An automatic control and fault response device for fully-mechanized coal mining face

Abstract

This invention discloses an automatic control and fault response device for fully mechanized mining faces, relating to the field of automated coal mining technology. It includes: an AI-powered machine, an electro-hydraulic controller, and a wireless communication system. The AI-powered machine is equipped with a real-time domain operating system and a non-real-time domain operating system. Data collected by the real-time domain operating system is stored in a data storage area for analysis and processing by the non-real-time domain operating system. The wireless communication system includes a backbone network composed of multiple backbone nodes and an access network composed of terminal devices and backbone nodes, connected to the non-real-time domain operating system. The terminal devices are deployed on the electro-hydraulic controller, and the backbone nodes are deployed on corresponding hydraulic supports based on environmental survey results, thereby forming a network interconnection to achieve remote control of the hydraulic supports throughout the working face. This invention improves coal mining efficiency while ensuring safe and efficient coal mining production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated coal mining technology for fully mechanized longwall mining faces, and more specifically to an automatic control and fault response device for fully mechanized longwall mining faces. Background Technology

[0002] The coal mining process in fully mechanized longwall faces is complex, involving numerous technological stages, including cutting central coal (towards the head / tail), cutting bottom coal (towards the head / tail), clearing floating coal (towards the head / tail), oblique cutting (towards the head / tail), and cutting triangular coal (towards the head / tail). Current technology primarily relies on manual operation, resulting in low mining efficiency and safety. Furthermore, fully mechanized longwall faces are characterized by their long, narrow spaces, numerous pieces of equipment, and constantly shifting spatial positions during mining. In particular, depending on the face length, a typical fully mechanized longwall face requires 120-180 hydraulic supports, each equipped with an electro-hydraulic controller. Due to coal mine safety requirements, the control of a single support cannot be performed directly on its own controller; control of adjacent supports is necessary. This necessitates the use of inter-support cables for command transmission, coupled with remote communication data transmission. The sheer number of cables, constantly in motion, leads to frequent communication cable failures and significant maintenance challenges, posing a major challenge to traditional wired communication, severely impacting communication quality and production efficiency, and even threatening the safety of personnel at the working face. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides an automatic control and fault response device for fully mechanized mining faces, which improves coal mining efficiency while ensuring safe and efficient coal mining production.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] An automatic control and fault response device for a fully mechanized mining face includes: an AI machine, an electro-hydraulic controller, and a wireless communication system;

[0006] The AI ​​machine is equipped with a real-time domain operating system and a non-real-time domain operating system; the data collected by the real-time domain operating system is stored in the data storage area for analysis and processing by the non-real-time domain operating system.

[0007] The wireless communication system includes a backbone network composed of multiple backbone nodes and an access network composed of terminal devices and backbone nodes, and is connected to a non-real-time domain operating system. The terminal devices are deployed on the electro-hydraulic controller, and the backbone nodes are deployed on the corresponding hydraulic supports according to the environmental survey results, thereby forming a network interconnection to realize remote control of the hydraulic supports of the entire working face.

[0008] Optionally, the backbone nodes that make up the backbone network operate in the 1.4GHz frequency band and adopt a different frequency communication mode to achieve lossless multi-hop wireless communication. The backbone node consists of a backbone communication unit, an access unit and a central processing unit. The backbone communication unit completes the networking of adjacent backbone nodes and communication with the host computer; the access unit completes wireless communication and signal processing with terminal devices; and the central processing unit completes information interaction and data processing with the backbone communication unit and the access unit.

[0009] Optionally, the backbone network uses the 1430-1510MHz frequency band, allocated according to a third-order incremental frequency distribution, with adjacent nodes spaced 40MHz apart. It achieves single-hop lossless transmission of 80Mbps using OFDM modulation, with an end-to-end latency of <15ms. The terminal access network uses the 530-670MHz frequency band, independently allocated to four frequency points, employing adaptive FHSS technology with a frequency hopping interval ≥40MHz, achieving a bit error rate of <1×10⁻⁶ in metallic environments. -6 The design incorporates 760MHz cross-layer frequency isolation and dual-band differentiated modulation. Through an asymmetric spectrum architecture, it completely avoids intermodulation interference between the backbone network and the access network. The backbone network and the access network adopt a modulation method combining OFDM and QPSK to achieve fast, efficient, and reliable transmission of data packet commands.

[0010] Optionally, the wireless communication system can use a seamless switching mechanism that binds frequency migration to service priority, maintaining the transmission of critical instructions on the old link when the terminal switches nodes, achieving an interruption latency of ≤2ms; the non-real-time domain operating system can dynamically allocate frequency resources to support service continuity when the terminal migrates from 530MHz to 670MHz frequency.

[0011] Optionally, the terminal device autonomously monitors signal quality and triggers handover: the terminal device monitors the signal quality of the current serving cell in real time, and triggers a handover request when the signal quality drops below a preset threshold; the terminal device actively performs neighbor cell scanning and measurement: the terminal device actively scans and measures neighbor cell signals according to the measurement configuration parameters provided by the network side; the terminal device autonomously decides on the target node for handover: the terminal device makes a handover decision autonomously based on its own generated target cell list, combined with the status of the current serving cell and service requirements.

