Automatic driving and loading operation system and method for open-pit mine excavator

Abstract

The present invention provides an open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation system and method. The system relates to the technical field of mining engineering machinery. A terminal positioning communication module locates the excavator. A positioning and orientation operation module is located in the excavator cab and is operated and controlled by the excavator operator. It sends target loading point information and loading completion instructions to a cloud-based scheduling module. The cloud-based scheduling module receives the target loading point information and sends it to the vehicle-side communication module of the self-driving mine vehicle closest to the target loading point to be loaded. The vehicle-side communication module's automatic driving system plans the driving path, enabling the excavator to load. After loading is completed, the self-driving mine vehicle drives away from the loading point to proceed to the next operation. This invention can improve the operating efficiency of the open-pit mine excavator and self-driving mine truck's coordinated fixed-point loading operation, reduce the learning cost of the excavator operator, and reduce fuel costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of mining engineering machinery, and in particular to an automatic driving and loading operation system and method for an open-pit mine excavator. Background Art

[0002] Open-pit mines are production and business units that exploit mineral resources through open-pit mining. The main production systems of open-pit mines include development and transportation systems, drilling and blasting, mining and loading systems, soil disposal systems, and waterproofing and drainage systems. Open-pit mines often utilize engineering machinery to improve mining efficiency and reduce manual labor in harsh mining environments.

[0003] Open-pit mining utilizes a large number of construction machinery, such as excavators. To interconnect data between these machines, the Internet of Things (IoT) is being integrated into open-pit mining areas to create smart mines. These mines consist of excavators and autonomous trucks. Since loading points change with mining progress, excavator operators must specify the loading point and the direction of the truck's head at the loading point before each truck enters the mine. Once loading is complete, they must notify the truck to leave the loading point.

[0004] Traditionally, truck drivers and excavator operators communicate via intercom, hand gestures, or horns. For autonomous trucks, a method needs to be developed to efficiently collaborate with excavators during open-pit mine loading operations. Excavator drivers typically use touchscreens to indicate loading points to autonomous trucks. This approach suffers from limitations such as limited reference points, inaccurate positioning, limited ability to locate points but not to orient them, high learning costs, and poor reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides an automatic driving and loading operation system for an open-pit mine excavator. The system enables the excavator operator to quickly, simply and efficiently indicate the location and direction of the loading point to the automatic driving mine truck and notify the automatic driving mine truck to leave the loading point.

[0006] The system includes: terminal positioning communication module, positioning and orientation operation module, cloud scheduling module and vehicle-side communication module;

[0007] The terminal positioning communication module is installed at the end of the excavator's digging arm. The terminal positioning communication module locates the excavator, forms the point coordinates and direction of the target loading point, and uploads them to the cloud scheduling module;

[0008] The positioning and orientation operation module is located in the excavator cab and is controlled by the excavator operator. By obtaining button control information, it controls the terminal positioning communication module to send target loading point information and loading completion instructions to the cloud scheduling module;

[0009] The cloud scheduling module receives the target loading point information and sends it to the vehicle-side communication module of the autonomous mining vehicle to be loaded that is closest to the target loading point;

[0010] The vehicle-side communication module is located on the autonomous mining car. After receiving the target loading point information, the autonomous driving system plans the driving route, drives to the target loading point, and loads the mine after stopping. After loading is completed, the excavator operator presses the corresponding button on the positioning and orientation operation module, and sends the loading completion instruction to the vehicle-side communication module through the terminal positioning communication module and the cloud scheduling module. The autonomous mining car then drives away from the loading point to proceed to the next operation.

[0011] It should be further explained that the terminal positioning communication module includes: a GNSS signal receiving unit, an RTK signal receiving unit, a 5G communication unit a, a Bluetooth communication unit a, and a calculation processing unit a;

[0012] The GNSS signal receiving unit is used to receive the GNSS positioning signal and transmit the GNSS positioning signal to the calculation processing unit a;

[0013] The RTK signal receiving unit is used to receive the RTK differential positioning signal and transmit it to the calculation processing unit a;

[0014] The 5G communication unit a is used to conduct two-way 5G communication with the cloud scheduling module, upload the target loading point coordinates and direction to the cloud scheduling module, and upload the loading completion instruction;

[0015] The Bluetooth communication unit a is used to perform two-way Bluetooth communication with the positioning and orientation operation module, receive the positioning confirmation signal, orientation confirmation signal, transmission confirmation signal, and loading completion signal sent by the positioning and orientation operation module, and transmit them to the calculation processing unit a.

[0016] It should be further explained that the calculation processing unit a is used to perform differential calculation on the GNSS positioning signal and the RTK positioning signal to calculate the real-time high-precision two-dimensional UTM coordinates of the location of the terminal positioning communication module;

[0017] After receiving the positioning confirmation signal, the current high-precision two-dimensional UTM coordinates are marked as the positioning point coordinates A, that is, the target loading point coordinates; after receiving the orientation confirmation signal, the current high-precision two-dimensional UTM coordinates are marked as the orientation point coordinates B, and the UTM direction angle C of the ray pointing from A to B is calculated, that is, the target loading point direction; after receiving the sending confirmation signal, the target loading point coordinates and the target loading point direction are sent to the cloud scheduling module through the 5G communication unit a; after receiving the loading completion signal, the loading completion instruction is uploaded to the cloud scheduling module through the 5G communication unit a.

