Rail robot positioning and assurance system and method

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of track robot, and particularly relates to a track robot positioning system and method, and a track robot positioning method.The robot body comprises a bottom plate unit, a driving unit and a driven unit which are slidably connected to the track, a frame on the bottom plate unit, a bar code recognition unit, a bar code cleaning unit and a control box fixed on the frame, and a plurality of bar codes pasted on one side of the track.The present application solves the problem of low positioning accuracy of the track robot when moving on the track, inaccurate parking position of the robot, and the problem of great influence of environmental factors on the positioning accuracy, and solves the problems of low expansibility and high cost of some positioning systems based on inductive switches and FRID card readers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of track robot technology, and in particular to a track robot positioning and support system and method. Background Technology

[0002] Tracked robots, operating on tracks, are widely used in inspection, transportation, and other fields due to their mature technology, low cost, lack of need for environmental route planning, and low control complexity. Generally, to ensure positioning accuracy, tracked robots use servo motors with encoders as their drive motors. In this open-loop control configuration, the robot's positioning accuracy relies solely on the rotational accuracy of the servo motor, and most tracked robots on the market currently employ this drive scheme. While this scheme offers numerous advantages such as wide application, stable performance, simple structure, and low cost, slippage can occur with longer tracks or increased curves and slopes, leading to a sharp decrease in positioning accuracy. Furthermore, as the application scenarios for tracked robots expand, some applications demand higher positioning accuracy.

[0003] In this context, some manufacturers have introduced a positioning feedback mechanism for track-based robots. This typically involves installing multiple inductive switches on the track to sense the robot's position or installing an RFID reader on the robot itself to sense magnetic cards installed on the track. While this improves the positioning accuracy of track-based robots, both solutions have several drawbacks: 1. Laying inductive switches increases overall cost; the wiring is complex and difficult to maintain during installation; and it's not easy to expand the system to accommodate future functional changes. 2. Installing RFID readers has strict environmental requirements; interference from power plants in the power inspection industry can easily lead to missed card swipes and lost location information; and due to their inherent low resolution, the positioning accuracy error is generally above 10cm. Adding points later requires installing magnetic cards on the track, resulting in poor scalability.

[0004] Given the above realities, in the field of motion accuracy and positioning of track robots, how to ensure the positioning accuracy of track robots on the track under the premise of reliability, low cost, and easy maintenance has become a key problem that technicians urgently need to solve.

[0005] To address these issues, this application presents a positioning and support system and method for a tracked robot, which provides solutions to the aforementioned problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, this invention provides a positioning system and method for a track robot and its protection.

[0007] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0008] A positioning and support system for an orbital robot, comprising a robot body, characterized in that:

[0009] The robot body includes a base plate unit, on which an active unit and a driven unit with a sliding connecting track are mounted. A barcode recognition unit, a barcode scanning unit, and a control box are fixed on the frame of the base plate unit. Several barcodes are affixed to one side of the track.

[0010] Furthermore, to better realize the present invention, a wireless bridge and an industrial control computer are installed inside the control box; the barcode is printed on a barcode strip and vertically pasted on one side of the track. The barcode is set with barcode encoding, which can facilitate personnel to visually identify and maintain individual barcodes.

[0011] Furthermore, in order to better realize the present invention, the barcode recognition unit includes a barcode camera, the barcode camera is installed in a barcode camera bracket, the barcode camera bracket is fixed on a barcode scanning fixture, and the barcode scanning fixture is provided with an adjustment slot hole.

[0012] Furthermore, to better realize the present invention, the barcode scanning unit includes a mounting base, on which a connecting rod mounting base is fixed. The connecting rod mounting base is connected to two connecting rods via pins, and the other ends of the two connecting rods are connected to a soft-scratcher mounting base via pins, forming a four-bar linkage. A tension spring is hung between the two connecting rods, and the soft-scratcher mounting base fixes the barcode soft-scratcher. A miniature geared motor is fixed on the mounting base, and the motor shaft end is fixed to a miniature winch. The miniature winch is mounted on the fixed base via two side fixing brackets. A steel wire rope is wound around the miniature winch, and the other end of the steel wire rope is fixed to the soft-scratcher mounting base.

