Automatic can-buggy holding guiding system and method

Abstract

The application provides a kind of automatic can holding guide system and method of can holding vehicle, applied to the can holding operation of can holding vehicle;Including several laser radars, and vehicle-mounted computing unit, several the laser radar is used to obtain the profile information of slag tank;The vehicle-mounted computing unit obtains the position information of slag tank by analyzing the profile information of slag tank, and guides the can holding vehicle to hold the slag tank;The laser radar is in communication connection with vehicle-mounted computing unit.The application uses the mode of laser radar laser emission instead of the mode of camera shooting in the prior art, uses the ranging, profile scanning, positioning function of laser, makes up the lack of camera visual perception, ensures that the can holding vehicle holds the slag tank tightly, avoids the risk of slag tank falling off during the movement of can holding vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automatic tank-holding status scanning systems and equipment for tank-holding trucks, and in particular to an automatic tank-holding guidance system and method for tank-holding trucks. Background Technology

[0002] Slag ladle trucks are special vehicles used in smelting plants for transporting and unloading waste slag. In waste slag processing, the use of water spray cooling for molten slag poses a high safety risk, frequently resulting in slag ladle explosions that damage equipment and severely threaten the lives of workers. If a slag ladle truck malfunctions during ladle handling, personnel must work for extended periods in the intense heat radiation environment of the hot slag ladle, facing significant safety risks. Similarly, slag ladle slurry splashing and collapse also pose significant safety risks. To reduce the dangers of manual operations, remote beyond-line-of-sight control technology is being tested for application in slag ladle truck operations.

[0003] A prior art invention patent application (publication number CN112208512A) filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration discloses an automatic slag-holding control device, control method, and slag-holding vehicle. It utilizes a communication module and a vehicle control module to achieve automatic slag-holding operation, realizing the vehicle's intelligence. However, due to the significant impact of the surrounding environment on the long-distance, beyond-line-of-sight operation of the slag-holding vehicle, especially the strong temperature difference between the hot slag ladle and the surrounding air, which creates a smoky gas surrounding the slag bag, the camera cannot accurately determine whether the working mechanism of the slag-holding vehicle and the trunnions of the slag bag are fully locked to achieve the theoretical slag-holding state. If the working mechanism of the slag-holding vehicle fails to securely and accurately fasten and lock the trunnions at both ends of the slag bag, there is a risk that the working mechanism will detach during the movement of the slag-holding vehicle. Once detached, it will inevitably cause a major accident involving the overturning of the slag bag and the outflow of hot slag, greatly affecting the normal operation of the workflow and potentially endangering the personal safety of surrounding personnel. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic tank-holding guidance system and method for tank-holding vehicles, which solves the problem that the use of cameras in the prior art cannot identify the holding state of the tank-holding vehicle and the slag container in certain situations, thus posing a safety hazard.

[0005] To achieve the above and other related objectives, the present invention provides an automatic tank-holding guidance system for tank-holding trucks, applied to tank-holding operations; it includes several lidar sensors and an on-board computing unit, wherein the lidar sensors are used to acquire the outline information of the tank; the on-board computing unit analyzes the outline information of the tank to obtain the position information of the tank and guides the tank-holding truck to hold the tank; the lidar sensors are communicatively connected to the on-board computing unit.

[0006] Preferably, the tank-carrying vehicle includes a tractor, a central articulation body, a rear frame, and a working boom. The tractor is connected to the rear frame via the central articulation body. Both the working boom and the rear frame are U-shaped frames. The working boom consists of a working crossbeam and two working side arms. The rear frame consists of a frame crossbeam and two frame side arms. The two working side arms of the working boom are hinged one-to-one with the two frame side arms of the rear frame. The end of each working side arm away from the central articulation body is provided with a fork for supporting the slag tank. Several laser radars are installed on the working crossbeam and working side arms of the working boom.

[0007] Preferably, a rear support body is hinged to the rear frame, a wheel axle is mounted on the rear support body, and a support cylinder is provided between the rear support body and the side arm of the frame. The drive source of the support cylinder is communicatively connected to the on-board computing unit.

