A method for cleaning accumulated slag on arch frames and a method for using tunneling machines

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for cleaning debris from tunnel arches and a method for using a tunnel boring machine. The method includes the following steps: scanning the arch area along the tunnel extension direction using a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner; determining the arch outline based on RFID tags pre-installed on the arch; scanning the outline of at least the lower half of the tunnel; simultaneously obtaining the debris outline by combining the arch outline; and performing debris cleaning based on the debris outline. This invention uses RFID positioning technology to locate the debris cleaning boundary, effectively solving the problems of poor applicability, low efficiency, and low reliability of existing tunnel debris cleaning equipment and methods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for cleaning accumulated debris on an arch frame and a method for using a tunnel boring machine, belonging to the field of tunnel construction technology, and particularly to the field of cleaning accumulated debris during tunnel construction. Background Technology

[0002] Full-face hard rock tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have become essential equipment in tunnel engineering construction, and are widely used in water conservancy tunnels, urban rail transit, municipal transportation, and railway tunnels. During TBM excavation, phenomena such as rock bursts and roof collapses often occur, leading to severe muck accumulation at the tunnel bottom.

[0003] Because the steel arch frame assembly machine is located at the front of the TBM, and there is no support in front of it, the accumulation of slag in this area is particularly serious. After the steel arch frames are assembled into rings, there will be a large amount of slag between the two rings of steel arch frames. If it is not cleaned in time, it will cause delays in the shotcreting of the tunnel wall, the laying of the inverted arch blocks and the laying of the track, which will restrict the construction progress and affect the support quality.

[0004] In recent years, the industry has conducted extensive research on the problem of muck removal by tunnel boring machines. To achieve automated muck removal, mechanical devices combined with identification devices are often used to clean the accumulated muck at the bottom of the tunnel. However, current research rarely considers the impact of assembled steel arch frames on automatic muck removal devices, nor does it consider the impact of large boulders on automatic muck removal. Obviously, both assembled steel arch frames and large boulders will restrict the operation of muck removal devices. If the impact of these two factors is not considered and automatic muck removal machines are used directly, it is very easy to damage the assembled steel arch frames and muck removal devices, leading to safety accidents.

[0005] Chinese patent application CN115306423A discloses a method and apparatus for cleaning slag accumulation in a ring-shaped area formed by steel arches. This method is based on using a line laser scanner to identify the depth of the steel arch and slag. For slag exceeding a certain depth, the end-bucket performs an arc-shaped movement to excavate and clean it. However, line laser scanners are expensive, and the high temperature, humidity, and vibration at the construction site pose challenges to the reliability of these precision scanners. Dust generated during the excavation process by the robotic arm also interferes with and obstructs the laser, reducing identification accuracy. Furthermore, inaccurate identification of the steel arch position can lead to interference between the robotic arm and the arch, potentially causing accidents. Moreover, this solution only identifies the depth of the slag accumulation and cannot distinguish between large piles of slag and large boulders. It also lacks targeted cleaning methods for slag of different volumes, and the reliance on the arc-shaped bucket movement makes it difficult to effectively remove large boulders and may even damage the cleaning robotic arm. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for cleaning slag accumulation on arch frames and a method for using a tunneling machine, in order to solve the problems of poor reliability and high cost of existing automatic slag cleaning systems in arch frame areas.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention includes: The technical solution of the arch frame debris cleaning method of the present invention includes the following steps: scanning the arch frame area with a radio frequency identification scanner along the tunnel extension direction, determining the arch frame outline based on the radio frequency identification tags pre-set on the arch frame; performing outline scanning on at least the lower half of the tunnel, and obtaining the debris outline by combining the arch frame outline, and performing debris cleaning based on the debris outline.

[0008] This invention proposes an automatic slag removal method for arch frame areas based on radio frequency communication technology to identify the arch frame outline. Compared with the prior art, this method solves the problem that the identification of steel arch frames using cameras or laser scanners is greatly affected by the tunnel environment, and has the advantages of high reliability and low cost.

