and a cargo box lifting system 24. The intelligent driving domain controller 21 can communicate with sensors installed in the unmanned vehicle, such as a laser radar, a camera, or a positioning sensor. When it is determined based on the data collected by the above sensors that the current unmanned vehicle has reached the material unloading point and can perform the material unloading operation, it can send a lifting instruction to the vehicle controller 22.

[0025] After receiving the lifting instruction, the vehicle controller 22 can select the optimal operating parameters based on at least one of the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine 23 and the material unloading time of the material in the cargo box, and the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine 23 and the energy consumption of the engine 23, and send the optimal operating parameters to the engine 23. Among them, the optimal operating parameters can be operating parameters that meet the preset conditions. In some embodiments, the preset conditions can be adjusted in real time in combination with factors such as the model of the unmanned vehicle, the type of engine, and the specific application scenario.

[0026] The operating parameter of the engine may be any parameter that can be used to control the operation of the engine. In some embodiments, the operating parameter of the engine may be the engine speed, the engine torque, or the engine output power. For example, the vehicle controller 22 may determine any one of the engine speed, torque, or output power, and send it to the engine so that the engine can operate based on any of the above parameters. Of course, the operating parameters are not limited to the above-mentioned parameters, and may also be other types of parameters.

[0027] Since the operating parameters of the engine 23 will affect the unloading time of the materials in the cargo box, for example, taking the speed of the engine 23 as an example, generally, the greater the speed of the engine 23, the faster the speed at which the lifting system drives the cargo box to a predetermined height, that is, the shorter the material unloading time. It is generally hoped that the unloading time of the materials in the cargo box is as short as possible to improve the operating efficiency of the unmanned vehicle, and at the same time, it can also reduce the time that the unmanned vehicle queues at the unloading point to unload the materials, saving the energy consumption of the unmanned vehicle.

[0028] Therefore, the optimal operating parameters that meet the preset conditions can be selected according to the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the unloading time of the materials in the cargo box. Among them, the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the unloading time of the materials in the cargo box can be predetermined. For example, for the same unmanned vehicle, when the weight of the materials in its cargo box is not much different, after the engine operating parameters are determined, the unloading time of the materials in the cargo box is basically determined. Therefore, in some scenarios, the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the material unloading time under different material weights can be pre-established and stored. When unloading materials, the stored corresponding relationship can be directly retrieved, and the optimal operating parameters that meet the preset conditions can be selected according to the corresponding relationship. In some scenarios, the material unloading time under different operating parameters can also be calculated in real time based on the material weight of the cargo box and the operating parameter range of the engine, and the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters and the material unloading time is obtained, and then the optimal operating parameters that meet the preset conditions are selected based on the determined corresponding relationship. For example, the operating parameter with a material unloading time less than the preset time can be selected as the optimal operating parameter, or the operating parameter with the smallest material unloading time can be selected from multiple pre-screened operating parameters as the optimal operating parameter.

[0029] In addition, the operating parameters of the engine 23 will also affect the energy consumption of the engine. Taking the operating parameter as the speed as an example, if the speed of the engine is higher during the process of lifting the cargo box, the energy consumed is also higher, and it is usually hoped that the energy consumed during the material unloading process is as small as possible. Therefore, the optimal operating parameters that meet the preset conditions can also be selected based on the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the energy consumption of the engine. Among them, the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the energy consumption of the engine can be predetermined. For example, in some scenarios, the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters and energy consumption of the engine under different material weights can be pre-established and stored. When unloading materials, the stored corresponding relationship can be directly retrieved, and the optimal operating parameters that meet the preset conditions are selected according to the corresponding relationship. In some scenarios, the energy consumption under different operating parameters can also be calculated in real time based on the material weight of the cargo box and the operating parameter range of the engine, and the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters and energy consumption is obtained, and then the optimal operating parameters that meet the preset conditions are selected based on the determined corresponding relationship. For example, the operating parameter with energy consumption less than the preset threshold can be selected as the optimal operating parameter, or the operating parameter with the smallest energy consumption can be selected from multiple operating parameters as the optimal operating parameter.

