A whole vehicle assembly line position safety system and control method

Abstract

The application discloses a whole vehicle assembly line position safety system and a control method, and relates to the technical field of assembly line safety control.The system comprises an assembly line monitoring module, an AGV group, a line-side button box and a two-dimensional code belt.The assembly line monitoring module communicates with the AGV group through a wireless communication network.The AGV group comprises multiple AGVs.Each AGV is equipped with a vehicle-mounted control system, a vehicle-mounted wireless transceiver unit and a two-dimensional code camera.Each AGV is equipped with a ranging sensor group in the advancing direction, which comprises multiple ranging sensors and is connected to the vehicle-mounted control system of the AGV.The line-side button box is directly connected to the input end of the assembly line monitoring module.The two-dimensional code belt is continuously laid along the whole path of the assembly process section.The whole vehicle assembly line position safety system and the control method can realize the position safety of AGVs in special application scenarios, ensure that the distance between adjacent AGVs in the assembly process section of the whole vehicle assembly line is not less than the safety distance under normal operation, and ensure the safe and stable operation of the whole vehicle assembly line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of motion control technology for mobile equipment, and more specifically, to a position safety system and control method for a vehicle assembly line. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of electronic information technology and market competition in the manufacturing equipment industry, the market price of intelligent mobile equipment AGVs is decreasing, leading to a wider range of applications, expanding from logistics to automated workpiece conveying production lines. In the vehicle manufacturing industry, especially in the final assembly process, several AGVs are used to form a vehicle assembly line. The biggest advantage of this type of process conveying assembly line is its flexibility in changing process routes, which can reduce initial investment costs during the planning stage.

[0003] Currently, most vehicle-mounted control systems are equipped with laser obstacle avoidance radar at the front end of the AGV to detect whether there are obstacles in front of the AGV entering the deceleration or stopping zone set by the laser obstacle avoidance radar configuration software. Once the laser obstacle avoidance radar scans an obstacle in the set area, it generates a deceleration signal or a stopping signal; the vehicle-mounted control system receives the deceleration or stopping signal from the laser obstacle avoidance radar, processes it, and realizes the deceleration or stopping of the AGV.

[0004] When AGVs are used on a vehicle assembly line, workers need to operate close to the vehicle body in the assembly process section, where the AGVs are moving at low speeds. The onboard control system needs to automatically block the laser obstacle avoidance radar signals of the AGVs; otherwise, the laser obstacle avoidance radar signals will trigger the onboard control system to stop, affecting production efficiency. After the onboard control system blocks the laser obstacle avoidance radar signals of the AGVs, the spacing between AGVs relies entirely on the position data collected by the AGV scheduling system. Errors in position data, delays in wireless transmission, and equipment malfunctions can all lead to errors in the position interval data of the AGV scheduling system, resulting in the safety risk of adjacent AGVs crowding out workers. There are no redundant technical measures for positional safety.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a position safety system and control method for vehicle assembly lines. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a position safety system and control method for a vehicle assembly line to solve the problems in the prior art. It can achieve position safety of AGVs in special application scenarios, ensure that the distance between adjacent AGVs in the process section of the vehicle assembly line is not less than the safe distance under normal operation, solve the safety risk of adjacent AGVs squeezing the workers, and ensure the safe and stable operation of the vehicle assembly line.

[0007] This invention provides a positional safety system and control method for a vehicle assembly line, comprising: an assembly line monitoring module, an AGV group, a line-side button box (OP), and a QR code strip, wherein:

[0008] The assembly line monitoring module communicates with the AGV group via a wireless communication network.

[0009] The AGV group includes multiple sets of AGVs, each AGV is equipped with an on-board control system and an on-board wireless transceiver unit. The signal of the on-board wireless transceiver unit is connected to the on-board control system of the corresponding AGV. Each AGV is equipped with a QR code camera, and the signal of the QR code camera is connected to the on-board control system of the corresponding AGV. Each AGV is equipped with a ranging sensor group in the forward direction. The ranging sensor group includes multiple ranging sensors, and the signal of each ranging sensor is connected to the on-board control system of the corresponding AGV.

[0010] The line-side button box OP is directly connected to the input terminal of the assembly line monitoring module;

[0011] The QR code strip is continuously laid along the entire assembly process section.

[0012] In the vehicle assembly line position safety system and control method described above, preferably, the assembly line monitoring module includes an industrial control computer and / or a PLC device.

[0013] In the vehicle assembly line position safety system and control method described above, preferably, the wireless communication network includes a switch, network cable, and multiple antenna modules. The wireless communication network is based on an industrial WIFI technology architecture and / or an industrial 5G technology architecture. The number of antenna modules is determined by the ability of the wireless signal to stably cover the activity area of ​​all AGVs.

[0014] In the vehicle assembly line position safety system and control method described above, preferably, the assembly line monitoring module includes a human-machine interaction unit, and the information displayed by the human-machine interaction unit includes the position and operating status information of the AGV group.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method for position safety control on a vehicle assembly line using the above-described system, comprising:

[0016] The assembly line monitoring module acts as the main control unit, monitoring and managing all AGVs in the AGV group to ensure the safe spacing between all AGVs.

[0017] The onboard control system of each AGV in the AGV group ensures the safe distance between each AGV and its neighboring AGVs based on signals from the onboard wireless transceiver unit, QR code camera, and ranging sensor.

