Automatic alignment system for a vehicle crane

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic alignment system for a car lift. The system includes: a main controller and at least one car lift; the car lift includes at least one controller and a camera; wherein the controller is used to send a car lift point search instruction to the camera when the bracket of the car lift reaches the default height position of the bracket; the camera is used to respond to the car lift point search instruction, take an image including the car lift point, and send the image to the main controller; the main controller is used to extract the car lift point from the image, and determine the target running data of the car lift based on the car lift point and the center point of the image; the target running data is sent to the controller, so that the controller controls the car lift for alignment. The automatic alignment system for the car lift provided by the present invention saves manpower and material resources, while improving the positioning accuracy of the car lift and the maintenance efficiency of the EMU, thereby shortening the maintenance time of the entire EMU.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of vehicle engineering technology, and in particular to an automatic alignment system for a vehicle crane. Background Art

[0002] After an EMU reaches the required maintenance mileage, its bogies need to be disassembled and repaired. The entire EMU must be hoisted to a suitable operating height to facilitate maintenance personnel's disassembly of the bogies for repair. After repair, the bogies must be reinstalled on the EMU. The EMU's mobile bogie lift is a crucial piece of technical equipment for this process. Generally, each EMU can be equipped with four mobile bogies. For an 8-car EMU, 16 are deployed on each side of the EMU, for a total of 32.

[0003] The existing mobile car-lifting machine can move longitudinally along the track, control the lateral extension and contraction of the support head in the direction perpendicular to the center line of the track, and control the lifting and lowering movement of the support in the height direction perpendicular to the ground, thereby realizing electric alignment in three directions. However, the parking error of the EMU in the direction of the track and the change in wheel diameter caused by the wear of the moving wheels will cause the data of the mobile car-lifting machine to change in the longitudinal and height directions, so it is necessary to adjust the alignment of the support head of the car-lifting machine and the EMU frame point. The current car-lifting machine relies on manual jogging to achieve accurate alignment of the support head of the car-lifting machine and the EMU frame point. This alignment process is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the alignment accuracy is poor, which affects the maintenance efficiency of the EMU and prolongs the maintenance time of the entire EMU. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides an automatic alignment system for a train crane, which can automatically and accurately complete the accurate alignment work of the train crane and the train crane point, thereby improving the maintenance efficiency of the train set and shortening the maintenance time of the entire train set.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic alignment system for a vehicle crane, the system comprising:

[0006] A main controller and at least one vehicle-lifting machine; the vehicle-lifting machine includes at least a controller and a camera; wherein,

[0007] The controller is configured to send a vehicle-lifting point search instruction to the camera when the bracket of the vehicle-lifting machine reaches a default height position of the bracket;

[0008] The camera is configured to capture an image including the vehicle mounting point in response to the vehicle mounting point search instruction, and transmit the image including the vehicle mounting point to the master controller;

[0009] The main controller is used to extract the crane point from the image including the crane point, and determine the target running data of the crane based on the crane point and the center point of the image including the crane point; and send the target running data to the controller so that the controller controls the crane to perform alignment.

[0010] In the above embodiment, the main controller is also used to receive the vehicle model sent by the user, extract the default height position of the bracket corresponding to the vehicle model from a predetermined position information library, and send the default height position of the bracket to the controller, so that the controller executes the step of sending a vehicle bracket point search instruction to the camera.

[0011] The vehicle lifting machine also includes a height motor, and the controller is specifically used to control the bracket to move from its initial position to the default height position through the height motor.

[0012] In the above embodiment, the system also includes a height encoder, and the controller is specifically used to obtain the current height position of the bracket of the vehicle lifting machine through the height encoder, and when the current height position of the bracket of the vehicle lifting machine is the default height position, send the search instruction to the camera.

[0013] In the above embodiment, the camera is arranged on the bracket, and the camera is specifically used to respond to the vehicle mounting point search instruction and capture a candidate image according to a preset cycle. If the vehicle mounting point does not exist in the candidate image captured in the current cycle, the next cycle is used as the current cycle, and the above operation is repeated until the vehicle mounting point exists in the vehicle mounting point image captured in the current cycle, and the candidate image captured in the current cycle is determined as the image including the vehicle mounting point.

