A method and system for monitoring collapses in unmanned transport and unloading areas of open-pit mines

Abstract

This invention discloses a method and system for monitoring collapses in unmanned transport and unloading areas of open-pit mines. The method includes: acquiring position data from several wireless position sensors scattered in the unloading area; determining the warning level based on the acquired position data and preset collapse detection rules; and issuing control commands to the unmanned transport truck according to the warning level. This invention can continuously monitor the status of the work area, promptly detect hazards in the unloading area, and solve the problem of untimely and accurate hazard prediction caused by the limited detection range of the unmanned transport truck's own sensing system and the influence of adverse external working conditions on reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of unmanned driving technology in open-pit mines, specifically relating to a method and system for monitoring the collapse of unmanned transportation and unloading areas in open-pit mines. Background Technology

[0002] In open-pit mine transportation and production, unloading operations involve transporting materials directly to the site by vehicles, followed by simple leveling by bulldozers before the unloading area is put back into use without waiting for settlement or compaction. This makes the unloading area prone to subsidence and collapse. The probability of subsidence increases significantly after rain and humid weather, posing a major safety hazard to mine unloading operations. While unmanned mining trucks (unmanned transport mining trucks) have sensing systems, their limited detection range makes it difficult to achieve a global perspective, posing risks and hindering the efficient operation of unmanned transport systems. Furthermore, the sensing systems are susceptible to reliability issues caused by harsh external conditions. Therefore, a method and system capable of monitoring, warning, and handling issues from a global perspective is needed. This is crucial for improving the safety of unmanned transport systems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method and system for monitoring the collapse of unmanned transport and unloading areas in open-pit mines, in order to solve the technical problems in the existing technology where the detection range of the unmanned transport mining truck's own sensing system is limited and its reliability is affected by adverse external working conditions, resulting in the inability to predict dangers in a timely and accurate manner.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] Firstly, a method for monitoring collapse in unmanned transport unloading areas of open-pit mines is provided, comprising: acquiring position data from several wireless position sensors scattered in the unloading area; determining the warning level based on the acquired position data and preset collapse detection rules; and issuing control commands to unmanned transport mining trucks based on the warning level.

[0006] Furthermore, the method for acquiring the location data includes: receiving data reported by each wireless location sensor scattered in the unloading area through several base stations with pre-calibrated locations, and obtaining the location data of each wireless location sensor through coordinate calculation.

[0007] Furthermore, the collapse detection rules include: (1) The sensor will continuously upload data to the server. If the connection is lost and the threshold is reached, the system will directly discard the sensor data with lost signal, consider it invalid data, and no longer participate in the calculation of the collapse detection rules; (2) When the vehicle is unloading and entering / exiting, the relevant threshold of the collapse detection rules of the sensor near the vehicle is temporarily increased to twice the default setting; (3) When the bulldozer is carrying out retaining wall construction and the unmanned mining truck is carrying out unloading, the collapse detection judgment of the sensor near the vehicle is blocked; when the vehicle unloading is completed or the bulldozer leaves the retaining wall, the wireless sensor leaves the area affected by the bulldozer, and the system will reset the position information of the wireless sensor, and take the current sensor position as the latest position after calibration; (4) Under normal circumstances, the system detects the position deviation of all sensor nodes and issues corresponding alarm information according to the detected position deviation.

[0008] Furthermore, the step of issuing corresponding alarm information based on the detected position deviation includes: the position deviation judgment dimensions are divided into 4 groups: a) the position change distance of any sensor within 10 seconds; b) the position change distance of any sensor within 1 hour; c) the position change distance of any sensor within 1 day; d) the position change distance of any sensor within 3 days; each of the above four judgment dimensions has its own corresponding position change distance warning interval, and the area collapse intensity and warning level are judged based on the interval in which the change distance falls; when any of the above four groups reaches the warning level, a collapse alarm will be triggered; if multiple dimensions of warning are triggered at the same time, the warning level with the highest level will be used.

[0009] Furthermore, the warning levels include: low risk, warning, and emergency; the step of issuing control commands to the unmanned transport mining trucks according to the warning level includes: if the warning level is low risk, no operation is taken and the unmanned transport mining trucks operate normally; if the warning level is warning, a warning message is displayed until a dispatcher checks it; if the warning level is emergency, an emergency stop command is sent to all unmanned transport mining trucks in the unloading area until the warning is lifted.