[0012] Optionally, the terminal device integrates RS485, CAN, RS232 and LAN interfaces to establish a hybrid transmission architecture where industrial bus and Ethernet coexist, including backbone node communication architecture, access architecture and processing unit architecture, to achieve the organic integration of multi-hop transmission and edge computing.

[0013] Optionally, a real-time processing and early warning system is also included, which can process and issue early warnings for coal mining machine position, frame loss, personnel intrusion, remote emergency stop, remote interlock, local emergency stop, and local interlock.

[0014] Optionally, a non-real-time domain operating system is used to deploy coal mining process display software and coal mining process editing software. The coal mining process display software is used to display sensor data and the operating status of the coal mining process. Specific parameters include: support column pressure value, support pushing stroke, current process segment, execution status of each process segment, support lowering, moving and lifting action status, and actual position of the coal mining machine. The coal mining process editing software is used to edit the coal mining process, divide the number of coal mining process segments and the execution sequence of process segments, and set the process parameters of each process segment according to the actual working face characteristics, equipment model, and equipment size. The process parameters include the number of process segments, coal mining machine starting position, coal mining machine ending position, coal mining machine running direction, coal mining machine left drum height, coal mining machine right drum height, coal mining machine running speed, hydraulic support action type of each process segment, offset of each action relative to the center position of the coal mining machine, column transition pressure, target stroke, lowering, moving and lifting pre-action time, and lowering, moving and lifting post-action time.

[0015] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, compared with the prior art, the present invention provides an automatic control and fault response device for fully mechanized mining faces, which has the following beneficial effects: (1) The intelligent machine is highly integrated and small in size, which effectively solves the problem of limited installation space on site; (2) The intelligent machine has high control accuracy and can provide early warning and timely handling of various faults found in the automatic following process, ensuring the safety, reliability and accuracy of the system; (3) The intelligent machine can realize data sharing in the fully mechanized mining face system, eliminating the communication link between the data server (end controller) of the hydraulic support electro-hydraulic control system and the host computer, which greatly improves the speed and reliability of data acquisition; (4) The use of a wireless self-organizing network system enables the following control speed of the autonomous cutting process to meet the requirements of the coal mining process. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the overall architecture of the automatic following control system for hydraulic supports in a fully mechanized coal mining face.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating the overall architecture of an automatic follow-up control wireless self-organizing network communication system. Detailed Implementation

[0019] 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, and 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] Example 1

[0021] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 This invention discloses an automatic control and fault response device for fully mechanized mining faces, comprising: an AI machine, an electro-hydraulic controller, and a wireless communication system;

[0022] The AI ​​machine is equipped with a real-time domain operating system and a non-real-time domain operating system; the data collected by the real-time domain operating system is stored in the data storage area for analysis and processing by the non-real-time domain operating system.

[0023] The wireless communication system includes a backbone network composed of multiple backbone nodes and an access network composed of terminal devices and backbone nodes, and is connected to a non-real-time domain operating system. The terminal devices are deployed on the electro-hydraulic controller, and the backbone nodes are deployed on the corresponding hydraulic supports according to the environmental survey results, thereby forming a network interconnection to realize remote control of the hydraulic supports of the entire working face.

[0024] The AI-powered machine is equipped with a dual-domain industrial-grade operating system: a real-time domain (PLC portion) and a non-real-time domain (host computer portion). The real-time domain (PLC portion) executes real-time tasks, capable of controlling 128 network axes with a 1ms cycle time and 256 network axes with a 2ms cycle time, with jitter less than 30µs. The non-real-time domain (host computer portion) can be optionally equipped with desktop systems such as Ubuntu, Windows, and Euler for application deployment or development. It is equipped with a high-performance domestically produced x86 CPU with a processing performance of up to 4 cores and 8 threads and a base frequency of 3.0GHz, ensuring powerful computing capabilities.

[0025] The two domains share a common data storage area. Data acquired by the real-time domain (PLC part) is directly stored in this shared data storage area for analysis and processing by the non-real-time domain (host computer part). Control instructions analyzed and processed by the non-real-time domain (host computer part) are also placed in this data storage area for output control commands by the system's real-time domain (PLC part). This achieves data sharing on the same device, eliminating the need for the traditional data communication link between the host and host computers, and ensuring the system's safety, reliability, and efficiency.

[0026] The industrial intelligent machine real-time system replaces the original PLC controller to execute the automatic follow-up control program. The execution method is periodic scanning with a scan cycle of 200ms, ensuring the real-time performance of the hydraulic support's automatic follow-up control. The industrial intelligent machine non-real-time system is equivalent to a commonly used computer system, with intelligent analysis and processing functions. The two systems use OPC / UA for data transmission. Compared with the traditional combination of industrial computer and PLC, the industrial intelligent machine used in this invention can not only act as a controller to achieve precise logic control and motion control, but also act as a host computer to deploy client programs.