[0014] In the above embodiment, the camera is further configured to send a stop movement instruction to the controller after determining the image including the vehicle lifting point, so that the controller controls the vehicle lifting machine to stop moving.

[0015] In the above embodiment, the vehicle lifting machine further includes: a longitudinal motor, and the controller is further used to control the vehicle lifting machine to move in a preset direction and at a preset speed through the longitudinal motor until the stop movement instruction is received, and the vehicle lifting machine is controlled to stop moving through the longitudinal motor.

[0016] The target running data at least includes the longitudinal running displacement of the vehicle-lifting machine, and the longitudinal running displacement includes: longitudinal running distance and longitudinal running direction; the main controller is specifically used to establish a rectangular coordinate system with the center point of the image including the vehicle-lifting point as the origin, and if the vehicle-lifting point is in the first quadrant or the fourth quadrant of the coordinate system, the longitudinal running direction is determined to be a positive direction; if the vehicle-lifting point is in the second quadrant or the third quadrant of the coordinate system, the longitudinal running direction is determined to be a negative direction.

[0017] The target running data also includes the height running displacement of the bracket of the vehicle lifting machine. The main controller is specifically used to determine that the direction of the height running displacement is a positive direction if the vehicle lifting point is in the first quadrant or the second quadrant of the coordinate system; if the vehicle lifting point is in the third quadrant or the fourth quadrant of the coordinate system, then the direction of the height running displacement is a positive direction.

[0018] The vehicle lifting machine also includes: a transverse motor, the vehicle lifting machine includes a supporting head, and the main controller is specifically used to extract the transverse default position of the supporting head corresponding to the vehicle model from a predetermined position information library, and send the transverse default position of the supporting head to the controller, so that the controller controls the supporting head to move from its initial position to the transverse default position through the transverse motor.

[0019] The automatic alignment system for a car lift provided by the present invention comprises: a main controller and at least one car lift; the car lift comprises at least one controller and a camera; wherein the controller is used to send a car lift point search instruction to the camera when the bracket of the car lift reaches the default height position of the bracket; the camera is used to take an image including the car lift point in response to the car lift point search instruction and send the image to the main controller; the main controller is used to extract the car lift point from the image and determine the target running data of the car lift based on the car lift point and the center point of the image; the target running data is sent to the controller so that the controller controls the car lift for alignment. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the automatic alignment system for a car lift provided by an embodiment of the present invention can automatically plan the running data of the car lift according to the image of the car lift point taken by the camera, quickly and accurately control the car lift for alignment, save manpower and material resources, improve the accuracy of the car lift alignment and the maintenance efficiency of the EMU, and shorten the maintenance time of the entire EMU. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 A first structural diagram of the automatic alignment system for a vehicle crane provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a vehicle lifting machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 A second structural diagram of the automatic alignment system for a vehicle crane provided in an embodiment of the present invention

[0023] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of establishing a rectangular coordinate system on an image including vehicle mounting points provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It will be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are intended only to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings only illustrate portions relevant to the present invention, not all structures.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a first structural diagram of the automatic alignment system of the vehicle crane 120 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the automatic alignment system of the crane 120 provided by the present invention includes: a main controller 110 and at least one crane 120; the crane 120 includes at least one controller 1201 and a camera 1202; wherein the controller 1201 is used to send a crane point search instruction to the camera 1202 when the bracket of the crane 120 reaches the default height position of the bracket; the camera 1202 is used to respond to the crane point search instruction, take an image including the crane point, and send the image to the main controller 110; the main controller 110 is used to extract the crane point from the image, and determine the target running data of the crane 120 based on the crane point and the center point of the image; the target running data is sent to the controller 1201, so that the controller 1201 controls the crane 120 to perform alignment.

