Material level detection methods, electronic equipment, engineering machinery and machine-readable storage media

Abstract

This application discloses a material level detection method, electronic device, engineering machinery, and machine-readable storage medium, relating to the field of equipment detection. The material level detection method includes: acquiring a video image of a hopper; determining, based on the video image, at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the duration interval of the mixing blades, and the ratio of the mixing shaft length; and determining the current material level in the hopper based on at least one of these factors. For the complex working conditions of actual concrete mixing, this method can comprehensively analyze the number of screen gaps, the duration interval of the mixing blades, and the ratio of the mixing shaft length, thereby accurately determining the current material level in the hopper.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of equipment testing, and more specifically to a material level detection method, electronic equipment, engineering machinery, and machine-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] With the widespread application of various types of construction equipment, compared to manual unloading and manual mixing of concrete, operations using mixing equipment such as mixer trucks have improved work efficiency. In actual work scenarios, mixing equipment is used for mixing and unloading. Pumping equipment such as pump trucks pump concrete from the hopper to the designated construction location, preventing concrete from accumulating in the hopper and causing overflow. During the concrete pumping process, excessively high material levels will lead to overflow, while excessively low material levels will cause cavitation, thus affecting the work progress and even endangering the safety of workers.

[0003] To prevent concrete from accumulating in the hopper and causing overflow, pumping equipment is equipped with strain gauges. During concrete pumping, the equipment determines the current material level in the hopper based on the changes in the strain gauge's current. However, in actual concrete pumping scenarios, strain gauges are easily obscured by concrete, affecting their reliability and leading to inaccurate material level readings. Furthermore, strain gauge malfunctions and other issues can also cause inaccurate material level readings, resulting in overflow or cavitation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a material level detection method, electronic device, engineering machinery, and machine-readable storage medium. The material level detection method is used to solve the problem of not being able to accurately obtain the current material level in the hopper.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the first aspect of this application provides a material level detection method, the material level detection method comprising:

[0006] Acquire video images of the hopper, which includes a screen, stirring blades, and stirring shaft;

[0007] Based on the video images, determine at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft.

[0008] The current material level in the hopper is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft.

[0009] In embodiments of this application, determining at least one of the following based on video images: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft, includes:

[0010] Based on the video images, a partial image of the sieve is obtained;

[0011] The number of screen gaps is determined based on local images.

[0012] In embodiments of this application, determining the number of screen gaps based on local images includes:

[0013] The local image is input into the first preset model to obtain the screen gap recognition result;

[0014] The number of screen gaps is determined based on the results of the screen gap identification.

[0015] In embodiments of this application, determining at least one of the following based on video images: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft, includes:

[0016] The video image is input into the second preset model to obtain at least one of the stirring shaft recognition result and the stirring blade recognition result;

[0017] Based on the agitator shaft identification results, determine the agitator shaft length ratio; and / or

[0018] Based on the identification results of the stirring blades, the time interval of the stirring blades' appearance is determined.

[0019] In the embodiments of this application, determining the duration interval of the stirring blade appearance based on the stirring blade identification result includes:

[0020] If the stirring blade identification result is that no stirring blade appears, the duration interval of stirring blade appearance is determined based on the time difference between the current video image and the previous video image in which stirring blade appeared.

[0021] In the embodiments of this application, determining the duration interval of the stirring blade appearance based on the stirring blade identification result includes:

[0022] If the stirring blade identification result is that no stirring blade appears, the stirring blade appearance interval is determined based on the time difference between the current global image and the previous global image in which the stirring blade appeared.

[0023] In embodiments of this application, the current material level in the hopper is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the ratio of the length of the stirring shaft.

[0024] If the number of gaps between screens is greater than the second number and less than or equal to the first number, and the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is greater than the first time threshold, the current material level is determined to be a high material level.

[0025] If the number of screen gaps is less than or equal to the second number, and the time interval between the appearance of the mixing blades is greater than the first time threshold, the current material level is determined to be a high material level, and a pumping speed increase signal is sent to the pumping equipment, and a discharge speed decrease signal is sent to the mixing equipment.

