Intelligent iron removal sorting system based on combination of vision and metal detection

Abstract

The invention discloses an intelligent iron removing and sorting system based on combination of vision and metal detection. The system comprises a mineral conveying belt conveyor; an iron impurity detection module; an iron impurity and iron ore separation module; an iron impurity and iron ore lifting and conveying module; an iron impurity sorting module; the visual detection assembly is arranged along the mineral belt conveyor; the integrated controller is used for receiving the information transmitted by the metal detector and the visual detection assembly, analyzing and processing the information and controlling the operation of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover according to the analysis and processing result, and the module is controlled by a chain plate elevator, a chain plate conveyor, an electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot and a clamping jaw four-axis robot; the sorting system solves the problems that in the prior art, an automatic iron ore iron removal means is lacked, production needs to be stopped frequently to clean iron impurities, the production efficiency is low, and continuous operation of equipment is affected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of intelligent mine sorting equipment, and in particular to an intelligent iron removal sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection. Background Art

[0002] Currently, during mining operations, iron debris such as rebar, iron plates, I-beams, screws, and rail fragments often appear. This debris can easily cause mechanical damage to conveyor belts and subsequent equipment, even rendering equipment useless and forcing production line shutdowns for maintenance, significantly reducing production efficiency. Electromagnetic iron removers are commonly used to remove ferromagnetic debris from ore. However, iron ore itself is somewhat magnetic, making electromagnetic iron removers limited in their effectiveness. Therefore, current iron ore removal relies primarily on manual cleaning. However, due to the high speeds of mining conveyor belts, production must be stopped immediately upon discovery of debris for manual cleaning. While this method can temporarily address some issues, it is inefficient, particularly for iron debris buried beneath the ore, which cannot be effectively observed and can still damage conveyor belts and equipment. Furthermore, existing technologies lack automated debris removal methods, requiring frequent production shutdowns for cleaning, resulting in low production efficiency and impacting the continued operation of equipment. Manual cleaning is not only labor-intensive but also poses safety risks and can easily lead to accidents. Therefore, it is urgent to design an intelligent iron ore deironing and sorting system to realize the automatic removal of iron debris. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to address the above situation and provide an intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on a combination of vision and metal detection. This sorting system solves the problem in the existing technology of lack of automated iron ore iron removal means, requiring frequent production stoppages to clean up iron debris, resulting in low production efficiency and affecting the continuous operation of equipment.

[0004] The specific solution of the present invention is: an intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection, the system includes: Mineral conveyor belt: used to transport ore forward along a preset path; Iron debris detection module: This module consists of a metal detector and a visual detection component. The visual detection component uses a high-definition industrial camera to detect iron debris exposed on the ore surface, and the metal detector is used to detect iron debris buried in the iron ore in real time; Iron debris and iron ore separation module: This module consists of a three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, which separates iron debris from ore through a changing electromagnetic field; Iron debris and iron ore lifting and conveying module: This module consists of a chain elevator and a chain conveyor. The chain elevator is used to transport the material after the initial separation by the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover from the separation area to the next sorting stage. The chain conveyor is used to provide a secondary sorting platform and realize the return of ore. Iron debris sorting module: This module consists of an electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot and a gripper four-axis robot. The electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot and the gripper four-axis robot are connected to the visual inspection component and work together to perform sorting. The visual inspection components are arranged along the mineral conveyor belt; the metal detector, three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, chain elevator and chain conveyor are arranged in sequence above the mineral conveyor belt; the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot is arranged on one side above the chain elevator; and the gripper four-axis robot is arranged on one side above the chain conveyor. Integrated controller: It receives information transmitted by the metal detector and visual inspection components and analyzes and processes the information. Then, based on the analysis and processing results, it controls the operation of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, chain hoist, chain conveyor, electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot and gripper four-axis robot.