[0018] It should be further explained that the terminal positioning communication module is installed on the excavator arm near the connection between the excavator bucket and the excavator arm, and the terminal positioning communication module is fixedly installed inside a shell with anti-collision, dustproof and waterproof functions.

[0019] It should be further explained that the positioning and orientation operation module includes: a button operation unit, an LED prompt unit, a calculation and processing unit b, and a Bluetooth communication unit b;

[0020] The button operation unit includes: a positioning confirmation button, an orientation confirmation button, a sending confirmation button, and a loading completion button; the button operation unit is used to trigger a positioning confirmation signal, an orientation confirmation signal, a sending confirmation signal, and a loading completion confirmation signal.

[0021] The LED prompt unit consists of 8 LED lamp beads, 4 of which are green and 4 are red. Each button of the button operation unit corresponds to a green lamp bead and a red lamp bead. The two color lamp beads corresponding to the button light up mutually exclusive, and only one lamp bead will light up at any time.

[0022] The Bluetooth communication unit b performs two-way Bluetooth communication with the Bluetooth communication unit a, and sends a positioning confirmation signal, a direction confirmation signal, a sending confirmation signal, and a loading completion confirmation signal to the terminal positioning communication module.

[0023] It should be further explained that the calculation processing unit b is connected to the button operation unit, the LED prompt unit, and the Bluetooth communication unit b respectively;

[0024] The calculation processing unit b reads the trigger level of the button operation unit and sends a corresponding signal to the terminal positioning communication module through the Bluetooth communication unit b;

[0025] The computing and processing unit b receives the information that the excavator operator presses four buttons in the order of positioning confirmation, orientation confirmation, sending confirmation, and loading completion. After that, the computing and processing unit b drives the green lamp beads corresponding to the buttons that need to be pressed to light up and the red lamp beads to go out, and drives the green lamp beads corresponding to the other three buttons that do not need to be pressed to go out and the red lamp beads to light up. The computing and processing unit b will also shield the trigger levels of the buttons that do not need to be pressed.

[0026] It should be further explained that the cloud scheduling module includes: 5G communication unit b and computing server;

[0027] The 5G communication unit b conducts two-way 5G communication with the terminal positioning communication module and the vehicle-side communication module respectively, receives the target loading point coordinates and direction, and loading completion instructions uploaded by the terminal positioning communication module, receives the real-time positioning coordinates and loading instructions uploaded by the vehicle-side communication module, and transmits the received information to the computing server; it also sends a loading completion instruction to the vehicle-side communication module.

[0028] It should be further explained that after receiving the loading instruction, the computing server records the real-time positioning coordinates of the autonomous driving mining truck to be loaded and updates them in real time. After receiving the target loading point coordinates and direction, it traverses the information of the autonomous driving mining truck to be loaded, calculates the autonomous driving mining truck closest to the target loading point, and sends the corresponding target loading point coordinates and direction to the autonomous driving mining truck through the 5G communication unit b. After receiving the loading completion instruction, it forwards it to the autonomous driving mining truck through the 5G communication unit b.

[0029] It should be further explained that the vehicle-side communication module includes: 5G communication unit c and autonomous driving domain controller;

[0030] The 5G communication unit c conducts two-way 5G communication with the cloud scheduling module, receives the coordinates and direction of the target loading point, receives the loading completion instruction, and transmits the information to the domain controller; it also sends the real-time positioning coordinates of the autonomous mining truck and the loading instructions;

[0031] The domain controller plans the path according to the coordinates and direction of the target loading point, controls the autonomous mining truck to drive into the target loading point for loading, and controls the autonomous mining truck to leave the loading point for the next operation after receiving the loading completion instruction.

[0032] The present invention also provides an automatic driving and loading operation method for an open-pit mine excavator, the method comprising:

[0033] (1) The autonomous driving domain controller controls the autonomous mining truck to enter the loading area and stop to wait. The vehicle-side communication module sends the loading instructions and real-time positioning coordinates to the cloud scheduling module through 5G communication;

[0034] (2) After receiving the loading instruction from the autonomous mining truck, the cloud scheduling module marks it as ready for loading and records its coordinates;

[0035] (3) The positioning and orientation operation module obtains the target loading point determined by the excavator operator. The target loading point includes the position point A and the direction ray A→B;

[0036] (4) The excavator operator operates the excavator to move the terminal positioning communication module 1 to above point A so that the line connecting the terminal positioning communication module 1 and point A is perpendicular to the horizontal plane;

[0037] (5) The LED prompt unit in the positioning and directional operation module issues status prompt information;

[0038] (6) The positioning and orientation operation module sends a positioning confirmation signal to the terminal positioning communication unit via Bluetooth. The terminal positioning communication unit calculates the coordinates of the terminal positioning communication unit's location point A based on the received GNSS positioning signal and RTK differential signal, and records it as coordinate A;

[0039] (7) After observing the LED prompt unit update the status prompt information for the first time, the excavator operator operates the excavator to move the terminal positioning communication module above point B so that the line connecting the terminal positioning communication module and point B is perpendicular to the horizontal plane;

[0040] (8) The excavator operator presses the button operation unit to make the LED prompt unit update for the second time and display the corresponding status prompt information;

[0041] (9) The positioning and orientation operation module sends an orientation confirmation signal to the terminal positioning communication unit via Bluetooth. The terminal positioning communication unit calculates the coordinates of the terminal positioning communication unit's location point B based on the received GNSS positioning signal and RTK differential signal, and records it as coordinate B;

[0042] (10) After observing the second update of the lamp status, the excavator operator confirms whether the target loading point selection is correct. After confirmation, the LED prompt unit obtains the third update status prompt information;

[0043] (11) The positioning and orientation operation module sends a "send confirmation signal" to the terminal positioning communication unit via Bluetooth. The terminal positioning communication unit calculates the direction angle of ray A→B and uploads the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B to the cloud scheduling module.

