An excavator control method, device, excavator, medium and product

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of excavator control, and discloses an excavator control method, device, excavator, medium and product, the method comprising: determining an excavator envelope point and an excavator position of the excavator; generating an initial electronic fence according to the excavator envelope point and the excavator position; scanning obstacles within the initial electronic fence and creating a cuboid envelope frame of the obstacles; updating the initial electronic fence according to the height of the cuboid envelope frame and the maximum working height of the excavator to obtain an irregular electronic fence; and during control of the excavator operation, stopping the excavator from continuing operation in the current operation direction when it is detected that the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is less than a preset distance threshold. The present application solves the problem of the electronic fence excessively limiting the reachable working space of the excavator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of excavator control technology, specifically to an excavator control method, device, excavator, medium, and product. Background Technology

[0002] With the acceleration of urbanization, urban infrastructure construction is becoming increasingly widespread. Construction machinery is primarily used in urban infrastructure construction. Traditionally, to ensure construction safety, physical construction fences are erected around the excavator during operation. However, this results in problems such as large land occupation, abandonment after use, and significant waste. With technological advancements, excavators are becoming increasingly intelligent, with electronic fencing and intelligent assistance functions becoming more sophisticated. Virtual fencing can be established to restrict the excavator's working range, preventing it from exceeding safe operating areas and causing collisions or digging in inappropriate areas. However, conventional electronic fencing is often set to a regular shape, lacking flexibility and inconvenience in actual use. This means that some areas that excavators could normally reach with special operations are inaccessible due to the electronic fencing, severely limiting the excavator's working space. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides an excavator control method, device, excavator, medium and product to solve the problem that electronic fences restrict the work space that excavators can access.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an excavator control method, the method comprising: determining the excavator envelope point and the excavator position; generating an initial electronic fence based on the excavator envelope point and the excavator position; scanning obstacles within the initial electronic fence and creating a cubic envelope frame of the obstacles, wherein the angle of the cubic envelope frame is set so that one side faces the excavator; updating the initial electronic fence based on the height of the cubic envelope frame and the maximum working height of the excavator to obtain an irregular electronic fence; and during the operation of the excavator, when it is detected that the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is less than a preset distance threshold, stopping the excavator from continuing to work along the current working direction.

[0005] Secondly, the present invention provides an excavator control device, the device comprising: an excavator positioning module for determining the excavator envelope point and the excavator position; an initial fence generation module for generating an initial electronic fence based on the excavator envelope point and the excavator position; an obstacle determination module for scanning obstacles within the initial electronic fence and creating a cubic envelope frame of the obstacles, wherein the angle of the cubic envelope frame is set so that one side faces the excavator; a fence updating module for updating the initial electronic fence based on the height of the cubic envelope frame and the maximum working height of the excavator to obtain an irregular electronic fence; and an excavator control module for stopping the excavator from continuing to work along the current working direction when the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is detected to be less than a preset distance threshold during the excavator operation.

[0006] Thirdly, the present invention provides an excavator, comprising: a memory and a processor, wherein the memory and the processor are communicatively connected to each other, the memory stores computer instructions, and the processor executes the computer instructions to perform the method provided in the first aspect.

[0007] Fourthly, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for causing a computer to perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0008] Fifthly, the present invention provides a computer program product, including computer instructions for causing a computer to perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0009] The technical solution provided by this invention has the following advantages:

[0010] This invention first generates an initial electronic fence within the excavator's preset operating space, without considering obstacles, based on the excavator's envelope point and position. This represents the excavator's reachable range. Then, obstacles within the initial electronic fence are scanned, and a cubic envelope is created for each obstacle. The height of each cubic envelope is compared with the excavator's maximum working height. For portions where the excavator's maximum working height exceeds the cubic envelope height, the excavator is reachable, thus defining a larger electronic fence based on the initial electronic fence's original range. For portions where the excavator's working height does not exceed the cubic envelope height, obstacles prevent the excavator from reaching them. Therefore, the original range of the initial electronic fence is reduced based on the obstacle's location, ultimately resulting in an irregular electronic fence. During excavator operation, controlling the excavator based on the irregular electronic fence allows the excavator to reach more, albeit narrow, spaces, significantly reducing the excessive restriction of the excavator's reachable working space by the electronic fence and increasing the excavator's operating range. Attached Figure Description

[0011] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating an excavator control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 This is a top view of the cube envelope frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect of generating an irregular electronic fence according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect of the S-shaped speed control curve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 5 This is another flowchart illustrating an excavator control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an excavator control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment of an excavator control method is provided. It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowchart in the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer-executable instructions. Furthermore, although a logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described may be executed in a different order than that shown here.