[0026] In embodiments of this application, the current material level in the hopper is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the ratio of the length of the stirring shaft.

[0027] If the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is less than or equal to the second time threshold, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft is greater than the first ratio and less than or equal to the second ratio, the current material level is determined to be a low material level.

[0028] If the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is less than or equal to the second time threshold and the length ratio of the stirring shaft is greater than the second ratio, the current material level is determined to be low, and a pumping speed reduction signal is sent to the pumping equipment, and a discharge speed increase signal is sent to the stirring equipment.

[0029] In the embodiments of this application, the material level detection method further includes:

[0030] If the current material level is high, a first alarm message is generated, which is used to indicate that the current material level is high.

[0031] If the current material level is low, a second alarm message is generated, which is used to indicate that the current material level is low.

[0032] In embodiments of this application, determining at least one of the following based on video images: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft, includes:

[0033] The video image is preprocessed to obtain the processed video image. The image preprocessing includes at least one of the following: image enhancement and contrast processing, image noise reduction processing, and image cropping processing.

[0034] Based on the processed video images, determine at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft.

[0035] A second aspect of this application provides an electronic device, comprising:

[0036] The memory is configured to store instructions; and

[0037] The processor is configured to retrieve instructions from memory and, when executing instructions, to implement the level detection method described above.

[0038] A third aspect of this application provides an engineering machine, comprising:

[0039] The image acquisition device is configured to acquire video images of the hopper in real time; and

[0040] Based on the aforementioned electronic devices.

[0041] The fourth aspect of this application provides a machine-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described level detection method.

[0042] This application provides a material level detection method, which includes: acquiring a video image of a hopper; determining, based on the video image, at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of mixing blades, and the ratio of the length of the mixing shaft; and determining the current material level in the hopper based on at least one of these factors. For the complex working conditions of actual concrete mixing, this method can comprehensively analyze the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of mixing blades, and the ratio of the length of the mixing shaft, thereby accurately determining the current material level in the hopper.

[0043] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0044] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the embodiments of this application and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the embodiments of this application, but do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. In the drawings:

[0045] Figure 1 A first flowchart of the material level detection method provided in this application embodiment is shown;

[0046] Figure 2 A second flowchart of the material level detection method provided in the embodiments of this application is shown;

[0047] Figure 3 An application example diagram of the hopper provided in the embodiments of this application is shown;

[0048] Figure 4 A third flowchart of the material level detection method provided in the embodiments of this application is shown;

[0049] Figure 5 A fourth flowchart of the material level detection method provided in the embodiments of this application is shown.

[0050] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0051] 200 Hopper, 300 Image Acquisition Device

[0052] 400 local image 210 screen Detailed Implementation

[0053] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for illustration and explanation of the embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the embodiments of 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.

[0054] It should be noted that if the embodiments of this application involve directional indicators (such as the tail), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement in a specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0055] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this application involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. If the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0056] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 A first flowchart of the material level detection method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, this application provides a material level detection method, which includes:

[0057] S110, acquire video image of hopper, wherein hopper includes screen, stirring blades and stirring shaft.

[0058] A typical hopper includes a screen, stirring blades, and a stirring shaft. It's important to understand that a hopper can also include other components, which are determined by specific requirements and are not limited here. Video images of the hopper are acquired to analyze the screen, stirring blades, and stirring shaft.

[0059] S120, based on the video image, determine at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft.

[0060] Based on the video images, determine at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the mixing blades, and the proportion of the mixing shaft length in the video images. Specifically, determine the number of screen gaps not filled with concrete based on the video images. Determine the time interval between the appearance of the mixing blades based on the timing of their appearance in the video images. Simultaneously, divide the current length of the mixing shaft in the video images by its length in the fully exposed state in the video images to obtain the proportion of the mixing shaft length.