[0013] Based on the aforementioned equipment, the specific method for achieving positioning is as follows:

[0014] S1, Task issuance: The robot's back-end control terminal transmits the task instructions wirelessly to the wireless communication module in the robot body via the base station. The wireless communication module then transmits the task command information to the robot's industrial control computer.

[0015] S2, Self-position determination: Based on S1, after receiving the task instruction, the robot's industrial control computer controls the motor driver to drive the walking motor to move, and drives the robot to move on the track through the intermediate gear transmission. At the same time, the industrial control computer determines the robot's speed, direction and position by the rotation amount of the encoder of the servo motor.

[0016] S3, barcode recognition, uses a camera with a limited field of view to capture QR codes on a track, corrects the captured image, preprocesses the scanned QR code, and decodes and verifies the processed QR code;

[0017] S4, Position Feedback: The barcode camera feeds back the barcode information to the industrial control computer in real time. The industrial control computer combines the barcode position information in the database to analyze the robot position fed back by the barcode camera.

[0018] S5, Position Analysis, Comparison and Correction: The industrial control computer acquires the robot's actual position S1 in real time, and the robot's position determined by the encoder of the servo motor is S2. The robot positioning error value △S is set according to the robot's positioning accuracy requirements in the application environment. When |S2-S1|≤△S, the industrial control computer does not process it. When |S2-S1|>△S, the industrial control computer controls the servo motor to perform position correction by adjusting the pulse value sent to the motor driver, so that the drive wheel rotates less or more to achieve the required positioning accuracy.

[0019] S6, Barcode Cleaning: Building upon S3, if a barcode cannot be recognized, skip this barcode and recognize the next one. Send position feedback to the industrial control computer and continue executing S5. Simultaneously, record the barcode's position information and continue executing background commands. After completing the background task, the robot returns to its starting position. When it reaches a location where a barcode cannot be recognized, activate the barcode cleaning mechanism. The micro-gear motor rotates, de-tensioning the steel cable. Under the action of the tension spring, the four-bar linkage drives the barcode eraser to press against the track from the side until it is firmly against the track. At this point, the industrial control computer sends a reciprocating motion command to the driver, and the robot performs the eraser action, wiping the problematic barcode. The location where the barcode cannot be recognized is now [x]. T Moving forward x T +3△x, move backward x T -3△x, where △x is the width of the barcode. This process is repeated 3 times to clean the unrecognizable barcode locations. After cleaning, the barcode camera will re-identify the cleaned barcode. If the identification is successful, the previous return command will be executed. If the identification fails, the above cleaning operation will be repeated. If the barcode still cannot be read after repeating 3 times, the barcode location number will be fed back to the backend control terminal before returning to base.

[0020] The barcode recognition method in S3 is specifically as follows:

[0021] S31, Image Loading: First, select a suitable camera sensor to adjust the field of view (FOV) so that the camera's field of view can only cover the size of a barcode. The sensor's physical dimensions are w*h, focal length is f, X-axis direction coefficient is α, Y-axis direction coefficient is β, and the image size is W*H. Then, the vertical field of view angle A... h for:

[0022]

[0023] Field of view A in the same horizontal direction w for:

[0024]

[0025] Step 32: Image Correction. Since the camera angle may be tilted, the captured barcode image needs to be corrected to maximize the success of barcode scanning. Step 33: Image Preprocessing. Because barcodes are constantly exposed to air and affected by the environment, foreign objects may adhere to them. Furthermore, to highlight the barcode bars and spaces, image processing is necessary. First, the image is converted to grayscale using a component method, with the following formula:

[0026] Gray1(i,j) = R(i,j)

[0027] Gray2(i,j)=G(i,j)

[0028] Gray3(i,j) = B(i,j)