[0005] Furthermore, the visual detection component described in the present invention includes three visual modules, namely visual module 1, visual module 2, and visual module 3. The three visual detection modules detect the existence information, position information and geometric information of iron debris, among which visual module 1 works in conjunction with the metal detector and is arranged above and in front of the metal detector. Visual module 1 detects iron debris exposed on the surface of the ore, and the iron debris buried under the ore is detected by the metal detector. Visual module 2 is arranged above the chain elevator, and visual module 3 is arranged above the chain conveyor. Visual module 1, visual module 2, and visual module 3 have the same structure, and all use high-resolution cameras to obtain clear images.

[0006] Furthermore, the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover described in the present invention is arranged behind the metal detector. The three-stage electromagnetic iron remover includes a frame, an iron unloading belt, a main magnetic pole and three auxiliary magnetic poles. The iron unloading belt is installed on the frame. The three auxiliary magnetic poles are auxiliary magnetic pole one, auxiliary magnetic pole two and auxiliary magnetic pole three. The main magnetic pole, auxiliary magnetic pole one, auxiliary magnetic pole two and auxiliary magnetic pole three are installed on the frame in sequence. When the material passes through the main magnetic pole, the material containing iron debris is sucked up, and then the iron debris is pushed forward by the iron unloading belt and passes through the auxiliary magnetic pole one, auxiliary magnetic pole two and auxiliary magnetic pole three whose magnetic force is gradually weakened. Finally, the adsorbed iron debris is thrown from the tail to the chain plate elevator to realize dynamic separation of ore and iron debris.

[0007] Furthermore, the tail outlet of the iron unloading belt in the present invention is arranged above the chain plate elevator and is installed at an oblique upward angle thereto.

[0008] Furthermore, the chain elevator described in the present invention is placed above the mineral conveyor belt conveyor, and is installed at an inclined angle to the mineral conveyor belt conveyor. The lower end of the chain elevator is connected to the lower part of the tail of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, and the higher end of the chain elevator is connected to the upper part of the inlet end of the chain conveyor.

[0009] Furthermore, the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot described in the present invention has an electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot supporting column, a lifting rack is installed on the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot supporting column, a lifting seat is meshed with the lifting rack, the lifting seat is driven to lift and lower by the No. 1 axis servo motor, the No. 2 axis servo motor and the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot arm are installed on the lifting seat, the No. 3 axis servo motor and the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot forearm are installed on the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot arm, the No. 4 axis servo motor is installed at the front end of the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot forearm, and an electro-permanent magnet iron removal tool is installed under the No. 4 axis servo motor.

[0010] Furthermore, the electro-permanent magnet iron removal tool described in the present invention includes a lifting ring connecting plate, the bottom surface of which is connected to an inverted trapezoidal flexible structure consisting of eight lifting rings and four chains, an electro-permanent magnet is suspended under the inverted trapezoidal flexible structure, and the lifting ring connecting plate is connected to the fourth-axis servo motor.

[0011] Furthermore, the gripper four-axis robot described in the present invention has a gripper four-axis robot support column, which is also equipped with a lifting rack, and a lifting seat is meshed with the lifting rack. The lifting seat is driven to lift and lower by the No. 1 axis servo motor, and the No. 2 axis servo motor and the gripper four-axis robot arm are installed on the lifting seat, and the No. 3 axis servo motor and the gripper four-axis robot forearm are installed on the gripper four-axis robot arm. The front end of the gripper four-axis robot forearm is equipped with the No. 4 axis servo motor, and the gripper seat and the servo cylinder are installed under the No. 4 axis servo motor. A number of synchronously moving grippers are installed under the servo cylinder, and the gripper consists of a gripping plate and gripping teeth. The gripping teeth are connected to the gripping plate by a rotating shaft and are clamped and locked by an arc groove. A rubber belt is also provided on the gripping teeth.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present invention, a metal detector material blocking device is provided in front of the metal detector, and the metal detector material blocking device includes a material blocking plate and a support structure arranged at both ends thereof. The material blocking plate is arranged across the top of the mineral conveyor belt and is fixedly installed at both ends by the support structure.

[0013] Furthermore, the structures of the chain plate elevator and the chain plate conveyor described in the present invention remain the same, and each is composed of a chain plate machine support frame, a driven sprocket, a driving sprocket and a chain plate.