[0009] Furthermore, when the radio frequency identification tag is scanned, the current scanning position coordinates are recorded, and the arch profile of the corresponding arch in the tunnel is determined based on the three-dimensional features of the arch and the diameter information of the tunnel wall.

[0010] By scanning the location of the pre-embedded label on the arch frame and combining the size and outline of the arch frame itself with the pre-embedded position of the label in the arch frame, the outline of the corresponding arch frame in the tunnel can be determined simply and reliably.

[0011] Furthermore, the radio frequency identification tag is an RFID tag, and the radio frequency identification scanner is an RFID scanner.

[0012] Furthermore, after obtaining the lower half of the tunnel contour through contour scanning, the set of all arch frame contours is subtracted from the lower half of the tunnel contour to obtain the slag accumulation contour.

[0013] A contour scan of the lower section of the tunnel is performed to obtain the characteristics of the debris. For example, a line laser scanner can be used to scan the outer contour of the lower section of the tunnel. Although line laser scanners are susceptible to environmental influences, the most critical arch identification uses radio frequency identification (RFID). Errors or inaccuracies in arch identification can lead to serious consequences. Collisions between the debris-clearing robot and the arch may damage both the robot and the arch. However, deviations in debris identification at most result in incomplete debris removal and will not lead to overly serious consequences. Furthermore, using a line laser scanner to identify debris is less affected by the complex lighting conditions inside the tunnel, reflections from the steel arch surface, and surface water, making it highly practical.

[0014] Furthermore, the slag cleaning based on the slag contour includes extracting contour data reflecting the volume of individual slag stones based on the slag contour, classifying individual slag stones into large boulders and others based on the contour data, and crushing the large boulders with corresponding tools before transporting them.

[0015] Based on the characteristics of the slag, large boulders are identified. Directly using the excavator bucket on large boulders may damage the bucket. Therefore, the slag cleaning method of this invention first crushes large boulders before cleaning to avoid damage to the slag cleaning robot.

[0016] Furthermore, based on the contour data, individual slag stones are classified into medium-sized boulders, which are individual slag stones with a size smaller than the diameter of the gripper opening. After being gripped by the gripper, the medium-sized boulders are placed on a transfer tool and transferred out.

[0017] For medium-sized boulders, the gripper can be used to grab and transport them directly, further improving the efficiency of slag removal and extending the service life of the bucket tool.

[0018] Furthermore, the slag contour is represented by a spatial rectangular coordinate system within the tunnel, and the vertical axis coordinate of the corresponding position contour is used as the contour data; if the vertical axis coordinate is greater than a first set value, it is considered that the large boulder exists at that position; if the vertical axis coordinate is less than the first set value but greater than a second set value, it is considered that the medium-sized boulder exists at that position.

[0019] The size of boulders is determined by the longitudinal coordinate data of the slag contour features. It is assumed that the fine slag will be evenly scattered and spread at the bottom of the tunnel without large bulges. Therefore, if the longitudinal dimension data is greater than a certain value, it can be judged as a large boulder. The solution is simple and easy to implement.

[0020] Furthermore, for other locations within the slag outline, a milling head is first used to mill and loosen the consolidated slag. Then, a bucket tool is used to move in an arc along the lower half of the inner circumference of the tunnel to scoop up the slag and place it into a transfer tool for transport.

[0021] This invention provides targeted classification and processing of slag and stone with different characteristics, effectively improving the quality of slag cleaning work, extending equipment life, and exhibiting a high degree of automation and intelligence.

[0022] The present invention provides a technical solution for a tunneling machine, including a slag-cleaning robot that moves along the main beam direction, and an RFID scanner for scanning RFID tags preset on the arch frame, wherein the RFID scanner is used to determine the arch frame outline based on the identification tags.