[0044] (12) After receiving the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B, the cloud scheduling module calculates the travel distance between all autonomous mining trucks marked as ready for loading and point A and finds the minimum value. It then sends the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B to the autonomous mining truck onboard communication module corresponding to the minimum value and removes its ready for loading mark.

[0045] (13) After the on-board communication module receives the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B, the domain controller controls the autonomous driving mining truck to drive until the vehicle positioning coordinates are the same as the coordinates of point A, the vehicle direction angle is the same as the direction angle of ray A→B, and then stops;

[0046] (14) The excavator operator starts operating the excavator to load the vehicle after observing that the vehicle has stopped at the designated target loading point;

[0047] (15) After the loading is completed, the excavator operator controls the LED prompt unit through the button operation unit, so that the LED prompt unit updates the status prompt information for the fourth time;

[0048] (16) The positioning and orientation operation module sends a loading completion signal to the terminal positioning communication unit via Bluetooth;

[0049] (17) The terminal positioning communication unit sends the loading completion instruction to the cloud scheduling module via 5G communication;

[0050] (18) The cloud scheduling module sends the loading completion instruction to the vehicle-side communication module via 5G communication;

[0051] (19) After the vehicle-side communication module receives the loading completion instruction, the domain controller controls the autonomous driving mining truck to leave the loading point and proceed to the next operation.

[0052] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the present invention has the following advantages:

[0053] The automatic driving and loading operation system and method for open-pit mine excavators provided by the present invention solve the problem that automatic driving mining trucks are unable to cooperate with excavator operators when performing loading operations in open-pit mines. The present invention can also avoid the shortcomings of the collaborative method, such as few reference objects, inaccurate positioning, only being able to fix points but not directions, high learning costs, and poor reliability.

[0054] Compared with existing technologies, the open-pit mine excavator autonomous driving and loading operation system and method installs a positioning module at the end of the excavator's digging arm, indicating the coordinates of the target loading point more accurately. A ray is determined by two consecutive points to indicate the direction of the autonomous mining truck to the target loading point. The excavator operator can complete the collaboration with the autonomous mining truck with just four buttons, with low learning cost and high collaboration efficiency. The cloud can dispatch the nearest autonomous mining truck to load by calculating the shortest distance, reducing the distance traveled without a load, saving fuel costs, and improving operation efficiency.

[0055] This invention can also improve the efficiency of open-pit mine excavators and autonomous trucks for point-loading operations, reduce the learning curve for excavator operators, and lower fuel costs. Compared with touchscreen interactive solutions in the excavator cab, this retrofit solution offers lower retrofit costs and offers improved accuracy, stability, and reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for the description. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0057] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic driving and loading operation system of an open-pit mine excavator;

[0058] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the terminal positioning communication module;

[0059] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the terminal positioning communication module and the positioning and orientation operation module;

[0060] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the positioning and directional operation module;

[0061] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning and orientation operation module;

[0062] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of target loading point confirmation process 0;

[0063] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of target loading point confirmation process 1;

[0064] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of target loading point confirmation process 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The open-pit mine excavator autonomous driving and loading operation system architecture provided by the present invention can include a terminal positioning communication module 1, a cloud-based scheduling module, a vehicle-side communication module, and a communication network. The communication network is a medium used to provide a communication link between the terminal positioning communication module 1, the cloud-based scheduling module, and the vehicle-side communication module. The network can include various connection types, such as wireless communication links or fiber optic cables.

[0066] Wireless communication technologies may include Wireless Local Area Networks (Wi-Fi, WLAN), Wireless Broadband (Wibro), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), and the like.

[0067] It should be understood that Figure 1The number of terminal positioning communication modules 1, cloud scheduling modules, and vehicle-side communication modules in the embodiment is merely illustrative. Any number of terminal positioning communication modules 1, cloud scheduling modules, and vehicle-side communication modules may be provided as needed. For example, the cloud scheduling module may be a server cluster consisting of multiple servers.

[0068] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0069] See also Figures 1 to 8 The figure shows a schematic diagram of an automatic driving and loading operation system for an open-pit mine excavator in a specific embodiment. The system includes: a terminal positioning communication module 1, a positioning and orientation operation module 2, a cloud scheduling module, and a vehicle-side communication module;

[0070] The terminal positioning communication module 1 is installed at the end of the excavator's digging arm and can be set on the digging arm at the end of the excavator near the connection between the bucket and the digging arm. It is used to receive the positioning signal to determine the real-time coordinates of the terminal positioning communication module 1. After receiving the control signal of the positioning and orientation operation module 2, it uploads the point coordinates and direction of the target loading point formed by the coordinate combination of the terminal positioning communication module 1, that is, the target loading point information, to the cloud scheduling module. After the loading is completed, it is controlled by the positioning and orientation operation module 2 to upload the loading completion instruction to the cloud scheduling module.

[0071] The positioning and orientation operation module 2 is installed in the excavator cab, in a position convenient for the excavator operator to operate.

[0072] The excavator operator controls the terminal positioning communication module 1 by pressing a button to send the target loading point information and loading completion instructions to the cloud scheduling module; the cloud scheduling module receives the target loading point information uploaded by the terminal positioning communication module 1 and sends it to the vehicle-side communication module of the autonomous driving mining vehicle to be loaded that is closest to the target loading point.