[0021] This embodiment provides an excavator control method, which can be used in excavators. Figure 1 This is a flowchart of an excavator control method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the process including the following steps:

[0022] Step S101: Determine the excavator envelope point and excavator position;

[0023] Step S102: Generate an initial electronic fence based on the excavator envelope point and the excavator position;

[0024] Step S103: Scan the obstacles within the initial electronic fence and create a cube envelope of the obstacles;

[0025] Step S104: Update the initial electronic fence according to the height of the cube envelope and the maximum working height of the excavator to obtain an irregular electronic fence;

[0026] Step S105: During the operation of the excavator, when it is detected that the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is less than a preset distance threshold, the excavator is stopped from continuing to work in the current working direction.

[0027] Specifically, in this embodiment, with the goal of automatically generating irregular electronic fences that expand the reach of excavators, a method is provided to first generate an unobstructed initial electronic fence within a preset activity space based on the excavator's posture and position, and then update the initial electronic fence according to the obstacles and their heights. The resulting irregular electronic fence takes obstacles into account but utilizes the limited open space within those obstacles. While ensuring that the electronic fence restricts excavator operation without collisions, it increases the excavator's reachable workspace and improves the excavator's operational flexibility.

[0028] In the stage of generating an unobstructed initial electronic fence, it is first necessary to determine the excavator's envelope point and position. In this embodiment, the excavator's envelope point can be determined by selecting points based on the excavator's external contour according to user requirements. The excavator's position can be calculated based on the coordinates of the excavator's envelope point in the vehicle coordinate system or the world coordinate system. Since the excavator's working scenario in actual work is within a fixed range, the excavator's activity range contour can be determined based on the excavator's envelope point and position. Based on the excavator's activity range contour, an initial electronic fence is automatically generated within a preset activity space to ensure that the maximum activity range contour of the excavator's walking, turning, and other actions will not collide with the boundary of the preset activity space. The specific process of automatically generating the electronic fence based on the excavator's activity range and the boundary of the preset activity space is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0029] In the stage of generating an electronic fence that takes obstacles into account, obstacles within the initial electronic fence are scanned using LiDAR, acoustic radar, or a camera. A cubic envelope of the obstacles is then created based on the scanned obstacle targets. This cubic envelope is used to accurately calculate the height of the obstacles. Next, the invention compares the height of the cubic envelope with the maximum working height of the excavator. If the maximum working height of the excavator is less than the height of the cubic envelope, it means that the obstacle will completely occupy the excavator's operating range within the initial electronic fence, and the initial electronic fence needs to be reduced based on the relative distance from each obstacle's outline position to the excavator's position. If the maximum working height of the excavator is greater than the height of the cubic envelope, then the obstacle should only obstruct the excavator's operating range within the height of the cubic envelope. However, the portion of the excavator's maximum working height exceeding the height of the cubic envelope will not obstruct the excavator's operating range. Therefore, for the portion of the excavator's maximum working height exceeding the height of the cubic envelope, a larger electronic fence can be defined according to the original range of the initial electronic fence, and for the portion of the cubic envelope's height, the initial electronic fence can be reduced based on the relative distance from each obstacle's outline position to the excavator's position. Using the method described above, the initial electronic fence is updated based on the height of the cubic envelope and the maximum working height of the excavator, resulting in an irregular electronic fence. During actual excavator operation, the excavator is controlled based on the updated irregular electronic fence. When the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is detected to be less than a preset distance threshold, the excavator stops operating in the current working direction. This ensures that the excavator does not collide with other equipment and allows it to access more confined spaces, significantly increasing its range of motion while maintaining safety.

[0030] In some alternative implementations, step S101 includes:

[0031] Step a1: Establish a vehicle coordinate system with the slewing center of the excavator and the connection point between the excavator and the undercarriage as the origin;

[0032] Step a2: Construct a kinematic model of the excavator based on its 3D data;

[0033] Step a3: Define several excavator body calibration points based on the positions that the excavator can move during operation;

[0034] Step a4: Simulate the excavator's operation process using an excavator kinematic model;

[0035] Step a5: Using the operating angle information and the size and shape characteristics of the excavator collected during the operation, calculate the coordinates of the body calibration point in the vehicle coordinate system at each moment in real time.