[0023] Furthermore, the radio frequency identification tag is an RFID tag, and the radio frequency identification scanner is an RFID scanner.

[0024] Furthermore, it also includes a contour scanner for recognizing the contour of slag at the bottom of the tunnel; the slag removal robot includes a breaker end tool as an actuator, which is used to break up large boulders identified based on the contour of the slag.

[0025] Furthermore, the slag-cleaning robot also includes a gripper end tool as an actuator, which is used to clamp medium-sized boulders, whose size is smaller than the gripper opening diameter as determined by the slag contour, into a transfer device for transfer.

[0026] Furthermore, the slag removal robot also includes a milling head end tool as an actuator, which is used to mill the slag accumulation locations of non-large boulders and non-medium boulders.

[0027] Furthermore, the slag removal robot also includes a bucket end tool as an actuator, which is used to scoop up the milled slag and transport it to a transfer device for transfer out of the tunnel.

[0028] This invention proposes a tunnel boring machine (TBM) capable of comprehensively cleaning slag accumulation in the arch frame area at the bottom of a tunnel. Besides clearing slag from open areas at the tunnel bottom, it can also clean slag between multi-ring steel arch frames, improving tunnel construction efficiency and support quality. It utilizes radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to identify the arch frame outline within the tunnel, ensuring high reliability. Furthermore, different cleaning methods are employed based on the type of slag accumulation, resulting in high cleaning efficiency, extended lifespan of the cleaning robot, and cleaner cleaning. Ultimately, it achieves automatic slag cleaning, replacing manual labor. Slag can be directly transported out of the tunnel via a conveyor belt, eliminating the need for secondary manual transfer, saving manpower and resources, and reducing construction risks. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a partial schematic diagram of a TBM equipped with a slag removal device to which the method of the present invention applies; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the slag removal device to which the method of the present invention applies; Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the slag feature recognition process in the method of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the slag removal construction method in the present invention; Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the characteristics of the slag deposit obtained by a line laser scanner.

[0030] The diagram includes: 1. Cutterhead; 2. Main beam; 21. Slag inlet; 211. Slag chute; 3. Slag cleaning device; 31. Connecting seat; 311. Main mounting plate; 312. Drive wheel set; 313. Travel drive motor; 314. Rotary drive motor; 32. Mechanical arm; 321. Connecting arm; 322. First boom section; 323. Second boom section; 324. Rotary seat; 325. Wrist rotary reducer; 326. Swing seat; 327. Rotary seat; 33. End effector; 331. Bucket. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0032] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated method and related equipment for cleaning debris accumulated on tunnel bottom arches. This method can reliably and cost-effectively eliminate the impact of steel arches on debris cleaning in tunnels, and can automatically select a suitable cleaning mechanism based on the characteristics of the debris at the tunnel bottom. Previous research in the industry has not considered the impact of large boulders on the capabilities of automated debris cleaning equipment, and has also rarely considered the impact of assembled steel arches on the debris cleaning device, thus having limitations in engineering applications. Furthermore, previous studies have mostly used machine vision or lidar for debris identification. Due to the complex lighting environment inside tunnels and the frequent presence of water at the tunnel bottom, laser ranging and camera imaging are significantly affected. Additionally, the complex metallic background of hard rock tunnel boring machines makes stable visual image segmentation and point cloud segmentation extremely difficult. This invention addresses these problems specifically and proposes corresponding solutions, which can improve the efficiency, automation, and reliability of debris cleaning at the tunnel bottom, and significantly reduce manual labor intensity.

