Concrete remote quality control robot

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a concrete remote quality control robot. An image of a mixer truck in a safe operation range is collected through a camera; judging the type information of the mixer truck according to the collected image of the mixer truck; the identified vehicle type information is sent to the control box; receiving the vehicle type information through a control box; mechanical arm tracks corresponding to multiple preset vehicle types are matched with the vehicle type information, and matched track information is obtained; controlling the mechanical arm to move to a video acquisition position according to the matched track information; after a first movement in-place signal of the mechanical arm is received, a video acquisition instruction is sent to the camera; receiving and responding to the video acquisition instruction through a camera, and acquiring a concrete video in the mixer truck; and uploading the collected concrete video to a cloud end, so that the cloud end calculates the slump value of the concrete according to the received concrete video. Not only is labor cost reduced, but also the problem of danger is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of construction machinery, and in particular to a concrete remote quality control robot. Background Art

[0002] Currently, commercial concrete mixing plants typically need to inspect the condition and quality of concrete before the concrete mixer truck leaves the plant, such as by checking the slump of the concrete, to determine whether it meets requirements. In existing technology, this inspection often involves manually climbing onto the mixer truck. However, this method not only consumes significant manpower and labor costs but also carries certain risks. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a remote concrete quality control robot to solve the problems of high labor costs and dangers caused by manual climbing on mixer trucks. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0004] In a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a remote concrete quality control robot is provided. The remote concrete quality control robot comprises: a robotic arm, a camera, and a control box; the control box is electrically connected to the robotic arm and the camera, respectively; the camera is mounted on a movable end of the robotic arm;

[0005] The camera is used to collect images of the mixer truck within the safe operating range; determine the model information of the mixer truck based on the collected images of the mixer truck; and send the identified model information to the control box;

[0006] The control box is configured to receive the vehicle model information; match the robot arm trajectories corresponding to a plurality of preset vehicle models with the vehicle model information to obtain matching trajectory information; control the robot arm to move to a video acquisition position based on the matching trajectory information; and send a video acquisition instruction to the camera after receiving a first movement position signal of the robot arm;

[0007] The camera is also used to receive and respond to the video acquisition instruction to collect the concrete video in the mixer truck; upload the collected concrete video to the cloud, so that the cloud can calculate the slump value of the concrete based on the received concrete video.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the cloud is specifically configured to receive the concrete video; extract multiple video frames from the concrete video; convert the extracted multiple video frames into multiple grayscale images; perform contrast enhancement on the multiple grayscale images to obtain multiple contrast-enhanced grayscale images; perform feature extraction on the multiple contrast-enhanced grayscale images to obtain multiple groups of features; calculate the relative displacement of the multiple groups of features; and calculate the slump value of the concrete based on the calculated relative displacement.

[0009] In one possible embodiment, the concrete remote quality control robot further includes an admixture pump, a liquid storage tank, an admixture nozzle, a warning light and / or a horn; the liquid storage tank and the admixture nozzle are connected via the admixture pump; the admixture nozzle is mounted on the movable end of the robotic arm;

[0010] The cloud is also used to send the calculated slump value to the control box;

[0011] The control box is further used to control the operation of the additive pump after receiving a first start instruction, extract the additive from the liquid storage tank and spray it from the additive nozzle; after receiving a first stop instruction, control the additive pump to stop, and control the warning light and / or the horn to operate.

[0012] In a possible embodiment, the concrete remote quality control robot further includes a water pump and a water outlet nozzle; the water outlet nozzle is connected to the water pump; the water outlet nozzle is installed at the movable end of the robot arm;

[0013] The control box is also used to control the robotic arm to move to the flushing position after receiving a second start instruction; control the water pump to operate to extract water and spray it from the water outlet nozzle after receiving a second movement into position signal of the robotic arm, and control the robotic arm to perform a preset flushing action; control the water pump to stop after receiving a second stop instruction, and control the warning light and / or the horn to operate.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the concrete remote quality control robot further includes a first infrared ranging device, a warning light, a speaker, and a mounting platform; the robotic arm, the first infrared ranging device, the warning light, and the speaker are mounted on the mounting platform;

[0015] The first infrared ranging module is used to detect a first distance between the mixer truck and the installation platform; when the first distance is greater than the minimum value of the safe operating range and less than the maximum value of the safe operating range, send first feedback information to the control box;

[0016] The control box is used to receive and respond to the first feedback information to control the warning light and / or the horn.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the first infrared ranging module is further configured to send second feedback information to the control box when the first distance is less than a minimum value of the safe operating range;

[0018] The control box is further configured to receive and respond to the second feedback information to control the warning light and / or the horn.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the concrete remote quality control robot further includes a second infrared ranging device; the second infrared ranging device is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm;

[0020] The control box is further configured to send a distance measurement instruction to the second infrared ranging module in response to the first movement into position signal;

[0021] The second infrared ranging module is configured to detect a second distance between the mixer truck and the robotic arm in response to the ranging instruction; and send third feedback information to the control box when the second distance is less than a preset safety distance;

[0022] The control box is further configured to receive and respond to the third feedback information, control the robotic arm to return to a starting position, and send a manual operation reminder.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the concrete remote quality control robot further includes a fill light; the fill light is mounted on the movable end of the robotic arm;

[0024] The control box is further configured to control the fill light to light up in response to the first moving-in-position signal.