[0036] Step a6: Extract the excavator envelope points based on the coordinates of the machine body calibration points, and calculate the excavator position based on the coordinates of the calibration points.

[0037] Specifically, in this embodiment of the invention, a three-dimensional data model of the excavator is built into the excavator's memory. This three-dimensional data model can be created using 3D modeling applications such as CAD and Solidworks. When the excavator needs to calculate the electronic fence in the working scene, the excavator processor constructs a kinematic model of the excavator based on the three-dimensional data. The kinematic model represents the excavator's steering, arm extension, arm retraction, and the activity angles, directions, and displacements of various excavator components. Thus, the excavator's working process can be simulated through the kinematic model. In addition, several excavator body calibration points are defined based on the positions that the excavator can move during operation. These body calibration points are specific points on the excavator's body contour that can move, such as some joint points and component endpoints. In an optional embodiment, the machine calibration points can be selected from 12 points that may maximize the contour range of the excavator's movement during operation. Specifically, these include 3 points on the outer contour of the boom-shoulder connection, 2 points on the bucket four-bar linkage, 1 point at the center of the bucket cylinder, 1 point between the bucket teeth, 1 point at the boom connection, and 4 points on the outer contour surface of the bucket. If the machine calibration points provided in this embodiment are used as the excavator's envelope points, combined with the excavator's kinematic model simulating the excavator's operation, the maximum contour of the excavator during operation can be represented more accurately. This helps determine the boundaries that the excavator may collide with within the preset activity space, providing a more accurate basis for generating an electronic fence.

[0038] To determine the maximum outline of the excavator during operation, this embodiment also establishes a vehicle coordinate system with the excavator's slewing center and the connection point between the excavator and the undercarriage as the origin. Through the aforementioned simulated operation process, the excavator's multiple operating angle information and size and shape characteristics are collected by sensors. This allows for the real-time calculation of the coordinates of each body calibration point in the vehicle coordinate system at each moment. This facilitates the quantitative representation of the excavator's envelope point using the body calibration point coordinates and enables the calculation of the excavator's accurate position in space using the coordinate averaging method based on the coordinates of each calibration point.

[0039] In some alternative implementations, step S103 includes:

[0040] Step b1: Scan the obstacles within the initial electronic fence to obtain the obstacle point cloud for each obstacle;

[0041] Step b2: Using the direction one side of the cube faces the excavator as the reference direction, create a cube envelope for the obstacle point cloud of each obstacle.

[0042] Specifically, in this embodiment of the invention, devices such as lidar or ultrasonic radar are used to scan obstacles within the initial electronic fence to obtain obstacle point cloud data for each obstacle. Then, as... Figure 2 The top-down view shown illustrates that when drawing the cubic envelope of the obstacle point cloud, it's necessary to adjust the drawing in real-time based on the current excavator position. Regardless of the obstacle's shape, one face of any cubic envelope is drawn with the excavator facing it as the reference point. This method of creating cubic envelopes allows for the determination of the reduced irregular electronic fence based on the relative distance from the excavator's position to the face of the cubic envelope facing it, eliminating the need to consider the obstacle's placement angle or irregularity. This significantly improves the efficiency and accuracy of subsequent irregular electronic fence determination.

[0043] It should be noted that the excavator control method provided in this embodiment of the invention updates the electronic fence every time the excavator's position changes. After the excavator moves, it returns to step S101 to re-determine the excavator's envelope point and position, and re-plans the irregular electronic fence. Based on this, as... Figure 2 As shown, the cube envelope changes whenever the excavator's position changes. Although the placement of obstacles does not change, the recalculated cube envelope will still have one side facing the excavator, thus ensuring maximum accuracy for each newly generated irregular electronic fence.

[0044] In some alternative implementations, step S104 includes:

[0045] Step c1: Obtain the obstacle calibration point closest to the origin of the vehicle coordinate system from the cube envelope frame, the facing plane of the excavator, and the edge of the facing plane;

[0046] Step c2: Calculate the obstacle outline position based on the obstacle calibration points and the vehicle coordinate system;

[0047] Step c3: Compare the height of the cube envelope with the maximum working height of the excavator;

[0048] Step c4: For the upper space where the maximum working height exceeds the height of the cube envelope, set the distance from the initial electronic fence in the direction of the obstacle to the excavator as the irregular electronic fence of the upper space.