[0018] In the vehicle assembly line position safety control method described above, preferably, the assembly line monitoring module acts as the main control terminal, monitoring and uniformly managing all AGVs in the AGV group to ensure the safe spacing between all AGVs, specifically including:

[0019] The assembly line monitoring module uses object-oriented and multi-threaded computer technology for data interaction, data processing, and logic processing; the basic architecture of the assembly line monitoring module program is divided into an initialization part and a main thread part according to function.

[0020] In the vehicle assembly line position safety control method described above, preferably, the initialization process of the assembly line monitoring module includes:

[0021] The main control system function block is initialized, and AGV objects are created for all AGVs in the AGV group; the data sending thread and data receiving thread of the AGV object are created and started; wherein, the data sending thread is used to send data acquisition messages, and the data receiving thread is used to receive data feedback messages;

[0022] The data acquisition message and the data return message both include a message frame header, message length, message body, error correction code, and frame tail.

[0023] In the vehicle assembly line position safety control method described above, preferably, the assembly line monitoring module acts as the main control terminal, monitoring and uniformly managing all AGVs in the AGV group to ensure the safe spacing between all AGVs, specifically including:

[0024] In the data sending thread of the AGV object, the assembly line monitoring module periodically sends data acquisition messages to the vehicle control system of the AGV object; after the AGV object sends the data acquisition message, it must receive the data return message from the vehicle control system within a set time; otherwise, the communication status attribute of the AGV object is assigned a communication error code.

[0025] In the data receiving thread of the AGV object, the assembly line monitoring module receives the data return message of the AGV object, parses it, and obtains the path coordinate data x. i ;

[0026] After the assembly line monitoring module is initialized, the main thread is started.

[0027] The assembly line monitoring module periodically monitors the communication status of the onboard control systems of all AGVs in the AGV group on the main thread, indicating whether the communication link between the assembly line monitoring module and the onboard control systems of all AGVs in the AGV group is normal. If the assembly line monitoring module obtains a communication status attribute of the AGV object as a communication error code, it assigns a stop running value to the command code attribute of other AGV objects in the AGV group. Through the sending thread, the main control end achieves position safety based on communication link detection.

[0028] In the main thread of the assembly line monitoring module, the assembly line monitoring module 1 comprehensively processes and judges the AGV objects of all AGVs in the AGV group, sorts them on the path, and generates the path coordinate data x. i The corresponding coordinate data x of the preceding vehicle i前 ;

[0029] In the main thread of the assembly line monitoring module, based on the path coordinate data x i With safety threshold Δx lim3 After comprehensive judgment, the assembly line monitoring module generates a command code for the AGV object that is applicable to all AGVs; the assembly line monitoring module transmits the command code to the corresponding AGV object; the AGV object transmits the command code and the coordinate data of the preceding vehicle (x) to the corresponding AGV object. i前 The data is encapsulated into the data acquisition message and sent via the command of the data sending thread of the AGV object to achieve position safety protection based on coordinate monitoring at the main control end.

[0030] In the vehicle assembly line position safety control method described above, preferably, the onboard control system of each AGV in the AGV group ensures the safety of the distance between each AGV and its adjacent AGVs based on signals from the onboard wireless transceiver unit, QR code camera, and ranging sensor. Specifically, this includes:

[0031] The onboard control system of all AGVs in the AGV group collects dynamic data from the corresponding QR code camera in real time. id After filtering and range conversion, path coordinate data x is generated. i ;

[0032] The onboard control system of all AGVs in the AGV group uses computer interrupt technology for data interaction, receiving data acquisition messages from the assembly line monitoring module, generating and sending data return messages; the data return message includes the path coordinate data x. i The data acquisition message includes a command code and the coordinates of the preceding vehicle (x). i前 The command code is one of the codes for starting, stopping, running, or waiting;

[0033] Based on the path coordinate data x i The coordinate data of the preceding vehicle x i前 and safety threshold Δx lim1 After comprehensive judgment, coordinate-based position safety protection is achieved at the vehicle control system end;

[0034] The vehicle control system of all AGVs in the AGV group performs periodic communication link detection to check whether the communication link between the assembly line monitoring module and the vehicle control system corresponding to all AGVs in the AGV group is normal. If the communication link is abnormal, an alarm is triggered. When the alarm is triggered, the vehicle control system controls the corresponding AGV to stop running immediately, so as to realize the position safety protection based on communication link detection at the vehicle control system end.

[0035] The onboard control system of all AGVs in the AGV group collects signals or data from the ranging sensor group, processes the data to generate a ranging data set, and then determines the ranging data set based on the process safety strategy, the ranging data set, and the safety threshold Δx. lim2 This enables distance-based position safety protection at the vehicle control system level.