[0027] The real-time system shares hydraulic support data with the non-real-time system in real time. The non-real-time system deploys process editing software to configure process parameters, which are also shared with the real-time system in real time. This achieves integrated deployment of computing and control, enabling adaptive process parameters to meet the needs of different working faces. It also reduces data transmission time and improves safety and production efficiency.

[0028] Depending on the length of the longwall face, the number of hydraulic supports in a typical fully mechanized mining face is between 120 and 180, with each hydraulic support having an electro-hydraulic controller. In the automated coal mining process where supports are pulled along with the machine, the real-time domain (PLC portion) of the intelligent machine serves as the main body for the automatic control of the hydraulic supports. The transmission of its centralized control information must be completed within 200ms and must be continuous until the action is completed. Often, multiple supports, each with multiple actions, are performed simultaneously, thus requiring low communication latency. Therefore, this invention designs a wireless self-organizing network communication system.

[0029] This self-organizing wireless communication system comprises an access network consisting of terminals and backbone nodes, a backbone network consisting of multiple backbone nodes, and a host computer (a non-real-time system of the AI). The network has multiple terminal devices deployed on the electro-hydraulic controllers of hydraulic supports. Backbone nodes are deployed on corresponding hydraulic supports based on wireless environment survey results, thus interconnecting the network to achieve remote control of the hydraulic supports across the entire working face. The wireless communication of the terminal devices in the access network uses inter-frequency communication with a bandwidth of 500-700MHz to avoid third-order intermodulation interference. Considering the large number of terminal devices, the high latency requirements for remote control data, and the need for downstream devices to upload high-definition images and videos, the wireless air interface resources are optimized to achieve a maximum uplink transmission rate of 80 Mbps and a maximum downlink transmission rate of 20 Mbps. The terminal devices have the following interfaces: RS485 interface, CAN bus, RS232 interface, and LAN interface. The RS485 interface, CAN bus, and RS232 interface handle data transmission, while the LAN interface handles image transmission. The backbone network operates in the 1.4GHz wireless frequency band, employing a heterogeneous frequency communication mode to achieve lossless multi-hop wireless communication. Each backbone node consists of a backbone communication unit, an access unit, and a central processing unit. The backbone communication unit handles networking between adjacent backbone nodes and communication with the host computer; the access unit handles wireless communication and signal processing with terminal devices; and the central processing unit handles information exchange and data processing with the other two units.

[0030] This self-organizing network wireless communication system is implemented in the following way, taking into account the actual application scenarios in mines:

[0031] Layered spectrum isolation architecture:

[0032] A tiered frequency allocation system is used: The backbone network uses the 1430-1510MHz band, allocated in a three-order incremental frequency distribution (F1=1430MHz / F2=1470MHz / F3=1510MHz), with adjacent nodes spaced 40MHz apart. Lossless transmission of 80Mbps per hop is achieved through OFDM modulation, with an end-to-end latency of <15ms. The terminal access network uses the 530-670MHz band, independently allocated in four frequency points (530 / 570 / 630 / 670MHz), employing adaptive FHSS technology with a hopping interval ≥40MHz, achieving a bit error rate of <1×10⁻⁶ in metallic environments. -6 .

[0033] Cross-layer interference cancellation technology: 760MHz cross-layer frequency difference isolation (1430MHz-670MHz) is designed, dual-band differentiated modulation, and the backbone network and access network adopt a combination of OFDM and QPSK modulation methods to achieve fast, efficient and reliable transmission of data packet commands.

[0034] Dynamic resource collaboration and intelligent frequency migration:

[0035] A seamless switching mechanism that binds frequency migration to service priorities maintains the transmission of critical commands on the old link when the terminal switches nodes, achieving an interruption latency of ≤2ms. The host computer dynamically allocates frequency resources, supporting service continuity when the terminal migrates from frequency bands such as 530MHz to 670MHz.

[0036] Distributed intelligent handover system:

[0037] Breaking away from the traditional base station-led handover model, a three-stage handover process based on terminal-led decision-making has been created.

[0038] Terminal autonomously monitors signal quality and triggers handover: The terminal monitors the signal quality of the current serving cell in real time, and triggers handover when the signal quality drops below a preset threshold.

[0039] The terminal actively performs neighbor cell scanning and measurement: The terminal actively scans and measures neighbor cell signals according to the measurement configuration parameters provided by the network side.

[0040] Terminal autonomously decides to switch target nodes: Based on its own generated list of target cells, combined with the status of the current serving cell and business needs, the terminal autonomously makes a switching decision.

[0041] The three-stage terminal-led decision-making architecture described above changes the handover mechanism in mobile communication, which is dominated by the base station and cooperates with the terminal, thereby reducing handover latency in complex industrial environments.

[0042] System heterogeneous interface fusion design and integration:

[0043] The terminal equipment integrates RS485, CAN, RS232 and LAN interfaces, establishing a hybrid transmission architecture where industrial bus and Ethernet coexist, and a three-unit architecture for backbone nodes (backbone node communication architecture, access architecture and processing unit architecture), realizing the organic integration of multi-hop transmission and edge computing.