[0061] In embodiments of this application, determining at least one of the following based on video images: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft, includes:

[0062] The video image is preprocessed to obtain the processed video image. The image preprocessing includes at least one of the following: image enhancement and contrast processing, image noise reduction processing, and image cropping processing.

[0063] Based on the processed video images, determine at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft.

[0064] After acquiring the video images, image preprocessing is performed. Image preprocessing includes at least one of the following: image contrast enhancement, image noise reduction, and image cropping. It should be understood that image preprocessing may also include other image processing methods such as grayscale processing; these other image processing methods are set according to actual needs and are not limited here.

[0065] For ease of understanding, the embodiments of this application sequentially perform image enhancement and contrast processing, image noise reduction, and image cropping on the video image. By performing image enhancement and contrast processing and image noise reduction on the video image, the impact of equipment vibration and the environment on the image is reduced. By cropping the video image, useless information in the image is removed, improving the processing efficiency of the video image. Based on the processed video image, at least one of the following is determined: the number of screen gaps, the duration interval of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft, so as to efficiently and accurately analyze at least one of the screen, stirring blades, and stirring shaft in the video image.

[0066] S130, determine the current material level in the hopper based on at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft.

[0067] Generally, the fewer the gaps between the screens in a video image, the higher the material level in the hopper; the longer the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, the higher the material level in the hopper; and the larger the proportion of the stirring shaft length, the lower the material level in the hopper.

[0068] Because the actual concrete mixing conditions are very complex, analyzing only one component in the hopper—the screen, the mixing blades, or the mixing shaft—can lead to inaccurate material level determinations. Specifically, once the mixing shaft length ratio equals one, the determined mixing shaft length ratio remains unchanged even as the current material level increases, making the high material level determination inaccurate when analyzing only the mixing shaft length ratio. Similarly, once the number of screen gaps in the video image equals the total number of screen gaps, the number of screen gaps remains unchanged even as the current material level decreases, making the low material level determination inaccurate when analyzing only the mixing shaft length ratio.

[0069] In actual working conditions, it's possible to determine only whether the current material level is high to avoid overflow, or only whether the current material level is low to avoid cavitation, or even to determine the specific value of the current material level for analysis. In this embodiment, the current material level in the hopper is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the ratio of the stirring shaft length. Specifically, when only it's necessary to determine whether the current material level is high, the current material level determined based on the ratio of the stirring shaft length is inaccurate. The current material level can be determined solely based on the number of screen gaps to reduce computation and improve efficiency; alternatively, it can be determined based on both the number of screen gaps and the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades to obtain a more accurate current material level.

[0070] When it is only necessary to determine whether the current material level is low, the material level determined based on the number of screen gaps is inaccurate. The current material level can be determined solely based on the proportion of the agitator shaft length to reduce the amount of calculation and thus improve the efficiency of determining the current material level; alternatively, the current material level can be obtained by considering both the proportion of the agitator shaft length and the time interval between the appearance of the agitator blades.

[0071] When the current material level is required, the current material level in the hopper can be determined based on the ratio of the number of screen gaps to the length of the agitator shaft; alternatively, the current material level in the hopper can be determined by combining the number of screen gaps, the interval between the appearance of the agitator blades, and the length of the agitator shaft.

[0072] The number of screen gaps is insufficient to accurately determine low material levels. Analyzing only the mixing shaft when determining the current material level can lead to inaccurate results. Similarly, the mixing shaft length ratio is insufficient to accurately determine high material levels. Analyzing only the screen when determining the current material level can also result in inaccurate results. This embodiment addresses the complex conditions of actual concrete mixing by comprehensively analyzing the number of screen gaps, the interval between the appearance of the mixing blades, and the mixing shaft length ratio to accurately determine the current material level in the hopper.

[0073] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 2A second flowchart of the material level detection method provided in the embodiments of this application is shown.

[0074] In embodiments of this application, determining at least one of the following based on video images: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft, includes:

[0075] S121, Based on the video image, obtain a local image of the screen.