[0036] This invention provides a vehicle assembly line position safety system and control method. The onboard control system of each AGV in the AGV group achieves vehicle body position safety on the assembly line by using the communication link of the onboard wireless transceiver unit, the path coordinates of the QR code camera, and the combined distance measurement of various distance sensors. Utilizing the detection data from the distance sensor group, intelligent detection is achieved through logical processing, enabling the identification of whether a nearby natural object is an AGV. This avoids the impact of personnel around the AGVs on their operation when the AGV spacing is normal. Combining coordinate-based and communication link-based detection position safety technologies, the system ensures the economy, reliability, and safety of the vehicle assembly line position safety system. It improves the safety of vehicle body position spacing on AGV-aligned vehicle assembly lines, ensuring no collisions between vehicle bodies and protecting product quality. It also ensures the personal safety of personnel around the AGVs, ensuring safe production. Attached Figure Description

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0038] Figure 1 This is an architecture diagram of an embodiment of the vehicle assembly line position safety system provided by the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the ranging sensor in the vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 3This is a flowchart of a vehicle assembly line position safety control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a vehicle assembly line position safety control method in the vehicle control system of this invention.

[0042] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the vehicle assembly line position safety control method of the main control terminal in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure labeling: 1-Assembly line monitoring module, 2-Wireless communication network, 3-AGV group, 4-Line-side button box (OP), 5-QR code strip. Detailed Implementation

[0044] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The descriptions of the exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative and are in no way intended to limit the present disclosure or its application or use. The present disclosure may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully express the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that, unless specifically stated otherwise, the relative arrangement of components and steps, the composition of materials, numerical expressions, and values ​​set forth in these embodiments should be interpreted as exemplary only and not as limiting.

[0045] The terms “first,” “second,” and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different parts. Terms such as “including” or “contains” mean that the element preceding the term encompasses the element listed after it, and do not exclude the possibility of encompassing other elements as well. Terms such as “above” and “below” are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, this relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0046] In this disclosure, when a specific component is described as being located between a first component and a second component, an intermediary component may or may not be present between the specific component and the first or second component. When a specific component is described as connecting to other components, the specific component may be directly connected to the other components without having an intermediary component, or it may not be directly connected to the other components but may have an intermediary component.

[0047] All terms used in this disclosure (including technical or scientific terms) have the same meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in a general dictionary, such as a dictionary, should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and not as having an idealized or highly formalized meaning, unless expressly defined herein.

[0048] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, they should be considered part of the specification.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle assembly line position safety system provided in this embodiment includes: an assembly line monitoring module 1, an AGV group 3, a line-side button box OP 4, and a QR code strip 5, wherein:

[0050] The assembly line monitoring module 1 communicates with the AGV group 3 via the wireless communication network 2.

[0051] The AGV group 3 includes multiple AGVs, each AGV is equipped with an on-board control system and an on-board wireless transceiver unit. The signal of the on-board wireless transceiver unit is connected to the on-board control system of the corresponding AGV. Each AGV is equipped with a QR code camera. The signal of the QR code camera is connected to the on-board control system of the corresponding AGV. Each AGV is equipped with a ranging sensor group in the forward direction. The ranging sensor group includes multiple ranging sensors. The signal of each ranging sensor is connected to the on-board control system of the corresponding AGV.

[0052] The line-side button box OP4 is directly connected to the input terminal of the assembly line monitoring module 1;

[0053] The QR code strip 5 is continuously laid along the entire path of the assembly process section.

[0054] The assembly line monitoring module 1 includes an industrial control computer and / or a PLC device. Through the wireless communication network 2, the assembly line monitoring module 1 can communicate with the on-board control system of all AGVs in the AGV group.

[0055] Furthermore, the wireless communication network 2 includes a switch, network cable, and multiple antenna modules. The wireless communication network 2 is based on an industrial WIFI technology architecture and / or an industrial 5G technology architecture. The number of antenna modules (m) is determined by the requirement that the wireless signal can stably cover the activity area of ​​all AGVs.

[0056] Furthermore, the assembly line monitoring module 1 includes a human-machine interface unit (HMI). The HMI displays information including the position and operating status of the AGV group 3. It should be noted that this invention does not specifically limit the information displayed by the HMI. The number (n) of the AGVs comprising the AGV group 3 is determined by the process design. It should also be noted that this invention does not specifically limit the number of antenna modules or AGVs.

[0057] Furthermore, the button signals of the line-side button box OP4 are directly connected to the input module of the assembly line monitoring module. Specifically, the line-side button box OP4 is a workstation button box, distributed in the assembly process section, and each workstation is equipped with one set of line-side button boxes OP4. During operation, the buttons of the line-side button box OP4 can provide start, stop, and emergency stop signals to the assembly line monitoring module 1, and after processing by the assembly line monitoring module 1, corresponding actions are performed on each AGV in the assembly process section.

[0058] Furthermore, the data interfaces of the QR code cameras configured on all AGVs in AGV group 3 are connected to the onboard control system of the corresponding AGV. Specifically, the data interface of the QR code camera can be, for example, Profinet, EtherNet / IP, EtherCAT, or CAN. In a specific implementation, the QR code camera can directly generate position data, and the QR code position value detection accuracy is not less than 1mm.

[0059] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the ranging sensor group configured for all AGVs in the AGV group 3 consists of 5 ranging sensors, with channel numbers A, B, C, D, and E respectively. Exemplarily, the ranging sensor is a photoelectric sensor, with a measuring spot diameter of no more than 10 mm at a target distance of 3 meters, and a positional repeatability accuracy of no more than 2 mm. The ranging sensor supports measuring natural objects. Figure 2 As shown, in the front part of the AGV, the ranging sensors are evenly distributed and installed in parallel in the top-view projection plane. Specifically, the measuring beams of the ranging sensor group are all emitted in the forward direction of the AGV, and the measuring light speed is parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle body.