[0010] Secondly, a collapse monitoring system for unmanned transport and unloading areas in open-pit mines is provided, comprising a fleet scheduling and management device, a multi-base station positioning device installed in the unloading area, and an unmanned mining truck terminal installed on the unmanned transport mining truck. The fleet scheduling and management device is communicatively connected to the multi-base station positioning device and the unmanned mining truck terminal, respectively. The fleet scheduling and management device includes: a real-time monitoring module for acquiring position data from several wireless position sensors scattered in the unloading area; a hazard monitoring and analysis early warning module for determining the early warning level based on the acquired position data and preset collapse detection rules; and a module for issuing control commands to the unmanned transport mining truck according to the early warning level.

[0011] Furthermore, the multi-base station positioning device includes several base stations with pre-calibrated positions. Each base station receives data reported by each wireless position sensor scattered in the unloading area, calculates the coordinates to obtain the position data of each wireless position sensor, and uploads it to the cluster scheduling and management device.

[0012] Furthermore, the fleet scheduling and management device also includes a scheduling and task management module. The scheduling and task management module is used to dynamically schedule vehicles based on their real-time status, determine the work destination, plan routes, and create or cancel related tasks based on the scheduled destination. It also receives entry and unloading point allocation requests from loading and unloading auxiliary equipment and performs corresponding logical processing for different requests.

[0013] Furthermore, the fleet scheduling and management device also includes a remote control module, which is used to send remote control commands to the unmanned transport mining trucks, including emergency stop, resumption of travel, and deceleration commands.

[0014] Furthermore, the unmanned mining truck terminal also includes a real-time status reporting module, which is used to report the real-time location, vehicle operation status, operation status and mode status information of the unmanned transport mining truck itself.

[0015] Furthermore, the unmanned mining vehicle terminal also includes an instruction receiving and execution module, which is used to receive task instructions and control instructions issued by the machine group scheduling and management device, and execute corresponding operations or actions according to the corresponding instructions.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects achieved by the present invention are as follows:

[0017] (1) This invention acquires the position data of several wireless position sensors scattered in the unloading area; determines the warning level based on the acquired position data and the preset collapse detection rules; issues control commands to the unmanned transport mining truck according to the warning level; and can continuously monitor the status of the work area and promptly detect the danger in the unloading area. This solves the problem that the unmanned transport mining truck's own sensing system has a limited detection range and is affected by adverse external working conditions, which leads to a deviation in reliability and the inability to predict dangers in a timely and accurate manner.

[0018] (2) This invention can immediately alert relevant personnel and stop the unmanned mining truck, ensuring the safety of unloading operations of the unmanned mining truck;

[0019] (3) The present invention can record the settlement characteristics of the unloading area, which facilitates data analysis and prediction;

[0020] (4) The present invention can improve the overall safety of unmanned systems without affecting operational efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the unloading area and the multi-base station positioning device set in the unloading area in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of signal interaction in the unloading area in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the logic processing for monitoring the collapse of the unloading area in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] In actual open-pit mining operations, subsidence and collapse frequently occur in unloading areas, especially under cloudy or rainy weather conditions. If subsidence is severe or collapses occur, the operation of unmanned transport trucks poses a significant risk without early warning and intervention. To ensure the safety of unmanned transport trucks and provide an extra layer of protection when they enter unloading areas, it is essential to detect subsidence as early as possible, automatically notify management personnel and the unmanned transport trucks, and allow relevant personnel to take timely action and the unmanned transport trucks to take appropriate evasive action.

[0026] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a cluster scheduling and management device, a multi-base station positioning device installed in the unloading area, and an unmanned mining truck terminal installed on the unmanned transport mining truck. The cluster scheduling and management device is communicatively connected to the multi-base station positioning device and the unmanned mining truck terminal, respectively.

[0027] The multi-base station positioning device operates in the offloading area and is a monitoring device that performs positioning and data conversion for wireless location sensors. Using pre-calibrated base stations, when different base stations receive data reported by the wireless location sensors, they calculate the geographic location data of these sensors through coordinate analysis and then report the real-time geographic location data of the wireless location sensors to the cluster scheduling and management device.

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, in open-pit mining, many unloading areas are high-drop unloading areas with significant elevation differences, where heavily loaded mining trucks unload materials to the edge of the area. For safety, unloading retaining walls need to be built in these areas to prevent excessive reversing; these retaining walls are shown in the diagram. Multiple base stations are erected in the effective area near the unloading area to construct a multi-base station positioning device. The base stations communicate with the machine group scheduling and management device, receiving signals from wireless location sensors within the area and converting them into geographic location data. During bulldozing operations, a certain amount of wireless location sensors are scattered into the unloading area. After landing on the ground, these sensors can communicate with nearby base stations and report data. The wireless location sensors do not need to be retrieved. Failed sensors that are buried or damaged during operations and unable to report data will not affect the collapse detection effect, as long as the distribution density of wireless location sensors within the area remains at a reasonable level.