[0026] The controller 1201 is installed in the vehicle-lifting machine 120. Each vehicle-lifting machine 120 has a wall-mounted control box containing a controller. The controller 1201 is used to control various components within the vehicle-lifting machine 120. The controller 1201 can be a programmable logic controller (PLC). A PLC is a digital electronic device with a microprocessor, used for automated control. It can load control instructions into its memory for storage and execution at any time. The vehicle-lifting machine 120 includes a longitudinal travel elastic device, longitudinal travel wheels, a longitudinal travel motor, a liftable bracket, a laterally retractable head, and a camera 1202. The camera 1202 is located on the bracket and changes position as the bracket is raised or lowered. The default height position is a position predetermined by the main controller 110 based on the vehicle model. The vehicle-lifting point search command instructs the camera 1202 to capture an image containing the vehicle-lifting point.

[0027] In actual use, sensor pads are installed on the ground next to the train tracks. The master controller 110 can control each crane 120 to move to the sensor pads on the ground. The position where the crane 120 reaches the sensor pads is referred to as the crane's origin position. When the crane 120 touches the sensor pads, the master controller 110 can receive sensing information from the sensor pads. Receiving this sensing information indicates that the crane 120 has reached its origin position. The master controller 110 can transmit this sensing information to the controller 1201 of each crane 120, causing the controller 1201 of each crane 120 to control the crane's 120 carriage to rise from its initial position to a default height. In an alternative embodiment, the controller 1201 can obtain the carriage's position in real time using a height encoder. When the carriage reaches the default height, the controller can control the carriage to stop moving in the height direction using a height motor and simultaneously send a crane point search instruction to the camera 1202.

[0028] The camera 1202 is mounted on a bracket that can move longitudinally with the mobile crane 120 and can also be raised and lowered in height by rotating the lifting lever. However, the bracket does not extend or retract with the support head. This allows the distance between the camera 1202 and the object being measured to remain constant during alignment of the crane 120. In the present invention, the camera 1202 has an RS485 interface that connects to the RS485 interface of the PLC, communicating with the controller via digital output. Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a vehicle lifting machine 120 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the trolley lift 120 includes a height motor, a lifting rod, a scissor-type bracket, a retractable support head, and a longitudinal motor. The camera 1202 is mounted on the scissor-type bracket and can be repositioned as the bracket is raised or lowered. The scissor-type bracket can be raised and lowered along the lifting rod, driven by the height motor. The trolley lift 120 also includes longitudinal running wheels driven by the longitudinal motor. The trolley lift 120 also includes a transverse motor, which drives the retractable support head.

[0029] In an optional embodiment, when the carriage of the vehicle-lifting machine 120 reaches a default height position, the vehicle-lifting point is now within the camera 1202's vertical field of view. However, due to wheel wear and resulting changes in wheel diameter, the vehicle-lifting point may not necessarily be located at the exact center of the camera 1202's vertical field of view. At this point, the vehicle-lifting machine 120 is at its origin, so the vehicle-lifting point is not yet within the camera's longitudinal field of view. To enable the camera 1202 to capture an image containing the vehicle-lifting point, the controller 1201 can control the vehicle-lifting machine 120 to move in a preset direction and at a preset speed while simultaneously sending a vehicle-lifting point search command to the camera 1202. Upon receiving the vehicle-lifting point search command, the camera 1202 responds to the vehicle-lifting point search command by capturing a candidate image at a preset interval. If the vehicle-lifting point is not present in the candidate image captured in the current interval, the next interval is set as the current interval, and the above operations are repeated until the vehicle-lifting point is present in the candidate image captured in the current interval. At this point, the candidate image captured in the current interval is determined to be the image containing the vehicle-lifting point. Furthermore, after the camera 1202 determines that the image includes the vehicle mounting point, the image is sent to the main controller 110 .

[0030] The master controller 110 is connected to the controllers 1201 of each crane 120 via a CC-CLINK communication line. The master controller 110 is located in the main control console. Control software is installed in the master controller 110, the controllers 1201 of each crane, and the camera 1202. When the crane 120's support head can be successfully inserted into the crane point, the crane 120 completes alignment. Target running data is calculated by the master controller 110 and is used to control the crane 120 to reach the alignment position for alignment. The target running data includes at least the longitudinal running displacement of the crane 120 and the height running displacement of the crane's bracket. The longitudinal running displacement of the crane 120 includes the longitudinal running distance and longitudinal running direction. The height running displacement of the crane's bracket includes the height running distance and height running direction. After the master controller 110 determines the longitudinal displacement of the crane and the height displacement of the carriage of the crane 120, the master controller 110 can send the target movement data to the controller 1201 of each crane 120. The controller 1201 of each crane 120 first controls the crane 120 to reach the longitudinal position of the crane point according to the longitudinal displacement, and then controls the carriage of the crane 120 to rise to the position of the crane point according to the height displacement of the carriage, so that the crane 120 completes the alignment of the crane point.