[0014] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The intelligent iron removal and sorting system for iron ore provided by the present invention can comprehensively detect the surface of the ore material and the iron debris buried inside through the coordinated detection of vision and metal detectors. At the same time, the speed-controllable chain conveyor is used to convert high-speed sorting into static sorting, which reduces the sorting difficulty and avoids the production interruption that needs to be stopped during sorting work. It also performs two-stage sorting by classification, thereby improving the sorting efficiency and the production efficiency of iron ore.

[0015] 2. The present invention designs a visual detection component, which includes three visual modules, namely visual module 1, visual module 2, and visual module 3. The three visual modules are arranged at different positions along the mineral conveyor belt. The high-definition and high-resolution industrial camera is used to shoot the ore passing below in real time. In conjunction with the relevant modules of the integrated controller in the background, it can well detect the existence information and position information of iron debris and calculate the geometric information. In this way, even if the iron removal related equipment does not absorb it, it can remind the staff to manually clean the iron debris on the mineral conveyor belt in time.

[0016] 3. The present invention realizes intelligent iron removal and sorting by designing multi-stage adsorption and multi-stage automatic sorting, and effectively overcomes various problems in the iron removal process, making the iron removal and sorting more thorough and efficient. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover in the present invention; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electropermanent magnet four-axis robot in the present invention; Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the chain plate elevator of the present invention; Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the gripper four-axis robot in the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electric permanent magnet iron removal tool of the present invention; Figure 7 It is an enlarged structural diagram of the gripping teeth of the clamping jaws in the present invention.

[0018] Description of reference numerals: 1. Ore discharge port; 2. Mineral conveyor belt; 3. Vision module 1; 4. Vision module 2; 5. Vision module 3; 6. Metal detector material blocking device; 7. Metal detector; 8. Three-stage electromagnetic iron remover; 9. Electropermanent magnet four-axis robot; 10. Chain hoist; 11. Gripper four-axis robot; 12. Chain conveyor; 801. Main magnetic pole; 802. Auxiliary magnetic pole 1; 803. Auxiliary magnetic pole 2; 804. Auxiliary magnetic pole 3; 805. Iron unloading belt; 901 and 1101. Servo motor for axis 1; 902. Electropermanent magnet four-axis robot arm; 903 and 1103. Servo motor for axis 3; 904. Electropermanent magnet four-axis robot forearm; 905 and 1105, servo motor for axis 4; 906, electro-permanent magnet iron removal tool; 907 and 1108, servo motor for axis 2; 908, support column for electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot; 1001, chain plate; 1002, driven sprocket; 1003, driving sprocket; 1102, upper arm of four-axis robot with gripper; 1104, lower arm of four-axis robot with gripper; 1106, servo electric cylinder; 1107, gripper; 1109, support column for four-axis robot with gripper; 906a, lifting ring connecting plate; 906b, chain; 906c, electro-permanent magnet; 906d, lifting ring; 1107a, grab plate; 1107b, circular arc notch; 1107c, grab teeth; 1107d, rubber belt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the present invention. It is obvious that the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work belong to the protection scope of the present invention. In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate directions or positional relationships based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, or the directions or positional relationships in which the invented product is usually placed when in use. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention or simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed or operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0020] In the description of the present invention, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "disposed," "installed," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0021] See also Figure 1 、 Figure 2 The present invention is an intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection, which includes: Mineral conveyor belt: used to transport ore forward along a preset path; Iron debris detection module: This module consists of a metal detector and a visual detection component. The visual detection component detects iron debris exposed on the surface of the ore through a high-definition industrial camera. The metal detector is used to detect iron debris buried in the iron ore in real time. Furthermore, the visual detection component in the present invention includes three visual modules, namely visual module 1, visual module 2, and visual module 3. The three visual detection modules detect the existence information, position information and geometric information of iron debris. Among them, the visual module 1 works in conjunction with the metal detector and is arranged in the upper front position of the metal detector. The visual module has a pair of display Iron debris exposed on the surface of the ore is detected, and iron debris buried under the ore is detected by a metal detector. Vision module 2 is arranged above the chain elevator, and vision module 3 is arranged above the chain conveyor. Vision module 1, vision module 2, and vision module 3 have the same structure and all use high-resolution cameras to obtain clear images. Furthermore, in the present invention, a metal detector material blocking device is also provided in front of the metal detector. The metal detector material blocking device includes a material blocking plate and support structures arranged at both ends thereof. The material blocking plate is arranged across the mineral conveyor belt and is fixedly installed at both ends by the support structure. Iron debris and iron ore separation module: This module is composed of a three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, which separates iron debris from ore through a changing electromagnetic field; further, the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover in the present invention is arranged behind the metal detector, and the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover includes a frame, an iron unloading belt, a main magnetic pole and three auxiliary magnetic poles, the iron unloading belt is installed on the frame, and the three auxiliary magnetic poles are auxiliary magnetic pole one, auxiliary magnetic pole two and auxiliary magnetic pole three, respectively. The main magnetic pole, auxiliary magnetic pole one, auxiliary magnetic pole two and auxiliary magnetic pole three are installed on the frame in sequence. When the material passes through the main magnetic pole, the material containing iron debris is sucked up, and then the iron debris is pushed forward by the iron unloading belt and passes through the auxiliary magnetic pole one, auxiliary magnetic pole two and auxiliary magnetic pole three whose magnetic force gradually weakens. Finally, the adsorbed iron debris is thrown from the tail to the chain plate elevator to realize the dynamic separation of ore and iron debris. Furthermore, the tail outlet of the iron unloading belt in the present invention is arranged above the chain plate elevator and is installed at an oblique upward angle thereto.

