A Warning System and Method for Maintenance Areas of Hydropower Stations Based on Laser Sensing and Light and Shadow

Abstract

This invention discloses a warning system and method for maintenance areas of hydropower stations based on laser sensing and light and shadow, comprising: a back-end management terminal, a local control unit, an area boundary crossing warning device, a projection matrix device, and a panel door opening warning device. The area boundary crossing warning device is used to identify personnel intrusion and determine its direction; the projection matrix device is used to create a virtual visual isolation zone on the ground; the panel door opening warning device is used to provide a live signal after the equipment panel door is opened; and the local control unit is used to send data from the back-end management terminal to the area boundary crossing warning device, the projection matrix device, and the panel door opening warning device, or to send data received from the area boundary crossing warning device, the projection matrix device, and the panel door opening warning device to the back-end management terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of hydropower station maintenance technology, and more specifically to a warning system and method for hydropower station maintenance areas based on laser sensing and light and shadow. Background Technology

[0002] In hydropower station maintenance, temporary isolation measures are necessary to separate the equipment operating area from the maintenance area. This prevents personnel from accidentally entering other energized areas due to negligence or failure to follow operating procedures, which could disrupt power safety, cause damage, or even endanger personal safety. Existing isolation measures for maintenance and operating areas primarily involve installing physical fences and standing signs. Distinguishing between maintenance and energized control panels mainly involves hanging "Operation" signs and "Working Here" signs. However, these current isolation and warning methods suffer from drawbacks such as being labor-intensive to install, time-consuming, providing limited sensory feedback, and lacking intelligent control and monitoring capabilities. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a warning system and method for maintenance areas of hydropower stations based on laser sensing and light and shadow, in order to solve the technical problems in the background art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] A hydropower station maintenance area warning system based on laser sensing and light and shadow includes: a back-end management terminal, a local control unit, an area boundary crossing warning device, a projection matrix device, and a panel door opening warning device.

[0006] Area boundary crossing warning device, used to identify personnel intrusion and determine their direction;

[0007] Projection matrix device for creating virtual visual isolation zones on the ground;

[0008] Panel cabinet door opening warning device is used to indicate that the equipment panel cabinet is energized after the door is opened;

[0009] The local control unit is used to send data from the back-end management terminal to the area boundary crossing warning device, projection matrix device, and cabinet door opening warning device, or to send data received from the area boundary crossing warning device, projection matrix device, and cabinet door opening warning device to the back-end management terminal.

[0010] In some embodiments, the area boundary crossing warning device includes: a laser device, a processor, a camera, and a wireless communication module. The laser device can determine the direction of movement of personnel based on the sequence of laser interruptions. The processor is used to turn on the camera. The camera is used to record intruders. After receiving the turn-on signal from the processor, the camera sends the video to the local control unit via the wireless communication module and uploads it to the background management terminal for storage.

[0011] In some embodiments, the area boundary crossing warning device further includes a speaker, which provides a voice prompt when an intruder enters. Upon receiving an activation signal from the processor, the speaker starts a built-in broadcast program to continuously broadcast the warning voice.

[0012] In some embodiments, the projection matrix device includes: a plurality of high-lumen projectors and an intelligent control module, wherein the high-lumen projectors are used to project onto the ground according to the display data set by the system; the ground projection is located between the interval areas of the two units, and the projection area is perpendicular to the channel direction to form two red-green contrast images.

[0013] In some embodiments, the panel cabinet door opening warning device includes: an intelligent module, a flashing warning light, and a voice player. The intelligent module is used to identify whether the panel cabinet door is open or closed. When the panel cabinet door is detected to be open, the intelligent module is used to control the flashing warning light and the voice player to work.