[0025] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a concrete remote quality control robot, comprising:

[0026] Installation platform;

[0027] A robotic arm is provided on the top of the mounting platform, wherein a camera and a first infrared ranging device are installed on the movable end of the robotic arm;

[0028] At least one liquid storage tank is provided below the mounting platform, the liquid storage tank is connected to a liquid outlet nozzle via a water pump, and the liquid outlet nozzle is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm;

[0029] A control box is arranged on the top of the installation platform, and the control box is electrically connected to the robotic arm, the camera, the first infrared ranging device and the water pump respectively.

[0030] In a possible implementation, a mounting bracket is provided at the movable end of the robotic arm, and the camera and the first infrared ranging device are mounted on the mounting bracket.

[0031] In a possible implementation, a fill light is provided on the mounting frame.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the liquid outlet nozzle includes at least one additive nozzle and at least one water outlet nozzle, and the additive nozzle and the water outlet nozzle are arranged on the mounting frame.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the water pump is connected to the liquid outlet nozzle via an infusion tube, and the infusion tube is installed on the robotic arm.

[0034] In a possible implementation, a second infrared ranging device is provided on a side wall of the mounting platform close to the movable end of the robotic arm, and the second infrared ranging device is electrically connected to the control box.

[0035] In a possible implementation, a speaker and a warning light are provided on a side wall of the mounting platform close to the movable end of the robotic arm, and the speaker and the warning light are electrically connected to the control box respectively.

[0036] In a possible embodiment, limit frames are detachably provided at both ends of the mounting platform, and the limit frames are used to limit the parking position of the mixer truck.

[0037] Beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application:

[0038] An embodiment of the present application provides a remote quality control robot for concrete, comprising: a robotic arm, a camera, and a control box; the control box is electrically connected to the robotic arm and the camera, respectively; the camera is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm; the camera is used to collect images of a mixer truck within a safe operating range; based on the collected images of the mixer truck, the vehicle model information of the mixer truck is determined; the identified vehicle model information is sent to the control box; the control box is used to receive the vehicle model information; the robotic arm trajectories corresponding to multiple preset vehicle models are matched with the vehicle model information to obtain matching trajectory information; based on the matching trajectory information, the robotic arm is controlled to move to a video collection position; after receiving a first movement-in-position signal of the robotic arm, a video collection instruction is sent to the camera; the camera is also used to receive and respond to the video collection instruction to collect a video of the concrete in the mixer truck; the collected concrete video is uploaded to the cloud, so that the cloud calculates the slump value of the concrete based on the received concrete video. The solution of the embodiment of the present application can capture a video of the concrete inside the mixer truck through a camera installed at the movable end of the robotic arm, and upload the captured concrete video to the cloud, so that the cloud can calculate the slump value of the concrete based on the received concrete video. This facilitates workers to observe the concrete video and slump value online in the cloud, eliminating the need for manual climbing on the mixer truck. This not only reduces labor costs but also solves the problem of danger caused by climbing. At the same time, calculating the slump value of concrete based on the concrete video in the cloud also solves the error caused by manual judgment in the existing technology, reduces errors, and improves the accuracy and efficiency of seasoning.

[0039] Of course, it is not necessary to achieve all the advantages described above at the same time when implementing any product or method of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other embodiments can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the concrete remote quality control robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the robotic arm provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the mounting frame provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 4 A schematic top view of a concrete remote quality control robot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 5 A system diagram of the concrete remote quality control robot provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Description of reference numerals:

[0047] 1. Mounting platform; 2. Robotic arm; 3. Camera; 4. First infrared ranging device; 5. Liquid storage tank; 6. Water pump; 7. Liquid discharge nozzle; 8. Control box; 9. Mounting bracket; 10. Fill light; 11. Admixture nozzle; 12. Water discharge nozzle; 13. Infusion tube; 14. Second infrared ranging device; 15. Speaker; 16. Warning light; 17. Limit bracket; 18. Mixer truck hopper. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0049] For ease of understanding, the structural part of a concrete remote quality control robot provided in the present application is first described. For details, refer to the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application.

[0050] In a first aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a remote concrete quality control robot is first provided. Figures 1 to 3 , including: an installation platform 1; a robotic arm 2, which is arranged at the top of the installation platform 1, and a camera 3 and a first infrared ranging device 4 are installed at the movable end of the robotic arm 2; at least one liquid storage tank 5, which is arranged below the installation platform 1, and the liquid storage tank 5 is connected to a liquid outlet nozzle 7 through a water pump 6, and the liquid outlet nozzle 7 is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm 2; a control box 8, which is arranged at the top of the installation platform 1, and the control box 8 is electrically connected to the robotic arm 2, the camera 3, the first infrared ranging device 4 and the water pump 6 respectively.