[0049] Step c5: For the lower space not exceeding the height of the cube envelope, set an irregular electronic fence for the lower space based on the relative distance between the obstacle outline position and the excavator position.

[0050] Specifically, this invention creates a cubic envelope with one side facing the excavator for each obstacle, and then obtains several obstacle calibration points closest to the origin of the vehicle coordinate system from the facing side of the cubic envelope and its edges. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the excavator is equipped with two LiDAR sensors, enabling precise detection of obstacles around the excavator. Considering the excavator's movement characteristics and to reduce algorithm computation time, the minimum distance of the obstacle from the origin in the excavator's coordinate system is selected from the facing plane of the cube envelope towards the excavator and its edges. These are the four extreme points (front, top, left, and right) of the cube envelope facing the excavator, which are then used as obstacle calibration points. Subsequently, the obstacle outline position is calculated based on these calibration points. In this embodiment, this can be considered as the position coordinates of the four extreme points in the coordinate system. When optimizing the electronic fence, the relative distance from the obstacle outline to the excavator's position can be accurately calculated based on the coordinates of each obstacle calibration point, thereby accurately calculating the boundary position of the electronic fence.

[0051] Subsequently, in this embodiment of the invention, the height of the cubic envelope frame is compared with the maximum working height of the excavator, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the height of the cube envelope is H, and the maximum working height of the excavator is H0. If the maximum working height of the excavator H0 is greater than the height of the cube envelope H, the excess part is the upper space for the excavator to operate, and the remaining part of the cube envelope height H is the lower space. If the maximum working height of the excavator H0 is less than or equal to the height of the cube envelope H, the excavator only has the lower space and no upper space.

[0052] For the aforementioned upper space where the maximum working height exceeds the height of the cubic envelope, since obstacles do not affect the excavator's movement in the upper space, this invention sets the distance from the initial electronic fence in the direction of the obstacle to the excavator as an irregular electronic fence for the upper space, for example... Figure 3 As shown, the initial electronic fence in the direction of the obstacle is B2 from the excavator. An irregular electronic fence is set up in the space based on the distance B2.

[0053] Regarding the lower space not exceeding the height of the cubic envelope, since obstacles will occupy the excavator's operational range, this embodiment of the invention sets up an irregular electronic fence for the lower space based on the relative distance between the obstacle's outline position (e.g., the positions of several obstacle markers) and the excavator's position. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the relative distance between the obstacle outline and the excavator position can be B1 in the figure. An irregular electronic fence is set up in the space based on distance B1. The purpose of calculating the obstacle outline position is to... Figure 3The length of the obstacle outline B3 determines the setting of an irregular electronic fence within the range of B3 according to B1 and B2, and the setting of an irregular electronic fence outside the range of B3 according to the initial electronic fence B2.

[0054] Based on this, when an obstacle faces the excavator, its front wall setting varies with the obstacle height H. When the obstacle height H is greater than the excavator's maximum digging working height H0, the front wall distance is set to B1; when the obstacle height H is less than the excavator's maximum digging working height H0 (i.e., the working height is 0-H), the front wall distance is set to B1; when the height is greater than H but less than H0, the front wall is set to B2. Other directions are set according to the digging range of the working device, thus obtaining an irregular fence boundary, increasing operational flexibility. When the excavator moves, the lidar re-determines the distance to the obstacle and repeats the previous process, recalculating and updating the front, left, right, top, and bottom fence boundaries. Since the obstacle cube envelope defined in this embodiment of the invention must have one side facing the excavator, each time the electronic fence is recalculated, the area of ​​the excavator relative to the obstacle may be... Figure 3 The S1, S3, and S4 regions are used, while the S0 and S2 regions are used to calculate the relative distance between the obstacle and the excavator in the lower space, thus improving the accuracy of the irregular electronic fence.

[0055] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present invention, based on the optimized irregular electronic fence, allows for efficient loading of excavators using... Figure 3 For example, the truck's height H is generally less than the excavator's maximum digging height H0. When the bucket is full and loading begins, the height is less than H, and the distance to the front wall is set to B1. When the bucket is raised to a height greater than H, the distance to the front wall is set to B2. At this point, the bucket can complete unloading and loading above the truck, which not only protects the truck but also allows for flexible operation.