[0060] Furthermore, the location information of each QR code in the QR code strip 5 of the assembly process section is unique, and the QR code location data is continuous.

[0061] It should be noted that the vehicle assembly line of the present invention consists of the n sets of AGVs, which is a circular assembly line consisting of a process section and a conveyor section; each AGV of the AGV group 3 carries a vehicle body on its pallet and runs continuously at low speed in the conveyor section; in the process section, workers stand on the ground to work around the vehicle body carried by the AGV.

[0062] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a method for position safety control on a vehicle assembly line using the above-described system, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the vehicle assembly line position safety control method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps in actual implementation:

[0063] Step S1: Assembly line monitoring module 1 acts as the main control terminal to monitor and manage all AGVs in AGV group 3 in a unified manner to ensure the safety of the spacing between all AGVs.

[0064] Assembly line monitoring module 1, acting as the main control unit, is responsible for monitoring and managing all AGVs in AGV group 3, ensuring the safety of spacing between all AGVs in the AGV group from the main control perspective. Specifically, the assembly line monitoring module employs object-oriented and multi-threaded computer technology for data interaction, data processing, and logic processing; the basic architecture of the assembly line monitoring module program is functionally divided into an initialization section and a main thread section.

[0065] The initialization process of the assembly line monitoring module includes:

[0066] The main control system function block is initialized, creating AGV objects for all AGVs in AGV group 3; data sending and receiving threads for the AGV objects are created and started; the data sending thread is used to send data acquisition messages, and the data receiving thread is used to receive data return messages. Both the data acquisition message and the data return message include a message frame header, message length, message body, error correction code, and frame trailer.

[0067] In one embodiment of the vehicle assembly line position safety control method of the present invention, step S1 may specifically include:

[0068] Step S11: In the data sending thread of the AGV object, the assembly line monitoring module 1 periodically sends data acquisition messages to the vehicle control system of the AGV object; after the AGV object sends the data acquisition message, it must be able to receive the data return message from the vehicle control system within a set time; otherwise, the communication status attribute of the AGV object is assigned a communication error code.

[0069] Step S12: In the data receiving thread of the AGV object, the assembly line monitoring module 1 receives the data return message of the AGV object, parses it, and obtains the path coordinate data x. i .

[0070] Step S13: After the assembly line monitoring module 1 is initialized, the main thread is started.

[0071] Step S14: The assembly line monitoring module 1 periodically monitors the communication status of the on-board control systems of all AGVs in the AGV group 3 in the main thread, and monitors whether the communication link between the assembly line monitoring module 1 and the on-board control systems of all AGVs in the AGV group 3 is normal. If the assembly line monitoring module 1 obtains the communication status attribute of the AGV object as a communication error code, it assigns the command code attribute of other AGV objects of all AGVs in the AGV group 3 to stop running. Through the sending thread, the position safety of the main control end based on communication link detection is realized.

[0072] Step S15: In the main thread of the assembly line monitoring module 1, the assembly line monitoring module 1 comprehensively processes and judges the AGV objects of all AGVs in the AGV group, sorts them on the path, and generates the path coordinate data x. i The corresponding coordinate data x of the preceding vehicle i前 .

[0073] Step S16: In the main thread of the assembly line monitoring module 1, based on the path coordinate data x i With safety threshold Δx lim3 After comprehensive judgment, the assembly line monitoring module 1 generates a command code for all AGV objects; the assembly line monitoring module transmits the command code to the corresponding AGV object; the AGV object transmits the command code and the coordinate data of the preceding vehicle x. i前 The data is encapsulated into the data acquisition message and sent via the command of the data sending thread of the AGV object to achieve position safety protection based on coordinate monitoring at the main control end.

[0074] In step S2, the onboard control system of each AGV in AGV group 3 ensures the safety of the distance between each AGV and its adjacent AGVs based on the signals from the onboard wireless transceiver unit, QR code camera and ranging sensor.

[0075] All AGVs in AGV group 3 are responsible for the spacing safety of the AGVs from a self-protection perspective, and comprehensively realize the vehicle body position safety of the assembly line from three aspects: path coordinates, communication links, and combined ranging. In one embodiment of the vehicle assembly line position safety control method of the present invention, step S2 may specifically include:

[0076] Step S21: The onboard control system of all AGVs in AGV group 3 collects dynamic data x from the corresponding QR code camera in real time. id After filtering and range conversion, path coordinate data x is generated. i .

[0077] Step S22: The onboard control system of all AGVs in AGV group 3 uses computer interrupt technology for data interaction, receives data acquisition messages from the assembly line monitoring module, and generates and sends data return messages; the data return message includes the path coordinate data x. i .

[0078] The data acquisition message includes a command code and the coordinates of the preceding vehicle (x). i前 The command code is one of the codes for starting, stopping, running, or waiting.

[0079] Step S23: Based on the path coordinate data x i The coordinate data of the preceding vehicle x i前 and safety threshold Δx lim1 After comprehensive judgment, coordinate-based position safety protection is achieved at the vehicle control system end.