[0051] In the present application, the concrete remote quality control robot consists of an installation platform 1, a robotic arm 2, a camera 3, a first infrared distance measuring device 4, a liquid storage tank 5, and a control box 8. The robotic arm 2 is installed on the installation platform 1, and the movable end of the robotic arm 2 faces the mixer truck parked on one side of the installation platform 1. The camera 3 and the first infrared distance measuring device 4 are installed at the movable end of the robotic arm 2, and the camera 3 and the first infrared distance measuring device 4 face the mixer truck hopper 18. The movable end of the robotic arm 2 is also equipped with a liquid outlet nozzle 7 facing the mixer truck hopper 18. The liquid storage tank 5 is installed. Below the installation platform 1, the liquid storage tank 5 is connected to the liquid discharge nozzle 7 through the water pump 6; the distance between the mixer truck hopper 18 and the movable end of the robotic arm 2 is monitored by the first infrared ranging device 4, the position of the camera 3 and the liquid discharge nozzle 7 is adjusted by the robotic arm 2, the image data of the concrete in the mixer truck is obtained through the camera 3, the image data is analyzed by the control box 8, the slump value is determined, and according to the data analysis results, the control box 8 starts the water pump 6, and adds materials to the mixer truck hopper 18 through the liquid discharge nozzle 7 to adjust the construction performance of the concrete and control the quality of the concrete.

[0052] Compared with the existing method of manually inspecting materials by setting up a viewing platform, this concrete remote quality control robot uses automated operation of a robotic arm and data collection through a camera to achieve remote online material inspection. There is no need for manual climbing of a mixer truck or setting up a viewing platform, saving labor costs, reducing site occupation and construction costs. Concrete data is collected by a camera and analyzed by a control box, replacing manual experience judgment, reducing dependence on technical workers, reducing errors, and improving seasoning accuracy and efficiency.

[0053] In one possible implementation, see Figures 1 to 3 The movable end of the robotic arm 2 is provided with a mounting bracket 9, and the camera 3 and the first infrared ranging device 4 are mounted on the mounting bracket 9. In this way, the camera 3 and the first infrared ranging device 4 can be conveniently mounted on the movable end of the robotic arm 2, so as to facilitate monitoring of the mixer truck.

[0054] In one possible implementation, see Figure 2 and Figure 3 , a fill light 10 is provided on the mounting frame 9. In this way, it is possible to fill light to the camera 3 during the monitoring process of the camera 3, so that the camera 3 can obtain image data of the concrete in the mixer truck.

[0055] In one possible implementation, see Figure 2 and Figure 3The liquid discharge nozzle 7 includes at least one admixture nozzle 11 and at least one water discharge nozzle 12, and the admixture nozzle 11 and the water discharge nozzle 12 are arranged on the mounting frame 9. In this way, it is possible to deliver admixture or water into the mixer truck hopper 18 based on the image data obtained by the camera 3, thereby adjusting the construction performance of the concrete and flushing the mixer truck hopper 18.

[0056] In one possible implementation, see Figure 1 The water pump 6 is connected to the liquid outlet nozzle 7 through a liquid infusion pipe 13, and the liquid infusion pipe 13 is installed on the robot arm 2. In this way, the liquid in the liquid storage tank 5 can be transported to the liquid outlet nozzle 7 through the liquid infusion pipe 13 for spraying.

[0057] In one possible embodiment, there are two liquid storage tanks 5 and two liquid delivery pipes 13, one of which is connected to the admixture nozzle 11, and the other is connected to the water outlet nozzle 12. Water pumps 6 are respectively provided at the top of the two liquid storage tanks 5, the liquid inlet end of the water pump 6 is connected to the liquid storage tank 5, and the liquid outlet end of the water pump 6 is connected to the liquid delivery pipe 13. It can be understood that one of the two liquid storage tanks 5 is used to store concrete admixtures, and the other of the two liquid storage tanks 5 is used to store tap water. The water pump 6 is used to transport the admixture and water in the liquid storage tank 5 through the liquid delivery pipe 13 to the admixture nozzle 11 and the water outlet nozzle 12 for spraying, so as to adjust the construction performance of the concrete. In one possible embodiment, see Figure 3 The number of the admixture nozzle 11 is one, and the number of the water outlet nozzles 12 is two. In a possible embodiment, there may be multiple liquid storage tanks 5 for storing concrete admixtures to store different types of admixtures.

[0058] In a possible embodiment, the liquid storage tanks 5 below the mounting platform 1 are all used to store concrete admixtures. The liquid storage tanks 5 are connected to the liquid outlet nozzles 7 through the water pump 6 and the liquid infusion pipe 13, and the water outlet nozzles 12 are connected to the tap water pipe through the liquid infusion pipe 13 and the water pump 6.

[0059] In one possible implementation, see Figure 1 A second infrared distance measuring device 14 is installed on a side wall of the mounting platform 1 near the movable end of the robotic arm 2. This second infrared distance measuring device 14 is electrically connected to the control box 8. This allows for real-time monitoring of the distance between the concrete mixer truck and the mounting platform 1, facilitating the movement of the robotic arm 2 and monitoring the concrete within the concrete mixer truck. Optionally, the height of the second infrared distance measuring device 14 is the same as the height of the concrete mixer truck's hopper 18.

[0060] In one possible implementation, see Figure 1A speaker 15 and a warning light 16 are provided on a side wall of the mounting platform 1 near the movable end of the robotic arm 2. The speaker 15 and the warning light 16 are electrically connected to the control box 8 respectively. In this way, a warning reminder can be given to the driver of the mixer truck, which facilitates the driver to adjust the position of the mixer truck and improves the safety of the robot operation. Optionally, the warning light 16 is within the driver's field of view. Optionally, the warning light 16 includes at least two different colors to indicate different states of the robotic arm 2. Preferably, the colors of the warning light 16 are red and green.