[0044] This wireless system design overcomes key technical challenges such as high-frequency interference, mobile handover, and service assurance in the dense metal environment of underground coal mines through several innovative dimensions including spectrum isolation, resource coordination, handover mechanism, and heterogeneous system interfaces. Compared with traditional solutions, it significantly improves transmission reliability and real-time performance, providing a solution for wireless ad hoc networks in complex industrial scenarios.

[0045] This invention provides real-time processing and early warning for various emergencies, ensuring the safety of personnel and equipment during the production process. It effectively handles and provides early warnings for coal mining machine location, support loss, personnel intrusion, remote emergency stop, remote interlocking, local emergency stop, and local interlocking.

[0046] To address the issue of infrared beam sensors briefly pausing at one coal mining machine position and prematurely illuminating the next controller, the solution is to compare the data from the coal mining machine's walking encoder with the infrared data. If the encoder indicates the previous position, the previous position is used; if the encoder indicates the new position, the new position is used; if the encoder data cannot match the two latest infrared data, an alarm is triggered, the automatic process stops, and the coal mining machine stops.

[0047] For situations where the infrared transmitter simultaneously illuminates two controllers, the solution is to compare the encoder data with the two data returned by the infrared transmitter, and use the data that matches as the new position; if the two data do not match, an alarm is triggered, the automatic process stops, and the coal mining machine stops.

[0048] For situations where the infrared transmitter simultaneously illuminates three controllers, the solution is to compare the encoder data with the infrared data, and use the data that matches as the new position; if all three data are inconsistent, an alarm is triggered, the automatic process stops, and the coal mining machine stops.

[0049] To address situations where infrared data reverses or jumps within a short period, the solution is to compare encoder data with infrared data, using the matching data as the new position and triggering an alarm to inform the infrared sensor of its status; if the encoder data cannot match either of the two latest infrared data, an alarm is triggered, the automatic process stops, and the coal mining machine stops.

[0050] For situations where no infrared position information is received from the coal mining machine for an extended period, the solution is to update the coal mining machine's position while timing is being used. If the time exceeds X seconds (calculated based on the current coal mining machine speed for moving one frame, with some redundancy added), and no new coal mining machine position signal is received, it may indicate an infrared receiver malfunction. In this case, the current process can continue. However, if two consecutive frames fail to receive infrared information, the encoder data will be used as the standard, the process will continue, and an alarm will be triggered to notify the infrared sensor of an abnormality.

[0051] When the coal mining machine is in a certain position, the hydraulic support's actions are combined actions, including combinations of multiple single actions from the same hydraulic support and combinations of multiple single actions from different hydraulic supports. The solution is that after the real-time system obtains the combined actions, it first parses the actions, adds an action logic relationship sequence to the multiple single actions from different supports and the multiple actions from the same support, and then executes them in this order. This effectively avoids conflicts when different combined actions are executed simultaneously, ensuring the safety of coal mining operations.

[0052] To address the issue that a necessary condition for support frame relocation during automatic follow-up is that the pressure on the adjacent support column reaches the transition pressure, the solution is to record and compare pressure values ​​from the start of column lowering. If the latest three pressure values ​​for this support frame increase consecutively and the final value exceeds the transition pressure, then the support frame can be relocated. A timer is run while recording the pressure values. If the pressure value has not reached the transition pressure by the preset time, relocation is not permitted, and an alarm is triggered.

[0053] To address the issue of support loss when the coal mining machine operates at excessive speed, the solution is as follows: When the coal mining machine reaches position N, in addition to the support itself being moved (provided that the support meets the moving conditions), the moving status of the supports corresponding to N-2 and N-3 will be scanned simultaneously. If support N is being moved, support N-2 will also be moved if support N-2 is lost, and support N-3 will also be moved if support N-3 is lost. If support N-2 and support N-3 are lost at the same time, then support N-2 and support N-3 will also be moved synchronously at the same time.

[0054] For situations where hydraulic support lowering, moving, and raising often involve several pre-action actions (retracting side guard plates, retracting telescopic beams) and post-action actions (extending side guard plates, extending telescopic beams, extending side panels), the solution is as follows: Before performing lowering, moving, and raising, determine if there are any pre-action actions. If so, first send the pre-action command for lowering, moving, and raising, while simultaneously timing. The maximum time for the pre-action is configured as T1 in the non-real-time configuration of the AI ​​system. Within this time, the command is sent cyclically at 200ms intervals. When T1 is reached, the command is stopped, indicating that the pre-action is complete. Then, the lowering, moving, and raising command is sent. Finally, determine if there are any post-action actions. If so, send the post-action command for lowering, moving, and raising. When there are multiple post-action actions, a parallel sending method is adopted to improve work efficiency.

[0055] If the lowering, shifting, and lifting mechanism fails to reach the target pressure within a certain time, the solution is to continue executing the subsequent actions. There are two reasons why the lowering, shifting, and lifting mechanism may fail to reach the target pressure within a certain time: either the solenoid valve is damaged or the sensor is damaged. In this case, an alarm should be triggered, and a secondary pulling of the frame is meaningless. Therefore, if the frame shifting is not completed, the subsequent actions must continue to be executed.