[0033] To achieve the above objectives, the slag removal device of this invention includes: a multi-degree-of-freedom slag removal robotic arm with a quick-change end effector, a tool magazine-type quick-change end effector toolbox, a slag accumulation feature identification device, an RFID tag locator, and an auxiliary belt conveyor. It is also required that the steel arch frame be equipped with RFID positioning tags. The slag removal robotic arm is mounted on the TBM main beam to clean the slag accumulation at the bottom of the tunnel below the main beam. A tool magazine-type toolbox is located next to the slag removal robotic arm, containing multiple end effectors, including a milling head, a hydraulic breaker, grippers, and a shell bucket (or other types of buckets). The end effectors can be automatically connected to the robotic arm via the quick-change mechanism and obtain driving power from the robotic arm. Before being supported, the steel arch frame used for tunnel support is affixed with low-cost RFID tags for positioning. When the RFID tag locator mounted on the robotic arm passes over the steel arch frame, it reads the steel arch frame information, including its position and ring number, thereby determining the slag removal boundary to avoid the steel arch frame. The slag feature recognition device consists of a high-precision laser 3D line scan camera. Combined with the translation position sensor of the robotic arm on the main beam, it can scan and image the slag area below. Combined with RFID for positioning the steel arch, the slag features at the bottom of the tunnel can be obtained intuitively.

[0034] In the automatic cleaning method for slag accumulation at the bottom of the tunnel in this invention, RFID is used to locate the steel arch frame. This method is highly adaptable and reliable, unaffected by the external environment, and can directly obtain the position information of the steel arch frame. Combined with a slag accumulation feature recognition device, the model features of the slag accumulation area can be directly measured. The slag accumulation cleaning boundary is determined based on the tunnel wall diameter and the position of the steel arch frame, without the need for complex image segmentation or point cloud segmentation processing algorithms. After obtaining the slag accumulation features at the bottom of the tunnel, the following construction method is used to clean the slag: First, based on the slag accumulation features, it is determined whether there are large boulders and the diameter of the large boulders is calculated. If so, an appropriate end effector is selected for processing based on the diameter of the boulders. For example, if the diameter is larger than the gripper diameter, the slag removal robot arm uses a quick-change connector to connect to the breaker hammer in the tool magazine to break the boulder. Then, it switches to the gripper actuator in the tool magazine to transport the broken boulder to the transport trolley and move it outside the tunnel. If the diameter is smaller than the gripper, the gripper actuator is used directly to transport the boulder to the trolley and then to the outside of the tunnel. After the boulder is processed, the milling head actuator is used to mill and break the slag below along the tunnel wall contour and slag boundary. Then, it switches to the shell bucket to clean the bottom debris and transfer it to the auxiliary belt conveyor or transport trolley. The debris is then transferred to the main belt conveyor and then to the outside of the tunnel via the auxiliary belt conveyor or transport trolley.

[0035] Therefore, this invention can achieve fully automated cleaning of slag and rock at the bottom of the tunnel. This method is highly adaptable to the construction site environment, has a high degree of automation, can reduce the intensity of manual labor, and improve the efficiency of construction operations.

[0036] 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 some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] Example of a method for cleaning accumulated debris from arch frames: First, the tunneling machine to which the method of the present invention is applicable will be introduced.

[0038] like Figure 1 The diagram shown is a partial schematic of a TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) with a slag-cleaning device to which the method of the present invention is applicable. It includes a cutterhead 1, a main beam 2, and a slag-cleaning device 3. The slag-cleaning device 3 is installed below the main beam 2 and can move horizontally along the main beam direction on a slide rail below the main beam 2. A slag inlet 21 is provided on the side wall of the main beam 2, and an inclined slag chute 211 is provided at the slag inlet 21. The slag-cleaning device 3 places or dumps slag onto the slag chute 211, and the slag then falls along the slag chute 211 onto a transport trolley or conveyor belt inside the main beam 2, transporting the slag backward.