[0056] In some alternative implementations, step S105 includes:

[0057] Step d1: When the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is detected to be less than the preset distance threshold, the excavator is controlled to decelerate along the current working direction using an S-shaped speed control curve, so that the excavator stops working when the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is the preset stopping distance. The preset stopping distance is greater than zero and less than the preset distance threshold.

[0058] Specifically, in related technologies, when an excavator detects that its body is approaching the boundary value of an electronic fence, the excavator's working device will stop immediately, causing vibration, impact, and uncoordinated operation of the working device. To solve this problem, the present invention also provides a deceleration strategy for excavators approaching electronic fences.

[0059] In this embodiment of the invention, when the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is detected to be less than a preset distance threshold (the starting point of deceleration), the excavator is smoothly decelerated along the current working direction using an S-shaped speed control curve, so that the excavator stops before the preset stopping distance (the stopping position of the excavator) of the irregular electronic fence. For example, in an optional embodiment, when the excavator's working device approaches the fence, the distance between the excavator's body calibration point and the electronic fence boundary is calculated in real time. The differences Δx, Δy, and Δz between the coordinates of each body calibration point and the coordinates of the fence boundary in the horizontal x, vertical y, and vertical z directions can be calculated. The body calibration point closest to the boundary with the smallest difference is selected as the reference point for the deceleration algorithm, and the distance between the excavator and the electronic fence is determined in real time. The preset stopping distance is greater than zero and less than the preset distance threshold, ensuring that the excavator stops without contacting the electronic fence. This embodiment of the invention leverages the advantage of the S-shaped curve's rapid change at the endpoint to achieve a smooth deceleration strategy for the excavator's stopping.

[0060] In some optional embodiments, the S-shaped speed control curve provided by the present invention is shown in the following formula:

[0061] V2=V1 / (1+e (d-a) )

[0062] In the formula, V2 is the excavator's operating speed after deceleration, V1 is the excavator's operating speed before deceleration, d is the difference between the preset distance threshold and the preset stop distance, and a is the deceleration distance coefficient.

[0063] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, this embodiment of the invention adjusts the parameters of the S-shaped speed control curve based on the distance from the starting deceleration position to the deceleration stop position, where d is the distance from the starting deceleration position to the deceleration stop position, specifically calculated as the difference between a preset distance threshold D1 and a preset stop distance D2. V2 is the excavator's operating speed after deceleration; in this embodiment, V2 needs to be defined as 0. a is the deceleration distance coefficient, which needs to be defined based on the excavator's operating speed before deceleration. Depending on the magnitude of the excavator's operating speed V1 before deceleration, if V1 is large, the S-shaped speed control curve will show a long and thin deceleration trend; if V1 is small, the S-shaped speed control curve will show a shorter deceleration trend. Therefore, the corresponding deceleration distance coefficient a is adjusted to ensure the accuracy of the S-shaped speed control curve. Through the S-shaped speed control curve provided by this embodiment of the invention, a smooth deceleration strategy is achieved for the excavator's stop, solving the problems of vibration and impact and uncoordinated movement when the excavator approaches an electronic fence.

[0064] In one specific application embodiment, the test subject was a 55-ton hydraulic excavator. Four angle sensors were used to collect data on the boom, stick, bucket, and swing angles. The boom, stick, and bucket were adjusted to approach an obstacle, with the bucket positioned above and below the obstacle's maximum height, respectively. The excavator was moved near the obstacle. The excavator's working device was tested by approaching the obstacle at different speeds, repeated at least twice. The rationality of this method was verified based on the boundary of the wall, its changes, and the impact of deceleration. Figure 5 As shown, the excavator control method provided in this embodiment of the invention includes the following steps:

[0065] 1. Select 12 frame calibration points that may maximize the excavator's movement contour range during excavator operation, and then determine the excavator's envelope points based on these frame calibration points. Specifically, these include 3 points on the outer contour of the boom and stick connection, 2 points on the bucket four-bar linkage, 1 point in the middle of the bucket cylinder, 1 point between the bucket teeth, 1 point at the boom connection, and 4 points on the outer contour surface of the bucket.

[0066] 2. Establish a vehicle coordinate system with the excavator's slewing center and the connection point between the excavator and the undercarriage as the origin, and construct the excavator's kinematic model based on the excavator's three-dimensional data.