[0080] Specifically, if the coordinate data of the vehicle in front is x i前 - Path coordinate data x i Less than the safety threshold Δx lim1 If the coordinates of the vehicle in front are x, then it is deemed unsafe; i前 - Path coordinate data x i Greater than or equal to the safety threshold Δx lim1 If the path coordinates are not cleared, the system is deemed safe. Therefore, through step S23, the onboard control system of all AGVs in the AGV group 3 can achieve path coordinate-based positional safety at the onboard control system end based on the coordinates of adjacent paths.

[0081] Step S24: The vehicle control system of all AGVs in AGV group 3 performs periodic communication link detection to check whether the communication link between the assembly line monitoring module and the vehicle control system corresponding to all AGVs in AGV group 3 is normal. If the communication link is abnormal, an alarm is triggered. When an alarm is triggered, the vehicle control system controls the corresponding AGV to stop running immediately, so as to realize the position safety protection based on communication link detection at the vehicle control system end.

[0082] Step S24 enables location security based on communication link detection at the vehicle control system end.

[0083] Step S25: The onboard control system of all AGVs in AGV group 3 collects signals or data from the ranging sensor group, processes the data to generate a ranging data set, and then, based on the process safety strategy, the ranging data set, and the safety threshold Δx... lim2 This enables distance-based position safety protection at the vehicle control system level.

[0084] According to step S25, distance-based position security can be achieved at the vehicle control system end.

[0085] Furthermore, to better explain the vehicle assembly line position safety control process at the on-board control system end, Figure 4 An example functional flowchart of the vehicle assembly line position safety at the vehicle control system terminal is shown, and the implementation steps are as follows:

[0086] Step 100: Begin;

[0087] Step 101: Detect communication link at the vehicle control system end, detect communication anomalies, and implement location security protection;

[0088] Specifically, the vehicle control system of all AGVs in the AGV group 3 performs periodic communication link detection to check whether the communication link between the assembly line monitoring module 1 and the vehicle control system is normal. If the communication link is abnormal, an alarm is triggered. When an alarm is triggered, the vehicle control system controls the corresponding AGV to stop running immediately, so as to realize the position safety protection based on communication link detection at the vehicle control system end.

[0089] Step 102: The vehicle control system collects dynamic data from the QR code camera. id .

[0090] Step 103: For dynamic data x id Perform filtering.

[0091] Specifically, the dynamic data x acquired by the QR code camera id The data is fluctuating and not conducive to data processing. The vehicle control system uses a mean filtering algorithm to generate stable QR code absolute position data.

[0092] Step 104: Filter data coordinate transformation to generate path coordinate data x i ;

[0093] Specifically, the directly acquired QR code camera data is the absolute position data of the QR code. Even after filtering, it remains the absolute position data of the QR code, not the coordinate data set by the electronic map of the assembly line monitoring module 1, which serves as the main control terminal. This is not conducive to subsequent processing and logical judgment. Therefore, the filtered data needs to be transformed to convert the absolute position data of the QR code into electronic map coordinate data, i.e., path coordinate data x. i .

[0094] Step 105: Path coordinate data x i Store the data in the send buffer, and lock the data upon transmission.

[0095] Specifically, the returned data is not limited to path coordinate data x. iIt also includes the real-time operating status information of the AGV; after the vehicle control system stores the back-transmission data in the transmission buffer, it sets the back-transmission data lock flag.

[0096] Step 106: Has a data acquisition message been received?

[0097] Specifically, if the vehicle control system receives a data acquisition message triggered by an event, it will enter the preliminary analysis process.

[0098] Specifically, after the initial analysis by the vehicle control system, if the data acquisition message is determined to be valid, step 107 is executed; otherwise, step 108 is skipped.

[0099] Step 107: Parse the data acquisition message, generate the return message, and return the data.

[0100] Specifically, after the preliminary analysis in step 106, under the condition that the data acquisition message is valid and the return data lock flag is true, the vehicle control system encapsulates the return data generated in step 105, generates a return data message, and sends the return data message to the assembly line monitoring module 1, which is the main control terminal. After the message is sent, the return data lock flag is reset.

[0101] Step 108: If the difference in path coordinates between adjacent AGVs is less than the safety threshold, then motion protection is activated.

[0102] Specifically, in step 104, the vehicle control system acquires the path coordinate data x. i Based on steps 106 and 107, the vehicle control system obtains the coordinate data x of the preceding vehicle from the data acquisition message. i前 The coordinate data of the preceding vehicle x i前 With the path coordinate data x i The difference is Δx, and the safety threshold is Δx. lim1 .

[0103] The calculation formula is as follows: Δx = x i前 - x i Specifically, if Δx < Δx lim1 If the distance between the two vehicles is too small, indicating a safety risk, the vehicle control system will issue an alarm and stop operating, actively implementing motion protection, thereby achieving positional safety based on path coordinates at the vehicle control system end.

[0104] Specifically, through the touchscreen of the vehicle control system, maintenance personnel can adjust the safety threshold Δx according to the on-site process status. lim1 Make appropriate settings.

[0105] Step 109: If the batch data of the ranging data group is less than the safety threshold, motion protection is activated;

[0106] Specifically, the vehicle control system collects distance data A from the ranging sensor group according to the channel. j B j C j D j and E j Where j is the array index, and the maximum value of j is the data sampling frequency. In one embodiment of the present invention, the maximum value of j is 10, that is, each channel samples data 10 times per second.

