Unmanned frame transport vehicle suitable for mixed road

Abstract

The invention relates to an unmanned frame transport vehicle suitable for a mixed road, which comprises an unmanned system, the unmanned system comprises a position sensing assembly and a visual field detection assembly, the position sensing assembly is used for sensing and positioning the relative position of the transport vehicle and a frame, and the position sensing assembly comprises a distance measuring sensor and a laser radar. The scanning range of the laser radar covers the whole circumferential direction of the transport vehicle; the visual field detection assembly is used for detecting the visual field around the transport vehicle and comprises a plurality of camera sets, and the detection range of the camera sets covers the whole circumferential direction of the transport vehicle. The sensing assembly and the detection assembly replace human eyes for road condition detection, the functions of autonomous route planning, frame taking, frame placing and the like are achieved, and manual intervention is not needed in the whole process; site closing is not needed, the road surface does not need construction modification, and the influence of indoor and outdoor environments is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of transport vehicles, in particular to an unmanned frame transport vehicle suitable for mixed roads. Background Art

[0002] Frame carriers are specialized vehicles designed for transporting large, heavy, and unusually shaped cargo. They are primarily used for transferring materials such as billets and coils within steel mills. They feature high load capacity, flexible steering, and efficient transportation. Early frame carriers were primarily diesel-powered, which does not meet current environmental standards. Unmanned systems also primarily utilize sensors based on magnetic studs and GPS / Beidou, requiring road surface modifications. To ensure safety, the vehicle's routes require dedicated unmanned routes, requiring significant infrastructure investment and overall high costs, making them uneconomical.

[0003] As labor costs continue to rise and unmanned driving technology matures, steel mills urgently need unmanned vehicles and control systems that do not require road construction or modification, have flexible path planning, are not affected by indoor and outdoor environments, can enter and exit the framework at fixed points, and can operate on mixed roads. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide an unmanned frame transport vehicle that is adaptable to mixed roads, and is suitable for use in mixed roads of steel mills, etc.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] An unmanned frame transport vehicle suitable for mixed roads includes a frame, a cab connected to the front end of the frame, an unmanned driving system, and a control system connected to the unmanned driving system. The unmanned driving system includes a position sensing component, a field of view detection component, and a controller connected to the position sensing component and the field of view detection component. The position sensing component is used to sense and locate the relative position of the transport vehicle and the frame. The position sensing component includes a ranging sensor and a laser radar. The ranging sensors are distributed on the left and right sides of the frame. The laser radars are distributed on the front, rear, left and right sides of the frame, and the scanning range of the laser radar covers the entire circumference of the transport vehicle. The field of view detection component is used to detect the field of view around the transport vehicle. The field of view detection component includes multiple camera groups. The camera groups are distributed on the front, rear, left and right sides of the frame, and the detection range of the camera groups covers the entire circumference of the transport vehicle.

[0007] Preferably, in the above technical solution, the controller is connected to the control system, and the controller is configured to plan the loading and unloading of the frame according to the perception of the position perception component and to plan the walking route of the transport vehicle according to the detection of the field of view detection component.

[0008] Preferably, the above technical solution is characterized in that the camera group includes a surround-view camera group, which is used to detect a range of more than 150 meters. The surround-view camera group includes a left front surround-view camera, a left rear surround-view camera, a right front surround-view camera, a right rear surround-view camera, and a rear surround-view camera. The left front surround-view camera, the left rear surround-view camera, the right front surround-view camera, the right rear surround-view camera, and the rear surround-view camera are distributed on the left, right, and rear sides of the vehicle frame.

[0009] Preferably, the above technical solution is that the camera group includes a perimeter camera group, and the perimeter camera group includes a first front perimeter camera and a second front perimeter camera. The first front perimeter camera and the second front perimeter camera are used to detect a range of more than 200 meters. The first front perimeter camera and the second front perimeter camera are arranged on the front side of the cab, and the horizontal and vertical detection angles of the first front perimeter camera are greater than the horizontal and vertical detection angles of the second front perimeter camera.

[0010] Preferably, the above technical solution comprises a surround-view camera group, and the surround-view camera group is used to detect a range of more than 20 meters. The surround-view camera group comprises a front surround-view camera, a rear surround-view camera, a left surround-view camera, and a right surround-view camera. The front surround-view camera, the rear surround-view camera, the left surround-view camera, and the right surround-view camera are distributed on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle frame.