[0056] In response to the complexity and variability of the working environment (such as geological conditions, coal seam hardness, slope, etc.) during the actual operation of coal mining machines, the speed of the coal mining machine will constantly change. The solution is to calculate the average speed of the coal mining machine in real time over a specific time period, and adjust the offset of the protective side plate of the hydraulic support of the advanced coal mining machine in real time based on this speed, thereby avoiding the situation where the protective side plate is cut due to the excessive speed of the coal mining machine.

[0057] To address the issue of personnel entering the centralized control area during automatic follow-up operation, the solution involves using image recognition and UWB personnel positioning technology to determine the personnel's actual location on the hydraulic support. If personnel enter the centralized control area, the hydraulic support controller in the area where the personnel are located will be locked, the automatic follow-up operation will immediately stop, and the coal mining machine will cease operation.

[0058] In the event that a remote manual command is received during automatic tracking, the solution is as follows: if the manual command area is outside the centralized control range, automatic tracking and remote manual command will proceed simultaneously; if the manual command area is within the centralized control range, automatic tracking will proceed normally, and an alarm will be triggered indicating that the remote manual command is ineffective.

[0059] For cases where a remote interlock command is received during automatic tracking, the solution is as follows: if the interlock occurs outside the centralized control range, automatic tracking and remote interlock will proceed simultaneously; if the interlock occurs within the centralized control range, the automatic tracking process will stop immediately and an alarm will be triggered.

[0060] In the event of an emergency stop command being received during automatic follow-up, the solution is to immediately stop the automatic follow-up process and issue an alarm.

[0061] Example 2

[0062] The only difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is the following:

[0063] The industrial intelligent machine real-time system replaces the original PLC controller to execute the automatic follow-up control program. The execution method is periodic scanning with a scan cycle of 200ms, ensuring the real-time performance of the hydraulic support's automatic follow-up control. The industrial intelligent machine non-real-time system is equivalent to a commonly used computer system, with intelligent analysis and processing functions. The two systems use OPC / UA for data transmission. Compared with the traditional combination of industrial computer and PLC, the industrial intelligent machine used in this invention can not only act as a controller to achieve precise logic control and motion control, but also act as a host computer to deploy client programs.

[0064] The AI-powered non-real-time system mainly deploys two software programs: coal mining process display software and coal mining process editing software.

[0065] The coal mining process display software is used to display sensor data and the operating status of the coal mining process. Specific parameters include: support column pressure value, support pushing stroke, which process segment is currently being executed, execution status of each process segment, support lowering, moving and lifting action status, and actual position of the coal mining machine.

[0066] Coal mining process editing software is used to edit the coal mining process, dividing the number of coal mining process sections and the execution sequence of the process sections. Based on the actual working face characteristics, equipment model, and equipment dimensions, the software sets the process parameters for each process section. These parameters include the number of process sections, the starting position of the coal mining machine, the ending position of the coal mining machine, the direction of operation of the coal mining machine, the height of the left and right drums of the coal mining machine, the operating speed of the coal mining machine, the hydraulic support action type for each process section, the offset of each action relative to the center position of the coal mining machine, the transition pressure of the support column, the target stroke, the pre-action time for lowering, shifting, and lifting, and the post-action time for lowering, shifting, and lifting.

[0067] After the process parameters are configured, data download begins, and data verification is performed. Only after successful verification does the real-time system update the data table. The non-real-time system sends a start signal, which the real-time system receives and executes the hydraulic support automatic follow-up program.

[0068] The automatic hydraulic support tracking program consists of multiple function blocks and subroutines, executed through periodic scanning with a 200ms scan cycle to ensure real-time data transmission. The main program is a process loop: process segment 1 → process segment 2 → process segment 3… → process segment N, until all process segments are completed. It employs structured programming, with a basic loop structure. A protection mechanism is added between process segments. During the interval between process segment transitions, it checks whether all actions of all equipment in the current process segment have been completed. Only if all actions are completed can the next process segment proceed; otherwise, the operator is notified that the current process segment is still in use and has not been released.

[0069] The execution flow for each process segment is as follows: ① Adjusting the initial state of the hydraulic support, mainly adjusting the posture of the side guards and telescopic beams of the supports near the coal mining machine; adjusting the initial state of the coal mining machine, mainly adjusting the height of the left and right drums of the coal mining machine; ② Obtaining the starting position of the coal mining machine in this process segment; ③ Sending the action command of the hydraulic support corresponding to this position and the action command of the coal mining machine according to the process parameters; ④ Sending the action command corresponding to this position as the position of the coal mining machine is updated, until the coal mining machine reaches the end position.

[0070] The core of automatic tracking is that the non-real-time system sends corresponding hydraulic support action commands to the electro-hydraulic controller based on the process section, direction of movement, and position of the coal mining machine. The key is the coal mining machine position decision and the hydraulic support action analysis.