[0029] The unmanned mining truck terminal is a terminal system that runs on the unmanned mining truck, including: a real-time status reporting module and an instruction receiving and execution module. The real-time status reporting module is responsible for reporting information such as the unmanned mining truck's real-time location, vehicle operating status, operation status, and mode status; the instruction receiving and execution module is responsible for receiving task instructions and control instructions issued by the fleet scheduling and management device, and executing corresponding operations or actions according to the corresponding instructions.

[0030] The data interaction process between the unmanned mining vehicle terminal, the fleet scheduling and management device, and the multi-base station positioning device is as follows: Figure 2 As shown. The multi-base station positioning device receives data reported by wireless location sensors through base stations deployed near the unloading area. After coordinate calculation, it calculates the real-time geographical location data of the wireless location sensors and then reports this data to the cluster scheduling and management device. Upon receiving the data from the multi-base station positioning device, the cluster scheduling and management device quickly calculates and analyzes the current effective wireless location sensors in the unloading area according to pre-set rules, determining if there are any anomalies and whether a warning needs to be issued. If a hazard is detected in the unloading area, a warning will be immediately issued and all unmanned mining vehicle terminals in the area will be notified to stop. Simultaneously, the area will be immediately locked to prevent subsequent unmanned vehicles from entering.

[0031] The fleet scheduling and management device is a scheduling, monitoring and command platform for unmanned transportation systems, including: a real-time status monitoring module, a task and scheduling management module, a remote control module, and a hazard monitoring, analysis and early warning module.

[0032] The real-time monitoring module is used to acquire the location data of several wireless location sensors scattered in the unloading area. It is responsible for receiving and monitoring the real-time status of all terminal devices connected to the cluster scheduling and management device, including the location and equipment operating status.

[0033] The scheduling and task management module is responsible for dynamically scheduling vehicles based on their real-time status, determining work destinations, planning routes, creating and canceling related tasks based on the scheduled destinations, receiving requests from loading and unloading auxiliary equipment for entry and unloading point allocation, and performing corresponding logical processing for different requests.

[0034] The remote control module is responsible for sending remote control commands such as emergency stop, resumption of driving, and deceleration to the unmanned mining vehicle.

[0035] The hazard monitoring and analysis early warning module is used to determine the early warning level based on acquired location data and preset collapse detection rules; it is also used to issue control commands to the unmanned transport mining trucks according to the early warning level. The hazard monitoring and analysis early warning module can quickly calculate and analyze the unloading area sensor location data uploaded by the base station positioning system according to pre-set rules, determining whether there are any abnormalities in the unloading area and whether a warning needs to be issued.

[0036] The cluster scheduling and management device monitors and calculates the data of each wireless location sensor node reported by the multi-base station positioning device in real time, and reacts accordingly based on this data. The processing flow of the unloading area collapse monitoring logic is as follows: Figure 3 As shown:

[0037] 1) The wireless location sensor continuously sends signals to the positioning base station;

[0038] 2) The positioning base station processes the data received from the wireless location sensor, converts it into the format required by the cluster scheduling and management device, and then sends it to the cluster scheduling and management device.

[0039] 3) After receiving the positioning data from the wireless position sensor, the cluster scheduling and management device calculates and analyzes the data and compares it with the collapse detection rules in the cluster system.

[0040] 4) The cluster scheduling and management device evaluates the location and time data reported by the wireless location sensors and determines the warning level, which can be roughly divided into three levels: low risk, warning and emergency.

[0041] 5) If the calculation result is low risk, then the machine group scheduling and management device will not take any action, and the unmanned mining vehicle terminal and other systems will operate normally;

[0042] 6) If the calculation result is a warning, the cluster scheduling and management device will display a warning message until a dispatcher checks it;

[0043] 7) If the calculation result indicates an emergency, the machine group scheduling and management device will not only immediately display an early warning message, but also immediately lock onto the unloading area where the collapse has occurred and send an emergency stop command to all unmanned transport mining trucks in the area.

[0044] 8) Once the area is locked, no unmanned transport mining trucks are allowed to enter, and no tasks will be generated for any unmanned transport mining trucks with the destination being this locked area, until the dispatch management personnel confirm and manually unlock it.

[0045] This invention also provides a method for monitoring collapses in unmanned transport unloading areas of open-pit mines, comprising: acquiring position data from several wireless position sensors scattered in the unloading area; determining the warning level based on the acquired position data and preset collapse detection rules; and issuing control commands to unmanned transport mining trucks according to the warning level.