[0008] Preferably, the traction head and the intermediate hinge body are connected by a vertical shaft, and a plurality of steering cylinders are also provided between the traction head and the intermediate hinge body. One end of the steering cylinder is hinged to the traction head and the other end is hinged to the intermediate hinge body; the drive source of the steering cylinder is communicatively connected to the on-board computing unit.

[0009] Preferably, the working side arm is further provided with a locking hook, which is hinged to the working side arm. The locking hook has a groove that corresponds to the position of the fork. A locking hook cylinder is also provided between the locking hook and the working side arm. The two ends of the locking hook cylinder are respectively hinged to the working side arm and the locking hook. The locking hook cylinder is communicatively connected to the vehicle-mounted computing unit.

[0010] Preferably, the number of lidars is three: one lidar is installed on the center line of the working beam to guide the working boom to approach the slag pot; the other two lidars are symmetrically installed on the working side arms to guide the fork plates to hold the slag pot.

[0011] Preferably, the automatic tank-holding guidance system for the tank truck also includes a remote controller, which is communicatively connected to the on-board computing unit and the lidar.

[0012] To further achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention also relates to an automatic tank-holding guidance method for tank trucks, employing the aforementioned automatic tank-holding guidance system, with the following steps:

[0013] S1: The lidar acquires the outline information of the slag pot;

[0014] S2: The on-board computing unit receives and analyzes the outline information of the slag container, and guides the container-holding vehicle to hold the slag container.

[0015] Preferably, the following steps are performed before step S1:

[0016] a: Using the aforementioned lidar as a reference point, the outline of the slag container is calibrated when the slag container successfully holds the slag container at its initial position.

[0017] b: The on-board computing unit receives the calibration information of the slag pot outline from step a.

[0018] Preferably, step S2 includes:

[0019] S2.1: The on-board computing unit performs fitting analysis on the slag pot outline information in step b and step S1, and obtains the relative position difference between the theoretical position of the slag pot and the actual position of the slag pot when the initial position of the slag pot grabbing vehicle successfully grabs the slag pot, and guides the slag pot grabbing vehicle to grab the slag pot based on the relative position difference.

[0020] Preferably, in step S2.1, the relative position between the theoretical position of the slag container and its actual position when the slag container is successfully held by the slag container at its initial position is determined by Boolean operation.

[0021] As described above, the automatic tank-holding guidance system and method for tank-holding vehicles of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0022] This invention relates to an automatic ladle-holding guidance system and method for ladle-holding vehicles. Three lidar sensors are installed on the working boom of the ladle-holding vehicle. One lidar is mounted at the midpoint of the working crossbeam to scan the outline of the ladle and determine its geographical location, facilitating the ladle-holding vehicle's approach. The other two lidars are symmetrically mounted on the side arms of the frame around the center of the working crossbeam to scan the geographical locations of the trunnions on both sides of the ladle, facilitating the clamping of the ladle-holding vehicle's forks with the trunnions. The three lidars send the detected geographical location information to the onboard computing unit. After fitting and analysis by the onboard computing unit, the relative position difference between the ladle's geographical location at the initial position when the ladle-holding vehicle successfully holds the ladle and the real-time detected geographical location is calculated. The system then guides the ladle-holding vehicle to move and clamp the ladle. This invention uses lidar to emit laser light instead of the existing camera-based method. Utilizing the ranging, contour scanning, and positioning functions of laser light, it compensates for the limitations of camera vision, ensuring the ladle-holding vehicle completely clamps the ladle and avoiding the risk of the ladle falling off during movement. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a front view of the tanker truck (including the slag tank) involved in the automatic tanker truck guiding system of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a top view of the tank-holding vehicle (including the slag tank) involved in the automatic tank-holding guidance system of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the automatic tank-holding guidance system of the present invention scanning the slag tank by each lidar during guidance;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the contour scanning radar scanning the slag tank during the guidance process of the automatic tank-holding guidance system of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the horizontal guidance of the automatic tank-holding guidance system of the present invention for tank-holding vehicles.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the trunnion scanning radar scanning the slag can during the guidance process of the automatic can-holding guidance system of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the vertical guidance of the automatic tank-holding guidance system of the present invention for the tank-holding vehicle.