[0022] Ferrous debris and iron ore lifting and conveying module: This module consists of a chain plate elevator and a chain plate conveyor, wherein the chain plate elevator is used to transport the material after preliminary separation by the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover from the separation area to the next sorting stage, and the chain plate conveyor is used to provide a secondary sorting platform and realize the ore return; further, the structures of the chain plate elevator and the chain plate conveyor in the present invention remain the same, and each is composed of a chain plate machine support frame, a driven sprocket, a driving sprocket and a chain plate; further, the chain plate elevator in the present invention is placed above the mineral conveyor belt conveyor, and is installed at an inclined angle to the mineral conveyor belt conveyor, with its lower end connected to the lower end of the tail of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, and its higher end connected to the upper end of the inlet end of the chain plate conveyor; Iron debris sorting module: This module consists of an electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot and a gripper four-axis robot. The electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot and the gripper four-axis robot are connected to the visual inspection component and work together to perform sorting. The visual inspection components are arranged along the mineral conveyor belt; the metal detector, three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, chain elevator and chain conveyor are arranged in sequence above the mineral conveyor belt; the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot is arranged on one side above the chain elevator; and the gripper four-axis robot is arranged on one side above the chain conveyor. Integrated controller: It receives information transmitted by the metal detector and visual inspection components and analyzes and processes the information. Then, based on the analysis and processing results, it controls the operation of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, chain hoist, chain conveyor, electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot and gripper four-axis robot.

[0023] Furthermore, the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot described in the present invention has an electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot support column, a lifting rack is installed on the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot support column, a lifting seat is meshed with the lifting rack and connected, the lifting seat is driven to rise and fall by the No. 1 axis servo motor, the No. 2 axis servo motor and the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot arm are installed on the lifting seat, the No. 3 axis servo motor and the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot forearm are installed on the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot arm, the No. 4 axis servo motor is installed at the front end of the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot forearm, and an electro-permanent magnet iron removal tool is installed under the No. 4 axis servo motor. Further, the electro-permanent magnet iron removal tool described in the present invention includes a lifting ring connecting plate, the bottom surface of the lifting ring connecting plate is connected to an inverted trapezoidal flexible structure composed of eight lifting rings and four chains, an electro-permanent magnet is suspended under the inverted trapezoidal flexible structure, and the lifting ring connecting plate is connected to the No. 4 axis servo motor.