[0039] Slag removal device 3 is a slag removal robot with eight degrees of freedom, the specific structure of which is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the device includes a connecting seat 31, a robotic arm 32 hinged to the connecting seat 31, and an end effector 33 connected to the end of the robotic arm 32 via a quick-change mechanism. The end effector shown in the figure is a muck-cleaning bucket. The connecting seat 31 is used to suspend and travel on a lifting beam track 22 located below the main beam 2. The connecting seat 31 includes a main mounting plate 311 movably suspended on the lower side of the lifting beam track 7 via a drive wheel set 312. The lifting beam track 22 is specifically an I-beam structure, arranged along the extension direction of the main beam 2 of the tunneling machine. Its upper end is used to connect to the main beam 2. The rollers of the drive wheel set 312 are located in the grooves of the lifting beam track 22 and cooperate with the lower wing plates of the I-beam structure of the lifting beam track 22. A travel drive motor 313 is provided on the main mounting plate 311 to drive the drive wheel set 312 to rotate, enabling the muck-cleaning device to move a long distance along the tunneling direction, forming the first degree of freedom of the muck-cleaning robot. In this embodiment, two parallel suspension rails 22 are arranged under the main beam 2. Correspondingly, two sets of drive wheel sets 312 and a walking drive motor 313 are arranged on the main mounting plate 311.

[0040] A connecting arm 321 of the robotic arm 32 is fixed to the lower side of the main mounting plate 311 via a rotary support. The connecting arm 321, along with the entire robotic arm 32, can rotate circumferentially via a rotary drive motor 314 fixed to the upper surface of the main mounting plate 311. This circumferential rotation of the connecting arm 321 forms the second degree of freedom for the slag-cleaning robot. The length of the connecting arm 321 is such that the horizontal distance between its hinge point with the robotic arm 32 and the center of the rotary support is greater than the horizontal distance between the side wall of the main beam 2 on the same side and the center of the rotary support, so that the robotic arm 32 can flip up to unload the slag into the slag inlet 21. Specifically, the robotic arm 32 also includes a first arm segment 322 (upper arm) and a second arm segment 323 (lower arm) hinged to the connecting arm 321. One end of the first arm segment 322 is hinged to the connecting arm 321, and a large arm swing cylinder is provided at the hinge point to drive the first arm segment 322 to swing relative to the connecting arm 321. The swing of the first arm segment 322 relative to the connecting arm 321 forms the third degree of freedom of the slag cleaning robot. The other end of the first arm segment 322 is bent and hinged to the second arm segment 323. A lower arm swing cylinder is provided at the hinge point to drive the second arm segment 323 to swing relative to the first arm segment 322. The swing of the second arm segment 323 relative to the first arm segment 322 forms the fourth degree of freedom of the slag cleaning robot.

[0041] To ensure that the robotic arm 32 can move the end effector 33 to the set position, in this embodiment, the second arm segment 323 is set as a telescopic arm segment. The extension and retraction of the second arm segment 323 form the fifth degree of freedom of the slag cleaning robot. The extension and retraction of the second arm segment 323 is driven by the arm telescopic hydraulic cylinder.

[0042] The other end of the second arm segment 323 is also connected to a rotating base 324. The rotating base 324 can rotate around the central axis of the second arm segment 323, forming the sixth degree of freedom of the slag cleaning robot. In order to drive the rotation of the rotating base 324, a hydraulically driven wrist rotation reducer 325 is provided corresponding to the rotating base 324.

[0043] The distal end of the robotic arm 32 also includes a swing seat 326 and a rotary seat 327. The swing seat 326 is hinged to the rotary seat 324. A hand swing cylinder is provided on the swing seat 326 to drive the swing seat 326 to swing relative to the rotary seat 324. The swing of the swing seat 326 relative to the rotary seat 324 forms the seventh degree of freedom of the slag cleaning robot. A rotary seat 327 is also provided at the end of the swing seat 326. A quick-change mechanism is installed on the rotary seat 327. The rotation of the end effector 33 installed on the quick-change mechanism forms the eighth degree of freedom of the slag cleaning robot. In order to drive the rotation of the end effector 33, a hand rotation reducer with hydraulic drive is provided on the rotary seat 327.