[0067] 3. During the motion simulation, the angle sensor collects the body rotation data of 12 body calibration points to determine the position coordinates of the 12 body calibration points, which represent the position of the excavator.

[0068] 4. Generate an initial electronic fence within the preset activity space based on the excavator's envelope point and excavator position.

[0069] 5. Detect the cube envelope of obstacles using lidar.

[0070] 6. Obtain several obstacle calibration points from the orientation plane of the cube envelope toward the excavator and from the edge of the orientation plane.

[0071] 7. Calculate the outline position of the obstacle based on the obstacle calibration points and the vehicle coordinate system.

[0072] 8. Based on the comparison between the height of the cube envelope and the maximum working height of the excavator, the initial electronic fence is updated according to the relative distance between the obstacle outline position and the excavator position, resulting in an irregular electronic fence.

[0073] 9. Determine whether the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is less than the preset distance threshold.

[0074] 10. When the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is less than the preset distance threshold, the excavator is controlled to decelerate along the current working direction using an S-shaped speed control curve.

[0075] The technical solution provided by this invention allows for the determination of obstacle positions using lidar, and by combining this with the excavator's movement range, the electronic fence boundary parameters can be maximized. These parameters are automatically updated in real time as the obstacle moves, facilitating practical operation. By setting a deceleration distance and intelligently matching a smooth deceleration curve based on the initial speed, the impact caused by sudden speed changes is reduced, increasing the smoothness of the movement.

[0076] This embodiment also provides an excavator control device for implementing the above embodiments and preferred embodiments; details already described will not be repeated. As used below, the term "module" can refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that performs a predetermined function. Although the device described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware implementation, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0077] This embodiment provides an excavator control device, such as... Figure 6 As shown, it includes:

[0078] The excavator positioning module 601 is used to determine the excavator envelope point and the excavator position.

[0079] The initial fence generation module 602 is used to generate an initial electronic fence based on the excavator envelope point and the excavator position.

[0080] The obstacle determination module 603 is used to scan obstacles within the initial electronic fence and create a cubic envelope of the obstacles.

[0081] The fence update module 604 is used to update the initial electronic fence based on the height of the cube envelope and the maximum working height of the excavator, resulting in an irregular electronic fence.

[0082] The excavator control module 605 is used to stop the excavator from continuing to work in the current working direction when it detects that the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is less than a preset distance threshold during the operation of the excavator.

[0083] In some alternative implementations, the excavator positioning module 601 includes:

[0084] The coordinate system unit is used to establish the vehicle coordinate system with the excavator's slewing center and the connection point between the excavator and the undercarriage as the origin;

[0085] The motion model unit is used to construct the kinematic model of the excavator based on its three-dimensional data.

[0086] The body calibration unit is used to define several body calibration points of the excavator according to the positions that the excavator can change during operation;

[0087] The simulation unit is used to simulate the operation process of an excavator using an excavator kinematic model;

[0088] The fuselage coordinate calculation unit is used to calculate the coordinates of the fuselage calibration point in the vehicle coordinate system at various times in real time based on the operating angle information collected during the operation and the size and shape characteristics of the excavator.

[0089] The excavator position determination unit is used to extract the excavator envelope points based on the coordinates of the machine body calibration points, and to calculate the excavator position based on the calibration point coordinates.

[0090] In some alternative implementations, the obstacle determination module 603 includes:

[0091] The point cloud scanning unit is used to scan obstacles within the initial electronic fence to obtain the obstacle point cloud of each obstacle.

[0092] The envelope solving unit is used to create a cubic envelope for the obstacle point cloud of each obstacle, with one side of the cube facing the excavator as the reference direction.

[0093] In some alternative implementations, the fence update module 604 includes:

[0094] The obstacle calibration unit is used to obtain several obstacle calibration points closest to the origin of the vehicle coordinate system from the orientation plane of the cube envelope towards the excavator and the edge of the orientation plane;

[0095] The obstacle contour position unit is used to calculate the obstacle contour position based on the obstacle calibration point and the vehicle coordinate system.

[0096] The height comparison unit is used to compare the height of the cube envelope with the maximum working height of the excavator;

[0097] The upper space fence unit is used to set the distance from the initial electronic fence in the direction of the obstacle to the excavator as an irregular electronic fence for upper spaces where the maximum working height exceeds the height of the cubic envelope frame.