[0024] Furthermore, the gripper four-axis robot described in the present invention has a gripper four-axis robot support column, which is also equipped with a lifting rack, and a lifting seat is meshed with the lifting rack. The lifting seat is driven to lift and lower by the No. 1 axis servo motor, and the No. 2 axis servo motor and the gripper four-axis robot arm are installed on the lifting seat, and the No. 3 axis servo motor and the gripper four-axis robot forearm are installed on the gripper four-axis robot arm. The front end of the gripper four-axis robot forearm is equipped with the No. 4 axis servo motor, and the gripper seat and the servo cylinder are installed under the No. 4 axis servo motor. A number of synchronously moving grippers are installed under the servo cylinder, and the gripper consists of a gripping plate and gripping teeth. The gripping teeth are connected to the gripping plate by a rotating shaft and are clamped and locked by an arc groove. A rubber belt is also provided on the gripping teeth.

[0025] The overall structural diagram of the automatic iron removal and sorting system used in the present invention is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, mechanical equipment such as Figures 2 to 7 As shown, iron ore falls from the ore discharge port 1 to the mineral conveyor belt and is transported forward along the belt of the conveyor. The sorting process of the system mainly includes the following steps: 1) Preliminary detection of debris. For this system, the so-called debris refers to ferrous debris, primarily rebar, iron plates, I-beams, screws, rails, and other ferrous debris. Given the significant impact of ferrous debris on the conveyor belts and related equipment on the production line and its difficulty in separating from the iron ore, its removal is crucial to the present invention. This preliminary debris detection is performed by the vision module 3 and metal detector 7 in the visual inspection assembly. This invention enables comprehensive detection of ferrous debris, both exposed on the surface and buried beneath the ore. Among them, the visual detection component mainly detects iron debris exposed on the surface of the ore. It detects the material in real time by shooting the material on the ore conveyor belt in real time. When the iron debris is identified, it gives an iron signal. The metal detector detects the iron debris hidden under the ore. It adopts the electromagnetic detection principle, balanced coil structure, and balanced coil technology. A uniform electromagnetic field is formed by a transmitting coil and two receiving coils. Metal objects will generate eddy currents when passing through the electromagnetic field. Metal objects will have electrical and magnetic effects on the electromagnetic field. In the working frequency band of the equipment, the generated eddy current will attenuate with a certain delay time. The metal detector host captures the delayed signal through calculation to realize the detection of magnetic metal and non-magnetic metal. The two together provide the system with a preliminary iron debris detection signal. When the control system receives the detection signal, it starts the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8. Figure 2 The metal detector 7 needs to maintain an appropriate distance from the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover. This is mainly because the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 needs time to be magnetized and discharged when it is started. Therefore, this distance is to ensure that the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 can be in the started state when the material reaches the lower position.

[0026] 2) Primary separation: Considering the characteristics of iron debris and the large differences in particle size and iron content of each ore block, a three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 is used. When an incoming iron signal is detected, the belt of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 is activated and the excitation is precisely started. When the iron pieces reach under the main magnetic pole, the iron pieces on the surface or deep layer and the magnetic mineral materials are simultaneously sucked up with instantaneous extremely strong excitation. The excitation state is immediately switched to a maintain state and no further material is sucked up, so as to minimize the material sucked up and reduce the amount of ore carried over. The sucked-up iron pieces, along with the magnetic ore, are driven backward by the unloading belt 805 of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 for initial magnetic separation. During this initial separation, large pieces of magnetic ore fall back onto the ore conveyor belt and then reach the three-stage auxiliary magnetic separation area, which has a special magnetic field arrangement, namely the three auxiliary magnetic poles. After sorting in the separation area, most of the magnetic material falls back onto the conveyor belt. The remaining high-grade ore and iron debris are taken to the chain elevator 10 for further separation. At the same time, the excitation of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 main unit is completely stopped, and the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 belt stops in time to wait for the next iron signal. This achieves dynamic separation of ore and iron debris. To achieve optimal separation of ore and iron debris, the visual detection component calculates the weight of the iron debris based on its geometric information, allowing the control system to adaptively adjust and control the power of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 to remove iron debris while retaining as much ore as possible, achieving the initial separation of iron ore and iron debris. The specific movement process is that the ore material is sucked up at the main magnetic pole 801 of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8, moves from left to right with its belt, passes through the auxiliary magnetic pole 1 802, the auxiliary magnetic pole 2 803, and the auxiliary magnetic pole 3 804 in sequence, and is finally thrown out at the tail of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8. The three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 is installed at an angle to the horizontal plane of the conveyor belt to increase the opening between the tail and the conveyor belt, ensuring that the material can be thrown smoothly onto the chain plate elevator 10 at the back when it is thrown. The magnetic force of the auxiliary magnetic pole 1 802, the auxiliary magnetic pole 2 803, the auxiliary magnetic pole 3 804, and the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 is sufficient to ensure that the iron debris is sucked up and moved backward to the tail under the drag of the unloading belt. The unloading belt is provided with cross teeth. As the unloading belt is pushed forward to the tail, the iron debris and magnetic ore can be pushed to the connected chain plate elevator.