[0073] The vehicle-side communication module is installed on the autonomous mining car. After receiving the target loading point information, the autonomous driving system plans the driving route, drives to the target loading point, and loads the vehicle after stopping. After loading is completed, the excavator operator presses the corresponding button on the positioning and orientation operation module 2, and sends the loading completion instruction to the vehicle-side communication module through the terminal positioning communication module 1 and the cloud scheduling module. The autonomous mining car leaves the loading point for the next operation, and the operation cycle is completed.

[0074] In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal positioning communication module 1 includes: a GNSS signal receiving unit, an RTK signal receiving unit, a 5G communication unit a, a Bluetooth communication unit a, and a calculation processing unit a.

[0075] The terminal positioning communication module 1 is installed on the excavator arm as close as possible to the connection between the bucket and the excavator arm, and the shell is anti-collision, dustproof and waterproof.

[0076] Among them, the GNSS signal receiving unit is responsible for receiving GNSS positioning signals such as Beidou and GPS, and transmitting the signals to the calculation and processing unit a; the RTK signal receiving unit is responsible for receiving RTK differential positioning signals and transmitting the signals to the calculation and processing unit a.

[0077] The 5G communication unit a is responsible for two-way 5G communication with the cloud scheduling module, uploading the target loading point coordinates and direction to the cloud scheduling module, and uploading the loading completion instruction.

[0078] The Bluetooth communication unit a is responsible for two-way Bluetooth communication with the positioning and orientation operation module 2, receiving the positioning confirmation signal, orientation confirmation signal, transmission confirmation signal, and loading completion signal sent by the positioning and orientation operation module 2, and transmitting them to the calculation processing unit a.

[0079] The computing and processing unit a is responsible for performing differential calculations on the GNSS positioning signal and the RTK positioning signal to calculate the real-time high-precision two-dimensional UTM coordinates of the location of the terminal positioning communication module 1; after receiving the positioning confirmation signal, the current high-precision two-dimensional UTM coordinates are marked as the positioning point coordinates A, that is, the target loading point coordinates.

[0080] After receiving the directional confirmation signal, the current high-precision two-dimensional UTM coordinate is marked as the directional point coordinate B, and the UTM direction angle C of the ray pointing from A to B is calculated, that is, the direction of the target loading point; after receiving the sending confirmation signal, the target loading point coordinates and the target loading point direction are sent to the cloud scheduling module through the 5G communication module; after receiving the loading completion signal, the loading completion instruction is uploaded to the cloud scheduling module through the 5G communication module.

[0081] For example, the GNSS signal receiving unit uses the high-precision GNSS antenna EL-987 with an antenna gain of 1-28DBI; the RTK signal unit uses the 4G DTU communication module EG41-G, which can receive network RTK differential messages after being configured with a Qianxun CORS account; the 5G communication unit a uses the MH5000-31 module; the Bluetooth communication unit a uses the E72-2G4M05S1A module, which supports the Bluetooth 5.0 protocol and has a communication distance of 120m; the computing processing unit a uses the STM32F407ZGT6 real-time microprocessor with an operating frequency of 168MHz.

[0082] The positioning and orientation operation module 2 provided by the present invention comprises a button operation unit, an LED prompt unit, a computing and processing unit (b), and a Bluetooth communication unit (b). The positioning and orientation operation module 2 is installed in the excavator's cab in a convenient location for the operator to touch and observe. The button operation unit comprises four self-resetting, normally open buttons: a positioning confirmation button 3, an orientation confirmation button 6, a transmission confirmation button 9, and a loading completion button 12. These buttons are used to trigger positioning confirmation signals, orientation confirmation signals, transmission confirmation signals, and loading completion confirmation signals, respectively.

[0083] The LED prompt unit consists of 8 LED beads, 4 of which are green and 4 are red. Each button corresponds to a green and a red LED bead. When the red light is on, it means that the button cannot be pressed at the moment, and when the green light is on, it means that the button can be pressed at the moment. The two color LEDs corresponding to the button light up mutually exclusive, and only one LED will light up at any time.

[0084] The Bluetooth communication unit b is responsible for two-way Bluetooth communication with the Bluetooth communication unit a of the terminal positioning communication module 1, and sends a positioning confirmation signal, a direction confirmation signal, a sending confirmation signal, and a loading completion confirmation signal to the terminal positioning communication module 1.

[0085] The computing and processing unit b is connected to the button operation unit, the LED prompt unit and the Bluetooth communication unit b respectively; the computing and processing unit b will read the trigger level of the button operation unit and send the corresponding signal to the terminal positioning communication module 1 through the Bluetooth communication unit b; the computing and processing unit b requires the excavator operator to press four buttons in the order of positioning confirmation, orientation confirmation, sending confirmation and loading completion. The computing and processing unit b will drive the green lamp beads corresponding to the buttons that need to be pressed to light up and the red lamp beads to go out, and drive the green lamp beads corresponding to the other three buttons that do not need to be pressed to go out and the red lamp beads to light up, and the computing and processing unit b will shield the trigger levels of the buttons that do not need to be pressed.