[0031] The automatic alignment system for a car lift provided by the present invention comprises: a main controller and at least one car lift; the car lift comprises at least one controller and a camera; wherein the controller is used to send a car lift point search instruction to the camera when the bracket of the car lift reaches the default height position of the bracket; the camera is used to take an image including the car lift point in response to the car lift point search instruction and send the image to the main controller; the main controller is used to extract the car lift point from the image and determine the target running data of the car lift based on the car lift point and the center point of the image; the target running data is sent to the controller so that the controller controls the car lift for alignment. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the automatic alignment system for a car lift provided by an embodiment of the present invention can automatically plan the running data of the car lift according to the image of the car lift point taken by the camera, quickly and accurately control the car lift for alignment, save manpower and material resources, improve the accuracy of the car lift alignment and the maintenance efficiency of the EMU, and shorten the maintenance time of the entire EMU.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a second structural diagram of the automatic alignment system for a vehicle crane provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the automatic alignment system of the crane 120 includes a main controller 110 and at least one crane; the crane includes at least a controller 1201 and a camera 1202; the crane 120 also includes a height motor 1203, a longitudinal motor 1204 and a transverse motor 1205; wherein the controller 1201 is used to send a crane point search instruction to the camera 1202 when the crane's bracket reaches the default height position of the bracket; the camera 1202 is used to respond to the crane point search instruction, take an image including the crane point, and send the image including the crane point to the main controller 110; the main controller 110 is used to extract the crane point from the image including the crane point, and determine the target running data of the crane 120 based on the crane point and the center point of the image including the crane point; the target running data is sent to the controller 1201, so that the controller 1201 controls the crane 120 for alignment.

[0033] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the main controller 110 is also used to receive the vehicle model sent by the user, extract the default height position of the bracket corresponding to the vehicle model from a predetermined position information library, and send the default height position of the bracket to the controller 1201, so that the controller 1201 executes the step of sending a vehicle bracket point search instruction to the camera 1202.

[0034] The position information database is pre-stored by the master controller 110 and contains the default height positions of the brackets for each vehicle model. In actual applications, the locations of the vehicle-lifting points vary for different vehicle models, and the default height positions of the brackets of the vehicle-lifting machine 120 also vary for different vehicle models. When the brackets of the vehicle-lifting machine 120 are at the default height position, the vehicle-lifting point will be within the height field of view of the camera 1202. Due to wheel wear and changes in wheel diameter, the vehicle-lifting point may not be exactly at the center of the camera 1202's height. At this point, the vehicle-lifting machine 120 is at its origin, so the vehicle-lifting point is not yet within the camera's longitudinal field of view. To ensure that the camera 1202 captures an image containing the vehicle-lifting point, the controller 1201 can control the vehicle-lifting machine 120 to move uniformly in a preset direction and at a preset speed, while simultaneously sending a vehicle-lifting point search command to the camera 1202.

[0035] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the controller 1201 is specifically configured to control the bracket to move from its initial position to a default height position via the height motor 1203 .

[0036] The height motor 1203 can be a frequency converter-driven lifting motor, which drives the lead screw through a speed reducer to rotate, and the bracket lead screw nut realizes the lifting and lowering movement of the support head in the height direction. In the present invention, the vehicle lifting machine 120 is provided with upper and lower limit switches. When the bracket of the vehicle lifting machine 120 is moving in the height direction, the upper and lower limit switches are in the open state.

[0037] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the system also includes a height encoder, and the controller 1201 is specifically used to obtain the current height position of the bracket of the crane 120 through the height encoder, and when the current height position of the bracket of the crane 120 is the default height position, send a search instruction to the camera 1202.