[0107] Specifically, after sampling, the 10 data points for each channel are filtered to eliminate interference, removing the maximum and minimum values. The average of the remaining 8 data points for each channel is then calculated, and the averages are A. 平均 B 平均 C 平均 D 平均 and E 平均 .

[0108] In the specific implementation, for ease of determination, the A is... 平均 B 平均 C 平均 D 平均 and E 平均 The value is assigned to array L[k], and Counter (array) is cleared to zero; specifically, L[k] is iteratively checked to see if it is less than Δx. lim2 If L[k] is less than Δx lim2 Then the channel counter Counter is incremented by one. Furthermore, after the L[k] loop judgment is completed, if the channel counter Counter equals 5, it means that all distances measured by the ranging sensor group are less than the safety threshold Δx. lim2 If the distance between the current AGV and the preceding AGV is too close, posing a safety risk, the vehicle control system should stop operating. If the operator is working normally between the AGVs and obstructs part of the ranging sensor group, causing the channel counter value to be less than 5, the vehicle control system does not consider the AGV to pose a safety risk. Through the above judgment and processing, distance-based position safety is achieved at the vehicle control system end.

[0109] Step 110: The program ends and automatically jumps to step 100, the program begins, and enters the next program loop.

[0110] Furthermore, to better explain the vehicle assembly line position safety control method at the vehicle control system end, Figure 5An example functional flowchart of the assembly line monitoring module, which serves as the main control terminal, for the positional safety of the vehicle assembly line is shown. The implementation steps are as follows:

[0111] Step 120: Begin.

[0112] Step 121: Initialization, creating AGV i An object that creates a data sending thread and a receiving thread.

[0113] Step 122: Start each AGV i The data sending and receiving threads for the object.

[0114] Steps 1, 2, and 3: Each AGV i The object's sending thread periodically sends data acquisition messages.

[0115] Specifically, each AGV i Before the periodic transmission process begins, the object sends the command code and the coordinate data x of the preceding vehicle. i前 The data is encapsulated into the data acquisition message and then sent. Each AGV... i The object sets the attribute that the collected data has been sent and resets the attribute that the returned data has been received.

[0116] Step 124: Each AGV i The object event triggers the reception of data feedback messages to obtain path coordinate data x. i ;

[0117] Specifically, in each AGV i The data receiving thread of the object, the AGV i The object receives the data return message and initially parses it to determine whether the data return message is valid. The AGV i The object further parses the data return message to obtain the path coordinate data x. i Furthermore, the AGV i The object sets the attribute indicating that the returned data has been received, and resets the attribute indicating that the collected data has been sent.

[0118] Step 125: Each AGV i The object's sending thread periodically performs communication link monitoring.

[0119] Specifically, after the AGV object sends the data acquisition message, it must receive the data return message from the vehicle control system within a set time; otherwise, a communication error code will be generated.

[0120] In one embodiment of the present invention, in each AGV iThe object's sending thread, based on steps 123 and 124, and according to the attribute values ​​of the collected data that have been sent and the attribute values ​​of the returned data that have been received, determines the sending thread for each AGV. i The object performs logical judgments on the communication links it is responsible for, and sets or resets its communication status attributes.

[0121] Step 126: The main thread processes all AGVs i If the object communication link is monitored and the result is abnormal, systematic motion protection will be implemented.

[0122] Specifically, the assembly line monitoring module 1 periodically monitors the communication status of all AGV onboard control systems in the AGV group 3, indicating whether the communication link between the assembly line monitoring module 1 and the onboard control systems of all AGVs in the AGV group 3 is normal. If any of the AGVs... i If the communication status attribute of an object is true, it indicates that the communication of the vehicle assembly line position safety system is abnormal. After the assembly line monitoring module 1 obtains the communication status attribute as true (i.e., abnormal code), it assigns the command code attribute of other AGV objects to stop running. Through the sending thread in step 123, the position safety of the main control end based on communication link detection is realized.

[0123] Step 127: For all AGVs i Path coordinate data of the object x i The system analyzes and determines whether the data or intervals are abnormal, and then activates motion protection.

[0124] Specifically, in the main thread of the assembly line monitoring module 1, the assembly line monitoring module 1 monitors the path coordinate data x of all AGV objects in the AGV group 3. i The analysis and processing are performed, and the data is sorted according to the path coordinates to generate the path coordinate data x. i The corresponding coordinate data x of the preceding vehicle i前 In the main thread of the assembly line monitoring module 1, based on the path coordinate data x... i With safety threshold Δx lim3 After analysis and processing, the assembly line monitoring module 1 assigns a value to the command code attribute of the AGV object.

[0125] The basic calculation formula is as follows: Δy=x i前 -x i Specifically, if Δy < Δx lim3 This indicates that the distance between the two vehicles is too small, posing a safety risk. The assembly line monitoring module 1 then monitors the AGV. i The command code attribute of the object is assigned a stop code, and the location security of the main control terminal based on coordinate monitoring is realized through the sending thread in step 123.

[0126] Step 128: Update each AGV i The object's front vehicle coordinate data x i前 The attribute value.