[0029] Due to factors such as ambient lighting, images may contain noise. Therefore, the processed image needs to be filtered again. Since the ultimate goal is to read barcodes, the filtering process needs to preserve image information as well as possible. Therefore, median filtering is used, and its formula is as follows:

[0030] G(x,y)=med{f(xm,yn),(m,n∈W)}

[0031] f(x,y) represents the original image, and G(x,y) represents the processed image. Finally, the images are binarized. Since only barcodes are being recognized, more image details are not required, and for computational simplicity, a simple binarization method is used. The formula is as follows:

[0032]

[0033] Step 34, decoding: A digital character is composed of two bars and two spaces arranged alternately, so the QR code is translated into a character based on the width of the bars and spaces.

[0034] Step 35: Barcode Output. After decoding, output the successfully verified barcode. If the verification fails, automatically skip this barcode and continue scanning the next barcode, and send this barcode back to the industrial control computer for recording.

[0035] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0036] This invention solves the positioning accuracy problems of low positioning accuracy, inaccurate robot parking position, and significant influence from environmental factors when the robot moves on the track. It also solves the problems of low scalability and high cost of some positioning systems based on inductive switches and RFID card readers. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 This is an overall flowchart of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the robot body structure of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the barcode recognition process of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the barcode scanning unit of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the barcode scanning fixture of the present invention:

[0042] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the barcode scanning process of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the barcode scanning unit of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the barcode structure of the present invention.

[0045] In the picture,

[0046] 1. Active unit, 2. Slave unit, 3. Base plate unit, 4. Track, 5. Barcode recognition unit, 6. Barcode scanning unit, 7. Control box, 8. Barcode, 501. Barcode camera, 502. Barcode camera bracket, 503. Barcode scanning mounting base, 5031. Adjustment slot hole, 601. Barcode eraser, 602. Miniature geared motor, 603. Mounting base, 604. Miniature winch, 605. Connecting rod, 606. Tension spring, 607. Eraser mounting base, 608. Connecting rod mounting base, 609. Steel wire rope, 801. Barcode tape, 802. Barcode encoding. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0048] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the invention.

[0049] Figures 1-8 This is a specific embodiment of the present invention, which is a positioning and support system and method for a tracked robot.

[0050] like Figure 1 The steps shown are as follows:

[0051] Step 01: Task Issuance

[0052] Step 02: Determining one's own position

[0053] Step 03: Barcode Recognition

[0054] Step 04: Location Feedback

[0055] Step 05: Location Analysis, Comparison, and Correction

[0056] Step 06: Barcode Scanning

[0057] The carrier of the present invention is as follows Figure 2 As shown: This system carrier comprises the following parts: 1. Active unit; 2. Slave unit; 3. Base plate unit; 4. Track; 5. Barcode recognition unit; 6. Barcode cleaning unit; 7. Control box; 8. Barcode. The active and slave units are mounted on the base plate unit. The side frames of the base plate unit are used to fix the barcode recognition and cleaning unit and the control box unit. The control box unit houses a wireless bridge and an industrial control computer. The track-mounted robot is suspended on the track via the active and slave units, and a barcode is affixed to one side of the track. Figure 8 As shown, the barcode is printed on the barcode strip and is vertically pasted on one side of the track. Due to the long strip nature of the barcode, the vertical arrangement of the barcode makes the robot positioning unit one barcode width △x. The barcode on the barcode strip has an encoding, which can be easily identified and maintained by personnel with the naked eye.

[0058] The method for issuing the task in step 01 is as follows:

[0059] The robot's back-end control terminal transmits task instructions wirelessly to the wireless communication module in the robot body via a base station. The wireless communication module then transmits the task command information to the robot's industrial control computer.

[0060] The method for determining the robot's own position in step 02 is as follows:

[0061] Building upon step 01, after receiving the task instruction, the robot's industrial control computer controls the motor driver to drive the walking motor, which in turn propels the robot along the track via intermediate gear transmission. Simultaneously, the industrial control computer determines the robot's speed, direction, and position by analyzing the rotation of the servo motor's encoder.