[0030] Figure 8 This is a control principle diagram of the automatic tank-holding guidance system for tank trucks of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of one embodiment of the automatic tank-holding guidance method for tank-holding vehicles of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of another embodiment of the automatic tank-holding guidance method for tank-holding vehicles of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of another embodiment of the automatic tank-holding guidance method for tank-holding vehicles of the present invention.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0035] 1. Traction head; 2. Intermediate articulated body; 3. Rear frame; 301. Rear support body; 4. LiDAR; 401. Contour scanning radar; 402. Trunnion scanning radar; 5. Locking hook; 501. Locking hook cylinder; 6. Working boom; 7. Tilting cylinder; 8. Steering cylinder; 9. Slag pot; 9': Actual contour of slag pot; 9”: Theoretical contour of slag pot; 901. Trunnion; 901': Actual contour of trunnion; 901”: Theoretical contour of fork bearing; 10. Support cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0037] It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., illustrated in the accompanying drawings of this specification are merely for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to size, without affecting the effectiveness and purpose of the invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this invention. Furthermore, the terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "middle," and "one" used in this specification are merely for clarity and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of the invention's implementation.

[0038] like Figure 1 , Figure 9 As shown, this invention provides an automatic tank-holding guidance system for tank-holding trucks, applied in tank-holding operations. This guidance system uses the tank-holding truck as a platform to achieve attitude recognition and position positioning of the tank 9. It includes several lidar sensors 4 and an onboard computing unit. The lidar sensors 4 are used to acquire the contour information of the tank 9; the onboard computing unit analyzes the contour information of the tank 9 to obtain its position information and guides the tank-holding truck to hold the tank 9; the lidar sensors 4 are communicatively connected to the onboard computing unit. Two trunnions 901 are provided on opposite sides of the tank 9.

[0039] The automatic tank-holding guidance system for tank-holding vehicles involved in this invention is equipped with multiple lidar sensors 4. Utilizing the rangefinding, contour measurement, and positioning capabilities of lasers, it collects the position information of the tank 9. After collecting the position information of the tank 9, it transmits it to the on-board computing unit. The on-board computing unit performs fitting analysis on the position information of the tank 9 and guides the tank-holding vehicle to hold the tank 9 tightly. This overcomes the shortcomings of existing technologies that use cameras to collect position information, which are greatly affected by environmental factors, and achieves high accuracy.

[0040] For ease of description, such as Figure 1 As shown, we define the length direction of the tank carrier as the front-to-back direction, the width direction as the left-to-right direction, and the height direction as the up-to-down direction. Therefore... Figure 2 The left and right directions of the paper are the front and back directions, the top and bottom directions are the left and right directions, and the front and back of the paper are the top and bottom directions.

[0041] Preferred, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, the tank-carrying vehicle includes a tractor head 1, an intermediate articulation body 2, a rear frame 3, and a working boom 6. The rear end of the tractor head 1 is connected to the front end of the rear frame 3 through the intermediate articulation body 2. Both the working boom 6 and the rear frame 3 are U-shaped frames with their openings facing rearward. The working boom 6 consists of a working crossbeam and two working side arms, and the rear frame 3 consists of a frame crossbeam and two frame side arms. The rear ends of the two working side arms of the working boom 6 are hinged one-to-one with the rear ends of the two frame side arms of the rear frame 3. The rear ends of the working side arms are equipped with fork plates for supporting the slag tank 9. Several lidar sensors 4 are installed on the working crossbeam and working side arms of the working boom 6.

[0042] Preferred, such as Figure 1 As shown, a rear support body 301 is hinged to the rear frame 3, and a wheel axle is mounted on the rear support body 301. A support cylinder 10 is provided between the rear support body 301 and the side arm of the frame. Further, in this embodiment, the lower end of the support cylinder 10 is hinged to the front end of the rear support body 301, and the upper end of the piston rod in the support cylinder 10 is hinged to the side arm of the frame. The drive source of the support cylinder 10 is communicatively connected to the on-board computing unit. Further, there are two support cylinders 10, and the stroke of the piston rod in the support cylinder 10 is controllable. When the support cylinder 10 is working, because the wheel axle on the rear support body 301 is fixed, the support cylinder 10 will push the side arm of the frame to rotate around the hinge point between the side arm of the frame and the rear support body 301. The side arm of the frame will then drive the working arm 6 to rotate, thereby adjusting the height of the slag pot 9 in the vertical direction, thus lifting the slag pot 9.