[0030] If the unmanned vehicle is a fuel vehicle, its energy consumption can be the amount of fuel injected by the engine, and if the unmanned vehicle is an electric vehicle, its energy consumption can be the amount of electricity used by the engine. Of course, if the unmanned vehicle is powered by other forms of energy, its energy consumption can be other types of energy consumption.

[0031] Generally, the greater the output power, torque and speed of the engine, the faster the lifting system can lift the cargo box under the drive of the engine, so the time required to unload the materials in the cargo box is shorter, and other unmanned vehicles do not need to wait in line, which can improve the overall operation efficiency of the unmanned vehicle and reduce the operating cost. However, as the output power, torque or speed of the engine increases, the energy consumption of the engine will also increase. In order to strike a balance between the two and determine a better operating parameter, in some scenarios, the material unloading time and energy consumption can be comprehensively considered, that is, the optimal operating parameter can be selected based on the corresponding relationship between the operating parameter and the unloading time of the material in the cargo box, and the corresponding relationship between the operating parameter and the energy consumption. For example, the operating parameter whose material unloading time meets certain conditions and whose energy consumption also meets certain conditions can be selected as the optimal operating parameter, or an operating cost can be estimated based on the energy consumption and the material unloading time, and the operating parameter whose operating cost meets certain conditions can be selected as the optimal operating parameter.

[0032] After determining the optimal operating parameters, the vehicle controller 22 can send the optimal operating parameters to the engine 23. The engine 23 can operate based on the optimal operating parameters to drive the lifting system 24 to lift the cargo box and unload the materials in the cargo box. For example, taking the unmanned vehicle as a fuel vehicle as an example, the lifting system 24 can be composed of a lifting oil pump and a lifting cylinder, wherein the lifting oil pump is connected to the power take-off of the engine output shaft. When the vehicle controller 22 controls the lifting system 24 to work, the lifting oil pump provides hydraulic oil to the lifting cylinder, and the piston of the lifting cylinder is displaced under the action of the hydraulic oil, thereby lifting the cargo box.

[0033] In some embodiments, the optimal operating parameters may be operating parameters that satisfy one or more of the following conditions: minimum energy consumption of the engine, minimum material unloading time in the cargo box, and minimum operating cost during material unloading. The operating cost is affected by the material unloading time and the energy consumption of the engine. For example, in some scenarios, the operating cost may be the sum of the cost corresponding to the energy consumption and the cost corresponding to the material unloading time.

[0034] In some embodiments, the unmanned vehicle can be an unmanned vehicle for mining, and the operating cost can be determined based on the cost corresponding to the engine energy consumption and the cost corresponding to the material unloading time. Taking the unmanned vehicle as a fuel vehicle as an example, the cost corresponding to the energy consumption can be determined based on the fuel injection amount and oil price of the unmanned vehicle during the material unloading process, and the cost corresponding to the material unloading time can be determined based on the historical operating data of each unmanned vehicle for mining in the mining area. For example, the longer the material unloading time required by the unmanned vehicle during the material unloading process, the longer the time other unmanned vehicles have to wait in line at the unloading point to unload materials, which will reduce the operating efficiency of all unmanned vehicles in the mining area and the utilization rate of unmanned vehicles, and to a certain extent, it will also increase the energy consumption of unmanned vehicles, resulting in increased operating costs. Therefore, the operating costs brought about by the material unloading time can be estimated by statistically analyzing the historical operating data of unmanned vehicles in the mining area.

[0035] Since the engine's operating parameters usually need to be within a certain operating parameter range during operation to work properly. For example, the engine's speed needs to be within a certain speed range, the output power needs to be within a certain power range, or the torque needs to be within a certain torque range for the engine to work properly. Therefore, the optimal operating parameters selected during the unmanned vehicle unloading process also need to be within the operating parameter range. Therefore, in some embodiments, when the vehicle controller 22 selects the optimal operating parameters based on the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters and the material unloading time and / or the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters and the energy consumption, it can first determine multiple operating parameters within the operating parameter range of the engine, and then determine the material unloading time and / or engine energy consumption corresponding to each of the multiple operating parameters according to the current material weight in the cargo box, and select the optimal operating parameters that meet the preset conditions from multiple operating parameters based on the material unloading time and / or energy consumption corresponding to each operating parameter. For example, if the engine's output power range is 100kw-200kw, multiple output powers can be determined within the range, and the optimal output power can be selected from the multiple output powers based on the material unloading time and / or energy consumption corresponding to each output power. A similar approach can be used for speed and torque.