[0076] Typically, the screen in a hopper has a design that is higher at the front and lower at the back, meaning the screen is lower as it gets closer to the rear of the mixing equipment. This screen design facilitates alignment with the hopper and reduces the safety risks caused by concrete splashing. However, because of this design, when the hopper overflows, the gaps in the screen can be filled with concrete. In this embodiment, a partial image of the screen is obtained from video footage to focus on the local features of the hopper.

[0077] It's important to understand that the material level in the hopper also affects the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades and the length of the stirring shaft observable in the video image. In this embodiment, the video image is directly used as the video image of the hopper to focus on the global features of the hopper. Processing the local image of the screen and the video image of the hopper separately allows for effective utilization of the information in the video images.

[0078] S122, determine the number of screen gaps based on local images.

[0079] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 An example diagram of the application of the hopper provided in the embodiments of this application is shown.

[0080] For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of this application, an image acquisition device 300 is used to acquire video images of the hopper 200. The dotted line area connected to the image acquisition device 300 in the figure is the image acquisition area of ​​the image acquisition device 300. When the material level in the hopper 200 is high, the hopper 200 overflows, which in turn causes the gaps in the screen 210 to be filled with concrete.

[0081] like Figure 3 As shown, the black image in the figure represents concrete, and the image corresponding to the dashed polygon is local image 400. In this embodiment, the determined number of screen 210 gaps refers to the number of screen 210 gaps not filled with concrete. Based on local image 400, the number of screen 210 gaps filled with concrete is determined. The number of screen 210 gaps not filled with concrete is determined by subtracting the known total number of screen 210 gaps from the number of screen 210 gaps filled with concrete. The material level in hopper 200 can be determined as high based on the number of screen 210 gaps not filled with concrete. For ease of understanding, the stirring shaft and stirring blades are not shown in the figure.

[0082] In embodiments of this application, determining at least one of the following based on video images: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft, includes:

[0083] S123, Based on the video image, determine the duration interval of the stirring blades and the length ratio of the stirring shaft. For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of this application, the number of screen gaps, the duration interval of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft are determined simultaneously, and the duration interval of the stirring blades and the length ratio of the stirring shaft are determined directly based on the video image. Specifically, the video image is analyzed to determine whether the current video image contains stirring blades, and then the duration interval of the stirring blades is determined based on the time of the video image containing the stirring blades.

[0084] The length of the mixing shaft in its fully exposed state as shown in the video image is predetermined. In actual operation scenarios, the mixing shaft may be covered by concrete, resulting in the current length of the mixing shaft in the video image being less than its length in its fully exposed state. The mixing shaft length ratio is defined as the ratio of the current length of the mixing shaft in the video image to its length in its fully exposed state. By analyzing the video image, the length of the mixing shaft in the video image is determined, thus establishing the mixing shaft length ratio.

[0085] It's important to understand that the agitator shaft length ratio can also be the ratio of the agitator shaft's length in its fully exposed state in the video image to its current length in the video image. When the agitator shaft length ratio is the ratio of the current length of the agitator shaft in the video image to its length in its fully exposed state, a larger agitator shaft length ratio indicates a lower material level in the hopper. Conversely, when the agitator shaft length ratio can also be the ratio of the agitator shaft's length in its fully exposed state to its current length in the video image, a larger agitator shaft length ratio indicates a higher material level in the hopper.

[0086] Please see Figure 4 , Figure 4 A third flowchart of the material level detection method provided in the embodiments of this application is shown.

[0087] In embodiments of this application, determining the number of screen gaps based on local images includes:

[0088] S1221, Input the local image into the first preset model to obtain the screen gap recognition result.

[0089] A local image is input into a first preset model, which identifies whether a screen gap exists in the local image. If a screen gap exists in the local image, the region of the screen gap within the local image is identified. The first preset model performs non-maximum suppression with a set confidence level and outputs the result, which represents the location of the screen gap in the local image.

[0090] S1222, Determine the number of screen gaps based on the screen gap identification results.