[0043] Furthermore, such as Figure 1 As shown, a tilting cylinder 7 is also provided between the rear support 301 and the working side arm. The lower end of the tilting cylinder 7 is hinged to the rear support 301, and the upper end is hinged to the working side arm. When the tilting cylinder 7 is working, the piston rod of the tilting cylinder 7 lifts the working side arm, and the working side arm rotates around the hinge point between the working side arm and the frame side arm, thereby tilting the slag pot 9. Furthermore, the tilting cylinder 7 is vertically arranged between the rear support 301 and the working side arm. In this embodiment, there are two tilting cylinders 7.

[0044] Preferred, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, the traction head 1 and the intermediate hinge body 2 are connected by a vertical shaft. Several steering cylinders 8 are also provided between the traction head 1 and the intermediate hinge body 2. The front end of each steering cylinder 8 is hinged to the traction head 1, and the rear end is hinged to the intermediate hinge body 2. The drive source of the steering cylinders 8 is communicatively connected to the on-board computing unit. Furthermore, in this embodiment, there are two steering cylinders 8, symmetrically distributed on both sides of the vertical shaft; the extension and retraction stroke of the steering cylinders 8 can be precisely controlled. During cornering, the traction head 1 and the intermediate hinge body 2 deflect via the vertical shaft, and the two steering cylinders 8 extend and retract accordingly based on the direction of rotation, thereby further improving the steering flexibility of the vehicle and effectively reducing the energy consumption of the traction head 1.

[0045] Preferred, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, a locking hook 5 is also provided on the working side arm. The locking hook 5 is hinged to the working side arm. A groove is provided on the locking hook 5, which corresponds to the position of the fork shoe. A locking hook cylinder 501 is also provided between the locking hook 5 and the working side arm. The front end of the locking hook cylinder 501 is hinged to the working side arm, and the rear end is hinged to the locking hook 5. The locking hook cylinder 501 is communicatively connected to the vehicle-mounted computing unit. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fork shoe is used to support the trunnion 901 of the slag pot 9. When the trunnion 901 is in the fork shoe, the locking hook cylinder 501 is activated. The piston rod of the locking hook cylinder 501 pushes the locking hook 5 to rotate around the hinge point between the locking hook 5 and the working side arm, so that the groove on the locking hook 5 cooperates with the fork shoe to lock and fix the trunnion 901, effectively preventing the slag pot 9 from falling off during transportation.

[0046] Furthermore, in other embodiments, the tank-holding vehicle may also have other configurations, such as the configuration of the tank-holding vehicle involved in the articulated tank-holding vehicle disclosed in application publication number CN103060499 A.

[0047] Preferred, such as Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, there are three lidars 4. One lidar 4 is installed on the centerline of the working beam to guide the working boom 6 towards the slag pot 9; the other two lidars 4 are symmetrically installed on the working side arms to guide the fork plates to grip the slag pot 9. In other embodiments, the number of lidars 4 depends on the size and specifications of the working boom 6 and the slag pot 9.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lidar 4 includes a slag pot contour scanning radar 401 and a trunnion scanning radar 402. The slag pot contour scanning radar 401 is located at the midpoint of the working arm 6, such as... Figure 3As shown, the slag pot contour scanning radar 401 performs contour scanning on a certain horizontal plane for the slag pot 9. The on-board computing unit fits the scanned contour into a circle, and then determines the position coordinates of the circle's center. These position coordinates are the real-time position coordinates of the center of the slag pot 9. Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown.

[0049] Two trunnion scanning radars 402 are symmetrically arranged on the working side arm along the centerline of the working beam, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the trunnion scanning radar 402 performs a contour scan on the trunnion 901 of the slag pot 9. The on-board computing unit fits the scanned contour into a circle, and then determines the position coordinates of the center of the circle. These position coordinates are the real-time position coordinates of the center of the trunnion 901. Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown.