[0036] In some embodiments, when the vehicle controller 22 determines multiple operating parameters within the operating parameter range of the engine, in order to allow the selected operating parameters to cover the operating parameter range of the engine more evenly, so as to screen out the optimal operating parameters with the shortest possible material unloading time and the lowest possible energy consumption, any end point operating parameter in the operating parameter range of the engine can be used as the starting point, and then multiple operating parameters can be obtained within the operating parameter range according to a preset interval.

[0037] For example, taking the speed as the operating parameter, assuming that the engine's operating speed range is 600r / min to 2200r / min, you can use 600r / min as the starting point and obtain a speed every 50r / min until the obtained speed is greater than 2200r / min. For example, you can obtain the following multiple speeds: 600r / min, 650r / min, 700r / min...2200r / min. Of course, you can also use 2200r / min as the starting point and obtain a speed every 50r / min until the obtained speed is less than 600r / min. For example, you can obtain the following multiple speeds: 2200r / min, 2150r / min...600r / min. A similar approach can also be used for torque or output power.

[0038] Of course, when obtaining multiple operating parameters within the operating parameter interval of the engine according to the preset spacing, so as to select the optimal operating parameters that meet the preset conditions from the multiple operating parameters, if the spacing is smaller, that is, the operating parameter interval is divided into finer granularity, the accuracy of the optimal operating parameters finally selected will be higher, but the amount of calculation will also increase. In fact, when the degree of change of the operating parameters is less than a certain value, the impact on the material unloading time and energy consumption is not large. Therefore, in some embodiments, in order to reduce the amount of calculation and select the optimal operating parameters with higher accuracy, the spacing can be determined based on one or more of the sensitivity of the material unloading time to the change of the engine's operating parameters and the sensitivity of the engine's energy consumption to the change of the engine's operating parameters. For example, the more sensitive the material unloading time or the engine's energy consumption is to the change of the engine speed, that is, a small change in the operating parameters will cause a large change in both, then the spacing can be set smaller, otherwise, it can be set larger.

[0039] In some embodiments, when the vehicle controller 22 selects the optimal operating parameters that meet the preset conditions based on the corresponding relationship between the engine's operating parameters and the material unloading time and / or the corresponding relationship between the engine's operating parameters and the engine's energy consumption, it can divide the engine's operating parameter interval into two sub-intervals according to a preset ratio, and then determine the operating costs corresponding to the endpoint operating parameters of each sub-interval based on the material weight of the cargo box, wherein the operating costs can be determined based on the material unloading time corresponding to the endpoint operating parameters and the energy consumption of the engine. Then, the interval corresponding to the two endpoint operating parameters with smaller operating costs can be determined from the two sub-intervals obtained by the division according to the operating costs as a new interval to be divided. Then, the above steps of dividing the intervals to be divided according to the preset ratio can be repeated until there is at least one endpoint operating parameter in each of the currently divided intervals that has an operating cost less than a preset threshold. Then, the endpoint operating parameter with the smallest operating cost can be selected from the multiple endpoint operating parameters obtained by the division as the optimal operating parameter.

[0040] For example, taking the operating parameter as the speed, Figure 3As shown, assuming that the engine's operating speed range is 100r / min to 300r / min, it can be divided according to a certain ratio, for example, it can be divided into two sub-ranges at a ratio of 1:1, where the split point is 200r / min. After one division, three endpoint speeds of 100r / min, 200r / min, and 300r / min can be obtained, and the operating costs corresponding to these three endpoint speeds can be determined based on the weight of the materials in the current cargo box. For example, the energy consumption and material unloading time at each endpoint speed can be calculated, and the operating cost can be determined based on the cost corresponding to the material unloading time and the cost corresponding to the energy consumption. Assuming that the operating costs are 20, 15, and 10 respectively, the intervals corresponding to the two endpoint speeds with smaller operating costs can be selected as the new interval to be divided, that is, 200r / min to 300r / min, and then the interval can be divided at a ratio of 1:1, with a split point of 250r / min. Then, the operating costs corresponding to 200r / min, 250r / min, and 300r / min can be determined in the same way. Assuming that they are 15, 13, and 10 respectively, the intervals corresponding to the two endpoint speeds with smaller operating costs can be used as new intervals to be divided, i.e., 250r / min to 300r / min. The above process of dividing the working speed interval can be repeated continuously until there is at least one endpoint speed corresponding to an operating cost less than a preset threshold, that is, the division step can be stopped, and the endpoint speed with the smallest operating cost is selected as the optimal speed from the multiple endpoint speeds obtained by the current division.