[0062] The method for barcode recognition in step 03 is as follows:

[0063] like Figure 3 As shown, a camera with a limited field of view captures a QR code on the track. The captured image is corrected, the scanned QR code undergoes image preprocessing, and the processed QR code is decoded and verified. The carrier in step 03—the barcode recognition unit—is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the barcode recognition unit includes 1. a barcode camera; 2. a barcode camera bracket; and 3. a barcode scanning mount. The barcode camera is fixed to the barcode camera bracket, and the barcode bracket is fixed to the barcode scanning mount. Figure 5 As shown, the fixing point of the barcode scanning mounting bracket is a slotted hole, which allows the barcode camera to be adjusted to a certain angle.

[0064] The specific steps of the barcode recognition method in step 03 are as follows:

[0065] Step 31: Image Loading. First, select a suitable camera sensor to adjust the field of view (FOV) so that the camera's field of view can only cover the size of a barcode. The sensor's physical dimensions are w*h, focal length is f, X-axis direction coefficient is α, Y-axis direction coefficient is β, and the image size is W*H. Then, the vertical field of view angle A... h for:

[0066]

[0067] Field of view A in the same horizontal direction w for:

[0068]

[0069] Step 32: Image Correction. Since the camera may be tilted, the captured barcode image needs to be corrected to maximize the success of the barcode scan.

[0070] Step 33: Image Preprocessing. Because barcodes are constantly exposed to air and affected by the environment, foreign objects may adhere to them. Furthermore, to highlight the bar and space, image processing is necessary. First, the image is converted to grayscale. This invention uses a component method, with the following formula:

[0071] Gray1(i,j) = R(i,j)

[0072] Gray2(i,j)=G(i,j)

[0073] Gray3(i,j) = B(i,j)

[0074] Due to factors such as ambient lighting, images may contain noise, thus requiring further filtering after processing. Since the ultimate goal is to read barcodes, the filtering process needs to preserve image information well. Therefore, this invention employs median filtering, with the following formula:

[0075] G(x,y)=med{f(xm,yn),(m,n∈W)}

[0076] f(x,y) is the original image, and G(x,y) is the processed image.

[0077] Finally, the image is binarized. Since only barcodes are being recognized, and more image details are not required, and for the sake of computational simplicity, this invention employs a simple binarization method, the formula of which is:

[0078]

[0079] Step 34: Decoding. A numeric character is composed of two bars and two spaces arranged alternately, so the QR code is translated into characters based on the width of the bars and spaces.

[0080] Step 35: Barcode Output. After decoding, output the successfully verified barcode. If the verification fails, automatically skip this barcode and continue scanning the next barcode, and send this barcode back to the industrial control computer for recording.

[0081] The method for position feedback in step 04 is as follows:

[0082] The barcode camera feeds back the barcode information to the industrial control computer in real time. The industrial control computer then analyzes the barcode location information in the database to determine the robot's position based on the feedback from the barcode camera.

[0083] Step 05: The method for position analysis, comparison, and correction is as follows:

[0084] The industrial control computer acquires the robot's actual position S1 in real time, and the robot's position S2 is determined by the encoder of the servo motor. Based on the robot's positioning accuracy requirements in the application environment, a robot positioning error value ΔS is set. When |S2-S1|≤ΔS, the industrial control computer does not perform any processing. When |S2-S1|>ΔS, the industrial control computer adjusts the pulse value sent to the motor driver to control the servo motor for position correction. This causes the drive wheels to rotate less or more to achieve the required positioning accuracy.