[0050] Preferred, such as Figure 8 As shown, the automatic tank-holding guidance system for the tank-holding truck also includes a remote controller, which is communicatively connected to the on-board computing unit and the lidar 4. Further, in this embodiment, the remote controller controls the lidar 4 to operate, receives position parameters output by the on-board computing unit, and controls the steering cylinder 8, locking hook cylinder 501, support cylinder 10, and tilting cylinder 7 of the tank-holding truck via the on-board computing unit, thereby realizing the processes of holding, transporting, and tilting the slag tank 9 by the tank-holding truck. Further, in this embodiment, the remote controller is also equipped with a display screen and function keys. The display screen shows the movement status of the tank-holding truck, and the function keys facilitate the operator's control of the movement status of the tank-holding truck.

[0051] Furthermore, to facilitate quick and intuitive guidance for operators on the tanker's holding status, the automatic tanker holding guidance system also includes a visual guidance interface, displayed on the remote controller's screen. The visual guidance interface includes two parts: a horizontal guidance interface and a vertical guidance interface. The horizontal guidance interface is shown below. Figure 5 As shown, the vertical guidance interface is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the visual guidance interface also displays the distance between relative positions. Furthermore, it updates in real-time based on the changing position of the tanker truck, facilitating precise control and positioning by the operator. In this embodiment, the ratio of the actual distance between relative positions to the distance displayed on the visual guidance interface is 1:1; in other embodiments, the ratio may be different.

[0052] To further achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention also relates to an automatic tank-holding guidance method for tank trucks, such as the aforementioned automatic tank-holding guidance system for tank trucks. Figure 9As shown, the steps are as follows:

[0053] S1: LiDAR 4 acquires the outline information of slag pot 9;

[0054] S2: The on-board computing unit receives and analyzes the outline information of the slag container 9, and guides the container-holding vehicle to hold the slag container 9.

[0055] Furthermore, using the aforementioned automatic tank-holding guidance system for tank trucks, one embodiment of the automatic tank-holding guidance method for tank trucks is, for example... Figure 10 As shown, the steps are as follows:

[0056] A1: When obtaining the initial position and holding state of the slag tank 9, the theoretical center of the fork bearings is determined. The slag tank contour scanning radar 401 and trunnion scanning radar 402 are installed on the working crossbeam and working side arm, respectively. At this point, the positions of the slag tank contour scanning radar 401 and trunnion scanning radar 402 are determined. Using the trunnion scanning radar 402 as a reference point, the operator remotely controls the two trunnion scanning radars 402 to scan the position of the fork bearings, obtaining the position information of the intersection points of multiple laser beams with the outer edges of the two fork bearings. The trunnion scanning radar 402 transmits the position information of these intersection points to the onboard computing unit. The onboard computing unit receives the position information of these intersection points and performs fitting to obtain two circles, namely the two theoretical contours 901” of the fork bearings, as shown below. Figure 7 As shown, the centers of the two circles are the theoretical centers of the two fork bearings. Then, using the distance between the two theoretical centers as the diameter and the midpoint of the two theoretical centers as the center, a circle is fitted. This circle represents the theoretical outline 9” of the slag container when the clamping truck successfully clamps the slag container 9 at its current position. Figure 5 As shown, the center of the circle is the theoretical center of the slag pot 9; the on-board computing unit records the position information of the theoretical center of the slag pot 9.

[0057] A2: Obtain the actual center position of slag pot 9. The operator controls the slag pot contour scanning radar 401 via a remote controller to scan the contour of slag pot 9. The slag pot contour scanning radar 401 emits lasers on a horizontal plane to scan the outer edge of slag pot 9. The radar 401 transmits the position information of multiple laser intersections with the outer circle of slag pot 9 to the onboard computing unit. The onboard computing unit receives the position information of multiple laser intersections with the outer edge of slag pot 9, fits the above multi-point position information to obtain a semi-circular arc, and then obtains the actual contour 9' of the slag pot based on the semi-circular arc, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the center of this circle is the actual center of the slag pot 9.