[0098] The lower space fencing unit is used to set up an irregular electronic fence for the lower space that does not exceed the height of the cube envelope frame, based on the relative distance between the obstacle outline position and the excavator position.

[0099] In some alternative embodiments, the apparatus further includes:

[0100] The replanning module is used to return to the steps of determining the excavator's envelope point and excavator position after the excavator has moved, in order to replan the irregular electronic fence.

[0101] In some alternative implementations, the excavator control module 605 includes:

[0102] The deceleration control unit is used to control the excavator to decelerate along the current working direction using an S-shaped speed control curve when the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is less than a preset distance threshold. The excavator is stopped when the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is a preset stopping distance, which is greater than zero and less than the preset distance threshold.

[0103] Further functional descriptions of the above modules and units are the same as those in the corresponding embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0104] In this embodiment, the excavator control device is presented in the form of a functional unit. Here, a unit refers to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or fixed programs, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0105] This invention also provides an excavator having the above-described excavator control device.

[0106] Please see Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an excavator provided in an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the excavator includes one or more processors 10, a memory 20, and interfaces for connecting the various components, including high-speed and low-speed interfaces. The various components communicate with each other via different buses and can be mounted on a common motherboard or otherwise as required. The processors can process instructions executed within the excavator, including instructions stored in or on memory to display graphical information of a GUI on external input / output devices (such as display devices coupled to the interfaces). In some alternative implementations, multiple processors and / or multiple buses can be used with multiple memories and multiple memory modules, if desired. Similarly, multiple excavators can be connected, each providing some of the necessary operations (e.g., as a server array, a set of blade servers, or a multiprocessor system). Figure 7 Take a processor 10 as an example.

[0107] Processor 10 may be a central processing unit, a network processor, or a combination thereof. Processor 10 may further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The programmable logic device may be a complex programmable logic device (CAMP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a general-purpose array logic (GDA), or any combination thereof.

[0108] The memory 20 stores instructions executable by at least one processor 10 to cause at least one processor 10 to perform the method shown in the above embodiments.

[0109] The memory 20 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system and applications required for at least one function; the data storage area may store data created based on the use of the excavator. Furthermore, the memory 20 may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-transitory memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-transitory solid-state storage device. In some alternative embodiments, the memory 20 may optionally include memory remotely located relative to the processor 10, which can be connected to the excavator via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

[0110] The memory 20 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory; the memory may also include non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, hard disk or solid-state drive; the memory 20 may also include a combination of the above types of memory.

[0111] The excavator also includes a communication interface 30 for communicating with other devices or communication networks.

[0112] This invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium. The methods described above according to embodiments of the invention can be implemented in hardware or firmware, or implemented as computer code that can be recorded on a storage medium, or implemented as computer code downloaded via a network and originally stored on a remote storage medium or a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and then stored on a local storage medium. Thus, the methods described herein can be processed by software stored on a storage medium using a general-purpose computer, a dedicated processor, or programmable or dedicated hardware. The storage medium can be a magnetic disk, optical disk, read-only memory, random access memory, flash memory, hard disk, or solid-state drive, etc.; further, the storage medium can also include combinations of the above types of memory. It is understood that computers, processors, microprocessor controllers, or programmable hardware include storage components capable of storing or receiving software or computer code, which, when accessed and executed by the computer, processor, or hardware, implements the methods shown in the above embodiments.

[0113] A portion of this invention can be applied as a computer program product, such as computer program instructions, which, when executed by a computer, can invoke or provide the methods and / or technical solutions according to the invention through the operation of the computer. Those skilled in the art will understand that the forms in which computer program instructions exist in a computer-readable medium include, but are not limited to, source files, executable files, installation package files, etc. Correspondingly, the ways in which computer program instructions are executed by a computer include, but are not limited to: the computer directly executing the instructions, or the computer compiling the instructions and then executing the corresponding compiled program, or the computer reading and executing the instructions, or the computer reading and installing the instructions and then executing the corresponding installed program. Here, the computer-readable medium can be any available computer-readable storage medium or communication medium accessible to a computer.