[0061] In one possible implementation, see Figure 4 The mounting platform 1 is provided with detachable limit frames 17 at both ends, which are used to limit the parking position of the mixer truck. In this way, the position and distance of the mixer truck can be conveniently monitored, and the image data of the concrete in the mixer truck can be conveniently obtained.

[0062] In one possible implementation, see Figure 1 The cross-section of the mounting platform 1 is L-shaped, and the height of the mounting platform 1 is not less than three meters. The vertical section of the mounting platform 1 is set on the ground, and the horizontal section of the mounting platform 1 is set on the top of the vertical section. The robot arm 2 and the control box 8 are detachably mounted on the top of the mounting platform 1. This allows for rapid transportation or adjustment of the position.

[0063] In a possible embodiment, the robotic arm 2 is a robotic arm with two or more axes of freedom, and the running trajectory of the robotic arm 2 is pre-stored in the control box 8 according to the type of the mixer truck.

[0064] In a possible implementation, the camera 3 is a 360-degree panoramic camera or a network camera.

[0065] In a possible implementation, the first infrared distance measuring device 4 and the second infrared distance measuring device 14 both adopt either an analog signal or an RS485 signal transmission mode.

[0066] In a possible implementation manner, the liquid storage tank 5 is any one of a polyethylene storage tank, a polypropylene storage tank, a fiberglass storage tank, a ceramic storage tank, a rubber storage tank, and a stainless steel storage tank.

[0067] In a possible implementation, the water pump 6 is any one of a diaphragm pump, a gear pump, a pipeline pump, and a submersible pump.

[0068] In a possible implementation, the supply voltage of the fill light 10 is 12-24 VDC or 220 VAC, so as to automatically adjust the brightness of the fill light 10 according to the ambient light.

[0069] In a possible implementation, the control box 8 includes a PLC controller, a memory, a wireless communication module, and a battery. A touch screen is also provided on an outer wall of one side of the control box 8 .

[0070] In one possible implementation, see Figures 1 to 4 The working process of the concrete remote quality control robot is briefly described as follows: when the present application is in use, the driver first drives the concrete mixer truck to the front of the installation platform 1, the camera 3 automatically recognizes the license plate information and vehicle appearance, determines the model of the mixer truck and transmits the information to the control box 8, the second infrared ranging device 14 monitors the distance between the mixer truck and the installation platform 1, when the vehicle enters the safe operating range, the control box 8 starts the warning light 16 to emit red light, and controls the horn 15 to sound to remind the driver to stop, when the vehicle stops steadily, the robotic arm 2 starts to work according to the preset trajectory of the mixer truck model, so that the camera 3 and the fill light 10 installed at the movable end of the robotic arm 2 are aimed at the inside of the mixing drum of the concrete mixer truck through the mixer truck hopper 18, the fill light 10 is turned on, and the camera 3 obtains image data of the concrete; during the operation of the robotic arm 2, the first infrared ranging device 4 monitors the distance between the robotic arm 2 and the mixer truck hopper 18 in real time, and when the distance between the two is less than the preset safety distance, the robotic arm 2 will stop running to avoid collision between the robotic arm 2 and the mixer truck hopper 18;

[0071] The control box 8 analyzes and processes the image data obtained by the camera 3 to determine the slump value of the concrete. When the slump value of the concrete is not within the required range, the control box 8 starts the water pump 6 to transport the admixture in the liquid storage tank 5 to the mixing drum through the admixture nozzle 11 to adjust the construction performance of the concrete. After the addition is completed, the horn 15 is started to remind the driver to stir. The above actions are repeated until the slump value of the concrete reaches the required range. The control box 8 starts the water pump 6 to extract tap water, and the robotic arm 2 moves to flush the mixer truck hopper 18 according to the preset action; when the slump value of the concrete meets the requirements, there is no need to add admixtures, and the mixer truck hopper 18 is directly flushed. After the flushing is completed, the control box 8 starts the warning light 16 to emit green light, and controls the horn 15 to sound to remind the driver to leave, and the robotic arm 2 returns to the initial position according to the preset trajectory.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the preset trajectory is externally programmed and manually input into the memory through the touch screen for storage. The PLC controller calls out the corresponding preset trajectory information based on the vehicle model information obtained by the camera 3.

[0073] In a second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a remote quality control robot for concrete is first provided, the remote quality control robot for concrete comprising: a robotic arm 2, a camera 3, a control box 8; Figure 5 , the control box 8 is electrically connected to the robotic arm 2 and the camera 3 respectively; the camera 3 is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm 2;

[0074] The camera 3 is used to collect images of the mixer truck within the safe operating range; determine the model information of the mixer truck based on the collected images of the mixer truck; and send the identified model information to the control box;

[0075] The control box 8 is configured to receive the vehicle model information; match the robot arm trajectories corresponding to a plurality of preset vehicle models with the vehicle model information to obtain matching trajectory information; control the robot arm to move to a video acquisition position based on the matching trajectory information; and send a video acquisition instruction to the camera after receiving a first movement position signal of the robot arm;

[0076] The camera 3 is further configured to receive and respond to the video acquisition instruction to acquire the concrete video in the mixer truck; and upload the acquired concrete video to the cloud so that the cloud can calculate the slump value of the concrete based on the received concrete video.