[0046] The method for acquiring location data includes: receiving data reported by each wireless location sensor scattered in the unloading area through several base stations with pre-calibrated locations, and obtaining the location data of each wireless location sensor through coordinate calculation.

[0047] Collapse detection rules include:

[0048] (1) The sensor will continuously upload data to the server. If the connection is lost and the threshold is reached, the system will directly discard the sensor data that lost the signal, consider it invalid data, and no longer participate in the calculation of the collapse detection rules.

[0049] (2) When vehicles are unloading and entering / exiting the site, the relevant threshold for the collapse detection rule of the sensors near the vehicle is temporarily increased to twice the default setting.

[0050] (3) When the bulldozer is building a retaining wall and the unmanned mining truck is unloading, the collapse detection and judgment of the sensors near the vehicle are blocked; when the vehicle is unloading or the bulldozer leaves the retaining wall, the wireless sensor leaves the area affected by the bulldozer, and the system will reset the position information of the wireless sensor, and use the current sensor position as the latest position after calibration.

[0051] (4) Under normal circumstances, the system detects the position deviation of all sensor nodes, and the position deviation judgment dimensions are divided into 4 groups:

[0052] a) The distance of position change of any sensor within 10 seconds;

[0053] b) The distance of position change of any sensor within 1 hour;

[0054] c) The distance of position change of any sensor within 1 day;

[0055] d) The distance of position change of any sensor within 3 days;

[0056] The four judgment dimensions mentioned above each have their own corresponding warning intervals for location change distances. The intensity of regional collapse and the warning level are determined based on the intervals in which the change distance falls. A collapse alarm will be triggered when any of the four groups reaches a warning level. If multiple warnings are triggered simultaneously, the warning level with the highest level will prevail.

[0057] The warning levels include: low risk, warning, and emergency. Control commands are issued to the unmanned transport mining trucks according to the warning level, including: if the warning level is low risk, no operation is taken and the unmanned transport mining trucks operate normally; if the warning level is warning, a warning message will pop up until a dispatcher checks it; if the warning level is emergency, an emergency stop command will be sent to all unmanned transport mining trucks in the unloading area until the warning is lifted.

[0058] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring collapses in unmanned transport and unloading areas of open-pit mines, characterized in that, include: Acquire position data from several wireless position sensors scattered in the unloading area; Based on the acquired location data and the preset collapse detection rules, the warning level is determined; Control commands are issued to unmanned mining trucks based on the warning level; The collapse detection rules include: (1) The sensor will continuously upload data to the server. If the connection is lost and the threshold is reached, the system will directly discard the sensor data that lost the signal, consider it invalid data, and no longer participate in the calculation of the collapse detection rules. (2) When vehicles are unloading and entering / exiting the site, the relevant threshold for the collapse detection rule of the sensors near the vehicle is temporarily increased to twice the default setting; (3) When the bulldozer is carrying out retaining wall construction and the unmanned mining truck is carrying out unloading operations, the collapse detection judgment of the sensors near the vehicle is blocked; when the vehicle unloading is completed or the bulldozer leaves the retaining wall, the wireless sensor leaves the area affected by the bulldozer, and the system will reset the position information of the wireless sensor and use the current sensor position as the latest position after calibration. (4) Under normal circumstances, the system detects the position deviation of all sensor nodes and issues corresponding alarm information based on the detected position deviation; The step of issuing corresponding alarm information based on the detected position deviation includes: The dimensions for judging positional deviation are divided into four groups: a) The distance of position change of any sensor within 10 seconds; b) The distance of position change of any sensor within 1 hour; c) The distance of position change of any sensor within one day; d) The distance of position change of any sensor within 3 days; The four judgment dimensions (a) to (d) each have their own corresponding warning intervals for location change distance. The collapse intensity and warning level of the area are determined based on the interval in which the change distance falls. A collapse alarm will be triggered when any one of the four judgment dimensions (a) to (d) meets the warning conditions. If multiple warnings are triggered at the same time, the warning level with the highest level will be used. The warning levels include: low risk, warning, and emergency; the issuance of control commands to the unmanned transport mining trucks based on the warning level includes: If the warning level is low risk, no action will be taken and the unmanned mining trucks will operate normally. If the warning level is warning, a warning message will pop up until a dispatcher checks it; If the warning level is emergency, an emergency stop command will be sent to all unmanned transport mining trucks in the unloading area until the warning is lifted.