[0011] Preferably, the above technical solution is such that the camera group further includes a recording camera group, which is used to capture and record environmental images, and the recording camera group is distributed on the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle frame.

[0012] Further preferably, the recording camera group includes a BSD camera and a DSSAD camera.

[0013] Preferably, the above technical solution comprises a solid-state laser radar and a mechanical laser radar. The solid-state laser radar is arranged on the front, left and right sides of the frame, and the mechanical laser radar is arranged on the rear side of the frame. The scanning distance of the solid-state laser radar is greater than the scanning distance of the mechanical laser radar.

[0014] Preferably, the above technical solution is such that the transport vehicle further comprises a steering system and a suspension system connected to the bottom of the frame, and a traveling system connected to the steering system and the suspension system; the traveling system comprises a drive axle, a brake axle, a motor, a wheel-side reducer, and a battery; the battery, motor, wheel-side reducer, and drive axle are transmission-connected; two groups of batteries are provided to power the motor simultaneously or alternately.

[0015] Preferably, the above technical solution is such that the transport vehicle further comprises an integrated antenna, which is arranged on the top of the cab and is connected to the control system to provide a wireless communication network for the control system.

[0016] Due to the application of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0017] The wired-control chassis frame transport vehicle of the present invention is equipped with multiple sensing and detection components around its periphery, replacing the human eye as a road condition detector. It can realize autonomous route planning, obstacle detection, autonomous obstacle avoidance, vehicle following, autonomous lane change, frame recognition, automatic navigation in and out of the frame, automatic lifting to realize frame picking and placing, and other functions on mixed roads. It can autonomously realize safe driving on mixed roads, achieve precise positioning when arriving at the designated location, and automatically transport steel products, without human intervention in the whole process.

[0018] There is no need to close the site, the road surface does not need construction or modification, it is not affected by indoor and outdoor environments, supports mixed traffic with other manned vehicles, and can operate intelligently in all scenarios and all weather conditions 24 / 7. It is particularly suitable for intelligent and unmanned logistics upgrades in new or existing factory workshops and external roads. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Attachment Figure 1 The structure of the transport vehicle of the present invention is schematically shown Figure 1 ;

[0020] Attachment Figure 2 The structure of the transport vehicle of the present invention is schematically shown Figure 2 ;

[0021] Attachment Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the scanning range coverage of the laser radar in the present invention;

[0022] Attachment Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the detection range coverage of the camera group in the present invention.

[0023] In the above attached figures:

[0024] 1. Frame;

[0025] 2. Cab;

[0026] 3. Steering system;

[0027] 4. Suspension system;

[0028] 50. Drive axle; 51. Brake axle; 52. Battery;

[0029] 60. Ranging sensor; 610. Solid-state laser radar; 611. Mechanical laser radar; 620. Left front surround view camera; 621. Left rear surround view camera; 622. Right front surround view camera; 623. Right rear surround view camera; 624. Rear surround view camera; 625. First front surround view camera; 626. Second front surround view camera; 630. Front surround view camera; 631. Rear surround view camera; 632. Left surround view camera; 633. Right surround view camera; 640. BSD camera; 641. DSSAD camera;

[0030] 7. Control system;

[0031] 8. Integrated antenna. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0034] like Figure 1 、 2 The unmanned frame transport vehicle shown is suitable for mixed roads and is mainly used for mixed roads in steel mills. It includes a frame 1, a cab 2 connected to the front end of the frame, a steering system 3 and a suspension system 4 connected to the bottom of the frame 1, a walking system connected to the steering system 3 and the suspension system 4, an unmanned driving system, a control system 7 connected to the unmanned driving system, an integrated antenna 8, etc.

[0035] The frame transporter is a wire-controlled chassis equipped with both manned and unmanned systems. During the initial vehicle commissioning process, a safety officer can operate various vehicle functions from the cab 2 to ensure safety during the commissioning process. Once commissioning is complete, the unmanned system enables safe autonomous driving on mixed roads without the need for manual operation. Specifically:

[0036] The cab 2 uses panoramic glass, has no left or right pillars, and provides a wide field of view. All operating functions of the transport vehicle can be operated in the cab 2, which also makes it convenient for the safety officer to ensure the safety of the vehicle during the initial debugging of the unmanned driving system.