[0071] The position signal of the coal mining machine comes from the coal mining machine encoder and the infrared photoelectric sensor of the electro-hydraulic control system. During automatic follow-up execution, these two data points are continuously calibrated to determine the accurate position of the coal mining machine. The trigger point for the action of each hydraulic support is the position of the coal mining machine. Only when the actual position of the coal mining machine matches the position indicated by the process section will the real-time system send the corresponding hydraulic support action command.

[0072] To address the issue of infrared beam sensors briefly pausing at one coal mining machine position and prematurely illuminating the next controller, the solution is to compare the data from the coal mining machine's walking encoder with the infrared data. If the encoder indicates the previous position, the previous position is used; if the encoder indicates the new position, the new position is used; if the encoder data cannot match the two latest infrared data, an alarm is triggered, the automatic process stops, and the coal mining machine stops.

[0073] For situations where the infrared transmitter simultaneously illuminates two controllers, the solution is to compare the encoder data with the two data returned by the infrared transmitter, and use the data that matches as the new position; if the two data do not match, an alarm is triggered, the automatic process stops, and the coal mining machine stops.

[0074] For situations where the infrared transmitter simultaneously illuminates three controllers, the solution is to compare the encoder data with the infrared data, and use the data that matches as the new position; if all three data are inconsistent, an alarm is triggered, the automatic process stops, and the coal mining machine stops.

[0075] To address situations where infrared data reverses or jumps within a short period, the solution is to compare encoder data with infrared data, using the matching data as the new position and triggering an alarm to inform the infrared sensor of its status; if the encoder data cannot match either of the two latest infrared data, an alarm is triggered, the automatic process stops, and the coal mining machine stops.

[0076] For situations where no infrared position information is received from the coal mining machine for an extended period, the solution is to update the coal mining machine's position while timing is being used. If the time exceeds X seconds (calculated based on the current coal mining machine speed for moving one frame, with some redundancy added), and no new coal mining machine position signal is received, it may indicate an infrared receiver malfunction. In this case, the current process can continue. However, if two consecutive frames fail to receive infrared information, the encoder data will be used as the standard, the process will continue, and an alarm will be triggered to notify the infrared sensor of an abnormality.

[0077] When the coal mining machine is in a certain position, the hydraulic support's actions are combined actions, including combinations of multiple single actions from the same hydraulic support and combinations of multiple single actions from different hydraulic supports. The solution is that after the real-time system obtains the combined actions, it first parses the actions, adds an action logic relationship sequence to the multiple single actions from different supports and the multiple actions from the same support, and then executes them in this order. This effectively avoids conflicts when different combined actions are executed simultaneously, ensuring the safety of coal mining operations.

[0078] The necessary condition for the support to move during automatic follow-up is that the pressure of the adjacent support column reaches the transition pressure, the position of the coal mining machine is updated, and the pressure of the adjacent support reaches the transition pressure before the support can be moved.

[0079] Specific execution method: Pressure values ​​are recorded and compared from the start of column lowering. When three pressure values ​​increase consecutively and the final value exceeds the transition pressure, the current support can move. A timer is run while recording pressure values. If the pressure value has not reached the transition pressure value by the preset time, the current support is not allowed to move, and an alarm is triggered. The program logic is as follows: At the start of a new process segment, it is assumed that the support actions of the previous process segment have been completed. Therefore, the support movement at the beginning of the new process segment will not consider the status of the previous support. When the coal mining machine is in the middle of the process segment, the status of the previous support's movement will be checked. If the previous support has not moved (lost support) or has completed its movement, the current support can move. If the previous support has lost support, pressure detection of adjacent supports is not required, and the current support can move directly. When the coal mining machine is in the middle of the process section, it checks the movement status of the previous support. If the previous support has moved, but the column pressure does not reach the transition pressure within a certain time, the support movement is considered incomplete, and this support is not allowed to move, resulting in a support loss. When the coal mining machine is in the last position of the process section, after the support lowering / moving / raising command is sent, the pressure of this support needs to be continuously monitored, and the completion of the movement is recorded. Throughout the process, the movement status of each support is recorded: whether movement has been performed, and whether the movement has been completed.

[0080] To address the issue of support frame loss during high-speed coal mining, the solution is as follows: When the coal mining machine reaches position N, in addition to the shifting of this support frame (provided it meets the shifting conditions), the shifting status of supports N-2 and N-3 is simultaneously scanned. If support N-2 loses its support frame while support N is shifting, then support N-2 must also shift; if support N-3 loses its support frame, then support N-3 must also shift; if both support N-2 and N-3 lose their supports simultaneously, then both support N-2 and N-3 must shift synchronously. After the lost support frame is handled, the real-time system updates the shifting status based on the measured pressure values.

[0081] Hydraulic support lowering, moving, and raising operations are generally accompanied by several pre-action and post-action actions. Pre-action actions include retracting the side guard plates and retracting the telescopic beams; post-action actions include extending the side guard plates, extending the telescopic beams, and extending the side panels. The program implementation method is as follows: Before executing the lowering, moving, and raising operation, it checks if there are any pre-action actions. If so, it sends the pre-action command for the lowering, moving, and raising operation, while simultaneously timing the process. The maximum time for the pre-action action in the non-real-time configuration of the AI ​​system is T1. Within this time, the commands are sent cyclically at 200ms intervals. This avoids serious accidents caused by network issues preventing the receiving of stop commands and thus hindering the operation. When T1 is reached, the sending of the action command stops, indicating that the pre-action action is complete. Note that when there are multiple pre-action actions, parallel sending is used to improve efficiency. The program then sends the lowering, moving, and raising operation command; next, it checks if there are any post-action actions. If so, it sends the post-action command for the lowering, moving, and raising operation. Similarly, when there are multiple post-action actions, parallel sending is used to improve efficiency.