[0038] The height motor 1203 can be a frequency converter-driven lifting motor, which drives a lead screw to rotate via a speed reducer. The lead screw is provided with a height encoder, and a height count signal from the height encoder can be input into a counter of the controller 1201. The controller 1201 can determine the distance the carriage of the crane 120 has moved in the height direction and the current height position of the carriage of the crane 120 based on the received height count signal.

[0039] For example, when the carriage of the lift machine 120 is in its initial position, the height count signal of the height encoder is 0. Each time the height motor 1203 rotates clockwise, the carriage of the lift machine 120 moves upward by 2 centimeters, and the height count signal of the height encoder increases by 1. Assuming the carriage's default height position is 8 centimeters from the initial position, when the controller 1201 receives a height count signal of 4, it indicates that the carriage has moved upward by 8 centimeters, further confirming that the carriage of the lift machine 120 has reached the default height position.

[0040] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the camera 1202 is set on the bracket. The camera 1202 is specifically used to respond to the vehicle mounting point search instruction and shoot a candidate image according to a preset cycle. If there is no vehicle mounting point in the candidate image shot in the current cycle, the next cycle is used as the current cycle, and the above operation is repeated until there is a vehicle mounting point in the vehicle mounting point image shot in the current cycle. The candidate image shot in the current cycle is determined as an image containing the vehicle mounting point.

[0041] The staging point search command instructs camera 1202 to capture an image containing the staging point. Specifically, after the controller determines that the carriage has reached the default height position, it controls the staging machine 120 to move uniformly in the longitudinal direction at a preset direction and speed, while simultaneously sending a staging point search command to camera 1202. This causes camera 1202 to capture candidate images at a preset interval while the staging machine 120 moves longitudinally. After capturing a candidate image, camera 1202 rapidly scans and analyzes the candidate image, extracting features of the staging point from the candidate image. If the staging point features are extracted, the candidate image is considered to contain the staging point. If the staging point features are not extracted from the candidate image, indicating that the staging point has not yet been captured by camera 1202, the camera continues to capture the next candidate image at a preset interval until the staging point is captured in the candidate image, and the candidate image is determined to contain the staging point.

[0042] The camera 1202 is further configured to send a stop movement instruction to the controller 1201 after determining that the image includes the vehicle-lifting point, so that the controller 1201 controls the vehicle-lifting machine to stop moving.

[0043] The stop movement command instructs the crane 120 to stop moving in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, when camera 1202 captures an image containing a crane point, indicating that the crane head 120 has reached a position very close to the crane point, camera 1202 can send a stop movement command to controller 1201. Upon receiving this command, controller 1201 can control the crane 120 to stop moving.

[0044] In an optional embodiment, the vehicle lifting machine 120 further includes: a longitudinal motor 1204, a controller 1201, and is further used to control the vehicle lifting machine 120 to move in a preset direction and at a preset speed through the longitudinal motor 1204 until a stop movement instruction is received, and the vehicle lifting machine 120 is controlled to stop moving through the longitudinal motor 1204.

[0045] The longitudinal motor 1204 can drive the longitudinal running wheels of the vehicle manipulator 120, causing the vehicle manipulator 120 to move in the longitudinal direction. In the present invention, the vehicle manipulator 120 also includes a longitudinal encoder that can generate a longitudinal running count signal based on the number of rotations of the longitudinal running wheels. The controller 1201 can determine the longitudinal distance moved by the vehicle manipulator 120 and the current longitudinal position of the carriage of the vehicle manipulator 120 based on the received longitudinal count signal.

[0046] For example, controller 1201 controls the vehicle manipulator 120 to move rightward in the longitudinal direction at a speed of 10 cm / s via longitudinal motor 1204, and the longitudinal count signal of the longitudinal encoder is 0. Each time longitudinal motor 1204 rotates clockwise, the vehicle manipulator 120 moves 2 cm longitudinally, and the longitudinal count signal of the longitudinal encoder increases by 1. When the longitudinal count signal reaches 4, controller 1201 receives a stop movement command and controls the vehicle manipulator 120 to stop moving. It can be seen that the vehicle manipulator 120 is now 8 cm from the origin.