[0014] This embodiment also provides a method for warning of maintenance areas in hydropower stations based on laser sensing and light and shadow, including the following steps:

[0015] Based on the area boundary crossing warning device, the intrusion of personnel and the direction of intrusion are identified;

[0016] A virtual visual isolation zone on the ground is created based on a projection matrix device;

[0017] The panel cabinet door opening warning device identifies the panel cabinet door opening status and provides corresponding live alerts.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this invention compared to the prior art are:

[0019] This invention utilizes innovative intelligent device linkage to make the warning layout of maintenance areas in hydropower station maintenance work intelligent, comprehensive, visual, and efficient. It increases multi-sensory stimulation, including sound and light, providing workers with more identification markers for maintenance areas, thereby reducing the risk of accidentally entering energized areas. Furthermore, it improves the control of power station operators over the safety measures in on-site maintenance areas, eliminating the need for frequent on-site checks. The system also allows for real-time updates to equipment module status on the backend management terminal, enabling immediate adjustments to warnings in those areas and significantly enhancing the safety of power station maintenance sites. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the hydropower station maintenance area warning system based on laser sensing and light and shadow technology according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a system workflow diagram. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar components or components having the same or similar functions throughout. The described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of this application. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0023] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0025] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0026] Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, product, or display that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or display.

[0027] The following will combine Figure 1-2This application provides a detailed description of the warning system and method for maintenance areas of hydropower stations based on laser sensing and light and shadow, as described in the embodiments of this application. It is worth noting that the following embodiments are merely for explaining this application and do not constitute a limitation thereof.

[0028] The system integrates intelligent devices such as projected screen prompts, laser boundary crossing reminders, and panel cabinet sound and light alarms, providing comprehensive warnings for the equipment in the maintenance area. It proactively warns against personnel going to the wrong area or accidentally entering live compartments through multi-sensory prompts, overcoming the complacency and passivity caused by single warnings.

[0029] This system can quickly and easily deploy warning plans for hydropower station unit maintenance remotely with a single click. It can also activate or deactivate individual or partial warning devices as needed, which aligns with the actual maintenance work of hydropower stations and improves production efficiency.

[0030] Example 1:

[0031] like Figure 1-2 As shown, a hydropower station maintenance area warning system based on laser sensing and light and shadow can be quickly deployed with one click and integrates multiple prompts such as sound and light, as well as boundary crossing image acquisition.

[0032] The system mainly includes a back-end management terminal, a local control unit, a boundary crossing warning device, a projection matrix device, and a panel / cabinet door opening warning device. It can clearly mark the boundaries between maintenance and operating areas in personnel passageways, alert and record personnel crossing these boundaries, and issue alarms or warnings when nearby electrical equipment cabinet doors are opened, thus improving the safety of the hydropower station's electrical equipment maintenance process.

[0033] The back-end management terminal consists of hardware with necessary input, output, and storage functions, and is configured with control programs to manage the entire system. It can activate stored maintenance area warning strategies in real time and adjust and monitor the status of managed equipment modules in real time through a human-machine interface and communication media. The back-end management terminal pre-stores area warning system deployment plans for power plant unit maintenance. When a unit is under maintenance, the deployment plan adapted to the current unit maintenance can be activated with a single click on the visual page of the back-end management terminal. The back-end management terminal then sends data to the local control unit, which in turn sends commands to the equipment modules connected to the Wi-Fi network in that area, achieving remote one-click deployment. Furthermore, as maintenance work progresses and a portion of the maintenance is completed, the status of equipment in a specific area can be adjusted locally on the visual page of the back-end management terminal.

[0034] The local control unit serves as a communication relay device connecting various warning devices and the back-end management system within a specific area. Due to the numerous equipment zones and floors within the hydropower station, and the complex building structure, the local control unit effectively relays wired and wireless signals, providing an economical and efficient solution to communication issues. The back-end management terminal, acting as the host computer, transmits data to the required local control units via communication lines laid out in the plant. Upon receiving the signal, the local control unit forwards it via Wi-Fi to the boundary crossing warning devices, projection matrix devices, and panel opening warning devices within its jurisdiction. Furthermore, the local control unit, the back-end management terminal, and the devices in its subordinate areas can exchange data in real time, allowing changes in the status of the devices to be reflected on the visual screen of the back-end management terminal. Moreover, the smart cameras within the boundary crossing warning devices transmit video data back to the local control unit for relaying, and finally to the back-end management terminal for storage. The back-end management terminal can view the images in real time and review historical footage.