[0037] Steering system 3 utilizes independent control of a mechanical linkage mechanism, achieving closed-loop control through a steering cylinder, an electric proportional control valve, and a steering angle sensor. This allows for a variety of steering modes, including straight driving, figure-eight steering, diagonal driving, and swinging, to accommodate different steering modes under different operating conditions. To ensure rapid response during driving and precise alignment during frame entry, two electric proportional control valves with different flow rates can be used to control the same steering cylinder group: a high-flow comparator valve for rapid steering, and a low-flow comparator valve for precise steering angle control. The optimal control strategy is then adopted based on the specific route conditions.

[0038] The suspension system 4 can be a lifting suspension system, driven by a hydraulic system, to enable the frame 1 to be raised and lowered during the frame placement and retrieval operations. When the transport vehicle retrieves the frame, the suspension system 4 lowers the frame 1 to its lowest position. Once the frame 1 is fully inserted into the frame, the suspension system 4, driven by the hydraulic system, lifts the frame, and the transport vehicle transports the cargo on the frame to the designated location. Once the transport vehicle reaches the designated location, the frame 1 is lowered by the suspension system 4. Once in position, the frame 1 follows the reverse mechanism used for entering the frame and then proceeds to the exit process.

[0039] The traveling system includes a drive axle 50, a brake axle 51, a motor, a wheel-side reducer, a battery 52, etc. Among them:

[0040] The drive axle 50 can adopt a through-bridge structure, with two sets of motors and wheel-side reducers connected to each set of drive axles 50. Through the MCU (motor controller) and VCU (vehicle controller), functions such as stepless speed change, differential, and slope prevention can be realized.

[0041] The brake bridge 51 can adopt the form of combining air braking and motor regenerative braking, and reasonably distribute the braking forces of the two through the VCU (vehicle controller) to achieve braking force and brake energy recovery.

[0042] The motor can be selected to have energy recovery, cooperate with the brake bridge 51, match the braking control, and reasonably distribute the braking force of the two.

[0043] The battery 52 can be a lithium iron phosphate battery with a total battery capacity of 704kWh. Two batteries 52 (352kWh) are provided and distributed near the drive axle 50. The two batteries 52 can discharge at the same time, but when one battery 52 fails, the other battery 52 can continue to discharge to ensure that the transport vehicle can run normally to the destination and then be repaired.

[0044] The unmanned driving system includes a position sensing component, a field of view detection component, and a controller connected to the position sensing component and the field of view detection component.

[0045] The position sensing component is used to sense the relative position of the positioning transport vehicle and the frame. In this embodiment, the position sensing component includes a distance sensor 60 and a laser radar.

[0046] Distance measuring sensors 90 are located on the left and right sides of the vehicle frame 1 and are used for lateral and longitudinal positioning when entering and exiting the frame, thereby controlling the precise parking of the vehicle frame 1 after entering the frame. In the figure, eight distance measuring sensors 90 are provided, four on each side, distributed along the length of the vehicle frame 1.

[0047] The laser radars are distributed on the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle frame 1, and the scanning range of the laser radar covers the entire circumference of the transport vehicle, that is, it achieves 360-degree full coverage in the horizontal direction and a 90-degree scanning range in the vertical direction, ensuring that there are no blind spots in the vehicle laser positioning. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the laser radar includes a solid-state laser radar 610 and a mechanical laser radar 611. The solid-state laser radar 610 is located on the front, left, and right sides of the vehicle frame 1, specifically the front, front left, and front right sides. It can sense objects such as vehicles and pedestrians within a range of 250 meters and is used for object detection and lateral and longitudinal positioning when entering and exiting the frame. The mechanical laser radar 611 is located on the rear side of the vehicle frame 1, specifically the rear side, and can sense objects in a closer range.

[0048] The field of view detection component is used to detect the field of view around the transport vehicle. In this embodiment, the field of view detection component includes multiple camera groups, which are distributed on the front, rear, left and right sides of the frame 1. The detection range of the camera group covers the entire circumference of the transport vehicle, that is, it achieves 360-degree full coverage in the horizontal direction. Figure 4 The camera group includes a panoramic camera group, a surround camera group, and a recording camera group. Each camera group is described in detail below.

[0049] The perimeter camera group is used to detect objects at a distance of more than 150 meters, with a horizontal detection field of view of 100 degrees and a vertical detection field of view of 60 degrees. In this embodiment, the perimeter camera group includes a left front perimeter camera 620, a left rear perimeter camera 621, a right front perimeter camera 622, a right rear perimeter camera 623, and a rear perimeter camera 624. The left front perimeter camera 620, the left rear perimeter camera 621, the right front perimeter camera 622, the right rear perimeter camera 623, and the rear perimeter camera 624 are distributed on the left, right, and rear sides of the vehicle frame 1, specifically on the front left, front and rear sides, and the rear side.