[0082] During this process, if the lowering, moving, and lifting action fails to reach the target pressure within a certain time, the subsequent actions of extending the side guard plate and extending the protective side plate must continue. This is because if the lowering, moving, and lifting action fails to reach the target pressure within a certain time, there are two possible reasons: a damaged solenoid valve or a damaged sensor. In this case, an alarm needs to be triggered, and a secondary frame pull is meaningless. Therefore, even if the frame movement is not completed, the subsequent actions of extending the side guard plate and extending the protective side plate must continue.

[0083] After the lifting and lowering of this frame is completed, while the side guard plates (which can be extended when the transition pressure is reached) and the telescopic beams of this frame are extended, the adjacent supports can retract their side guard plates and telescopic beams, thereby improving coal mining efficiency.

[0084] In addition, the following measures were taken to ensure the safety of the entire coal mining process:

[0085] During actual operation, the speed of a coal mining machine constantly changes due to the complexity and variability of its working environment (such as geological conditions, coal seam hardness, and slope). The average speed of the coal mining machine over a specific time period can be calculated using real-time location and time data. For safety reasons, the offset of the hydraulic support in advance of the coal mining machine to retract the side plates can be adjusted according to the speed of the coal mining machine, thereby avoiding the situation where the side plates are cut due to excessive speed.

[0086] Assume the time it takes for the coal mining machine (center of the machine) to pass through one hydraulic support is... t 1. Speed ​​is v 1. The hydraulic support retraction action time is t 2. Movement speed is v 2. Adjust the offset (the number of hydraulic supports in front of the coal mining machine's running direction from the center of the coal mining machine) as follows:

[0087] v 1<= v 2. Offset = 6 (related to the length of the coal mining machine);

[0088] v 1> v 2, and v 2 = 0.9 × v 1. Offset = 7 (related to the length of the coal mining machine);

[0089] v 1> v 2, and v 2 = 0.8 × v 1. Offset = 8 (related to the length of the coal mining machine);

[0090] v 1 and v The proportional relationship between 2 and the corresponding offset can be adjusted according to the actual situation.

[0091] In response to the situation where personnel enter the centralized control range during the automatic tracking and support operation, the solution is to use image recognition and UWB personnel positioning technology to obtain the actual position of personnel on the hydraulic support. If personnel enter the centralized control range, the hydraulic support controller in the area where the personnel are located will be locked, the planned cutting will be stopped immediately, and the coal mining machine will stop working.

[0092] Calculation methods for areas within and outside the centralized control range: Obtain the position of the coal mining machine and the offset of all actions in this process section. Calculate the minimum support number (Num_min) and the maximum support number (Num_max) for each action. Num_min to Num_max fall within the centralized control range. This is also calculated in real-time. When it's necessary to determine manual actions or personnel entry, simply call the variables Num_min and Num_max. For example, if remote manual and automatic actions coexist, obtain the manual support number and compare it with the variables Num_min and Num_max. If the manual support number falls between the two, it indicates that it's within the centralized control range, and the corresponding variable is set to True or False.

[0093] In the event that a remote manual command is received during automatic tracking, the solution is as follows: if the manual command area is outside the centralized control range, automatic tracking and remote manual command will proceed simultaneously; if the manual command area is within the centralized control range, automatic tracking will proceed normally, and an alarm will be triggered indicating that the remote manual command is ineffective.

[0094] If a remote interlock command is received during automatic tracking, the solution is as follows: if the interlock occurs outside the centralized control range, automatic tracking and remote interlock will proceed simultaneously; if the interlock occurs within the centralized control range, the ongoing action will be completed, the automatic tracking process will be stopped, and an alarm will be triggered.

[0095] In the event of an emergency stop command during automatic follow-up, the solution is to immediately stop the automatic follow-up process, halt all ongoing actions, and trigger an alarm.

[0096] For information on self-organizing networks, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 2 The system includes terminal equipment (CNE), backbone node equipment (CNB), and a host computer. The terminal equipment is deployed on the coal mining machine and hydraulic supports, while the backbone nodes are deployed on corresponding hydraulic supports based on wireless environment survey results. The backbone network has four backbone nodes: CNB1, CNB2, CNB3, and CNB4. The frequency F1 between CNB1 and CNB2 is set to 1430MHz, the frequency F2 between CNB2 and CNB3 is set to 1470MHz, and the frequency F3 between CNB3 and CNB4 is set to 1510MHz. These nodes are deployed on their respective hydraulic supports to achieve lossless multi-hop wireless communication, forming the backbone network. Each backbone node communicates wirelessly with the terminal CNE, and a separate frequency is configured for each node. f 1 is 530MHz, f 2 is 570MHz, f 3 is 630MHz, f The 4GHz frequency band is 670MHz, and the terminal equipment is deployed on the coal mining machine and hydraulic supports. With this configuration, the host computer, coal mining machine, and working face equipment are interconnected, enabling remote control of the working face equipment by the host computer. It has the advantages of reliable networking, flexible deployment, on-demand installation, and expandable capacity.