[0114] Although embodiments of the invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and such modifications and variations all fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an excavator, characterized in that, The method includes: Determine the excavator's envelope point and excavator position; An initial electronic fence is generated based on the excavator envelope point and the excavator position; Scan the obstacles within the initial electronic fence and create a cubic envelope of the obstacles; The initial electronic fence is updated based on the height of the cube envelope and the maximum working height of the excavator to obtain an irregular electronic fence. Updating the initial electronic fence based on the height of the cube envelope and the maximum working height of the excavator includes: establishing a vehicle coordinate system with the excavator's rotation center and the connection point between the excavator and the undercarriage as the origin; obtaining several obstacle calibration points closest to the excavator from the facing plane of the cube envelope towards the excavator and from the edge of the facing plane; calculating the obstacle outline position based on the obstacle calibration points and the vehicle coordinate system; comparing the height of the cube envelope and the maximum working height of the excavator; for the upper space where the maximum working height exceeds the height of the cube envelope, setting the distance from the initial electronic fence in the direction of the obstacle to the excavator as the irregular electronic fence for the upper space; for the lower space where the height does not exceed the height of the cube envelope, setting the irregular electronic fence for the lower space based on the relative distance between the obstacle outline position and the excavator position. During the operation of the excavator, when the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is detected to be less than a preset distance threshold, the excavator stops working in the current working direction.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the excavator's envelope point and excavator position includes: A kinematic model of the excavator was constructed based on its 3D data. Define several excavator body calibration points based on the positions that the excavator can move during operation; The excavator's operation process is simulated using the excavator's kinematic model. The coordinates of the machine body calibration point at each moment in the vehicle coordinate system are calculated in real time using the operating angle information and the size and shape characteristics of the excavator collected during the operation. The excavator envelope point is extracted based on the coordinates of the machine body calibration point, and the excavator position is calculated based on the coordinates of the calibration point.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of scanning obstacles within the initial electronic fence and creating a cubic envelope of the obstacles includes: Scan the obstacles within the initial electronic fence to obtain the obstacle point cloud for each obstacle; Create a cube envelope for the obstacle point cloud of each obstacle, with one side of the cube facing the excavator as the reference direction.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: After the excavator moves, return to the step of determining the excavator's envelope point and excavator position to replan the irregular electronic fence.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of stopping the excavator from continuing operation in the current working direction when the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is detected to be less than a preset distance threshold during the excavator operation includes: When the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is detected to be less than a preset distance threshold, the excavator is controlled to decelerate along the current working direction using an S-shaped speed control curve, so that the excavator stops working when the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is a preset stopping distance, wherein the preset stopping distance is greater than zero and less than the preset distance threshold.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The S-shaped speed control curve is shown in the following formula: In the formula, This refers to the excavator's operating speed after deceleration. Excavator operating speed before deceleration The difference between the preset distance threshold and the preset stop distance is the value of the difference. This is the deceleration distance coefficient.

7. An excavator control device, characterized in that, The device includes: The excavator positioning module is used to determine the excavator's envelope point and excavator position. An initial fence generation module is used to generate an initial electronic fence based on the excavator envelope point and the excavator position. An obstacle determination module is used to scan obstacles within the initial electronic fence and create a cubic envelope of the obstacles; The fence update module is used to update the initial electronic fence based on the height of the cube envelope and the maximum working height of the excavator to obtain an irregular electronic fence. Updating the initial electronic fence based on the height of the cube envelope and the maximum working height of the excavator includes: establishing a vehicle coordinate system with the excavator's rotation center and the connection point between the excavator and the undercarriage as the origin; obtaining several obstacle calibration points closest to the excavator from the facing plane of the cube envelope towards the excavator and from the edge of the facing plane; calculating the obstacle outline position based on the obstacle calibration points and the vehicle coordinate system; comparing the height of the cube envelope and the maximum working height of the excavator; for the upper space where the maximum working height exceeds the height of the cube envelope, setting the distance from the initial electronic fence in the direction of the obstacle to the excavator as the irregular electronic fence for the upper space; for the lower space where the height does not exceed the height of the cube envelope, setting the irregular electronic fence for the lower space based on the relative distance between the obstacle outline position and the excavator position. The excavator control module is used to stop the excavator from continuing to work in the current working direction when it detects that the distance between the excavator and the irregular electronic fence is less than a preset distance threshold during the excavator operation.

8. An excavator, characterized in that, include: A memory and a processor, the memory and the processor being communicatively connected to each other, the memory storing computer instructions, the processor executing the computer instructions to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or including the excavator control device of claim 7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6.

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