[0041] The division ratio is not limited to the above-mentioned ones. For example, the engine operating parameter range can be divided based on the golden ratio, or based on other ratios. The specific division ratio can be flexibly set based on actual needs.

[0042] As the unmanned vehicle unloads materials from the cargo box, the materials in the cargo box will gradually decrease, that is, the weight of the materials will gradually decrease. When the weight of the materials in the cargo box decreases, the optimal operating parameters of the engine that meet the preset conditions will also change. Therefore, in some embodiments, in order to more accurately control the entire cargo box lifting process to maximize energy savings and improve efficiency, the weight of the materials in the cargo box can be detected at regular intervals during the process of lifting the cargo box to unload materials using the lifting system 24, and then the optimal operating parameters that meet the conditions are determined based on the current material weight. Among them, when determining the weight of the material, the overall weight of the unmanned vehicle can be determined based on the longitudinal dynamics balance equation of the vehicle, and then the weight of the unmanned vehicle can be subtracted to obtain the weight of the material loaded in the cargo box.

[0043] In some embodiments, as the lifting angle of the cargo box increases, more materials are unloaded. Therefore, a corresponding relationship between the lifting angle of the cargo box and the unloaded materials can also be established. For example, the ratio of the unloaded material weight to the initial material weight at each lifting angle can be determined. Then, the weight of the materials in the current cargo box can be determined based on the initial material weight in the cargo box and the lifting angle of the current cargo box.

[0044] It is not difficult to understand that the above embodiments can be freely combined to obtain new solutions when there is no conflict. Due to space constraints, they will not be discussed in detail here.

[0045] In order to further explain the cargo box control system of the unmanned vehicle provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is explained below in conjunction with a specific embodiment.

[0046] In mining scenarios, unmanned vehicles can be used to transport soil and rocks to designated unloading points for unloading. In order to improve the operating efficiency of unmanned vehicles and reduce energy consumption, the cargo box control system of unmanned vehicles can be improved to reduce the energy consumption of unmanned vehicles during material unloading and improve operating efficiency.

[0047] like Figure 4 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the cargo box control system of the unmanned vehicle, which control system includes an intelligent driving domain controller 21, a vehicle controller 22, an engine 23 and a cargo box lifting system 24. The cargo box lifting system 24 includes a lifting oil pump 241 and a lifting cylinder 242, wherein the lifting oil pump 241 is connected to the power take-off of the output shaft of the engine 23. When the vehicle controller 22 controls the lifting system 24 to work, the lifting oil pump 241 works to provide hydraulic oil to the lifting cylinder 242, and the piston of the lifting cylinder 242 is displaced under the action of the hydraulic oil to lift the cargo box.

[0048] During the operation of the lifting system 24, the lifting speed of the cargo box is generally adjusted by controlling the engine speed. The engine speed not only affects the engine fuel consumption, but also affects the time taken to unload soil and rocks, thereby affecting the operating efficiency of the unmanned vehicle in the mining area. Generally speaking, as the engine speed increases, the lifting speed of the unmanned vehicle increases, the time taken to unload materials is shortened, and the operating efficiency is improved. However, the fuel consumption of the engine will also increase with the increase in speed, thereby bringing additional fuel consumption costs. Therefore, how to determine the optimal engine speed during the unloading process of the mining unmanned vehicle and achieve the optimal comprehensive fuel consumption cost and time efficiency cost during the material unloading process is very important for energy saving and efficiency improvement of the unmanned vehicle.