[0086] The button operation unit of the present invention uses LA16-J-11dBN rectangular self-reset lockless inching switch, such as Figure 5 As shown in the figure, they are positioning confirmation button 33, orientation confirmation button 66, sending confirmation button 99, loading completion confirmation button 12; the LED prompt unit uses 5mm LED light-emitting diode lamp beads, the driving voltage is 3.2-3.4V, and the driving current is 20mA. Figure 5As shown in the figure, the positioning confirmation button can be pressed prompt lamp bead 4, the orientation confirmation button can be pressed prompt lamp bead 7, the send confirmation button can be pressed prompt lamp bead 10, and the loading completion button can be pressed prompt lamp bead 13 are green when they are lit, and the positioning confirmation button cannot be pressed prompt lamp bead 5, the orientation confirmation button cannot be pressed prompt lamp bead 8, the send confirmation button cannot be pressed prompt lamp bead 11, and the loading completion button cannot be pressed prompt lamp bead 14 are red when they are lit; the Bluetooth processing unit b also uses the E72-2G4M05S1A module; the computing processing unit b uses the STM32F103C8T6 real-time microprocessor with an operating frequency of 72MHz.

[0087] Furthermore, the cloud scheduling module involved in the present invention includes: a 5G communication unit b and a computing server.

[0088] The cloud-based scheduling module is located in a room with a strong 5G signal, stable power supply, and adequate heat dissipation. 5G communication unit b conducts two-way 5G communication with the terminal positioning communication module 1 and the vehicle-side communication module. It receives the target loading point coordinates and direction, as well as loading completion instructions, from the terminal positioning communication module 1. It also receives the real-time positioning coordinates and pending loading instructions from the vehicle-side communication unit. It transmits this information to the computing server and sends a loading completion instruction to the vehicle-side communication unit.

[0089] After receiving the loading instruction, the computing server records the real-time positioning coordinates of the autonomous driving mining truck to be loaded and continuously updates them. After receiving the coordinates and direction of the target loading point, it traverses the information of the autonomous driving mining truck to be loaded, calculates the autonomous driving mining truck closest to the target loading point, and sends the corresponding target loading point coordinates and direction to the autonomous driving mining truck through the 5G communication unit b. After receiving the loading completion instruction, it forwards it to the autonomous driving mining truck through the 5G communication unit b.

[0090] 5G communication unit b also uses the MH5000-31 module; the computing server uses the FusionSever 2288H V5 rack server equipped with two Intel Xeon series processors.

[0091] The vehicle-side communication module of the present invention specifically includes: a 5G communication unit c and an autonomous driving domain controller. The 5G communication unit c of the present invention can use the MH5000-31 module; the autonomous driving domain controller uses the MDC 300 with a main frequency of 2.0GHz.

[0092] The vehicle-side communication module is installed in the cab of the autonomous mining truck. The 5G communication unit c is responsible for two-way 5G communication with the cloud-based scheduling module. It receives the coordinates and direction of the target loading point, receives the loading completion instruction, and transmits this information to the domain controller. It also sends the autonomous mining truck's real-time positioning coordinates and loading instructions. The domain controller plans a route based on the target loading point coordinates and direction, controls the autonomous mining truck to drive to the target loading point for loading, and controls the autonomous mining truck to drive away from the loading point for the next operation after receiving the loading completion instruction.

[0093] The following is an embodiment of the automatic driving and loading operation method of an open-pit mine excavator provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. The automatic driving and loading operation method of an open-pit mine excavator and the automatic driving and loading operation system of the open-pit mine excavator in the above-mentioned embodiments belong to the same inventive concept. For details not fully described in the embodiment of the automatic driving and loading operation method of the open-pit mine excavator, please refer to the embodiment of the automatic driving and loading operation system of the open-pit mine excavator mentioned above.

[0094] The open pit excavator automatic driving and loading operation method works in the following ways:

[0095] (1) The autonomous driving domain controller controls the autonomous mining truck to enter the loading area and stop to wait. The vehicle-side communication module sends the loading instructions and real-time positioning coordinates to the cloud scheduling module through 5G communication;

[0096] (2) After receiving the loading instruction from the autonomous mining truck, the cloud scheduling module marks it as ready for loading and records its coordinates;

[0097] (3) The excavator operator determines the target loading point of a mining truck, including the location point A and the direction ray A→B, such as Figure 6 As shown;

[0098] (4) The excavator operator operates the excavator to move the terminal positioning communication module 11 to the top of point A so that the line connecting the terminal positioning communication module 11 and point A is as vertical as possible to the horizontal plane, such as Figure 7 As shown;

[0099] (5) At this time, on the positioning and directional operation module 22, the green positioning confirmation button pressable prompt bead 4 corresponding to the positioning confirmation button 33 is on, the red positioning confirmation button pressable prompt bead 5 is off, and the remaining "pressable" directional confirmation button pressable prompt bead 7, the send confirmation button pressable prompt bead 10, and the loading completion button pressable prompt bead 13 are all off, and the "non-pressable" positioning confirmation button non-pressable prompt bead 5, the directional confirmation button non-pressable prompt bead 8, the send confirmation button non-pressable prompt bead 11, and the loading completion button non-pressable prompt bead 14 are all on. The excavator operator presses The only button with green on and red off lamp beads corresponding to the positioning confirmation button 33, the lamp bead status is updated for the first time. At this time, the "pressable" green directional confirmation button pressable prompt lamp bead 7 corresponding to the directional confirmation button 66 is in the lit state, and the "unpressible" red directional confirmation button unpressable prompt lamp bead 8 is off. The rest of the "pressable" positioning confirmation button pressable prompt lamp bead 4, the send confirmation button pressable prompt lamp bead 10, and the loading completion button pressable prompt lamp bead 13 are all off. The "unpressible" positioning confirmation button unpressable prompt lamp bead 5, the send confirmation button unpressable prompt lamp bead 11, and the loading completion button unpressable prompt lamp bead 14 are all on.