[0050] Furthermore, the perimeter camera group also includes a first front perimeter camera 625 and a second front perimeter camera 626. The first front perimeter camera 625 and the second front perimeter camera 626 are arranged on the front side of the cab 2. The first front perimeter camera 625 and the second front perimeter camera 626 are used to detect a range of more than 200 meters. The horizontal detection field of view of the first front perimeter camera 625 is 120 degrees, and the vertical detection field of view is 65 degrees. The horizontal detection field of view of the second front perimeter camera 626 is 30 degrees, and the vertical detection field of view is 54 degrees.

[0051] The detection field of view of these surround-view camera groups achieves full 360-degree coverage of the vehicle's environment, providing vision for autonomous driving's environmental modeling, decision-making and safety redundancy. It monitors the blind spots on both sides and rear of the transport vehicle in real time, identifies rapidly approaching vehicles, pedestrians, and non-motor vehicles, predicts collision risks, and provides the unmanned driving system with a basis for judging safe lane change gaps. In unprotected left turns and intersections, it identifies vehicles in the opposite lane and pedestrians crossing sideways to avoid "ghost head-on" accidents. It provides real-time environmental semantic maps for lane changes, intersection passage, and special scenarios.

[0052] The surround-view camera group is used to detect distances exceeding 20 meters and has a horizontal detection field of view of 206 degrees. In this embodiment, the surround-view camera group includes a front surround-view camera 630, a rear surround-view camera 631, a left surround-view camera 632, and a right surround-view camera 633. The front surround-view cameras 630, rear surround-view camera 631, left surround-view camera 632, and right surround-view camera 633 are distributed on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle frame 1, specifically the front, rear, front left, and front right sides.

[0053] The detection field of view of these surround-view cameras achieves full 360-degree coverage of the vehicle's close-range environment, providing vision for surrounding 360-degree panoramic environment modeling, precise positioning and safety redundancy, achieving 360-degree real-time stitching in all directions without blind spots, and providing perception of low obstacles that are difficult for lidar to cover. It provides unmanned driving systems with decision-making basis for scenarios such as automatic parking, narrow channel passage, congested following, lane changing, merging, lateral automatic emergency braking, and prediction of target vehicle lane change intentions. At the same time, these cameras can also provide vision assistance for remote driving.

[0054] The recording camera group is used to capture and record environmental images. The recording camera group is located on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle frame 1. In this embodiment, the recording camera group includes a BSD camera 640 and a DSSAD camera 641. The BSD camera 640 can monitor blind spots in real time and provide driver alerts, while the DSSAD camera 641 can record full-time data.

[0055] The controller is connected to the control system, and is used to plan the loading and unloading of the frame based on the perception of the position perception component, and to plan the travel route of the transport vehicle based on the detection of the field of view detection component.

[0056] When the transport vehicle takes the frame, the mechanical laser radar 611, the rear perimeter camera 622, and the rear surround view camera 631 at the rear end of the frame 1 sense the relative position and posture of the frame 1 and the frame. The controller plans the movement of the frame 1 entering the frame backward according to the relative position and posture. When the rear end of the frame 1 enters the frame, the left and right gap distance of the frame 1 is constantly detected by the ranging sensor 60 to detect the distance difference on both sides, locate the position of the frame 1 and the frame, and adjust the relative position between the frame 1 and the frame in time to ensure the relative centering relationship between the frame 1 and the frame, thereby overcoming the possibility of the frame 1 and the frame rubbing against each other due to the deviation of the frame placement in the traditional parking method based on coordinate positioning.

[0057] The control system 7 is set in the cab 2. The control system 7 can adopt CAN bus communication mode, set up a CAN recorder, record and maintain the data of each CAN loop, configure basic vehicle monitoring functions (instruments, status lights, alarms, etc.), and interact with the unmanned driving system for data to realize vehicle driving, braking, steering, lifting, lighting and other functions.