[0085] Step 06: The method for barcode scanning is as follows Figure 6 As shown:

[0086] The installation position of the carrier—barcode scanning unit—in step 06 is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, this unit is mounted on a frame on one side of the robot body, adjacent to the barcode recognition unit. The barcode scanning unit is as follows: Figure 7 The device includes: 1. a barcode eraser; 2. a miniature geared motor; 3. a mounting base; 4. a miniature winch; 5. a connecting rod; 6. a tension spring; 7. an eraser mounting base; 8. a connecting rod mounting base; and 9. a steel wire rope. The connecting rod mounting base is fixed to the mounting base. The connecting rod mounting base is connected to two connecting rods via pins. The other ends of the two connecting rods are connected to the eraser mounting base via pins, forming a four-bar linkage. A tension spring is hung between the two connecting rods. The eraser mounting base secures the barcode eraser. The geared motor is fixed to the mounting base, and the motor shaft is fixed to the miniature winch. The miniature winch is mounted on the mounting base via two side brackets. The miniature winch is wound with a steel wire rope, the other end of which is fixed to the eraser mounting base.

[0087] Based on step 03, if a barcode cannot be recognized, skip this barcode, recognize the next barcode, send position feedback to the industrial control computer, and continue to step 05. Simultaneously, record the position information of this barcode and continue executing background instructions. After completing the background task instructions, the robot returns to its starting position. When it reaches the location where a barcode cannot be recognized, the barcode cleaning mechanism is activated. The micro-gear motor rotates, the steel cable is no longer taut, and under the action of the tension spring, the four-bar linkage drives the barcode eraser to press against the track from the side and eventually adhere tightly to the track. At this time, the industrial control computer sends a reciprocating motion command to the driver, and the robot drives the eraser to wipe the problematic barcode. (Unrecognizable barcode location x) T Moving forward x T +3△x, move backward x T -3△x, where △x is the width of the barcode. This process is repeated 3 times to clean the unrecognizable barcode locations. After cleaning, the barcode camera will re-identify the cleaned barcode. If the identification is successful, the previous return command will be executed. If the identification fails, the above cleaning operation will be repeated. If the barcode still cannot be read after repeating 3 times, the barcode location number will be fed back to the backend control terminal before returning to base.

[0088] The specific implementation method of this embodiment is as follows:

[0089] First, step 01, task issuance, occurs. The robot's backend control terminal wirelessly transmits the task command to the robot's wireless communication module via a base station. The task command information is then transmitted to the robot's industrial control computer via the wireless communication module. Next, step 02, position determination, occurs. Upon receiving the command, the industrial control computer controls the driver to rotate the servo motor, thus enabling the robot to move on the track. Simultaneously, the industrial control computer obtains the robot's position, direction, and speed through the encoder rotation of the servo motor. Then, step 03, barcode recognition, occurs. The barcode camera scans the barcodes on the track in real time and executes the following steps sequentially: step 31, image re-entry; step 32, image correction; step 33, image preprocessing (including grayscale conversion, filtering, and binarization); step 34, decoding; and step 35, barcode output. Successfully verified barcodes are output; if verification fails, the barcode is automatically skipped, and the next barcode is scanned, with the failed barcode being recorded and fed back to the industrial control computer. Finally, step 04, position feedback, is performed based on the output barcodes. The industrial control computer analyzes the barcode position information from the barcode camera in its database to determine the robot's position. Based on the feedback location, step 05 involves location analysis, comparison, and correction. For barcodes that fail to be recognized, step 06, barcode cleaning, is performed when the robot returns after completing its task. At this time, the miniature geared motor of the barcode scanning unit is activated. As the motor rotates, the steel cable is no longer taut. Under the action of the tension spring, the four-bar linkage drives the barcode soft eraser to press against the track from the side and eventually adhere tightly to the barcode on the track. The industrial control computer then sends a reciprocating motion command to the driver. After cleaning, barcode recognition is performed. If the barcode cannot be recognized after repeating the barcode cleaning action three times, the barcode location number is fed back to the backend control terminal before the robot returns to base.

[0090] like Figure 6 As shown, based on Embodiment 1, in order to reduce development difficulty and lower costs, the barcode camera can be replaced with a barcode scanner, omitting image processing and recognition, reducing the burden on the industrial control computer, and lowering its requirements.