[0127] Specifically, the assembly line monitoring module 1 uses the front vehicle coordinate data x generated in step 127. i前 The value is passed to the front vehicle coordinate data x of the corresponding AGV object. i前 property;

[0128] Step 129: End.

[0129] It should be noted that, Figure 4 and Figure 5 The functional flowchart shown is only for better understanding of the embodiments of the invention. It is a basic functional flowchart and does not represent a strict program logic flow.

[0130] The vehicle assembly line position safety system and control method provided in this invention achieve vehicle body position safety on the assembly line by using the communication link of the onboard wireless transceiver unit, the path coordinates of the QR code camera, and the combined distance measurement of various distance sensors. Utilizing the detection data from the distance sensor group, intelligent detection is achieved through logical processing, enabling the identification of whether a nearby natural object is an AGV. This avoids the impact of personnel around the AGVs on their operation when the AGV spacing is normal. Combining coordinate-based and communication link-based detection techniques, the system ensures the economy, reliability, and safety of the vehicle assembly line position safety system. It improves the safety of vehicle body position spacing on AGV-aligned vehicle assembly lines, ensuring no collisions between vehicle bodies and protecting product quality. It also ensures the personal safety of personnel around the AGVs, guaranteeing safe production.

[0131] The embodiments of this disclosure have now been described in detail. To avoid obscuring the concept of this disclosure, some details known in the art have not been described. Those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein based on the above description.

[0132] While specific embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the examples are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to the above embodiments or equivalent substitutions can be made to some technical features without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An assembly line position safety system for a complete vehicle, characterized by, The assembly line monitoring module, the AGV group, the line side button box OP, and the two-dimensional code belt are included. The assembly line monitoring module communicates with the AGV group through a wireless communication network. The AGV group includes multiple AGVs, each AGV is equipped with a vehicle-mounted control system, and each AGV is equipped with a vehicle-mounted wireless transceiver unit, the signal of the vehicle-mounted wireless transceiver unit is connected to the vehicle-mounted control system of the corresponding AGV, each AGV is equipped with a two-dimensional code camera, the signal of the two-dimensional code camera is connected to the vehicle-mounted control system of the corresponding AGV, and each AGV is equipped with a distance sensor group in the forward direction, the distance sensor group includes multiple distance sensors whose signals are connected to the vehicle-mounted control system of the corresponding AGV. The line side button box OP is directly connected to the input end of the assembly line monitoring module. The two-dimensional code belt is continuously laid along the entire path of the assembly process section. The assembly line monitoring module serves as the main control end and is used for monitoring and uniformly managing all AGVs of the AGV group, specifically including: In the data sending thread of the AGV object, the assembly line monitoring module periodically sends data collection messages to the vehicle-mounted control system of the AGV object; after the AGV object sends the data collection message, the data return message of the vehicle-mounted control system can be received within a set time, otherwise the communication state attribute of the AGV object is assigned a communication abnormality code; After the assembly line monitoring module is initialized, the main thread is started; In the data receiving thread of the AGV object, the assembly line monitoring module receives the data return message of the AGV object, and obtains the path coordinate data x after analysis i ; The assembly line monitoring module periodically monitors the communication state of the vehicle-mounted control system of all AGVs of the AGV group in the main thread to monitor whether the communication link between the assembly line monitoring module and the vehicle-mounted control system of all AGVs of the AGV group is normal; if the assembly line monitoring module obtains the communication state attribute of the AGV object as the communication abnormality code, the command code attribute of all other AGV objects of the AGV group is assigned a stop running code. The vehicle-mounted control system of each AGV of the AGV group is used to ensure the safety of the distance between the AGV and the adjacent AGV according to the signals of the vehicle-mounted wireless transceiver unit, the two-dimensional code camera, and the distance sensor, specifically including: In the main thread of the assembly line monitoring module, the assembly line monitoring module comprehensively judges the AGV objects of all AGVs of the AGV group, generates path coordinate data x i Corresponding front vehicle coordinate data x i前 ; In the main thread of the assembly line monitoring module, according to the path coordinate data x i And the safety threshold Δx lim3 After the determination, the command code of the AGV object facing all AGVs is generated; the command code is transmitted to the corresponding AGV object; the AGV object encapsulates the command code and the front vehicle coordinate data x i前 Into the data collection message; The vehicle-mounted control system of all AGVs of the AGV group performs periodic communication link detection, and if an abnormality is found, an alarm is given and the corresponding AGV is controlled to stop running. The on-board control system of all AGVs in the AGV group collects dynamic data x of the corresponding two-dimensional code camera in real time id , generates path coordinate data x i ; The on-board control system of all AGVs of the AGV group receives the data collection message from the assembly line monitoring module, which includes command code and front vehicle coordinate data x i前 , generates and sends a data return message including path coordinate data x i ; According to the path coordinate data x i , the front vehicle coordinate data x i前 , and the safety threshold Δx lim1 , a coordinate-based position safety protection is determined. The assembly line monitoring module includes an industrial computer or / and a PLC device.

2. The vehicle assembly line position safety system according to claim 1, characterized by, The wireless communication network includes a switch, a network cable, and multiple antenna modules, wherein the wireless communication network is based on an industrial WIFI technology architecture and / or an industrial 5G technology architecture, and the number of antenna modules is determined according to the stable coverage of the wireless signal in the active area of all AGVs.