[0091] In this embodiment, the screen gap identification result is the identification result of screen gaps filled with concrete in a local image. Based on the screen gap identification result, the number of screen gaps filled with concrete is determined. The total number of known screen gaps is subtracted from the number of screen gaps filled with concrete to determine the final number of screen gaps.

[0092] In embodiments of this application, determining at least one of the following based on video images: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft, includes:

[0093] S1231, input the video image into the second preset model to obtain at least one of the stirring shaft recognition result and stirring blade recognition result.

[0094] For ease of understanding, the embodiments of this application simultaneously obtain the stirring shaft identification result and the stirring blade identification result. A video image is input into a second preset model, which then performs identification on the video image. The second preset model performs non-maximum suppression based on a set confidence level and outputs the results, thus obtaining the stirring shaft identification result and the stirring blade identification result.

[0095] S1232, Determine the length ratio of the stirring shaft based on the stirring shaft identification result.

[0096] Given a predetermined length of the stirring shaft in its fully exposed state in a video image, the stirring shaft identification result represents the region image of the stirring shaft in the video image. Based on the stirring shaft identification result, the current length of the stirring shaft in the video image is determined, and this current length is divided by the length of the stirring shaft in its fully exposed state in the video image to obtain the stirring shaft length ratio.

[0097] S1233, Based on the identification results of the stirring blades, determine the time interval of the stirring blades.

[0098] The agitator blade identification result includes whether the agitator blades are present or not. When the identification result indicates the presence of agitator blades, the result is used to characterize the region of the agitator blades within the video image. The timing of the video image showing the presence of agitator blades is determined based on the identification result, and then the duration interval of the agitator blade appearance is determined based on this timing. Parallel processing of local images of the screen and video images of the hopper effectively utilizes information from the video images, resulting in high accuracy and real-time performance in determining the current material level.

[0099] The architectures of both the first and second preset models are set according to actual needs. They can be object detection models such as YOLO (You Only Look Once) and SSD (Single Shot Multibox Detector), and there are no restrictions here. By processing images in parallel by two models, the computational load of each model is reduced, enabling each model to quickly output accurate results and determine the material level in the hopper in real time.

[0100] It should be understood that the first preset model and the second preset model can be the same model, or they can be two different models. For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of this application, the first preset model is one model, and the second preset model is another model. In this embodiment, local images are input to the first preset model in parallel, and video images are input to the second preset model, thereby processing the output results of the two models simultaneously to determine the number of screen gaps, the length ratio of the stirring shaft, and the duration interval of the stirring blades. For ease of understanding, in this embodiment, the length ratio of the stirring shaft and the duration interval of the stirring blades are determined together. When only the length ratio of the stirring shaft needs to be determined, only the step of determining the length ratio of the stirring shaft based on the stirring shaft identification result is performed. When only the duration interval of the stirring blades needs to be determined, only the step of determining the duration interval of the stirring blades based on the stirring blade identification result is performed.

[0101] In the embodiments of this application, determining the duration interval of the stirring blade appearance based on the stirring blade identification result includes:

[0102] If the stirring blade identification result is that no stirring blade appears, the duration interval of stirring blade appearance is determined based on the time difference between the current video image and the previous video image in which stirring blade appeared.

[0103] In the actual process of determining the material level in the hopper, multiple consecutive frames of video images are typically processed to ensure the real-time nature of the determined current material level. When the mixing blades are not obscured by concrete and an image of the mixing blades can be obtained, multiple consecutive frames of video images will usually show the mixing blades. The time when the mixing blades first appear in the multiple consecutive frames of video images is determined as the time when the mixing blades appear.

[0104] When the agitator blade identification result indicates that an agitator blade has appeared, the time of the current appearance of the agitator blade is subtracted from the time of the previous appearance to determine the agitator blade appearance interval. If the agitator blade identification result indicates that no agitator blade has appeared, waiting for the agitator blade identification result to change to indicate that an agitator blade has appeared before calculating the agitator blade appearance interval would result in the hopper level determination not being real-time. In this embodiment, the agitator blade appearance interval is determined based on the time difference between the current video image and the previous video image showing an agitator blade appearance, i.e., subtracting the time of the previous appearance of the agitator blade from the time of the current video image.