[0044] The quick-change mechanism (not shown in the figure) connects to the end effector 33. In this embodiment, it is used as... Figure 2 The end effector 33 shown is a bucket 331. The bucket 331 can remove relatively fine debris, but it is difficult to remove large boulders. Forcing the bucket to be used on large boulders may damage the bucket.

[0045] The main beam 2 is equipped with a tool magazine (not shown in the figure) at a position accessible to the end of the slag cleaning device 3. The slag cleaning device 3 can select and replace the appropriate end effector from the tool magazine through the quick-change mechanism set at the end of the robotic arm 32 to deal with different slag conditions and complete the slag cleaning work.

[0046] Specifically, robotic arms with quick-change mechanisms are mature existing technology. Specific technical solutions can be found in excavators with quick-change devices, such as the published text of Chinese patent application CN110453742A. This invention does not limit or elaborate on the specific structure and operation of the quick-change mechanism. The tool magazine-type toolbox is used to store different end effectors. It is only necessary to ensure that the connection part of the end effector to the quick-change mechanism is exposed outwards, leaving sufficient space for loading and unloading the end effector. The robotic arm moves to the position corresponding to different end effectors, and the quick-change mechanism is used to change the different end effectors.

[0047] In practice, the position of the robotic arm 32 along the tunnel axis is adjusted by moving the main mounting plate 311 back and forth along the lifting beam rail 22. Then, through the movement of the robotic arm 32, the end effector 33 is sent to the slag removal operation position to break up large pieces of slag and clamp smaller pieces onto the slag chute 211, or the slag is scooped up and dumped onto the slag chute 211 using a bucket. Figure 1As shown, after the robotic arm 32 extends and raises the bucket 331 to a position higher than the chute 211, the bucket 331 is located on the side of the robotic arm 32 facing away from the main beam 2, with the bucket opening facing upwards. At this time, the control system controls the corresponding drive motor to drive the rotary seat 324 to rotate, so that the bucket 331 rotates to the position directly above the chute 211 and reaches the unloading position. Then, the control system controls the corresponding drive motor to drive the rotary seat 327 to rotate, so that the bucket 331 rotates relative to the swing seat 326 (bucket rotation), dumping the slag onto the chute 211. The slag slides along the chute 211 onto the slag conveyor inside the main beam 2. The process of the corresponding end effector 33 for clamping small boulders clamping the boulders and feeding them into the slag conveyor is similar to the control process of the bucket 331 dumping slag, and will not be described again here.

[0048] The excavator with a slag-cleaning robot described above is installed inside the main beam. As another implementation, the slag-cleaning conveyor can also be in other forms or be installed in other locations. Accordingly, the degree of freedom and structure of the slag-cleaning robot need to be adapted to meet the requirement that the end of the slag-cleaning robot can reach at least any position to be cleaned in the arch ring area inside the tunnel, and at the same time reach the unloading position of the slag-cleaning conveyor and complete the unloading.

[0049] After the exemplary introduction of the cleaning robot applicable to the arch frame slag cleaning method of the present invention, the arch frame slag cleaning method is described below. The construction method includes the identification of slag characteristics at the bottom of the tunnel and cleaning construction methods adapted to different types of slag.

[0050] Identification of slag features includes determining the slag removal boundary, i.e., determining the slag removal area, identifying different types of slag, and locating isolated boulders: During the prefabrication of steel arch frames, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are pre-embedded. At the same time, arch frame information or an identifier that can be mapped to arch frame information is written in the tags. Arch frame information can be further obtained through methods such as table lookup by the identifier. When the RFID scanner scans the RFID tag of the corresponding steel arch frame, the arch frame information is obtained, or the arch frame information can be obtained through the identifier.

