Measurement of stockpile
By detecting the reference point of the reference body by the scanner, and calculating the scanner position and orientation using software, the complexity and high cost of manual measurement of stacking materials in the prior art are solved, and automated, accurate and economical stacking measurements are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380068769.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-09-30
- Filing Date
- 2023-09-22
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-06
AI Technical Summary
The prior art requires manual determination of the scanner position and orientation when measuring stacking materials, and relies on high-cost and error-prone manual calculations, resulting in complex and costly measurement processes.
The reference point of the reference body is detected by at least one scanner, and the position and orientation of the scanner are calculated using software, thereby automatically measuring the position and volume of the stack.
The scanner position and orientation are achieved without a detector, simplifying the stacking measurement process, reducing costs, and improving measurement accuracy and efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN119948308A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to a method, a measuring system, a computer program and a computer program product for measuring a stockpile. Background Art
[0002] The measurement of stockpiles is used in particular in the mining sector, but also, for example, in the loading and / or unloading of ships. In order to measure objects, such as (bulk) stockpiles, the (installation) position and orientation of the scanner must in principle be precisely known. For this purpose, drone systems are currently also known that determine their own position via GPS.
[0003] For ground-based systems, current processes for determining the position and orientation of a scanner typically provide information such as:
[0004] 1. Determine the scanner position by detector or manually,
[0005] 2. Determine the orientation of the scanner,
[0006] 3a. Install an inclinometer, or
[0007] 3b. Record the scan data, manually calculate the scanner orientation and re-record the scan data to verify the calculated parameters. Summary of the invention
[0008] The basic object of the invention is to improve the measurement of stockpiles compared to the prior art.
[0009] This object is achieved by a method for measuring a stockpile, wherein at least one scanner detects at least one reference point of at least one reference body, wherein at least one scanner position and a scanner orientation are determined for the at least one scanner using the at least one detected reference point, wherein scan data of the stockpile are detected by the at least one scanner, and wherein at least a position and a volume of the stockpile are determined using the scan data.
[0010] The object is also achieved by a measuring system for measuring a stockpile, the measuring system comprising at least one computing unit, at least one scanner and at least one reference body having at least one reference point, wherein the at least one reference point can be detected by the at least one scanner, wherein in the computing unit at least one scanner position and a scanner orientation can be determined for the at least one scanner using the at least one reference point, wherein scanning data of the stockpile can be detected by the at least one scanner, and wherein in the computing unit at least a position and a volume of the stockpile can be determined using the scanning data.
[0011] This object is also achieved by a computer program and a computer program product having the features specified in claims 11 and 12 .
[0012] The position of a characteristic (reference) point of a reference body in space is determined by measuring with the aid of simple auxiliary means. As reference bodies, existing reference bodies (walls, etc.) measured by the scanner or additionally constructed reference bodies (cubes of sufficient size, etc.) can be used. The software then determines the position and orientation of the scanner by calculation. With the help of this information, the position and volume of the stockpile can then be measured very accurately. It is clear that for this purpose, multiple scanners and / or reference bodies can also be used from one or more scanner positions, depending on the visibility of the stockpile. Of course, the available solutions always depend on the respective application of the individual case. Thus, depending on the bulk material, for example, an increase in dust can lead to the replacement of a well-suited scanner position at the end of the stacker by two scanners, which can be positioned laterally to the stockpile.
[0013] The solution according to the invention makes it possible to determine the scanner position by means of software without the need for a human operator. This makes it possible to make the measurement of the stockpile easier and cheaper. The orientation of the scanner can also be determined significantly more simply and quickly by means of software. The complex and error-prone manual calculations are eliminated, which requires significantly less expertise during execution.
[0014] In an advantageous design of this embodiment, a 2D or 3D laser scanner is used as at least one scanner. Of course, different types of scanners (optical, acoustic, etc.) can be considered, but these laser scanners are now mature and can also be obtained at a reasonable price and high quality.
[0015] In another advantageous embodiment, at least the position and volume of the pile are transmitted to a higher-level control system. In this way, for example, a control system controlling a stacker is informed of the size of the pile and its possible remaining capacity and can take action accordingly.
[0016] In another advantageous embodiment, the outline of the pile is visualized according to position and volume, thereby simplifying the detection of the situation for the operator.
[0017] In another advantageous embodiment, the steps of detecting the scanning data and deriving the position and volume of the pile are repeated. When the "frequency" of the repetition is correspondingly high, the pile can be monitored almost in real time to a certain extent.