[0077] The robotic arm and camera in the embodiment of the present application can both be connected to a control box for communication, thereby facilitating control or communication between the robotic arm and the camera via the control box. The camera is mounted at the movable end of the robotic arm, thereby facilitating movement of the camera by the robotic arm to a suitable position for image capture.

[0078] Among them, when the camera collects images of the mixer truck within the safe operating range, it can collect images of the front, rear, or side of the vehicle body, so as to facilitate the judgment of the corresponding vehicle model based on the collected images. In an embodiment of the present application, the vehicle model can be divided according to the brand or model of the mixer truck, or according to the structure of the observation port at the rear of the vehicle. Specifically, images of multiple vehicle models from multiple angles can be collected in advance, so that different vehicle models and images corresponding to the vehicle models can be bound together. After the camera collects images of the mixer truck within the safe operating range, the model of the current mixer truck can be determined by methods such as image comparison. In a possible embodiment, the vehicle model can also be judged by a network model. Specifically, the model can be trained in advance based on multiple vehicle model information and corresponding images, so that the trained network model can be used to classify the images of the mixer truck within the safe operating range collected by the camera to obtain the corresponding vehicle model information. In a possible embodiment, the trajectory information can also be determined by the license plate. For example, the trajectories corresponding to different license plates can be pre-set, so that the corresponding trajectory information can be determined by the identified license plate of the current mixer truck. The safe operating area in the embodiment of the present application can be a pre-set area. When the mixer truck enters the area, the camera can be triggered to collect images and determine the vehicle type. In actual use, when the identified vehicle type information is sent to the control box, both the specific category information of the identified vehicle type and the code corresponding to the vehicle type can be sent. For example, the codes corresponding to different vehicle types can be pre-set so that when the identified vehicle type information is sent to the control box, the corresponding code can be sent.

[0079] Among them, before the control box receives the vehicle model information and matches the robot arm trajectories corresponding to multiple preset vehicle models with the vehicle model information, the robot arm trajectories corresponding to different vehicle models can be pre-set. Since the size and angle of the observation port at the rear of the mixer truck corresponding to different vehicle models may be different, by pre-setting the robot arm trajectories corresponding to different vehicle models, it is convenient for the robot arm to drive the camera to move to a suitable angle, thereby capturing images of slow-setting soil. After the robot arm in the embodiment of the present application moves into position according to the matching trajectory information, it can feedback a first movement-in-position signal to the control box, so that the control box can send a video capture instruction to the camera after receiving the first movement-in-position signal of the robot arm.

[0080] Among them, the camera in the embodiment of the present application can be connected to the cloud for communication, so that the camera can upload the collected concrete image to the cloud. After the camera receives and responds to the video acquisition instruction and collects the concrete video in the mixer truck, the collected concrete video can be uploaded to the cloud so that the cloud can calculate the slump value of the concrete based on the received concrete video. This makes it convenient for the staff to observe the image of the slow-setting soil and the slump value of the slow-setting soil through the cloud. Specifically, the staff can connect to the cloud through the client to obtain information such as the corresponding concrete image and the corresponding slump value from the cloud. Specifically, the cloud calculates the slump value of the concrete based on the received concrete video, collects multiple continuous concrete images, and calculates the slump value by extracting the features of the multiple images. Among them, the slump of concrete refers to the height difference (unit: mm) of the mixture collapsing under the action of its own weight, reflecting its fluidity, cohesion and water retention.

[0081] It can be seen that in the solution of the embodiment of the present application, a video of the concrete inside the mixer truck can be collected by a camera installed at the movable end of the robotic arm, and the collected concrete video can be uploaded to the cloud, so that the cloud can calculate the slump value of the concrete based on the received concrete video. This facilitates the staff to observe the concrete video and slump value online in the cloud, without the need to manually climb the mixer truck. This not only reduces labor costs but also solves the problem of danger caused by climbing. At the same time, calculating the slump value of concrete based on the concrete video through the cloud also solves the error caused by judgment based on manual experience in the existing technology, reduces errors, and improves the accuracy and efficiency of seasoning.

[0082] In one possible implementation, the cloud is specifically configured to receive the concrete video; extract multiple video frames from the concrete video; convert the extracted multiple video frames into multiple grayscale images; perform contrast enhancement on the multiple grayscale images to obtain multiple contrast-enhanced grayscale images; perform feature extraction on the multiple contrast-enhanced grayscale images to obtain multiple groups of features; calculate the relative displacement of the multiple groups of features; and calculate the slump value of the concrete based on the calculated relative displacement.