[0100] (6) The positioning and orientation operation module 22 sends a positioning confirmation signal to the terminal positioning communication unit 1 via Bluetooth. The terminal positioning communication unit 1 calculates the coordinates of the position point A (1) where the terminal positioning communication unit 1 is located based on the received GNSS positioning signal and RTK differential signal, and records it as coordinate A, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown;

[0101] (7) After observing the first update of the lamp status, the excavator operator operates the excavator to move the terminal positioning communication module 11 above point B so that the line connecting the terminal positioning communication module 11 and point B is as vertical as possible to the horizontal plane, such as Figure 8 As shown;

[0102] (8) The excavator operator presses the only button corresponding to the green lit and red off light bead, the directional confirmation button 66, and the light bead status is updated for the second time. At this time, the "pressable" green send confirmation button pressable prompt light bead 10 corresponding to the send confirmation button 99 is lit, and the "unpressible" red send confirmation button unpressable prompt light bead 11 is off. The rest of the "pressable" positioning confirmation button pressable prompt light bead 4, directional confirmation button pressable prompt light bead 7, and loading completion button pressable prompt light bead 13 are all off. The "unpressible" positioning confirmation button unpressable prompt light bead 5, directional confirmation button unpressable prompt light bead 8, and loading completion button unpressable prompt light bead 14 are all lit.

[0103] (9) The positioning and orientation operation module 22 sends an orientation confirmation signal to the terminal positioning communication unit 1 via Bluetooth. The terminal positioning communication unit 1 calculates the coordinates of the position point B (1) where the terminal positioning communication unit 1 is located based on the received GNSS positioning signal and RTK differential signal, and records it as coordinate B, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown;

[0104] (10) After observing the second update of the light bead status, the excavator operator visually confirms whether the target loading point selection is correct. After confirmation, he presses the button corresponding to the only green light bead that is on and red light bead that is off to send the confirmation button 99. The light bead status is updated for the third time. At this time, the green "pressable" light bead 13 corresponding to the loading completion button 1212 is on, and the red "unpressable" light bead 14 is off.

[0105] The rest of the "pressable" positioning confirmation button pressable prompt lamp beads 4, directional confirmation button pressable prompt lamp beads 7, and send confirmation button pressable prompt lamp beads 10 are all off, and the "unpressible" positioning confirmation button unpressable prompt lamp beads 5, directional confirmation button unpressable prompt lamp beads 8, and send confirmation button unpressable prompt lamp beads 11 are all on;

[0106] (11) The positioning and orientation operation module 22 sends a "send confirmation signal" to the terminal positioning communication unit 1 via Bluetooth. The terminal positioning communication unit 1 calculates the direction angle of the ray A→B and uploads the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of the ray A→B to the cloud scheduling module.

[0107] (12) After receiving the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B, the cloud scheduling module calculates the travel distance between all autonomous mining trucks marked as ready for loading and point A and finds the minimum value. It then sends the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B to the autonomous mining truck onboard communication module corresponding to the minimum value and removes its ready for loading mark.

[0108] (13) After the on-board communication module receives the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B, the domain controller controls the autonomous driving mining truck to drive until the vehicle positioning coordinates are the same as the coordinates of point A, the vehicle direction angle is the same as the direction angle of ray A→B, and then stops;

[0109] (14) The excavator operator starts operating the excavator to load the vehicle after observing that the vehicle has stopped at the designated target loading point;

[0110] (15) After loading is completed, the excavator operator presses the only button corresponding to the green and red off light bead, the loading completion button 1212. The light bead status is updated for the fourth time. At this time, the "pressable" green positioning confirmation button pressable prompt light bead 4 corresponding to the positioning confirmation button 33 is in the lit state, and the "unpressible" red positioning confirmation button unpressable prompt light bead 5 is in the off state. The remaining "pressable" directional confirmation button pressable prompt light bead 7, send confirmation button pressable prompt light bead 10, and loading completion button pressable prompt light bead 13 are all in the off state, and the "unpressible" directional confirmation button unpressable prompt light bead 8, send confirmation button unpressable prompt light bead 11, and loading completion button unpressable prompt light bead 14 are all in the lit state.

[0111] (16) The positioning and orientation operation module 22 sends a loading completion signal to the terminal positioning communication unit 1 via Bluetooth;

[0112] (17) The terminal positioning communication unit 1 sends a loading completion instruction to the cloud scheduling module via 5G communication;

[0113] (18) The cloud scheduling module sends the loading completion instruction to the vehicle-side communication module via 5G communication;

[0114] (19) After the vehicle-side communication module receives the loading completion instruction, the domain controller controls the autonomous driving mining truck to leave the loading point and proceed to the next operation.

[0115] Based on the above method, the RTK positioning unit, 5G communication unit, and Bluetooth communication unit are integrated together and miniaturized, 5G is used to communicate directly with the cloud, and Bluetooth is used for remote control; the shape and structure improvements / technical details of the positioning and orientation operation module 2 are specifically as follows: the control module is separated from the positioning module and controlled by wireless Bluetooth, a button is used to control the Bluetooth signal sending, and LED lamp beads are used to light up and go out to prompt the excavator operator to operate.