[0051] Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can be used, and RFID tags are essentially RFID smart tags. When an RFID wireless locator scans an RFID smart tag, it can read the relevant data. RFID technology can also be Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, using NFC tags and readers respectively. This embodiment will use RFID as an example to describe the method of the present invention.

[0052] This invention categorizes slag accumulation into isolated boulders and ordinary slag. Ordinary slag can be removed using a bucket as disclosed in, for example, the scheme in Chinese patent application CN114273282A. This application will not go into detail about the method for identifying isolated boulders and the method for cleaning slag accumulation for isolated boulders.

[0053] The process for identifying the features of the sludge deposit is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the process is as follows.

[0054] 1. Before starting the slag removal, the multi-degree-of-freedom slag removal robot sweeps the slag removal area from back to front along the main beam; 2. The RFID wireless locator starts working. When it passes the steel arch, the RFID wireless locator installed on it receives a feedback signal from the smart tag and records the current movement coordinates. After marking the position of the steel arch based on the tunnel wall diameter information, it establishes a three-dimensional information set A of the steel arch based on its three-dimensional features (A=( x 1i , y 1i , z 1i )); 3. Simultaneously, as the slag-clearing robot begins to move, the laser 3D camera (line laser scanner) mounted on it starts scanning, scanning the position information (x, y) of the slag below. At the same time, based on the position sensor of the slag-clearing robot, the z-axis coordinate is obtained. Therefore, the set of slag accumulation information B below can be obtained (B = ( x 2i , y 2i , z 2i The identified set of slag features with steel arch profiles is as follows: Figure 5 As shown; the specific method for scanning the outline features of the steel arch frame of the slag accumulation at the bottom of the tunnel using a line laser scanner has been clearly described in Chinese patent application document CN115306423A, which is mentioned in the background section, and will not be repeated here. 4. Data fusion: After fusing the information of the accumulated slag below with the information of the tunnel wall, we obtain a three-dimensional information set B' of the accumulated slag plus the steel arch frame, and a three-dimensional set of slag soil C = B' - A; 5. Based on the characteristics of the isolated rock, for the points in set C ( x ci , y ci , z ci Data is extracted, and the region with a Z-axis coordinate greater than the feature value d of the isolated rock is identified as the isolated rock region. Its location information is marked and transmitted to the control system of the multi-degree-of-freedom slag removal robot.

[0055] Cleaning methods and procedures adapted to different types of slag are as follows: Figure 4 As shown, it includes the following steps: First, based on the results of the isolated rock feature identification, it is determined whether there are large isolated rocks that need to be removed. If so, the isolated rock removal process begins. 1. Based on the characteristics of the isolated rock, if the size of the isolated rock is larger than the diameter of the gripper in the end effector tool magazine (hereinafter referred to as the toolbox or toolbox), the breaker hammer in the toolbox is selected to crush the isolated rock. The multi-degree-of-freedom slag removal robot connects to the breaker hammer actuator in the toolbox via the end quick-change interface according to the preset path, and then plans the end motion path to the corresponding isolated rock. The breaker hammer is used to crush the isolated rock. If the size of the isolated rock is smaller than the diameter of the gripper in the end effector tool magazine, the gripper actuator in the toolbox is selected to directly grip the corresponding isolated rock and put the isolated rock into the slag transporter for transportation. 2. After larger boulders are broken up, the jaws or shell buckets in the toolbox are connected via quick-change interfaces to place the boulder fragments into the transport device and remove them from the cave. 3. After the isolated boulders are processed, the cleaning boundary is determined based on the location of the steel arch frame and the slag information obtained from the RFID data tag positioning. The area within the cleaning boundary is the cleaning area that avoids the steel arch frame. 4. The end of the slag removal robot is connected to the milling head in the toolbox via a quick-change interface to mill and break the slag removal area, loosening the solidified slag below. 5. The end effector of the slag removal robot is replaced with a shell bucket actuator, which shovels the loose slag to the slag transport machine, and then the slag transport machine removes it from the tunnel.