[0027] 3) Overall lifting: The material brought up by the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 contains high-grade ore, which is not easy to separate from iron debris and mineral powder. At the same time, considering the difficulty of high-speed sorting on the conveyor belt, the present invention adopts a solution of first throwing the ore and iron debris brought up by the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover onto the chain plate elevator 10 as a whole, and then processing them separately. A chain plate elevator 10 is arranged behind the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 to receive the material thrown out by the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8. The chain plate elevator is installed at an angle to the conveyor belt to transport the material upward, thereby raising the material height, and turning the high-speed sorting on the ore conveyor belt into static sorting on the chain plate elevator 10, greatly reducing the difficulty of sorting and facilitating the subsequent sorting work.

[0028] 4) First Sorting: Small particles of ore ejected from the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover 8 can fall directly back onto the conveyor belt through the gaps between the chains 1001 of the chain elevator 10. Considering that some ore cannot be separated from iron debris and that the debris varies in shape, a two-stage sorting process is designed to remove debris. The first stage includes an electropermanent magnet four-axis robot 9, vision module 2 4, and chain elevator 10. The electropermanent magnet four-axis robot 9 is positioned to the side of the chain elevator 10. This stage processes large iron debris, primarily in the form of iron blocks and rails. Based on information about the presence of large iron debris provided by vision module 2, as well as the debris's location and geometry, the electropermanent magnet robot 9 controls the movement of the electropermanent magnet to the appropriate location of the debris, extracting and removing it from the chain elevator and depositing it to the side of the conveyor belt.

[0029] 5) Second Sorting: A chain conveyor 12 is placed behind the chain elevator 10 to receive materials not removed from the chain elevator, including ore and iron debris that was not removed during the first sorting process. A four-axis robot with a gripper 11 and vision module 3 5 are used to identify and remove iron debris, which primarily includes steel bars and screws. When the vision system detects iron debris on the chain conveyor 12, the four-axis robot with a gripper 11 controls the gripper to move to the debris, grab it, and move it to the side of the conveyor belt to sort it out. The system then processes the debris when the production line is shut down, thus avoiding the frequent downtime associated with traditional iron debris sorting.

[0030] 6) Ore Return: After the ore is sorted twice by the chain elevator 10 and chain conveyor 12, iron impurities are removed, and ore fines fall through the gaps between the chain elevator 10 chains onto the conveyor belt below. Only high-grade ore, which should be retained, remains. This high-grade ore is conveyed along the chains of the chain conveyor 12. When it reaches the tail of the chain conveyor 12, it flows back onto the conveyor belt along with the movement of the chains. This process effectively separates the iron ore from iron impurities and prevents the loss of high-grade ore.