[0047] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the target running data includes at least the longitudinal running displacement of the crane 120, which includes a longitudinal running distance and a longitudinal running direction. The main controller 110 is specifically configured to establish a rectangular coordinate system with the center point of the image including the crane point as the origin. If the crane point is in the first or fourth quadrant of the coordinate system, the longitudinal running direction is determined to be positive; if the crane point is in the second or third quadrant of the coordinate system, the longitudinal running direction is determined to be negative. The target running data also includes the height running displacement of the carriage of the crane 120. The main controller 110 is specifically configured to determine the direction of the height running displacement to be positive if the crane point is in the first or second quadrant of the coordinate system; if the crane point is in the third or fourth quadrant of the coordinate system, the height running direction is determined to be positive.

[0048] Specifically, when controller 1201 receives a stop movement command and controls maneuvering machine 120 to stop moving, it indicates that a maneuvering point exists in camera 1202. However, this point may not be at the center of the image containing the point, meaning the carriage is not yet fully aligned with the point. Therefore, to complete the alignment of maneuvering machine 120, maneuvering machine 120 and carriage must be moved so that the center of the image of the point captured by camera 1202 is aligned with the point.

[0049] For example, Figure 4 Schematic diagram of establishing a rectangular coordinate system on an image including a vehicle mounting point provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 As shown, assuming Figure 4 The dot in the upper right corner represents the crane point. Since the crane point is in the first quadrant of the coordinate system, the longitudinal and vertical directions are considered positive. Furthermore, based on the image including the crane point, the distances between the crane point and the origin of the coordinate system on the horizontal and vertical axes are calculated, respectively, to determine the longitudinal displacement of the crane 120 and the vertical displacement of the carriage of the crane 120. These longitudinal displacements and the vertical displacement of the carriage of the crane 120 are transmitted to the controller, which controls the crane 120 and the carriage to move to a position where alignment is complete.

[0050] The system also includes: a transverse motor 1205, a vehicle lifting machine 120 including a supporting head, and a main controller 110, which is specifically used to extract the transverse default position of the supporting head corresponding to the vehicle model from a predetermined position information library, and send the transverse default position of the supporting head to the controller 1201, so that the controller 1201 controls the supporting head to move from its initial position to the transverse default position through the transverse motor 1205.

[0051] Among them, the transverse motor 1205 and the support head are located on the bracket. The transverse motor 1205 can be a forward and reverse contactor driven telescopic motor, which drives the screw to rotate through the reducer, and the transverse screw nut of the support head realizes the telescopic movement of the support head in the transverse direction. A transverse encoder is set on the screw, and the transverse count signal of the transverse encoder can be input into the counter of the controller 1201. The controller 1201 can determine the distance moved in the transverse direction by the bracket of the vehicle lifting machine 120 and the current transverse position of the bracket of the vehicle lifting machine 120 based on the received transverse count signal. In the present invention, the vehicle lifting machine 120 is also provided with upper and lower limit switches. When the bracket of the vehicle lifting machine 120 is raised and lowered in the height direction, the upper and lower limit switches are in the open state. The position information library is an information library pre-stored by the main controller 110, and the position information library stores the transverse default position of the support head corresponding to each vehicle model.

[0052] Specifically, when the vehicle lift 120 and the carriage have moved to the position where alignment is complete according to the target travel data, the carriage head of the vehicle lift 120 has been aligned with the lift point. Furthermore, the controller 1201 can control the carriage head to move from its initial position to a default lateral position via the lateral motor 1205, completing the alignment. In the present invention, after the vehicle lift 120 has completed alignment, the user can select the lateral automatic reset function, which causes the carriage head to automatically retract to the rear limit and stop; select the height automatic reset function, which causes the carriage to automatically descend to the lower limit and stop; and select the longitudinal automatic reset function, which causes the vehicle lift 120 to automatically move to the longitudinal origin and stop.