[0116] After specific actual experiments, the present invention started / operated the above-mentioned device / method at a speed of 15km / h to 20km / h for autonomous mining trucks under the specific environmental settings of rated working conditions. The experimental data obtained showed that the average waiting time for loading of autonomous mining trucks was reduced by 23%, and the fuel consumption of autonomous mining trucks from waiting to loading was reduced by 8%.

[0117] Compared with the existing technology, the performance indicators of this device / method are improved in that: the coordinates of the target loading point are more accurate; the learning cost for excavator operators is low; the empty driving distance is reduced, saving fuel costs; the waiting time for loading is reduced, improving working efficiency; compared with the touch screen interaction solution of the excavator cab, the cost of retrofitting is lower, and the stability and reliability are better.

[0118] The open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation system and method provided by the present invention are units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein, and can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the composition and steps of each example have been generally described in terms of function in the above description. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0119] In the open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation method, the computer program code for performing the operations of the present disclosure can be written in one or more programming languages ​​or a combination thereof, including but not limited to object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a separate software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or power server. In cases involving a remote computer, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computer (exemplarily using an Internet service provider to connect through the Internet).

[0120] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for automatic driving and loading operation of an open-pit mine excavator, characterized in that: Methods: An open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation system was used; The system includes: terminal positioning communication module, positioning and orientation operation module, cloud scheduling module and vehicle-side communication module; The terminal positioning communication module includes: a GNSS signal receiving unit, an RTK signal receiving unit, a 5G communication unit a, a Bluetooth communication unit a, and a calculation processing unit a; Methods include: (1) The autonomous driving domain controller controls the autonomous mining truck to enter the loading area and stop to wait. The vehicle-side communication module sends the loading instructions and real-time positioning coordinates to the cloud scheduling module through 5G communication; (2) After receiving the loading instruction from the autonomous mining truck, the cloud scheduling module marks it as ready for loading and records its coordinates; (3) The positioning and orientation operation module obtains the target loading point determined by the excavator operator. The target loading point includes the position point A and the direction ray A→B; (4) The excavator operator operates the excavator to move the terminal positioning communication module 1 to above point A so that the line connecting the terminal positioning communication module 1 and point A is perpendicular to the horizontal plane; (5) The LED prompt unit in the positioning and directional operation module issues status prompt information; (6) The positioning and orientation operation module sends a positioning confirmation signal to the terminal positioning communication unit via Bluetooth. The terminal positioning communication unit calculates the coordinates of the terminal positioning communication unit's location point A based on the received GNSS positioning signal and RTK differential signal, and records it as coordinate A; (7) After observing the LED prompt unit update the status prompt information for the first time, the excavator operator operates the excavator to move the terminal positioning communication module above point B so that the line connecting the terminal positioning communication module and point B is perpendicular to the horizontal plane; (8) The excavator operator presses the button operation unit to make the LED prompt unit update for the second time and display the corresponding status prompt information; (9) The positioning and orientation operation module sends an orientation confirmation signal to the terminal positioning communication unit via Bluetooth. The terminal positioning communication unit calculates the coordinates of the terminal positioning communication unit's location point B based on the received GNSS positioning signal and RTK differential signal, and records it as coordinate B; (10) After observing the second update of the lamp status, the excavator operator confirms whether the target loading point selection is correct. After confirmation, the LED prompt unit obtains the third update status prompt information; (11) The positioning and orientation operation module sends a "send confirmation signal" to the terminal positioning communication unit via Bluetooth. The terminal positioning communication unit calculates the direction angle of ray A→B and uploads the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B to the cloud scheduling module. (12) After receiving the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B, the cloud scheduling module calculates the travel distance between all autonomous mining trucks marked as ready for loading and point A and finds the minimum value. It then sends the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B to the autonomous mining truck onboard communication module corresponding to the minimum value and removes its ready for loading mark. (13) After the on-board communication module receives the coordinates of point A and the direction angle of ray A→B, the domain controller controls the autonomous driving mining truck to drive until the vehicle positioning coordinates are the same as the coordinates of point A, the vehicle direction angle is the same as the direction angle of ray A→B, and then stops; (14) The excavator operator starts operating the excavator to load the vehicle after observing that the vehicle has stopped at the designated target loading point; (15) After the loading is completed, the excavator operator controls the LED prompt unit through the button operation unit, so that the LED prompt unit updates the status prompt information for the fourth time; (16) The positioning and orientation operation module sends a loading completion signal to the terminal positioning communication unit via Bluetooth; (17) The terminal positioning communication unit sends the loading completion instruction to the cloud scheduling module via 5G communication; (18) The cloud scheduling module sends the loading completion instruction to the vehicle-side communication module via 5G communication; (19) After the vehicle-side communication module receives the loading completion instruction, the domain controller controls the autonomous driving mining truck to leave the loading point and proceed to the next operation.