[0035] The boundary crossing warning device is located on both sides of the center line between adjacent equipment areas in the passageway. It consists of a laser device, processor, speaker, camera, and wireless communication module, and is mainly used to identify personnel intrusion and determine their direction. When on-site personnel enter the maintenance area passageway, the dual laser transmitting and receiving devices in the boundary crossing warning device can determine the personnel's direction of travel based on the sequence of laser interruptions. The laser device consists of two sets of laser transmitting and receiving devices. Under normal circumstances, the two sets of laser transmitting and receiving devices are properly connected. Due to personnel intrusion, the first set of receiving and transmitting devices will malfunction, and the second set of receiving and transmitting devices will also malfunction during the personnel's movement. The processor determines the personnel's direction of travel based on the time difference of the actions of the two sets of transmitting and receiving devices, and at the same time, the processor will activate the camera and speaker. The high-definition camera is mainly used to record intruders. After receiving the activation signal from the processor, it sends the video to the local control unit via the wireless communication module and uploads it to the back-end management terminal for storage. The speaker is mainly used for voice prompts when intruders enter. After receiving the activation signal, the speaker module starts the speaker broadcast program, repeatedly broadcasting the voice message "You have entered the maintenance area" or "You have entered the operation area".

[0036] The projection matrix device is positioned above the midline of adjacent equipment areas in the walking corridor. It consists of several high-lumen projectors and an intelligent control module, primarily used to create a virtual visual isolation zone on the ground. After a command is issued from the backend management terminal, the high-lumen projectors activate and project onto the ground according to the system's preset display data. This projection zone is located between the areas separating two units, used by personnel to distinguish between maintenance and operating equipment areas when walking within the station. The projection area is perpendicular to the corridor direction, forming two contrasting red-green images: one half with a red background and the words "Operating Area," and the other half with a green background and the words "Maintenance Area," the specific configuration depending on the actual maintenance requirements.

[0037] The panel cabinet door opening warning device is located on the top of the equipment panel cabinet and consists of an intelligent module, a flashing warning light, and a voice player. It is mainly used to provide a live warning after the equipment panel cabinet door is opened. When the cabinet door is opened, it is detected by the intelligent module, which will activate the flashing warning light and play a warning voice through the voice player to warn the staff when opening the cabinet door and prevent personnel from accidentally entering the live panel cabinet.

[0038] See Figure 2 The system's workflow is as follows: The backend management system configures warning schemes for the maintenance of one or more generating units in the hydropower station. These schemes include boundary crossing warning devices, projection matrix devices, and control panel door opening warning devices that need to be activated. Once the unit maintenance work begins, the operator selects the appropriate warning scheme for the current maintenance area on the backend management terminal and activates it with a single click. The activation command is sent to the corresponding local control unit, which then sends the corresponding signals to the boundary crossing warning devices, projection matrix devices, and control panel door opening warning devices that need to be activated. The relevant devices then enter the activation state. The backend management system also includes a visual control interface for all devices, allowing for the start and stop control of individual devices via the screen.

[0039] The local control unit acts as a signal transmission relay station for a certain area within the power plant. It converts the wired data signals from the back-end management terminal into WIFI signals covering the area, sends command signals to boundary crossing warning devices, projection matrix devices, and panel door opening warning devices within its jurisdiction, and receives signals or data from the equipment modules under its jurisdiction. It then converts the received WIFI signals and data into wired data signals and sends them to the back-end management terminal, thus realizing bidirectional data transmission and relay.

[0040] The area boundary crossing warning device, projection matrix device, and cabinet door opening warning device are the specific execution components that make up the warning function of the area. After receiving the control signal issued by the local control unit, they enter the corresponding state and perform the corresponding action after the triggering action condition.

[0041] Upon receiving an activation signal, the boundary crossing warning device enters the corresponding state required by the strategy. When a person crosses the boundary, they are identified by the laser direction recognition module within the device. At this point, the device determines the person's direction of passage based on an algorithm and sends the corresponding warning sound playback command to the speaker, which then plays the sound to alert the person to their passage. Additionally, the camera module within the device begins recording the person's boundary crossing behavior and uploads the video to the backend management terminal. This allows backend monitoring personnel to identify the current behavior of those crossing the boundary and track their past actions.