[0049] Based on this, in this embodiment, when the intelligent driving domain controller 21 determines that the unmanned vehicle can unload materials, it can send a lifting command to the vehicle controller 22. After receiving the lifting command, the overall controller 22 can determine the optimal speed during the material unloading process in the following manner:

[0050] (1) Determine the weight of the materials in the current container

[0051] Based on the vehicle's longitudinal dynamics balance equation, the overall weight of the unmanned vehicle and the materials in the cargo box can be determined, and then the weight of the unmanned vehicle can be subtracted to obtain the weight of the materials loaded in the cargo box.

[0052] (2) Determine the speed sequence in the engine's operating speed range

[0053] Usually when the engine is working, its working speed needs to be in a fixed working speed range. Therefore, multiple speeds can be obtained in the working speed range according to the preset speed interval. For example, assuming that the working speed range of the engine is 600r / min to 2200r / min, the speed sequence can be determined in the range at an interval of 50r / min: [EngSpd1EngSpd2 EngSpd3 EngSpd4 … EngSpd i … EngSpd n ]

[0054] Among them, EngSpd1 represents the minimum operating speed of the engine (for example, 600r / min), EngSpd n Indicates the maximum operating speed of the engine (for example, 2200r / min), Engspd i represents the i-th speed in the speed sequence, and so on.

[0055] (3) For each speed in the speed sequence, the material unloading time and fuel injection amount corresponding to the speed can be determined according to the material weight, and the fuel injection amount (Be) sequence and material unloading time (T) sequence corresponding to the speed sequence can be obtained:

[0056] [Be1 Be2 Be3 Be4 … Be i … Be n ]

[0057] [T1 T2 T3 T4 … T i … T n ]

[0058] Among them, Be1 represents the engine fuel injection amount corresponding to the first engine speed, and so on; T1 represents the material unloading time corresponding to the first engine speed, and so on.

[0059] (4) Determine the operating cost at each speed;

[0060] The operating cost consumption during the material unloading process can be estimated based on the engine fuel injection volume corresponding to different engine speeds and the material unloading time. The operating cost can be determined according to the following formula (1):

[0061] J i =Be i *C1+T i *C2 formula (1)

[0062] Among them, J i represents the operating cost corresponding to the i-th engine speed, C1 represents the price of diesel, and C2 represents the price corresponding to the material unloading time, which can be estimated based on the historical operating data of the unmanned vehicle in the mining area.

[0063] (5) Select the speed with the lowest operating cost as the optimal speed.

[0064] After determining the optimal speed of the engine 23, the vehicle controller 22 can send the speed to the engine 23. The engine 23 can operate based on the optimal speed and drive the lifting system 24 to lift the cargo box to unload the materials in the cargo box.

[0065] The cargo box control system of the unmanned vehicle provided in this embodiment improves the control technology of the engine by the vehicle controller in the control system. During the process of the unmanned vehicle unloading materials from the cargo box, the energy consumption of the engine during material unloading and the operating efficiency of the unmanned vehicle are comprehensively considered, the optimal speed during material unloading is determined, and the engine is controlled to operate at the optimal speed, thereby saving costs during the operation of the unmanned vehicle and improving operating efficiency.

[0066] Furthermore, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an unmanned vehicle, which includes the cargo box control system mentioned in the above embodiments. In addition, the unmanned vehicle can also be configured with other hardware devices or software devices according to actual functional requirements, such as laser radar, camera, positioning device and other sensors, which will not be described in detail here.

[0067] In addition, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a controller for an unmanned vehicle, which includes a communication interface and is communicatively connected to the engine of the unmanned vehicle through the communication interface. The controller can be used to select optimal operating parameters based on the correspondence between the engine's operating parameters and the unloading time of materials in the cargo box and / or the correspondence between the engine's operating parameters and the engine's energy consumption, and send the optimal operating parameters to the engine, so that the engine controls the unmanned vehicle's lifting system to lift the unmanned vehicle's cargo box based on the optimal operating parameters to unload the materials in the cargo box.

[0068] Among them, the specific implementation details of the controller controlling the engine to unload the materials in the cargo box can be referred to the description in the above control system, which will not be repeated here.

[0069] In some scenarios, the controller may be a vehicle control unit (VCU) of an unmanned vehicle, or may be another type of controller.