[0018] In a further advantageous embodiment, the steps of detecting at least one reference point and deriving the scanner position and the scanner orientation are repeated. In this way, the scanner position and the scanner orientation can be recalibrated at least occasionally, in particular when the scanner is not completely fixed in position (e.g. in an installation point on a stacker, excavator, etc.), so that the accuracy of the stockpile measurement can be ensured to remain constant. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The invention is described and explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] The drawing shows a schematic diagram of a stockpile 1 onto which bulk material is unloaded via a stacker. A scanner 2 for measuring the stockpile 1 is arranged at the end of the stacker. In order to calibrate the scanner 2, i.e. to determine the scanner position and the scanner orientation, reference points 3 on a reference body 4 are detected and the scanner position and the scanner orientation are derived therefrom by means of a program which runs in a computing unit 5 of a measuring system which comprises at least the computing unit 5, the scanner 2 and the reference body 4. The scanner 2, which is advantageously embodied as a 2D or 3D laser scanner, then scans the stockpile 1 and transmits the scanned data to the computing unit 5 in order to derive the position and volume of the stockpile 1. This can be done, for example, as shown in the drawing, via a wireless data connection, the position and volume of the stockpile 1 also being preferably transmitted by the computing unit 5 to a higher-level control system via a suitable communication interface 6. The computing unit 5 can be movably designed or integrated into another system, for example into a controller of a stacker. Advantageously, the contour of the stockpile 1 can also be visualized in an output unit 7 of the computing unit 5, as this simplifies the detection of situations for the operator of the stacker, for example.
[0021] In summary, the present invention relates to a method, a measuring system, a computer program and a computer program product for measuring a stockpile. In order to improve the measurement of a stockpile compared to the prior art, a method for measuring a stockpile is proposed, wherein at least one scanner detects at least one reference point of at least one reference body, and at least one scanner position and scanner orientation are derived for at least one scanner using the at least one detected reference point, wherein scanning data of the stockpile are detected by the at least one scanner, and wherein at least the position and volume of the stockpile are derived using the scanning data. The object is also achieved by a measuring system for measuring a stockpile, which comprises at least one computing unit, at least one scanner and at least one reference body having at least one reference point, wherein the at least one reference point can be detected by the at least one scanner, at least one scanner position and scanner orientation can be derived for the at least one scanner using the at least one reference point, wherein scanning data of the stockpile can be detected by the at least one scanner, and at least the position and volume of the stockpile can be derived in the computing unit using the scanning data. With the solution according to the invention, the scanner position and the scanner orientation can be determined using software without the need for a detector. This makes it possible to make the measurement of the stockpile easier and cheaper.
Claims
1. A method for measuring a stockpile (1), wherein: At least one scanner (2) detects at least one reference point (3) of at least one reference body (4), wherein at least one scanner position and scanner orientation are derived for the at least one scanner (2) using the detected at least one reference point (3), wherein scanning data of the stockpile (1) is detected by the at least one scanner (2), and wherein at least the position and volume of the stockpile (1) are derived using the scanning data.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: A 2D or 3D laser scanner is used as at least one scanner (2).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: At least the position and the volume of the stockpile (1) are transmitted to a superior control system.
4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The position and the volume are used to visualize the contour of the stockpile (1).
5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The steps of detecting the scan data and deriving the position and the volume of the stockpile (1) are repeated.
6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The steps of detecting at least one reference point (3) and deriving the scanner position and the scanner orientation are repeated.
7. A measuring system for measuring a stockpile (1), the measuring system comprising at least one computing unit (5), at least one scanner (2) and at least one reference body (4), the reference body having at least one reference point (3), wherein: At least one reference point (3) can be detected by at least one scanner (2), wherein at least one scanner position and scanner orientation can be derived in the computing unit (5) for the at least one scanner (2) using the at least one reference point (3), wherein scanning data of the stockpile (1) can be detected by the at least one scanner (2), and wherein at least the position and volume of the stockpile (1) can be derived in the computing unit (5) using the scanning data.
8. The measurement system according to claim 7, wherein: At least one scanner (2) is designed as a 2D or 3D laser scanner.
9. The measuring system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: At least the position and the volume of the stockpile (1) can be transmitted to a higher-level control system via a communication interface (6).
10. The measuring system according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein: The contour of the pile (1) can be visualized in an output unit (7) using the position and the volume.
11. A computer program for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 when executed in a computing unit (5) of a measuring system according to any one of claims 7 to 10.
12. A computer program product comprising at least one computer program according to claim 11.