2. The method for monitoring collapse in unmanned transport and unloading areas of open-pit mines according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method for acquiring the location data includes: By receiving data reported by various wireless position sensors scattered in the unloading area from several pre-calibrated base stations, the position data of each wireless position sensor is obtained through coordinate calculation.

3. A collapse monitoring system for unmanned transport and unloading areas in open-pit mines, characterized in that, The system includes a fleet scheduling and management device, a multi-base station positioning device located in the unloading area, and an unmanned mining vehicle terminal installed on the unmanned transport mining truck. The fleet scheduling and management device is communicatively connected to the multi-base station positioning device and the unmanned mining vehicle terminal, respectively. The fleet scheduling and management device includes: The real-time monitoring module is used to acquire the position data of several wireless position sensors scattered in the unloading area; The hazard monitoring and analysis early warning module is used to determine the early warning level based on the acquired location data and preset collapse detection rules; it is also used to issue control commands to the unmanned transport mining truck according to the early warning level. The collapse detection rules include: (1) The sensor will continuously upload data to the server. If the connection is lost and the threshold is reached, the system will directly discard the sensor data that lost the signal, consider it invalid data, and no longer participate in the calculation of the collapse detection rules. (2) When vehicles are unloading and entering / exiting the site, the relevant threshold for the collapse detection rule of the sensors near the vehicle is temporarily increased to twice the default setting; (3) When the bulldozer is carrying out retaining wall construction and the unmanned mining truck is carrying out unloading operations, the collapse detection judgment of the sensors near the vehicle is blocked; when the vehicle unloading is completed or the bulldozer leaves the retaining wall, the wireless sensor leaves the area affected by the bulldozer, and the system will reset the position information of the wireless sensor and use the current sensor position as the latest position after calibration. (4) Under normal circumstances, the system detects the position deviation of all sensor nodes and issues corresponding alarm information based on the detected position deviation; The step of issuing corresponding alarm information based on the detected position deviation includes: The dimensions for judging positional deviation are divided into four groups: a) The distance of position change of any sensor within 10 seconds; b) The distance of position change of any sensor within 1 hour; c) The distance of position change of any sensor within one day; d) The distance of position change of any sensor within 3 days; The four judgment dimensions (a) to (d) each have their own corresponding warning intervals for location change distance. The collapse intensity and warning level of the area are determined based on the interval in which the change distance falls. A collapse alarm will be triggered when any one of the four judgment dimensions (a) to (d) meets the warning conditions. If multiple warnings are triggered at the same time, the warning level with the highest level will be used. The warning levels include: low risk, warning, and emergency; the issuance of control commands to the unmanned transport mining trucks based on the warning level includes: If the warning level is low risk, no action will be taken and the unmanned mining trucks will operate normally. If the warning level is warning, a warning message will pop up until a dispatcher checks it; If the warning level is emergency, an emergency stop command will be sent to all unmanned transport mining trucks in the unloading area until the warning is lifted.

4. The collapse monitoring system for unmanned transport and unloading areas in open-pit mines according to claim 3, characterized in that, The multi-base station positioning device includes several base stations with pre-calibrated positions. Each base station receives data reported by each wireless position sensor scattered in the unloading area, calculates the coordinates to obtain the position data of each wireless position sensor, and uploads it to the cluster scheduling and management device.

5. The collapse monitoring system for unmanned transport and unloading areas in open-pit mines according to claim 3, characterized in that, The fleet scheduling and management device also includes a scheduling and task management module. The scheduling and task management module is used to dynamically schedule vehicles based on their real-time status, determine the work destination, plan routes, and create or cancel related tasks based on the scheduled destination. It also receives entry and unloading point allocation requests from loading and unloading auxiliary equipment and performs corresponding logical processing for different requests.

6. The collapse monitoring system for unmanned transport and unloading areas in open-pit mines according to claim 3, characterized in that, The fleet scheduling and management device also includes a remote control module, which is used to send remote control commands to the unmanned transport mining trucks, including emergency stop, resumption of travel, and deceleration commands.

7. The collapse monitoring system for unmanned transport and unloading areas in open-pit mines according to claim 3, characterized in that, The unmanned mining truck terminal also includes a real-time status reporting module, which is used to report the real-time location, vehicle operation status, operation status and mode status information of the unmanned mining truck itself.

8. The collapse monitoring system for unmanned transport and unloading areas in open-pit mines according to claim 3, characterized in that, The unmanned mining vehicle terminal also includes an instruction receiving and execution module, which is used to receive task instructions and control instructions issued by the machine group scheduling and management device, and execute corresponding operations or actions according to the corresponding instructions.

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