[0058] A3: Calculate the relative position between the theoretical center and the actual center of slag pot 9. For example... Figure 4 , Figure 5As shown, the on-board computing unit calculates the relative position of the theoretical center and the actual center of the slag pot 9 in the same coordinate system (with the slag pot contour scanning radar 401 as the reference point). It calculates the distance that the theoretical center needs to be offset on the horizontal plane when the theoretical center and the actual center coincide, and transmits the offset distance parameter to the remote controller, which displays it on the screen of the remote controller.

[0059] A4: To ensure the theoretical and actual centers of the slag pot 9 coincide. Based on the required offset distance displayed on the horizontal plane by the remote controller, the operator sends a control signal to the drive source of the steering cylinder 8 via the onboard calculation unit through the function key. The steering cylinder 8 operates to the predetermined stroke, adjusting the position of the working boom 6 in the horizontal direction (forward / backward, left / right), thereby achieving the coincidence of the theoretical and actual centers of the slag pot 9. This means that the centers of the fork bearings of the two working side arms and the center of the trunnion 901 of the slag pot 9 are on the same vertical line.

[0060] A5: Obtain the actual center position of the trunnion 901. The operator uses a remote controller to control the trunnion scanning radar 402 to scan the two trunnions 901 of the slag pot 9, obtaining the position information of the intersection points of multiple laser beams with the outer edges of the two trunnions 901. The trunnion scanning radar 402 transmits this intersection point position information to the onboard computing unit. The onboard computing unit receives the intersection point position information and performs fitting to obtain two circles, i.e., the actual contour 901' of the trunnion, as shown... Figure 7 As shown ( Figure 7 Only one actual outline of the trunnion 901' is shown in the image, and the center of the two circles is the actual center of the two trunnions 901.

[0061] A6: Calculate the relative position between the theoretical center of the fork bearing and the actual center of the trunnion 901. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the vehicle-mounted computing unit calculates the relative position of the theoretical center of the fork bearing and the actual center of the trunnion 901 in the same coordinate system (with the trunnion scanning radar 402 as the reference point). It calculates the distance that the theoretical center of the fork bearing needs to be offset in the vertical direction when the theoretical center of the fork bearing coincides with the actual center of the trunnion 901, and transmits the offset distance parameter to the remote controller, which displays it on the screen of the remote controller.

[0062] A7: The theoretical center of the control fork aligns with the actual center of the trunnion 901. Based on the required vertical offset distance displayed on the remote controller, the operator sends a control signal via the onboard computing unit to the drive source of the support cylinder 10 through a function key. The piston rod of the support cylinder 10 moves to the predetermined stroke to push the working arm, thereby aligning the theoretical center of the control fork with the actual center of the trunnion 901. This means that the two control forks fully support the two trunnions 901.

[0063] A8: Lock the trunnion 901 of the slag pot 9. When the theoretical center of the slag pot 9 coincides with the actual center of the slag pot 9, and the theoretical center of the fork coincides with the actual center of the trunnion 901, the operator controls the drive source of the locking hook cylinder 501 through the remote controller. The locking hook cylinder 501 pushes the locking hook 5 to lock the trunnion 901, and then proceeds with the subsequent transportation of the slag pot 9.

[0064] In other embodiments, the process of controlling the theoretical center of the slag pot 9 to coincide with the actual center in step A4 can be operated simultaneously with the process of controlling the theoretical center of the fork bearing to coincide with the actual center of the trunnion 901 in step A7, that is, step A4 can also be combined with A7.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the coincidence of the theoretical center of the slag pot 9 with the actual center of the slag pot 9, and the coincidence of the theoretical center of the fork bearing with the actual center of the trunnion 901 in step A8, means that the relative positions between the theoretical and actual centers are within a certain tolerance range, at which point they are considered to coincide. In the above steps, the initial position of the ladle-holding car is already very close to the slag pot 9, and the guiding system involved in this invention further guides the automatic ladle-holding of the ladle-holding car (similar to fine-tuning).