[0091] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Any other modifications or equivalent substitutions made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention, as long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A positioning and support system for a tracked robot, comprising a robot body, characterized in that: The robot body includes a base plate unit (3), on which an active unit (1) and a driven unit (2) with a sliding connecting track (4) are mounted. A barcode recognition unit (5), a barcode cleaning unit (6), and a control box (7) are fixed on the frame of the base plate unit (3). Several barcodes (8) are pasted on one side of the track (4). The barcode recognition unit (5) includes a barcode camera (501), which is mounted in a barcode camera bracket (502). The barcode camera bracket (502) is fixed on a barcode scanning fixture (503), which has an adjustment slot hole (5031). The barcode cleaning unit (6) includes a mounting base (603). A connecting rod mounting seat (608) is fixed on the mounting seat (603). The connecting rod mounting seat (608) is connected to two connecting rods (605) through a pin. The other end of the two connecting rods (605) is connected to the soft eraser mounting seat (607) through a pin, forming a four-bar linkage. A tension spring (606) is hung between the two connecting rods (605). The soft eraser mounting seat (607) fixes the barcode soft eraser (601). The micro geared motor (602) is fixed on the mounting seat (603). The motor shaft end is fixed to the micro winch (604). The micro winch (604) is mounted on the mounting seat (603) through fixed brackets on both sides. The micro winch (604) winds a steel wire rope (609). The other end of the steel wire rope (609) is fixed on the soft eraser mounting seat (607).

2. The orbital robot positioning and support system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control box (7) is equipped with a wireless bridge and an industrial control computer; The barcode (8) is printed on the barcode strip (801) and is vertically pasted on one side of the track (4). The barcode (8) is set with barcode encoding (802), which makes it convenient for personnel to visually identify and maintain a single barcode.

3. A method for positioning a tracked robot, based on the tracked robot positioning and support system according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1, Task issuance: The robot's back-end control terminal wirelessly transmits the task instructions to the wireless communication module in the robot body via the base station. The wireless communication module then transmits the task command information to the robot's industrial control computer. S2, Self-position determination: Based on S1, after receiving the task instruction, the robot's industrial control computer controls the motor driver to drive the walking motor to move, and drives the robot to move on the track through the intermediate gear transmission. At the same time, the industrial control computer determines the robot's speed, direction and position by the rotation amount of the encoder of the servo motor. S3, barcode recognition, uses a camera with a limited field of view to capture QR codes on a track, corrects the captured image, preprocesses the scanned QR code, and decodes and verifies the processed QR code; S4, Position Feedback: The barcode camera feeds back the barcode information to the industrial control computer in real time. The industrial control computer combines the barcode position information in the database to analyze the robot position fed back by the barcode camera. S5, position analysis, comparison and correction, industrial control computer obtains the robot's actual position in real time. The robot position is determined by the encoder of the servo motor. The robot positioning error value ΔS is set according to the level of robot positioning accuracy requirements in the robot application environment. At that time, the industrial control computer does not process the data. At this time, the industrial control computer controls the servo motor to perform position correction by adjusting the pulse value sent to the motor driver, so that the drive wheel rotates less or more to achieve the required positioning accuracy; S6, Barcode Cleaning: Building upon S3, if a barcode cannot be recognized, skip this barcode and recognize the next one. Send the position feedback to the industrial control computer and continue executing S5. Simultaneously, record the barcode's position information and continue executing background commands. After completing the background task, the robot returns to its starting position. When it reaches a location where a barcode cannot be recognized, activate the barcode cleaning mechanism. The micro-gear motor rotates, de-tensioning the steel cable. Under the action of the tension spring, the four-bar linkage drives the barcode eraser to press against the track from the side until it is firmly against the track. At this point, the industrial control computer sends a reciprocating motion command to the driver, and the robot performs the eraser action to wipe the problematic barcode. Moving forward backward movement , The barcode camera moves back and forth three times, scanning the areas where barcodes cannot be read. After scanning, the camera scans the scanned barcodes again. If the scan is successful, the camera continues to execute the previous return command. If the scan fails, the scanning process is repeated three times. If the barcode still cannot be read after three repetitions, the location number of the barcode is sent back to the control terminal before the camera returns to its home position.

Images