3. The vehicle assembly line position safety system according to claim 1, characterized by, The assembly line monitoring module includes a human-computer interaction unit, and the display information of the human-computer interaction unit includes the position and running state information of the AGV group.

4. The vehicle assembly line position safety system according to claim 1, characterized by, The assembly line monitoring module serves as the main control end and is used for monitoring and uniformly managing all AGVs of the AGV group to ensure the safety of the distance between the AGVs.

5. A method for position safety control of a vehicle assembly line using the system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by, The vehicle-mounted control system of each AGV of the AGV group ensures the safety of the distance between the AGV and the adjacent AGV according to the signals of the vehicle-mounted wireless transceiver unit, the two-dimensional code camera, and the distance sensor. ​ ​ 6. The vehicle assembly line position safety control method according to claim 5, characterized by, The assembly line monitoring module monitors and uniformly manages all AGVs of the AGV group as a master control end to ensure the spacing safety of all AGVs, and specifically includes: The assembly line monitoring module adopts object-oriented and multi-thread computer technology for data interaction, data processing and logic processing; the program basic framework of the assembly line monitoring module includes an initialization part and a main thread part according to functions.

7. The vehicle assembly line position safety control method according to claim 6, characterized by, The initialization process of the assembly line monitoring module includes: Master system function block initialization, AGV object is established for all AGVs of the AGV group; data sending thread and data receiving thread of the AGV object are created and started; wherein the data sending thread is used to send data collection messages, and the data receiving thread is used to receive data return messages; Wherein, the data collection message and the data return message both include a message frame header, a message length, a message body, an error correction code and a frame tail.

8. The vehicle assembly line position safety control method according to claim 7, characterized by, The assembly line monitoring module monitors and uniformly manages all AGVs of the AGV group as a master control end to ensure the spacing safety of all AGVs, and specifically includes: In the data sending thread of the AGV object, the assembly line monitoring module periodically sends data collection messages to the vehicle-mounted control system of the AGV object; after the AGV object sends the data collection message, it must be able to receive the data return message of the vehicle-mounted control system within a set time, otherwise the communication state attribute of the AGV object is assigned a communication exception code; In the data receiving thread of the AGV object, the assembly line monitoring module receives the data return message of the AGV object, and obtains path coordinate data x after analysis i ; After the initialization of the assembly line monitoring module is completed, the main thread is started; The assembly line monitoring module periodically monitors the communication state of the vehicle-mounted control system of all AGVs of the AGV group in the main thread to monitor whether the communication link between the assembly line monitoring module and the vehicle-mounted control system of all AGVs of the AGV group is normal; if the assembly line monitoring module obtains the communication state attribute of the AGV object as a communication exception code, the command code attribute of other AGV objects of all AGVs of the AGV group is assigned a stop running value, and the position safety of the master control end based on communication link detection is realized through the sending thread; In the main thread of the assembly line monitoring module, the assembly line monitoring module comprehensively processes and judges the AGV objects of all AGVs of the AGV group, sorts on the path, and generates the path coordinate data x i The corresponding front vehicle coordinate data x i前 ; In the main thread of the assembly line monitoring module, according to the path coordinate data x i and the safety threshold Δx lim3 , the assembly line monitoring module comprehensively determines and generates the command code of the AGV object facing all AGVs; the assembly line monitoring module transmits the command code to the corresponding AGV object; the AGV object encapsulates the command code and the front vehicle coordinate data x i前 into the data collection message, and realizes the position safety protection of the master control end based on coordinate monitoring through the command sending of the data sending thread of the AGV object.

9. The vehicle assembly line position safety control method according to claim 5, characterized by, The vehicle-mounted control system of each AGV of the AGV group ensures the spacing safety of each AGV and adjacent AGV according to the signals of the vehicle-mounted wireless transceiver unit, the two-dimensional code camera and the ranging sensor, and specifically includes: The on-board control system of all AGVs in the AGV group collects dynamic data x of the corresponding two-dimensional code camera in real time id , generates path coordinate data x after filtering and range conversion processing i ; The on-board control system of all AGVs in the AGV group uses computer interrupt technology to interact data, receives data collection messages from the assembly line monitoring module, generates and sends data return messages; the data return messages include the path coordinate data x i , wherein the data collection messages include command codes and front vehicle coordinate data x i前 , and the command codes are one of start, stop, run or wait codes; According to the path coordinate data x i , the front vehicle coordinate data x i前 , and the safety threshold Δx lim1 , comprehensive judgment is realized, and the position safety protection based on coordinates at the vehicle-mounted control system end is realized. The vehicle-mounted control system of all AGVs of the AGV group periodically detects the communication link to detect whether the communication link between the assembly line monitoring module and the vehicle-mounted control system corresponding to all AGVs of the AGV group is normal, and if the communication link is abnormal, an alarm is given, and the corresponding AGV is controlled by the vehicle-mounted control system to stop running immediately to realize the position safety protection of the vehicle-mounted control system end based on communication link detection; The vehicle-mounted control system of all AGVs in the AGV group collects signals or data of the ranging sensor group, processes the data to generate a ranging data group, and realizes ranging-based position safety protection at the vehicle-mounted control system end according to a process safety strategy, the ranging data group, and a safety threshold Δx lim2 .

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