[0053] The automatic positioning system of a crane provided by the present invention includes a main controller and at least one crane; the crane includes at least a controller and a camera; the crane also includes a height motor, a longitudinal motor and a transverse motor; wherein the controller is used to send a crane point search instruction to the camera when the bracket of the crane reaches the default height position of the bracket; the camera is used to respond to the crane point search instruction, take an image including the crane point, and send the image including the crane point to the main controller; the main controller is used to extract the crane point from the image including the crane point, and determine the target running data of the crane based on the crane point and the center point of the image including the crane point; the target running data is sent to the controller, so that the controller controls the crane to perform positioning. Therefore, compared with the existing technology, the automatic positioning system of the car lifting machine provided in the embodiment of the present invention can automatically plan the travel data of the car lifting machine according to the image of the car lifting point captured by the camera, and quickly and accurately control the car lifting machine to align in the three directions of horizontal, longitudinal and height, saving manpower and material resources while improving the positioning accuracy of the car lifting machine and the maintenance efficiency of the EMU, shortening the maintenance time of the entire EMU.

[0054] Note that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments herein, and that various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions are possible for those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and may include many other equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic positioning system for a vehicle crane, characterized in that: The system includes: a master controller and at least one vehicle-lifting machine; the vehicle-lifting machine includes at least a controller and a camera; wherein, The controller is configured to send a vehicle-lifting point search instruction to the camera when the bracket of the vehicle-lifting machine reaches a default height position of the bracket; The camera is configured to capture an image including the vehicle mounting point in response to the vehicle mounting point search instruction, and transmit the image including the vehicle mounting point to the master controller; The master controller is configured to extract the vehicle-lifting point from the image including the vehicle-lifting point, and determine target movement data of the vehicle-lifting machine based on the vehicle-lifting point and the center point of the image including the vehicle-lifting point; and send the target movement data to the controller so that the controller controls the vehicle-lifting machine to perform alignment; The camera is mounted on the bracket and is specifically configured to capture a candidate image according to a preset period in response to the vehicle mounting point search instruction. If the vehicle mounting point does not exist in the candidate image captured in the current period, the next period is used as the current period, and the above operations are repeated until the vehicle mounting point exists in the vehicle mounting point image captured in the current period, and the candidate image captured in the current period is determined as an image containing the vehicle mounting point. The camera is further configured to send a stop movement instruction to the controller after determining the image including the vehicle lifting point, so that the controller controls the vehicle lifting machine to stop moving; The vehicle lifting machine further comprises: a longitudinal motor, and the controller is further configured to control the vehicle lifting machine to move in a preset direction and at a preset speed via the longitudinal motor until receiving the stop movement instruction and controlling the vehicle lifting machine to stop moving via the longitudinal motor; The target running data at least includes the longitudinal running displacement of the vehicle-lifting machine, and the longitudinal running displacement includes: longitudinal running distance and longitudinal running direction; the main controller is specifically used to establish a rectangular coordinate system with the center point of the image including the vehicle-lifting point as the origin, and if the vehicle-lifting point is in the first quadrant or the fourth quadrant of the coordinate system, the longitudinal running direction is determined to be a positive direction; if the vehicle-lifting point is in the second quadrant or the third quadrant of the coordinate system, the longitudinal running direction is determined to be a negative direction.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The main controller is further configured to receive a vehicle model sent by a user, extract a default height position of the bracket corresponding to the vehicle model from a predetermined position information library, and send the default height position of the bracket to the controller, so that the controller executes the step of sending a vehicle bracket point search instruction to the camera.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that The vehicle lifting machine also includes a height motor, and the controller is specifically used to control the bracket to move from its initial position to the default height position through the height motor.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein: The system also includes a height encoder, and the controller is specifically used to obtain the current height position of the bracket of the vehicle lifting machine through the height encoder, and when the current height position of the bracket of the vehicle lifting machine is the default height position, send the search instruction to the camera.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The target running data also includes the height running displacement of the bracket of the vehicle lifting machine. The main controller is specifically used to determine that the direction of the height running displacement is a positive direction if the vehicle lifting point is in the first quadrant or the second quadrant of the coordinate system; if the vehicle lifting point is in the third quadrant or the fourth quadrant of the coordinate system, then the direction of the height running displacement is a positive direction.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein: The vehicle lifting machine also includes: a transverse motor, the vehicle lifting machine includes a supporting head, and the main controller is specifically used to extract the transverse default position of the supporting head corresponding to the vehicle model from a predetermined position information library, and send the transverse default position of the supporting head to the controller, so that the controller controls the supporting head to move from its initial position to the transverse default position through the transverse motor.

Images