[0031] The three vision modules in the vision system share a common structure and utilize high-resolution cameras to capture clear images, providing data support for subsequent detection and recognition. To balance processing speed and computational requirements, the camera frame rate is set to 10 frames per second, and image processing takes approximately 30 to 40 milliseconds, ensuring real-time performance. The vision system utilizes, but is not limited to, the YOLO V8 model architecture to segment multiple objects and estimate the weight of debris. By segmenting debris from the image, the area of ​​the debris is calculated, and the weight is estimated based on this area. Furthermore, to compensate for camera distortion, the vision system utilizes the Zhang Zhengyou calibration method for camera calibration. By calculating the camera's intrinsic and extrinsic parameters and optimizing the distortion coefficients, it ensures accurate conversion from image coordinates to world coordinates. Vision modules two and three separate the debris from the ore and display the debris area at the center of the segmentation. Furthermore, using the segmentation center as the grasping coordinate is more accurate than using the center of the detection frame as the debris coordinate, making it easier for the sorting robot to grasp the debris.

[0032] The aforementioned iron debris detection system combines visual iron debris detection signals with signals from a metal detector to trigger the activation of a three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, thereby separating iron debris from iron ore. When iron debris is detected, whether through the visual system or the metal detector, a signal is issued to initiate the iron removal process, ensuring accurate and efficient iron debris detection.

[0033] The electro-permanent magnet iron removal tool 906 in the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot adopts an inverted trapezoidal structure consisting of eight hanging rings 906d and four chains 906b to suspend the electro-permanent magnet 906c. Figure 6 As shown, screws are then used to connect the lifting ring 906d and the lifting ring connecting plate 906a to the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot arm 904. The flexible adjustment of the length of the chain 906b and the selection of a stable fixing point ensure that the electro-permanent magnet 906c remains stable during movement. When it comes into contact with debris, the flexible characteristics of the chain 906b enable the electro-permanent magnet 906c to more flexibly contact the debris, thereby increasing the contact area between the electro-permanent magnet 906c and the iron debris. This structure not only provides solid support for the electro-permanent magnet 906c, but also effectively reduces swaying during movement, ensuring that the movement of the electro-permanent magnet 906c is safer and more reliable.

[0034] The gripping teeth 1107c of the gripper 1107 in the above-mentioned gripper four-axis robot are designed to move within a certain range as a track within the arc slot 1107c, such as Figure 7As shown, the gripper 1107 is more adaptable when in contact with the chain conveyor, ensuring stable grasping of debris. Furthermore, a rubber belt 1107d is attached to the upper surface of the gripping tooth 1107c, providing a cushioning effect that allows for flexible grasping of debris and reduces the impact of hard collisions on the equipment. This design not only improves the accuracy of the grasping process but also effectively reduces collisions and forces between the gripper 1107 and the chain conveyor, preventing excessive wear.

Claims

1. An intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection, characterized in that: The system includes: Mineral conveyor belt: used to transport ore forward along a preset path; Iron debris detection module: This module consists of a metal detector and a visual detection component. The visual detection component uses a high-definition industrial camera to detect iron debris exposed on the ore surface, and the metal detector is used to detect iron debris buried in the iron ore in real time; Iron debris and iron ore separation module: This module consists of a three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, which separates iron debris from ore through a changing electromagnetic field; Iron debris and iron ore lifting and conveying module: This module consists of a chain elevator and a chain conveyor. The chain elevator is used to transport the material after the initial separation by the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover from the separation area to the next sorting stage. The chain conveyor is used to provide a secondary sorting platform and realize the return of ore. Iron debris sorting module: This module consists of an electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot and a gripper four-axis robot. The electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot and the gripper four-axis robot are connected to the visual inspection component and work together to perform sorting. The visual inspection components are arranged along the mineral conveyor belt; the metal detector, three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, chain elevator and chain conveyor are arranged in sequence above the mineral conveyor belt; the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot is arranged on one side above the chain elevator; and the gripper four-axis robot is arranged on one side above the chain conveyor. Integrated controller: It receives information transmitted by the metal detector and visual inspection components and analyzes and processes the information. Then, based on the analysis and processing results, it controls the operation of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, chain hoist, chain conveyor, electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot and gripper four-axis robot.