[0083] The concrete video received by the cloud may include multiple video frames. Extracting multiple video frames from the concrete video, that is, performing frame extraction on the video, can extract multiple video frames in chronological order. Specifically, in actual use, when the camera captures the video, parameters such as the video frame format, duration, and clarity can be set. During frame extraction on the cloud, video frames can be extracted from the video at a fixed number of frames, or one video frame can be extracted every preset number of frames, such as by frame skipping, thereby obtaining multiple extracted video frames. These multiple extracted video frames are then converted to grayscale images. Specifically, the red, green, and blue channel values ​​of each pixel in the color image can be combined into a single grayscale value using a preset algorithm, such as an averaging method or a weighted method. Contrast enhancement of the multiple grayscale images to obtain multiple contrast-enhanced grayscale images can be performed using a preset algorithm, such as linear transformation (contrast stretching), histogram equalization, adaptive histogram equalization, or gamma correction. When extracting features from multiple contrast-enhanced grayscale images to obtain multiple sets of features, multiple types of features can be extracted using multiple preset feature extraction algorithms. For example, histogram features, edge density features, grayscale gradient features, grayscale symbiosis features, local area grayscale values, etc. In actual use, the above-mentioned extracted features can be a feature vector. Therefore, the relative displacement of the multiple sets of features can be calculated, and the slump value of the concrete can be calculated based on the calculated relative displacement. Specifically, when calculating the relative displacement of multiple sets of features, the spatial distance or difference between the features corresponding to each two adjacent video frames can be calculated to calculate the corresponding relative displacement. When calculating the slump value of the concrete based on the calculated relative displacement, the slump values ​​corresponding to different distances or distance ranges can be pre-set, so as to compare the calculated relative displacement and determine the corresponding slump value. In actual use, it is also possible to further determine whether the calculated slump value meets the preset requirements and display the judgment result.

[0084] In one possible embodiment, the concrete remote quality control robot further includes an admixture pump, a liquid storage tank, an admixture nozzle, a warning light and / or a horn; the liquid storage tank and the admixture nozzle are connected via the admixture pump; the admixture nozzle is mounted on the movable end of the robotic arm;

[0085] The control box 8 is further used to control the operation of the additive pump after receiving a first start instruction, extract the additive from the liquid storage tank and spray it from the additive nozzle; after receiving a first stop instruction, control the additive pump to stop, and control the warning light and / or the horn to operate.

[0086] The admixture pump, warning light, and / or horn may be electrically connected to a control box, which can be used to activate or deactivate the admixture pump, warning light, and / or horn. A pipeline may be connected between the liquid storage tank and the admixture spray head via the admixture pump. The admixture spray head is mounted on the movable end of the robotic arm, allowing the robotic arm to move the admixture spray head, thereby facilitating the addition of admixture to the concrete.

[0087] Among them, the first start instruction can be sent by the staff, such as the staff seeing the calculation result of the concrete slump value through the client, and thus sending the first start instruction to the control box through the client. The control box receives and controls the operation of the admixture pump according to the first start instruction, extracts the admixture from the liquid storage tank and sprays it from the admixture nozzle. In actual use, the first start instruction can also be calculated by the control box. For example, after the control box receives the calculated concrete slump value sent by the cloud, it can automatically determine whether admixture needs to be added. If it is less than a preset value, it needs to be added. If it is determined that it needs to be added, the admixture pump is started. The first stop instruction can also be received by the control box or determined by itself. For example, after sending the first start instruction, a timer can be performed, and when the preset time is reached, the first stop instruction is sent to control the admixture pump to stop. Or, by installing a flow meter on the pipeline of the admixture pump, when the preset flow is reached, the admixture pump is controlled to stop. Or, after the control box receives the first stop instruction sent by the staff through the control terminal, the admixture pump is controlled to stop. When the admixture pump is stopped, a warning light and / or horn can also be activated to remind the driver of the mixer truck or other staff that the admixture filling is complete. In an example, when the concrete slump value determined by visual recognition is not within the range required by the order information, the control box controls the admixture addition pump to extract specific concrete admixtures from the admixture storage tank according to different needs to adjust the construction performance of the concrete. After the addition is completed, the control box starts the horn to remind the driver to stir quickly for 1 minute and then stir slowly, and repeat this action until the concrete slump value reaches the required range. Through the solution of the embodiment of the present application, admixtures can be added to the concrete through a robotic arm and an admixture nozzle, etc., which not only ensures the quality of the slow-setting soil, but also improves the efficiency of adding the admixture.

[0088] In a possible embodiment, the concrete remote quality control robot further includes a water pump and a water outlet nozzle; the water outlet nozzle is connected to the water pump; the water outlet nozzle is installed at the movable end of the robot arm;

[0089] The control box 8 is also used to control the robot arm to move to the flushing position after receiving the second start instruction; control the water pump to operate to extract water and spray it from the water outlet nozzle after receiving the second movement signal of the robot arm, and control the robot arm to perform a preset flushing action; control the water pump to stop after receiving the second stop instruction, and control the warning light and / or the horn to operate.

[0090] The flushing position can be predetermined based on the vehicle type, and the flushing positions corresponding to different vehicle types can be used. Specifically, when controlling the robotic arm to move to the flushing position, the vehicle type information recognized by the camera can be received through the control box, thereby matching the flushing positions corresponding to multiple preset vehicle types with the current vehicle type information to obtain a matching flushing position, thereby controlling the robotic arm system to the flushing position. The above-mentioned second start-up instruction can be sent by a staff member. For example, after the staff member sees the calculated concrete slump value through the client, the second start-up instruction is sent to the control box through the client. The control box receives and controls the operation of the water pump according to the second start-up instruction. In actual use, the second start-up instruction can also be calculated by the control box. For example, after receiving the calculated concrete slump value sent by the cloud, the control box can automatically determine whether an admixture needs to be added. If the value meets the requirements, the determination of no admixture addition is skipped and the mixer bucket is directly flushed by the water pump. The preset flushing action can be repeated flushing up and down, or repeated flushing left and right, etc., and can be set according to actual conditions. In actual use, the embodiments of the present application further include a water tank or a water pipe, one end of a water pump being connected to the water tank or water pipe and the other end being connected to a water outlet nozzle. In one example, the control box activates a conventional water pump to draw water from the water tank, while the robotic arm simultaneously moves according to a preset action to flush the mixer bucket. When the concrete slump value determined by visual recognition is within the specified range of the order information, the mixer bucket is flushed directly, skipping the admixture adjustment. Upon completion of the bucket flushing, the warning light illuminates green, the horn activates to alert the driver that it is time to leave, and the robotic arm is controlled to return to its starting position according to a preset trajectory.