[0105] Because the time of each acquired current video image is constantly changing, even when no stirring blade appears, the stirring blade appearance interval is continuously updated based on the time difference between the current video image and the previous video image in which the stirring blade appeared. This makes the determined stirring blade appearance interval gradually approach the actual duration interval, thereby enabling the determination of the current material level in the hopper to have high real-time performance.

[0106] In the embodiments of this application, the material level detection method further includes:

[0107] If the current material level is high, a first alarm message is generated, which is used to indicate that the current material level is high.

[0108] If the current material level is low, a second alarm message is generated, which is used to indicate that the current material level is low.

[0109] If the current material level is high, a first alarm message is generated to indicate that the material level is too high. Based on the actual working conditions, operators determine whether to adjust the speed of the pumping and mixing equipment to prevent overflow and concrete splashing.

[0110] If the current material level is low, a second alarm message is generated to indicate that the material level is at the bottom. Operators should determine whether to adjust the speed of the pumping and mixing equipment based on the actual working conditions to prevent cavitation and equipment damage. It is important to understand that the alarm types for the first and second alarm messages are determined by actual needs and can include, for example, a buzzer alarm; no specific limitation is made here.

[0111] Please see Figure 5 , Figure 5 A fourth flowchart of the material level detection method provided in the embodiments of this application is shown.

[0112] In embodiments of this application, the current material level in the hopper is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the ratio of the length of the stirring shaft.

[0113] S131, if the number of screen gaps is greater than the second number and less than or equal to the first number, and the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is greater than the first time threshold, the current material level is determined as a high material level.

[0114] The fewer the number of screen gaps, the higher the material level in the hopper; the longer the interval between the appearance of the mixing blades, the higher the material level in the hopper; the larger the proportion of the mixing shaft length, the lower the material level in the hopper. In actual concrete mixing conditions, when the current material level is high, the mixing shaft is completely covered by concrete, so the current material level can only be determined as high based on the proportion of the mixing shaft length, and the numerical value of the current material level cannot be accurately determined based on the proportion of the mixing shaft length. When the current material level is high, this embodiment determines the numerical value of the current material level based on both the number of screen gaps and the interval between the appearance of the mixing blades. Specifically, when the number of screen gaps is greater than a second number and less than or equal to a first number, and the interval between the appearance of the mixing blades is greater than a first time threshold, the current material level is determined to be high and the numerical value of the current material level is low. At this time, only the first alarm information can be used to prompt the operator, so that the operator can adjust the speed of the pumping equipment and the mixing equipment according to the actual working conditions.

[0115] S132, when the number of screen gaps is less than or equal to the second number, and the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is greater than the first time threshold, the current material level is determined as a high material level, and a pumping speed increase signal is sent to the pumping equipment, and a discharge speed decrease signal is sent to the stirring equipment.

[0116] If the number of screen gaps is less than or equal to the second number, and the interval between the appearance of the mixing blades is greater than the first time threshold, the current material level is determined to be high and the current material level value is too high, where the first number is greater than the second number. It is necessary to alert the operators and control the pumping and unloading speeds. Typically, if the unloading speed of the mixing equipment is too fast and the pumping speed of the pumping equipment is too slow, concrete will rapidly accumulate in the hopper, causing overflow. When the current material level is too high, a pumping speed increase signal is sent to the pumping equipment, and a unloading speed decrease signal is sent to the mixing equipment to quickly discharge the concrete from the hopper and prevent overflow.

[0117] It's important to understand that the current pumping speed of the pumping equipment and the current unloading speed of the mixing equipment can be obtained. The pumping and unloading speeds should be adjusted proportionally and gradually to avoid drastic speed changes. The values ​​of the first and second quantities are set according to actual needs and are not limited here.

[0118] In embodiments of this application, the current material level in the hopper is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the ratio of the length of the stirring shaft.