[0097] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the method section.

[0098] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An automatic control and fault response device for a fully mechanized mining face, characterized in that, include: AI machines, electro-hydraulic controllers, and wireless communication systems; The AI ​​machine is equipped with a real-time domain operating system and a non-real-time domain operating system. Data collected by the real-time domain operating system is stored in the data storage area for analysis and processing by the non-real-time domain operating system; The wireless communication system includes a backbone network composed of multiple backbone nodes and an access network composed of terminal devices and backbone nodes, and is connected to a non-real-time domain operating system; the terminal devices are deployed on the electro-hydraulic controller, and the backbone nodes are deployed on the corresponding hydraulic supports according to the environmental survey results, thereby forming a network interconnection to realize remote control of the hydraulic supports of the entire working face. The backbone nodes that make up the backbone network operate at a frequency of 1.4 GHz and adopt a different frequency communication mode to achieve lossless multi-hop wireless communication. The backbone node is composed of a backbone communication unit, an access unit, and a central processing unit. The backbone communication unit completes the networking of adjacent backbone nodes and communication with the host computer; the access unit completes wireless communication and signal processing with terminal devices; and the central processing unit completes information exchange and data processing with the backbone communication unit and the access unit. The backbone network uses the 1430-1510MHz frequency band, allocated in a third-order incremental frequency pattern with a 40MHz interval between adjacent nodes. It achieves single-hop lossless transmission of 80Mbps using OFDM modulation, with an end-to-end latency of <15ms. The terminal access network uses the 530-670MHz frequency band, independently allocated to four frequency points, employing adaptive FHSS technology with a frequency hopping interval ≥40MHz. The bit error rate in metallic environments is <1×10⁻⁶. -6 The design incorporates 760MHz cross-layer frequency difference isolation and dual-band differentiated modulation. Through an asymmetric spectrum architecture, it completely avoids intermodulation interference between the backbone network and the access network. The backbone network and the access network adopt a modulation method combining OFDM and QPSK to achieve fast, efficient, and reliable transmission of data packet commands. The wireless communication system has a seamless switching mechanism that binds frequency migration with service priority, maintaining the transmission of critical instructions on the old link when the terminal switches nodes, achieving an interruption latency of ≤2ms; the non-real-time domain operating system dynamically allocates frequency resources, supporting the maintenance of service continuity when the terminal migrates from 530MHz to 670MHz frequency.

2. The automatic control and fault response device for a fully mechanized mining face according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal device autonomously monitors signal quality and triggers handover: The terminal device monitors the signal quality of the current serving cell in real time, and triggers a handover request when the signal quality drops below a preset threshold; The terminal device actively performs neighbor cell scanning and measurement: The terminal device actively scans and measures neighbor cell signals according to the measurement configuration parameters provided by the network side; The terminal device autonomously decides on the target node for handover: The terminal device makes a handover decision autonomously based on its own generated target cell list, combined with the status of the current serving cell and service requirements.

3. The automatic control and fault response device for a fully mechanized mining face according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal device integrates RS485, CAN, RS232 and LAN interfaces to establish a hybrid transmission architecture where industrial bus and Ethernet coexist. This architecture includes a backbone node communication architecture, an access architecture and a processing unit architecture, which is used to achieve the organic integration of multi-hop transmission and edge computing.

4. The automatic control and fault response device for a fully mechanized mining face according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a real-time processing and early warning system, which can handle and issue early warnings for coal mining machine location, frame loss, personnel intrusion, remote emergency stop, remote interlock, local emergency stop, and local interlock.

5. The automatic control and fault response device for a fully mechanized mining face according to claim 1, characterized in that, Deploy coal mining process display software and coal mining process editing software on a non-real-time domain operating system; The coal mining process display software is used to display sensor data and the operating status of the coal mining process. Specific parameters include: support column pressure value, support pushing stroke, which process segment is currently being executed, execution status of each process segment, support lowering, moving and lifting action status, and actual position of the coal mining machine. The coal mining process editing software is used to edit the coal mining process, divide the number of coal mining process sections and the execution sequence of the process sections, and set the process parameters for each process section according to the actual working face characteristics, equipment model, and equipment size. The process parameters include the number of process sections, the starting position of the coal mining machine, the ending position of the coal mining machine, the running direction of the coal mining machine, the height of the left drum of the coal mining machine, the height of the right drum of the coal mining machine, the running speed of the coal mining machine, the hydraulic support action type of each process section, the offset of each action relative to the center position of the coal mining machine, the transition pressure of the column, the target stroke, the pre-action time of the lowering, moving and lifting, and the post-action time of the lowering, moving and lifting.

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