[0042] After receiving the activation signal, the projection matrix device enters the projection state required by the strategy, thus clearly defining the maintenance area and the operating area in the passage.

[0043] Upon receiving an opening signal, the panel cabinet door opening warning device enters the corresponding state required by the strategy. When personnel open the panel cabinet door, the device recognizes the open door status, issues a warning sound playback command according to the strategy to the speaker installed on the panel cabinet, and activates the audible and visual alarm. Additionally, the door opening signal is transmitted to the back-end management terminal via the opening warning device, allowing back-end monitoring personnel to monitor the status of cabinet doors in the maintenance area.

[0044] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A warning system for maintenance areas of a hydropower station based on laser sensing and light and shadow, characterized in that, include: Back-end management terminal, local control unit, area boundary crossing warning device, projection matrix device, cabinet door opening warning device, A boundary crossing warning device is used to identify intrusions and determine their direction. The device includes a laser unit, a processor, a camera, and a wireless communication module. The laser unit consists of two sets of laser transmitters and receivers. Under normal circumstances, the two sets of laser transmitters and receivers are properly connected. Due to intrusion, the first set of transmitters and receivers will malfunction, and the second set will also malfunction as the person walks. The processor determines the direction of the person's movement based on the time difference between the actions of the two sets of transmitters and receivers. Simultaneously, the processor activates the camera and speaker. The camera records the intruder. Upon receiving the activation signal from the processor, it sends the video to the local control unit via the wireless communication module and then uploads it to the backend management terminal for storage. The speaker provides an audio prompt when an intruder enters. Projection matrix device for creating virtual visual isolation zones on the ground; Panel cabinet door opening warning device is used to indicate that the equipment panel cabinet is energized after the door is opened; The local control unit is used to send data from the back-end management terminal to the area boundary crossing warning device, the projection matrix device, and the cabinet door opening warning device, or to send data received from the area boundary crossing warning device, the projection matrix device, and the cabinet door opening warning device to the back-end management terminal. The back-end management terminal has a pre-stored area warning system layout plan for power plant unit maintenance. When the unit is under maintenance, the area warning system layout plan adapted to the current unit maintenance can be activated with one click on the visual page of the back-end management terminal. The back-end management terminal sends the data to the local control unit, and the local control unit then sends commands to the area boundary crossing warning device, projection matrix device and panel door opening warning device connected to the WIFI in that area to realize remote one-click deployment.

2. The hydropower station maintenance area warning system based on laser sensing and light and shadow as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The boundary crossing warning device also includes a speaker, which provides voice prompts when intruders enter. Upon receiving an activation signal from the processor, the speaker starts its built-in broadcast program and continuously broadcasts warning messages.

3. The hydropower station maintenance area warning system based on laser sensing and light and shadow as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The projection matrix device includes: several high-lumen projectors and an intelligent control module. The high-lumen projectors are used to project onto the ground according to the display data set by the system. The ground projection is located between the interval areas of the two units, and the projection area is perpendicular to the channel direction to form two red-green contrast images.

4. The hydropower station maintenance area warning system based on laser sensing and light and shadow as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The panel cabinet door opening warning device includes: an intelligent module, a flashing warning light, and a voice player. The intelligent module is used to identify whether the panel cabinet door is open or closed. When the panel cabinet door is detected to be open, the intelligent module is used to control the flashing warning light and the voice player to work.

5. A warning method for maintenance areas of hydropower stations based on laser sensing and light and shadow, characterized in that, The hydropower station maintenance area warning system based on laser sensing and light and shadow, as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, includes the following steps: Based on the area boundary crossing warning device, the intrusion of personnel and the direction of intrusion are identified; Creating a virtual visual isolation zone on the ground based on a projection matrix device; The panel cabinet door opening warning device identifies the panel cabinet door opening status and provides corresponding power-on prompts.

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