2. The intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The visual detection component includes three visual modules, namely visual module 1, visual module 2, and visual module 3. The three visual detection modules detect the existence information, position information and geometric information of iron debris. Among them, visual module 1 works in conjunction with the metal detector and is arranged in a front position above the metal detector. Visual module 1 detects iron debris exposed on the surface of the ore, and iron debris buried under the ore is detected by the metal detector. Visual module 2 is arranged above the chain elevator, and visual module 3 is arranged above the chain conveyor. Visual module 1, visual module 2, and visual module 3 have the same structure and all use high-resolution cameras to obtain clear images.

3. The intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The three-stage electromagnetic iron remover is arranged at the rear of the metal detector. The three-stage electromagnetic iron remover includes a frame, an iron unloading belt, a main magnetic pole and three auxiliary magnetic poles. The iron unloading belt is installed on the frame. The three auxiliary magnetic poles are auxiliary magnetic pole one, auxiliary magnetic pole two and auxiliary magnetic pole three. The main magnetic pole, auxiliary magnetic pole one, auxiliary magnetic pole two and auxiliary magnetic pole three are installed on the frame in sequence. When the material passes through the main magnetic pole, the material containing iron debris is sucked up, and then the iron debris is pushed forward by the iron unloading belt and passes through the auxiliary magnetic pole one, auxiliary magnetic pole two and auxiliary magnetic pole three whose magnetic force gradually weakens. Finally, the adsorbed iron debris is thrown from the tail to the chain plate elevator to realize dynamic separation of ore and iron debris.

4. The intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The tail outlet of the iron unloading belt is arranged above the chain plate elevator and is installed at an oblique upward angle thereto.

5. The intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The chain elevator is placed above the mineral conveyor belt and is installed at an inclined angle to the mineral conveyor belt. The lower end of the chain elevator is connected to the lower part of the tail of the three-stage electromagnetic iron remover, and the higher end of the chain elevator is connected to the upper part of the inlet end of the chain conveyor.

6. The intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot comprises an electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot supporting column, a lifting rack is mounted on the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot supporting column, a lifting seat is meshed with the lifting rack and is connected to the lifting seat, the lifting seat is driven to rise and fall by a No. 1 axis servo motor, a No. 2 axis servo motor and an electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot arm are mounted on the lifting seat, a No. 3 axis servo motor and an electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot forearm are mounted on the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot arm, a No. 4 axis servo motor is mounted at the front end of the electro-permanent magnet four-axis robot forearm, and an electro-permanent magnet iron removal tool is mounted under the No. 4 axis servo motor.

7. The intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection according to claim 6 is characterized in that: The electro-permanent magnet iron removal tool includes a ring connecting plate, the bottom surface of which is connected to an inverted trapezoidal flexible structure consisting of eight rings and four chains, an electro-permanent magnet is suspended under the inverted trapezoidal flexible structure, and the ring connecting plate is connected to the fourth-axis servo motor.

8. The intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The four-axis gripper robot comprises a supporting column for the four-axis gripper robot, which is also provided with a lifting rack, a lifting seat being meshed with the lifting rack, the lifting seat being driven up and down by a No. 1-axis servo motor, the No. 2-axis servo motor and the main arm of the four-axis gripper robot are installed on the lifting seat, the No. 3-axis servo motor and the forearm of the four-axis gripper robot are installed on the main arm of the four-axis gripper robot, the front end of the forearm of the four-axis gripper robot is provided with a No. 4-axis servo motor, a gripper seat and a servo electric cylinder are installed under the No. 4-axis servo motor, a number of grippers with synchronous movements are installed under the servo electric cylinder, the gripper is composed of a gripping plate and a gripping tooth, the gripping tooth and the gripping plate are connected by a rotating shaft and are clamped and locked by an arc groove, and a rubber belt is also provided on the gripping tooth.

9. The intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A metal detector material blocking device is also provided in front of the metal detector. The metal detector material blocking device includes a material blocking plate and support structures arranged at both ends thereof. The material blocking plate is arranged across the mineral conveyor belt and is fixedly installed at both ends through the support structure.

10. The intelligent iron removal and sorting system based on the combination of vision and metal detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The structures of the chain plate elevator and the chain plate conveyor remain the same, and each is composed of a chain plate machine support frame, a driven sprocket, a driving sprocket and a chain plate.

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