2. The open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminal positioning communication module is installed at the end of the excavator's digging arm. The terminal positioning communication module locates the excavator, forms the point coordinates and direction of the target loading point, and uploads them to the cloud scheduling module; The positioning and orientation operation module is located in the excavator cab and is controlled by the excavator operator. By obtaining button control information, it controls the terminal positioning communication module to send target loading point information and loading completion instructions to the cloud scheduling module; The cloud scheduling module receives the target loading point information and sends it to the vehicle-side communication module of the autonomous mining vehicle to be loaded that is closest to the target loading point; The vehicle-side communication module is located on the autonomous mining vehicle. After receiving the target loading point information, the autonomous driving system plans the driving path, drives to the target loading point, and then stops and the excavator loads the vehicle. After loading is completed, the excavator operator presses the corresponding button on the positioning and orientation operation module, and sends a loading completion instruction to the vehicle-side communication module through the terminal positioning communication module and the cloud scheduling module. The automatic driving mine car leaves the loading point for the next operation; The terminal positioning communication module includes: a GNSS signal receiving unit, an RTK signal receiving unit, a 5G communication unit a, a Bluetooth communication unit a, and a calculation processing unit a; The GNSS signal receiving unit is used to receive the GNSS positioning signal and transmit the GNSS positioning signal to the calculation processing unit a; The RTK signal receiving unit is used to receive the RTK differential positioning signal and transmit it to the calculation processing unit a; The 5G communication unit a is used to conduct two-way 5G communication with the cloud scheduling module, upload the target loading point coordinates and direction to the cloud scheduling module, and upload the loading completion instruction; The Bluetooth communication unit a is used to perform two-way Bluetooth communication with the positioning and orientation operation module, receive the positioning confirmation signal, orientation confirmation signal, transmission confirmation signal, and loading completion signal sent by the positioning and orientation operation module, and transmit them to the calculation and processing unit a; The calculation processing unit a is used to perform differential calculation on the GNSS positioning signal and the RTK positioning signal to calculate the real-time high-precision two-dimensional UTM coordinates of the terminal positioning communication module; After receiving the positioning confirmation signal, the current high-precision two-dimensional UTM coordinates are marked as the positioning point coordinates A, that is, the target loading point coordinates; after receiving the orientation confirmation signal, the current high-precision two-dimensional UTM coordinates are marked as the orientation point coordinates B, and the UTM direction angle C of the ray pointing from A to B is calculated, that is, the target loading point direction; after receiving the sending confirmation signal, the target loading point coordinates and the target loading point direction are sent to the cloud scheduling module through the 5G communication unit a; after receiving the loading completion signal, the loading completion instruction is uploaded to the cloud scheduling module through the 5G communication unit a.

3. The open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The terminal positioning communication module is installed on the excavator arm near the connection between the excavator bucket and the excavator arm. The terminal positioning communication module is fixedly installed inside a shell with anti-collision, dustproof and waterproof functions.

4. The open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The positioning and orientation operation module includes: a button operation unit, an LED prompt unit, a calculation processing unit b, and a Bluetooth communication unit b; The button operation unit includes: a positioning confirmation button, an orientation confirmation button, a sending confirmation button, and a loading completion button; the button operation unit is used to trigger a positioning confirmation signal, an orientation confirmation signal, a sending confirmation signal, and a loading completion confirmation signal; The LED prompt unit consists of 8 LED lamp beads, 4 of which are green and 4 are red. Each button of the button operation unit corresponds to a green lamp bead and a red lamp bead. The two color lamp beads corresponding to the button light up mutually exclusive, and only one lamp bead will light up at any time. The Bluetooth communication unit b performs two-way Bluetooth communication with the Bluetooth communication unit a, and sends a positioning confirmation signal, a direction confirmation signal, a sending confirmation signal, and a loading completion confirmation signal to the terminal positioning communication module.

5. The open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The calculation processing unit b is connected to the button operation unit, the LED prompt unit, and the Bluetooth communication unit b respectively; The calculation processing unit b reads the trigger level of the button operation unit and sends a corresponding signal to the terminal positioning communication module through the Bluetooth communication unit b; The computing and processing unit b receives the information that the excavator operator presses four buttons in the order of positioning confirmation, orientation confirmation, sending confirmation, and loading completion. After that, the computing and processing unit b drives the green lamp beads corresponding to the buttons that need to be pressed to light up and the red lamp beads to go out, and drives the green lamp beads corresponding to the other three buttons that do not need to be pressed to go out and the red lamp beads to light up. The computing and processing unit b will also shield the trigger levels of the buttons that do not need to be pressed.

6. The open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cloud scheduling module includes: 5G communication unit b and computing server; The 5G communication unit b conducts two-way 5G communication with the terminal positioning communication module and the vehicle-side communication module respectively, receives the target loading point coordinates and direction, and loading completion instructions uploaded by the terminal positioning communication module, receives the real-time positioning coordinates and loading instructions uploaded by the vehicle-side communication module, and transmits the received information to the computing server; it also sends a loading completion instruction to the vehicle-side communication module.

7. The open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation method according to claim 6, characterized in that: After receiving the loading instruction, the computing server records the real-time positioning coordinates of the autonomous driving mining truck to be loaded and updates them in real time. After receiving the coordinates and direction of the target loading point, it traverses the information of the autonomous driving mining truck to be loaded, calculates the autonomous driving mining truck closest to the target loading point, and sends the corresponding target loading point coordinates and direction to the autonomous driving mining truck through the 5G communication unit b. After receiving the loading completion instruction, it forwards it to the autonomous driving mining truck through the 5G communication unit b.

8. The open-pit mine excavator automatic driving and loading operation method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The vehicle-side communication module includes: 5G communication unit c and autonomous driving domain controller; The 5G communication unit c conducts two-way 5G communication with the cloud scheduling module, receives the coordinates and direction of the target loading point, receives the loading completion instruction, and transmits the information to the domain controller; it also sends the real-time positioning coordinates of the autonomous mining truck and the loading instructions; The domain controller plans the path according to the coordinates and direction of the target loading point, controls the autonomous mining truck to drive into the target loading point for loading, and controls the autonomous mining truck to leave the loading point for the next operation after receiving the loading completion instruction.

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