[0119] S133 determines the current material level as low if the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is less than or equal to the second time threshold and the length ratio of the stirring shaft is greater than the first ratio and less than or equal to the second ratio.

[0120] When the number of screen gaps is greater than the first number, the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is greater than the second time threshold but less than or equal to the first time threshold, and the proportion of the stirring shaft length is less than the first proportion, the current material level in the hopper is determined to be a normal material level, meaning the current material level in the hopper is neither low nor high. The first time threshold, the second time threshold, the first proportion, and the second proportion are all set according to actual needs and are not limited here. Furthermore, the first time threshold can be equal to the second time threshold, or it can be greater than the second time threshold; this will not be elaborated upon here.

[0121] When the number of screen gaps equals the total number of screen gaps, the current material level can only be determined as low based on the number of screen gaps, and the actual material level value cannot be accurately determined based on the number of screen gaps. In this embodiment, the current material level value is determined based on both the interval between the appearance of the agitator blades and the interval between their appearance. Specifically, when the interval between the appearance of the agitator blades is less than or equal to a second duration threshold, and the agitator shaft length ratio is greater than a first ratio and less than or equal to a second ratio, the current material level is determined to be low and relatively high. In this case, only the second alarm information can be used to alert the operator, allowing the operator to adjust the speed of the pumping and agitating equipment according to the actual working conditions.

[0122] S134, when the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is less than or equal to the second time threshold and the length ratio of the stirring shaft is greater than the second ratio, the current material level is determined to be a low material level, and a pumping speed reduction signal is sent to the pumping equipment, and a discharge speed increase signal is sent to the stirring equipment.

[0123] If the interval between the appearance of the mixing blades is less than or equal to a second time threshold, and the proportion of the mixing shaft length is greater than a second proportion, the current material level is determined to be low, indicating that the current material level is too low. It is necessary to alert the operators and control the pumping and unloading speeds. Typically, if the unloading speed of the mixing equipment is too slow, and the pumping speed of the pumping equipment is too fast, cavitation will occur. When the current material level is too low, a signal to reduce the pumping speed is sent to the pumping equipment, and a signal to increase the unloading speed is sent to the mixing equipment, reducing the concrete discharge rate from the hopper and preventing overflow. For the complex working conditions of actual concrete mixing, a comprehensive analysis of the number of screen gaps, the interval between the appearance of the mixing blades, and the proportion of the mixing shaft length is performed. Compared to analyzing only one of these components, this avoids inaccurate material level readings caused by analyzing a single component.

[0124] This application provides a material level detection method, which includes: acquiring a video image of a hopper; determining, based on the video image, at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of mixing blades, and the ratio of the length of the mixing shaft; and determining the current material level in the hopper based on at least one of these factors. For the complex working conditions of actual concrete mixing, this method can comprehensively analyze the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of mixing blades, and the ratio of the length of the mixing shaft, thereby accurately determining the current material level in the hopper.

[0125] This application also provides an electronic device, including:

[0126] The memory is configured to store instructions; and

[0127] The processor is configured to retrieve instructions from memory and, when executing the instructions, to implement the material level detection method described above in this embodiment.

[0128] When it is necessary to determine the current material level in the hopper, the electronic equipment connects to an image acquisition device. The image acquisition device acquires video images of the hopper, and the current material level is determined based on these images. Simultaneously, the electronic equipment can also connect to pumping and mixing equipment. When the current material level in the hopper is too high or too low, the electronic equipment controls the pumping speed of the pumping equipment and the unloading speed of the mixing equipment.

[0129] This application also provides an engineering machinery, including:

[0130] The image acquisition device is configured to acquire video images of the hopper in real time;

[0131] And the electronic device described above according to this embodiment.