[0091] In one possible implementation, the concrete remote quality control robot further includes a first infrared ranging device, a warning light, a speaker, and a mounting platform; the robotic arm, the first infrared ranging device, the warning light, and the speaker are mounted on the mounting platform;

[0092] The first infrared ranging module 4 is used to detect a first distance between the mixer truck and the installation platform; when the first distance is greater than the minimum value of the safe operating range and less than the maximum value of the safe operating range, a first feedback message is sent to the control box;

[0093] The control box 8 is used to receive and respond to the first feedback information to control the warning light and / or the horn.

[0094] Among them, in the solution in the embodiment of the present application, since the first infrared ranging device is installed on the mounting platform, the distance between the mixer truck and the mounting platform can be measured by the first infrared ranging device. Therefore, when the first distance is greater than the minimum value of the safe operating range and less than the maximum value of the safe operating range, it can be determined that the position of the mixer truck is within the safe operating range, and the first feedback information is sent to the control box. After receiving the first feedback information, the control box can control the warning light and / or the horn to operate. In an example, when the infrared ranging device senses that the vehicle enters the safe operating range, the control box controls the warning light to light up red, and the horn sounds to remind the driver to stop.

[0095] In a possible implementation manner, the first infrared ranging module 4 is further configured to send second feedback information to the control box when the first distance is less than a minimum value of the safe operating range;

[0096] The control box 8 is further configured to receive and respond to the second feedback information to control the warning light and / or the horn.

[0097] Because in actual use, when the mixer truck is too close to the robotic arm or the installation platform, it may cause the robotic arm to collide during movement, or fail to move normally, etc. Therefore, when the first distance is less than the minimum value of the safe operating range, the first infrared ranging module sends a second feedback information to the control box, so that the control box receives and responds to the second feedback information to control the warning light and / or the horn to remind the mixer truck driver to move the vehicle to prevent accidents. In an example, if the infrared ranging device senses that the distance between the vehicle and the installation platform is less than the safe operating range, the control box controls the warning light to go out and the horn to sound to remind the driver to drive forward until the vehicle is within the safe operating range. In actual use, the warning light and / or horn action mode corresponding to the first feedback information can be different from the warning light and / or horn action mode corresponding to the first feedback information, so as to facilitate the mixer truck driver to distinguish.

[0098] In a possible implementation, the concrete remote quality control robot further includes a second infrared ranging device; the second infrared ranging device is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm;

[0099] The second infrared ranging module is used to detect a second distance between the mixer truck and the robotic arm; when the second distance is less than a preset safety distance, send third feedback information to the control box;

[0100] The control box 8 is further configured to respond to the first movement-in-place signal, receive and respond to the third feedback information, control the robotic arm to return to the starting position, and send a manual operation reminder.

[0101] Among them, the second infrared ranging device is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm, so that the distance between the movable end of the robotic arm and the concrete mixer truck can be detected by the second infrared ranging device. Since when the second distance is less than the preset safety distance, the robotic arm may collide or be unable to move normally, the robotic arm can be controlled to return to the starting position and send a manual operation reminder so that the operator can perform manual operation according to the reminder to avoid accidents. In one example, after the vehicle stops within the safe operating range, the control box controls the robotic arm to perform different degrees of telescopic movement according to the preset motion trajectory, so that the camera and fill light installed at the front end of the robotic arm can be aimed at the inside of the mixing drum of the concrete mixer truck. Then, the infrared ranging device installed on the robotic arm measures the distance between the movable end of the robotic arm and the concrete mixer truck bucket. If the distance is less than the preset safe operating range, the control box will control the robotic arm to return to the starting point and trigger an alarm to remind the staff to perform manual operation.

[0102] In one possible embodiment, the remote concrete quality control robot further includes a fill light mounted at the movable end of the robotic arm. The control box is further configured to control the lighting of the fill light in response to the first positional movement signal. Specifically, the model and size of the fill light can be selected based on practical needs. For example, the fill light can be supplied with a voltage of 12-24 VDC (direct current) or 220 VAC (alternating current) to automatically adjust the brightness of the fill light 10 based on ambient light.

[0103] Since a camera is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm in this application, when a fill light is also installed at the movable end, the fill light can be used for fill light, thereby improving the quality of the video captured by the camera and facilitating subsequent calculations.

[0104] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a solid-state drive (SSD).

[0105] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply the existence of any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0106] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a related manner, and the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments, and the related parts can be referenced to each other.