[0056] Tunneling machine example: The tunneling machine of the present invention has been described sufficiently clearly in the method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

Claims

1. A method of using a tunneling machine, comprising a slag-cleaning robot that moves along the main beam direction and performs slag cleaning based on a three-dimensional aggregate of slag, characterized in that, The system includes an RFID scanner for scanning RFID tags pre-installed on the arch frame, which is used to determine the arch frame outline based on the RFID tags. The tunneling machine identifies the three-dimensional set of excavated soil through the following steps: scanning the arch frame area along the tunnel extension direction using the RFID scanner, recording the current scanning position coordinates when scanning RFID tags pre-installed on the arch frame, marking the position of the steel arch frame based on the tunnel wall diameter information, and establishing a three-dimensional information set of the steel arch frame based on its three-dimensional features; performing an outline scan on at least the lower half of the tunnel to obtain an information set of excavated soil containing the outline features of the steel arch frame at the bottom of the tunnel, fusing the excavated soil information set with the tunnel wall information to obtain a three-dimensional information set of excavated soil plus steel arch frame, and then subtracting the three-dimensional information set of the steel arch frame to obtain a three-dimensional set of excavated soil; the RFID scanner is installed on a slag removal robot for performing slag removal; the slag removal robot also includes an outline scanner for scanning the outline of the lower half of the tunnel, and the slag removal robot has the ability to move along the tunnel extension direction. The first degree of freedom; the slag removal robot includes a breaker hammer end tool, a gripper end tool, a milling head end tool, and a bucket end tool as actuators. The breaker hammer end tool is used to break large boulders determined based on the three-dimensional set of slag. The gripper end tool is used to clamp medium-sized boulders smaller than the gripper diameter determined based on the three-dimensional set of slag and transfer them into a transfer device. The milling head end tool is used to mill the slag accumulation positions of non-large boulders and non-medium-sized boulders. The bucket end tool is used to scoop up the milled slag and transport it to the transfer device for transport out of the tunnel. If the size of the boulder is larger than the diameter of the gripper in the toolbox, the breaker hammer in the toolbox is used to break the boulder. After breaking, the boulder fragments are placed into the transport device through a quick-change interface and transported out of the tunnel. If the size of the boulder is smaller than the diameter of the gripper in the toolbox, the gripper actuator in the toolbox is used to directly clamp the corresponding boulder and put it into the slag transport machine for transport out.

2. The method of using a tunneling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slag cleaning process based on the three-dimensional set of slag includes: extracting contour data reflecting the volume of individual slag stones from the three-dimensional set of slag stones; classifying individual slag stones into large boulders and others based on the contour data; and crushing the large boulders with appropriate tools before transporting them.

3. The method of using a tunneling machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, Based on the contour data, individual slag stones are further classified into medium-sized boulders, which are individual slag stones with a size smaller than the diameter of the gripper opening. After being gripped by the gripper, the medium-sized boulders are placed on a transfer tool and transported out.

4. The method of using the tunneling machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The three-dimensional set of excavated soil is represented by a spatial rectangular coordinate system within the tunnel, with the vertical axis coordinate of the corresponding location contour used as the contour data; if the vertical axis coordinate is greater than a first set value, it is considered that the large boulder exists at that location; if the vertical axis coordinate is less than the first set value but greater than a second set value, it is considered that the medium-sized boulder exists at that location.

5. The method of using the tunneling machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, For other locations within the three-dimensional aggregate of slag and soil, first use a milling head to mill and loosen the consolidated slag and soil, then use a bucket tool to move in an arc along the lower half of the inner circumference of the tunnel to shovel up the accumulated slag and put it into a transfer tool for transfer.

6. The method of using a tunneling machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, RFID tags are pre-embedded in the arch frame during prefabrication, and the arch frame information or an identifier that can be mapped to the arch frame information is written in the RFID tag.

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