[0132] In this embodiment, the engineering machinery can be either a pumping device or a mixing device, and is not limited thereto. To avoid cavitation or overflow, it is usually necessary to determine the material level in the hopper in real time. When the image acquisition device is a binocular image acquisition device, the material level in the hopper can be calculated from the point cloud information acquired by the binocular image acquisition device. However, the computational load is large when processing the point cloud information, making it impossible to determine the material level in the hopper in real time. In the embodiments of this application, the image acquisition device is a monocular image device. The computational load is small when processing the video image of the hopper acquired by the image acquisition device, thus enabling the determination of the material level in the hopper in real time. At the same time, compared with devices such as binocular image acquisition devices, the hardware cost is reduced.

[0133] It should be understood that construction machinery may also include other devices such as display terminals, control terminals, and communication terminals. These other devices are set according to actual needs and are not limited here.

[0134] This application also provides a machine-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the material level detection method described above in this embodiment.

[0135] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0136] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0137] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0138] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0139] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPU), input / output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

[0140] Memory may include non-persistent memory in computer-readable media, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM. Memory is an example of computer-readable media.

[0141] Computer-readable media includes both permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can store information using any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transferable medium that can be used to store information accessible by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transient computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0142] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0143] The above are merely embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A method for detecting material level, characterized in that, The material level detection method includes: Acquire video images of the hopper, wherein the hopper includes a screen, stirring blades, and a stirring shaft; Based on the video images, determine at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft. The current material level in the hopper is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft. The step of determining the current material level in the hopper based on at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft, includes: If the number of screen gaps is greater than the second number and less than or equal to the first number, and the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is greater than the first time threshold, the current material level is determined to be a high material level. If the number of screen gaps is less than or equal to the second number, and the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is greater than the first time threshold, the current material level is determined to be a high material level, and a pumping speed increase signal is sent to the pumping equipment, and a discharge speed decrease signal is sent to the stirring equipment.

2. The material level detection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining at least one of the following based on the video image: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft: Based on the video image, a partial image of the screen is obtained; The number of screen gaps is determined based on the local image.

3. The material level detection method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Determining the number of screen gaps based on the local image includes: The local image is input into the first preset model to obtain the screen gap recognition result; Based on the screen gap identification results, the number of screen gaps is determined.

4. The material level detection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining at least one of the following based on the video image: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft: The video image is input into the second preset model to obtain at least one of the stirring shaft identification result and the stirring blade identification result; Based on the stirring shaft identification results, determine the stirring shaft length ratio; and / or Based on the identification results of the stirring blades, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is determined.

5. The material level detection method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of determining the duration interval of the stirring blade appearance based on the stirring blade identification result includes: If the identification result of the stirring blade is that no stirring blade appears, the duration interval of the stirring blade appearance is determined based on the time difference between the current video image and the previous video image in which the stirring blade appeared.

6. The material level detection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the current material level in the hopper based on at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft, includes: If the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is less than or equal to the second time threshold, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft is greater than the first ratio and less than or equal to the second ratio, the current material level is determined to be a low material level. If the interval between the appearance of the stirring blades is less than or equal to the second duration threshold and the length ratio of the stirring shaft is greater than the second ratio, the current material level is determined to be a low material level, and a pumping speed reduction signal is sent to the pumping equipment, and a discharge speed increase signal is sent to the stirring equipment.

7. The material level detection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material level detection method further includes: When the current material level is high, a first alarm message is generated, wherein the first alarm message is used to indicate that the current material level is high; When the current material level is low, a second alarm message is generated, wherein the second alarm message is used to indicate that the current material level is low.

8. The material level detection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining at least one of the following based on the video image: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of the stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft: The video image is preprocessed to obtain a processed video image, wherein the image preprocessing includes at least one of image contrast enhancement processing, image noise reduction processing, and image cropping processing. Based on the processed video image, determine at least one of the following: the number of screen gaps, the time interval between the appearance of stirring blades, and the length ratio of the stirring shaft.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: The memory is configured to store instructions; as well as The processor is configured to retrieve the instructions from the memory and, when executing the instructions, to implement the level detection method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An engineering machinery, characterized in that, include: The image acquisition device is configured to acquire video images of the hopper in real time; as well as The electronic device according to claim 9.

11. A machine-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The machine-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the level detection method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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