[0107] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application are included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A concrete remote quality control robot, characterized in that: The concrete remote quality control robot includes: a mechanical arm, a camera, and a control box; the control box is electrically connected to the mechanical arm and the camera respectively; the camera is installed at the movable end of the mechanical arm; The camera is used to collect images of the mixer truck within the safe operating range; determine the model information of the mixer truck based on the collected images of the mixer truck; and send the identified model information to the control box; The control box is configured to receive the vehicle model information; match the robot arm trajectories corresponding to a plurality of preset vehicle models with the vehicle model information to obtain matching trajectory information; control the robot arm to move to a video acquisition position based on the matching trajectory information; and send a video acquisition instruction to the camera after receiving a first movement position signal of the robot arm; The camera is also used to receive and respond to the video acquisition instruction to collect the concrete video in the mixer truck; upload the collected concrete video to the cloud, so that the cloud can calculate the slump value of the concrete based on the received concrete video.

2. The concrete remote quality control robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cloud is specifically configured to receive the concrete video; extract multiple video frames from the concrete video; and convert the extracted multiple video frames into multiple grayscale images; performing contrast enhancement on the plurality of grayscale images to obtain a plurality of contrast-enhanced grayscale images; Extracting features from the plurality of contrast-enhanced grayscale images to obtain a plurality of feature groups; Calculating the relative displacements of the plurality of sets of features; and calculating the slump value of the concrete based on the calculated relative displacements.

3. The concrete remote quality control robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The concrete remote quality control robot further includes an admixture pump, a liquid storage tank, an admixture nozzle, a warning light and / or a horn; the liquid storage tank and the admixture nozzle are connected via the admixture pump; the admixture nozzle is mounted on the movable end of the robotic arm; The cloud is also used to send the calculated slump value to the control box; The control box is further used to control the operation of the additive pump after receiving a first start instruction, extract the additive from the liquid storage tank and spray it from the additive nozzle; after receiving a first stop instruction, control the additive pump to stop, and control the warning light and / or the horn to operate.

4. The concrete remote quality control robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The concrete remote quality control robot further includes a water pump and a water outlet nozzle; the water outlet nozzle is connected to the water pump; the water outlet nozzle is installed at the movable end of the robot arm; The control box is also used to control the robotic arm to move to the flushing position after receiving a second start instruction; control the water pump to operate to extract water and spray it from the water outlet nozzle after receiving a second movement into position signal of the robotic arm, and control the robotic arm to perform a preset flushing action; control the water pump to stop after receiving a second stop instruction, and control the warning light and / or the horn to operate.

5. The concrete remote quality control robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The concrete remote quality control robot further includes a first infrared distance measuring device, a warning light, a speaker and a mounting platform; the robotic arm, the first infrared distance measuring device, the warning light and the speaker are mounted on the mounting platform; The first infrared ranging module is used to detect a first distance between the mixer truck and the installation platform; when the first distance is greater than the minimum value of the safe operating range and less than the maximum value of the safe operating range, send first feedback information to the control box; The control box is used to receive and respond to the first feedback information to control the warning light and / or the horn.

6. The concrete remote quality control robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first infrared ranging module is further configured to send second feedback information to the control box when the first distance is less than a minimum value of the safe operating range; The control box is further configured to receive and respond to the second feedback information to control the warning light and / or the horn.

7. The concrete remote quality control robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The concrete remote quality control robot further includes a second infrared distance measuring device; the second infrared distance measuring device is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm; The control box is further configured to send a distance measurement instruction to the second infrared ranging module in response to the first movement into position signal; The second infrared ranging module is configured to detect a second distance between the mixer truck and the robotic arm in response to the ranging instruction; and send third feedback information to the control box when the second distance is less than a preset safety distance; The control box is further configured to receive and respond to the third feedback information, control the robotic arm to return to a starting position, and send a manual operation reminder.

8. The concrete remote quality control robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The concrete remote quality control robot further includes a fill light; the fill light is mounted on the movable end of the robotic arm; The control box is further configured to control the fill light to light up in response to the first moving-in-position signal.

9. A concrete remote quality control robot, characterized in that: include: Installation platform; A robotic arm is provided on the top of the mounting platform, wherein a camera and a first infrared ranging device are installed on the movable end of the robotic arm; At least one liquid storage tank is provided below the mounting platform, the liquid storage tank is connected to a liquid outlet nozzle via a water pump, and the liquid outlet nozzle is installed at the movable end of the robotic arm; A control box is arranged on the top of the installation platform, and the control box is electrically connected to the robotic arm, the camera, the first infrared ranging device and the water pump respectively.

10. The concrete remote quality control robot according to claim 9, characterized in that: The movable end of the robotic arm is provided with a mounting frame, and the camera and the first infrared ranging device are mounted on the mounting frame; A fill light is provided on the mounting frame; The liquid outlet nozzle includes at least one additive nozzle and at least one water outlet nozzle, and the additive nozzle and the water outlet nozzle are arranged on the mounting frame; The water pump is connected to the liquid outlet nozzle via a liquid infusion tube, and the liquid infusion tube is installed on the robotic arm; A second infrared distance measuring device is provided on a side wall of the mounting platform close to the movable end of the robotic arm, and the second infrared distance measuring device is electrically connected to the control box; A speaker and a warning light are provided on one side wall of the mounting platform close to the movable end of the robotic arm, and the speaker and the warning light are electrically connected to the control box respectively; Limiting frames are detachably provided at both ends of the installation platform, and the limiting frames are used to limit the parking position of the mixer truck.

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