[0066] Furthermore, since the tanker truck needs to operate in complex industrial environments and requires all-weather, all-day outdoor operation capabilities, the point cloud data obtained by laser scanning inevitably suffers from a significant amount of background noise and discrete spatial noise (backscattered laser signals from raindrops and fog are captured by lidar 4) due to weather factors such as rain, snow, and fog, which are mixed into the normal valid data. This discrete point and scattering noise data severely impacts the accuracy and efficiency of subsequent object detection and recognition. To reduce or eliminate the impact of the aforementioned discrete point and scattering noise data on detection accuracy and efficiency, this invention further processes the laser-scanned point cloud data in A1-A8, such as... Figure 11 As shown, the specific steps are as follows:

[0067] B1: Data Acquisition. The lidar 4 scans the outer contour of the slag pot 9, the fork bearing, and the trunnion 901, and collects the outer contour points.

[0068] B2: Data Preprocessing. The onboard computing unit receives data collected by the LiDAR 4 and preprocesses the data to remove obvious discrete data points.

[0069] B3: Point Cloud Segmentation. The onboard computing unit performs point cloud segmentation on the preprocessed data in B2 using prior rules to filter out background noise data to the maximum extent.

[0070] B4: Image Fitting. Based on the data obtained in B3, the theoretical center position coordinates of slag pot 9, the theoretical center position coordinates of the fork bearing, the actual center position coordinates of trunnion 901, and the actual center position coordinates of slag pot 9 are obtained by fitting using the Pratt method.

[0071] B5: Object Space Coordinate Transformation. Based on the theoretical center coordinates of slag pot 9, the theoretical center coordinates of the fork bearing, the actual center coordinates of trunnion 901, and the actual center coordinates of slag pot 9 obtained in B4, Boolean operations are used to process the data using the same coordinate system as a reference. This calculates the relative positions between the theoretical and actual centers of slag pot 9 and between the theoretical and actual centers of the fork bearing and trunnion 901, thereby guiding the positional deviation of the slag pot carrier.

[0072] In this embodiment, steps B1-B3 correspond to the data acquisition process of LiDAR 4 in steps A1, A2, and A5; step B4 corresponds to the data fitting process of the vehicle-mounted computing unit in steps A1, A2, and A5; and step B5 corresponds to the relative position calculation process in steps A3 and A6. In steps B1-B3, the spatial information and intensity characteristics of the acquired point cloud data remain unchanged.

[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the overall shape of the slag pot 9 is an inverted cone. Through a reasonable design of the installation position of the lidar 4, the point cloud data obtained by the lidar 4 is the circular cross-section of the upper ring of the slag pot 9 and the circular cross-section of the hoisting trunnion 901, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown. Through analysis, it can be seen that as long as the coordinates of the centers of the three circles mentioned above are known, the spatial distance to the arc center of the working arm 6 can be converted. Therefore, the most important step in steps B1-B5 is to perform a fitting circle matching operation on the point cloud data, that is, step 4 is the most important.

[0074] The automatic tank-holding guidance system and method for tank-holding vehicles involved in this invention employs a lidar 4 with ranging, contour scanning, and positioning functions to scan and detect the position of the fork bearing when it successfully holds the tank, obtain the relative positional relationship between the fork bearing and the trunnion 901, and guide the fork bearing on the working boom 6 to achieve a fully locked state with the trunnion 901, ensuring that the slag tank 9 will not fall off during the transfer process, thus overcoming safety hazards. At the same time, the use of laser overcomes the problems of existing technologies that use cameras, which are greatly affected by environmental factors and have low accuracy.

[0075] Therefore, this invention effectively overcomes the various shortcomings of the prior art and has high industrial application value.