[0070] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, rather than to limit them. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and should all be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A cargo box control system for an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that: The cargo box control system includes an intelligent driving domain controller, a vehicle controller, an engine and a cargo box lifting system; The intelligent driving domain controller can send a lifting instruction to the vehicle controller; After receiving the lifting instruction, the vehicle controller can select the optimal operating parameters based on the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the material unloading time of the materials in the cargo box and / or the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the energy consumption of the engine, and send the optimal operating parameters to the engine; The optimal operating parameters are operating parameters that meet preset conditions, and the preset conditions include one or more of the following: minimum energy consumption, shortest material unloading time, and minimum operating cost, wherein the operating cost is affected by the material unloading time and the energy consumption of the engine; The engine controls the lifting system to lift the cargo box based on the optimal operating parameters.

2. The cargo box control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operating parameters include rotation speed, output power or torque.

3. The cargo box control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The vehicle controller is used to select the optimal operating parameters based on the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the material unloading time of the materials in the cargo box and / or the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the energy consumption of the engine, specifically for: determining a plurality of operating parameters within an operating parameter range in which the engine is operating; Determining the material unloading time and / or the energy consumption of the engine corresponding to each of the plurality of operating parameters according to the weight of the material in the cargo box; Based on the material unloading time and / or the energy consumption of the engine corresponding to each operating parameter, an optimal operating parameter is selected from the multiple operating parameters.

4. The cargo box control system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The vehicle controller is used to determine a plurality of operating parameters within the operating parameter range of the engine, including: Taking any endpoint operating parameter in the operating parameter interval as a starting point, multiple operating parameters are obtained in the operating parameter interval according to a preset interval; wherein the interval is determined based on the sensitivity of the material unloading time and / or the energy consumption to the change of the operating parameters of the engine.

5. The cargo box control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The vehicle controller is used to select the optimal operating parameters based on the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the material unloading time of the materials in the cargo box and / or the corresponding relationship between the operating parameters of the engine and the energy consumption of the engine, specifically for: Repeating the step of dividing the operating parameter interval of the engine operation until there is at least one endpoint operating parameter whose operating cost is less than a preset threshold, and selecting the endpoint operating parameter with the smallest operating cost from the multiple endpoint operating parameters obtained by division as the optimal operating parameter; The steps of dividing the operating parameter intervals of the engine are as follows: The interval to be divided in the operating parameter interval is divided into two sub-intervals according to a preset ratio, and the operating cost corresponding to the endpoint operating parameters of each sub-interval is determined based on the material weight of the cargo box; a new interval to be divided is determined from the two sub-intervals based on the operating cost, wherein the operating cost corresponding to the endpoint operating parameter of the new interval to be divided is not greater than the operating cost corresponding to the endpoint operating parameter of another sub-interval of the two sub-intervals, and the operating cost is determined based on the material unloading time and the energy consumption.

6. The cargo box control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unmanned vehicle is an unmanned mining vehicle, and the operating cost is determined based on the cost corresponding to the energy consumption and the cost corresponding to the material unloading time. The cost corresponding to the material unloading time is determined based on the historical operating data of each unmanned mining vehicle in the mining area.

7. The cargo box control system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The weight of the material in the container is determined based on the following: Determining the current lifting angle of the cargo box; The material weight is determined based on the initial material weight in the cargo box and the lifting angle.

8. An unmanned vehicle, characterized in that: The unmanned vehicle includes a cargo box control system as described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. A controller for an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that: The controller is communicatively connected to the engine of the unmanned vehicle, and is used to select optimal operating parameters based on the correspondence between the operating parameters of the engine and the material unloading time of the materials in the cargo box of the unmanned vehicle and / or the correspondence between the operating parameters of the engine and the energy consumption of the engine, and send the optimal operating parameters to the engine, so that the engine controls the lifting system of the unmanned vehicle to lift the cargo box based on the optimal operating parameters; wherein the optimal operating parameters are operating parameters that meet preset conditions, and the preset conditions include one or more of the following: minimum energy consumption, shortest material unloading time, and minimum operating cost, wherein the operating cost is affected by the material unloading time and the energy consumption of the engine.

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