[0076] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic tank-holding guidance system for tank trucks, applied in tank-holding operations; characterized in that: It includes several lidars (4) and an on-board computing unit. The lidars (4) are used to acquire the outline information of the slag pot (9). The on-board computing unit analyzes the outline information of the slag pot (9) to obtain the position information of the slag pot (9) and guides the pot-holding vehicle to hold the slag pot (9). The lidars (4) are communicatively connected to the on-board computing unit. The tank-carrying vehicle includes a tractor (1), a middle articulation body (2), a rear frame (3), and a working boom (6). The tractor (1) is connected to the rear frame (3) through the middle articulation body (2). The working boom (6) and the rear frame (3) are both U-shaped frames. The working boom (6) consists of a working crossbeam and two working side arms. The rear frame (3) consists of a frame crossbeam and two frame side arms. The two working side arms of the working boom (6) are hinged one-to-one with the two frame side arms of the rear frame (3). The end of the working side arm away from the middle articulation body (2) is provided with a fork for supporting the slag tank (9). Several laser radars (4) are installed on the working crossbeam and working side arms of the working boom (6). The number of lidars (4) is three, including one slag pot contour scanning radar (401) and two trunnion scanning radars (402). One slag pot contour scanning radar (401) is installed on the center line of the working crossbeam to guide the working boom (6) to approach the slag pot (9); the other two trunnion scanning radars (402) are symmetrically installed on the working side arm to guide the fork to hold the slag pot (9). When the automatic tank-holding guidance system of the tank-holding vehicle is working, it first uses two trunnion scanning radars (402) as reference points to obtain the theoretical center of the slag tank (9) and the theoretical center of the fork bearing; then it uses one slag tank contour scanning radar (401) as reference point to obtain the actual center position of the slag tank (9); then the on-board computing unit calculates the relative position between the theoretical center and the actual center of the slag tank (9); then it controls the theoretical center of the slag tank (9) to coincide with the actual center; then it uses two trunnion scanning radars (402) as reference points to obtain the actual center position of the trunnion (901) in the slag tank (9); then the on-board computing unit calculates the relative position between the theoretical center of the fork bearing and the actual center of the trunnion (901); then it controls the theoretical center of the fork bearing to coincide with the actual center of the trunnion (901); finally, it locks the trunnion (901) of the slag tank (9).

2. The automatic tank-holding guidance system for tank trucks according to claim 1, characterized in that: A rear support body (301) is hinged to the rear frame (3), and a wheel axle is mounted on the rear support body (301). A support cylinder (10) is provided between the rear support body (301) and the side arm of the frame. The drive source of the support cylinder (10) is connected to the on-board computing unit.

3. The automatic tank-holding and guiding system for tank trucks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The traction head (1) and the intermediate hinge body (2) are connected by a vertical shaft. Several steering cylinders (8) are also provided between the traction head (1) and the intermediate hinge body (2). One end of the steering cylinder (8) is hinged to the traction head (1) and the other end is hinged to the intermediate hinge body (2). The drive source of the steering cylinder (8) is connected to the on-board computing unit.

4. The automatic tank-holding guidance system for tank trucks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The working side arm is also provided with a locking hook (5), which is hinged to the working side arm. The locking hook (5) has a groove, which corresponds to the position of the fork. A locking hook cylinder (501) is also provided between the locking hook (5) and the working side arm. The two ends of the locking hook cylinder (501) are respectively hinged to the working side arm and the locking hook (5). The locking hook cylinder (501) is communicatively connected to the vehicle-mounted computing unit.

5. The automatic tank-holding guidance system for tank trucks according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a remote controller, which is connected to the vehicle computing unit and the lidar (4) respectively.

6. An automatic tank-holding guidance method for a tank-holding truck, characterized in that: The steps of using the automatic tank-holding and guiding system for tank trucks according to any one of claims 1-5 are as follows: S1: The lidar (4) acquires the outline information of the slag pot (9); S2: The on-board computing unit receives and analyzes the outline information of the slag container (9) and guides the container-holding vehicle to hold the slag container (9).

7. The automatic tank-holding guidance method for tank trucks according to claim 6, characterized in that: The following steps are also included before step S1: a: Using the laser radar (4) as a reference point, the outline of the slag tank (9) when the tank-holding vehicle successfully holds the slag tank (9) at its initial position is calibrated; b: The on-board computing unit receives the calibration information of the outline of the slag pot (9) in step a.

8. The automatic tank-holding guidance method for tank trucks according to claim 7, characterized in that: Step S2 includes: S2.1: The vehicle-mounted computing unit performs fitting analysis on the contour information of the slag pot (9) in step b and step S1, and obtains the relative position difference between the theoretical position of the slag pot (9) and the actual position of the slag pot (9) when the initial position of the slag pot vehicle successfully holds the slag pot (9), and guides the slag pot vehicle to hold the slag pot (9) based on the relative position difference.

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