[0058] In addition, the cab 2 can also be equipped with an intelligent driving cabinet, which is equipped with power conversion module DCDC, data recorder, switch, inertial navigation IMU module, main controller IECU, wireless communication iBox and cooling system, etc., to meet the needs of realizing lane keeping, following vehicle, speed limit function, precision stop function, nudge function, lane change function, pedestrian risk speed limit function, intersection passing function, passing function, lifting function, parking function, battery replacement function, posture adjustment function, remote control takeover and other additional functions.

[0059] An integrated antenna 8 is installed on top of the cab 2 and is connected to the control system 7, providing a wireless communication network for the control system 7. The integrated antenna 8 can be a 5G integrated antenna and configured with an Ibox. This provides a stable and reliable network, allowing the transport vehicle to instantly switch between different wireless coverage areas while traveling, ensuring smooth communication with the dispatch system and enabling the vehicle to automatically complete each process according to dispatch instructions.

[0060] The above embodiments are intended only to illustrate the technical concepts and features of the present invention. Their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the contents of the present invention and implement them accordingly. They are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit of the present invention are intended to be covered by the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An unmanned frame transport vehicle suitable for mixed roads, comprising a frame, a cab connected to the front end of the frame, an unmanned driving system, and a control system connected to the unmanned driving system, characterized in that: The unmanned driving system includes a position sensing component, a field of view detection component, and a controller connected to the position sensing component and the field of view detection component. The position sensing component is used to sense and locate the relative position of the transport vehicle and the frame. The position sensing component includes a ranging sensor and a laser radar. The ranging sensors are distributed on the left and right sides of the frame. The laser radars are distributed on the front, rear, left and right sides of the frame, and the scanning range of the laser radar covers the entire circumference of the transport vehicle. The field of view detection component is used to detect the field of view around the transport vehicle. The field of view detection component includes multiple camera groups. The camera groups are distributed on the front, rear, left and right sides of the frame, and the detection range of the camera groups covers the entire circumference of the transport vehicle.

2. The unmanned frame transport vehicle adapted to mixed roads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is connected to the control system, and is configured to plan the loading and unloading of the frame according to the perception of the position perception component, and to plan the travel route of the transport vehicle according to the detection of the field of view detection component.

3. The unmanned frame transport vehicle adapted to mixed roads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera group includes a surround-view camera group, which is used to detect a range of more than 150 meters. The surround-view camera group includes a left front surround-view camera, a left rear surround-view camera, a right front surround-view camera, a right rear surround-view camera, and a rear surround-view camera. The left front surround-view camera, the left rear surround-view camera, the right front surround-view camera, the right rear surround-view camera, and the rear surround-view camera are distributed on the left, right, and rear sides of the vehicle frame.

4. The unmanned frame transport vehicle adapted for mixed roads according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The camera group includes a periscopic camera group, which includes a first front periscopic camera and a second front periscopic camera. The first front periscopic camera and the second front periscopic camera are used to detect a range of more than 200 meters. The first front periscopic camera and the second front periscopic camera are arranged on the front side of the cab. The horizontal and vertical detection angles of the first front periscopic camera are greater than the horizontal and vertical detection angles of the second front periscopic camera.

5. The unmanned frame transport vehicle adapted to mixed roads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera group includes a surround-view camera group, which is used to detect a range of more than 20 meters. The surround-view camera group includes a front surround-view camera, a rear surround-view camera, a left surround-view camera, and a right surround-view camera. The front surround-view camera, the rear surround-view camera, the left surround-view camera, and the right surround-view camera are distributed on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the frame.

6. The unmanned frame transport vehicle adapted to mixed roads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera group also includes a recording camera group, which is used to shoot and record environmental images. The recording camera group is distributed on the front, rear, left and right sides of the frame.

7. The unmanned frame transport vehicle adapted to mixed roads according to claim 6, characterized in that: The recording camera group includes a BSD camera and a DSSAD camera.

8. The unmanned frame transport vehicle adapted to mixed roads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser radar includes a solid-state laser radar and a mechanical laser radar. The solid-state laser radar is arranged on the front, left and right sides of the frame, and the mechanical laser radar is arranged on the rear side of the frame. The scanning distance of the solid-state laser radar is greater than the scanning distance of the mechanical laser radar.

9. The unmanned frame transport vehicle adapted for mixed roads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transport vehicle also includes a steering system and a suspension system connected to the bottom of the frame, and a traveling system connected to the steering system and the suspension system. The traveling system includes a drive axle, a brake axle, a motor, a wheel-side reducer, and a battery. The battery, motor, wheel-side reducer, and drive axle are transmission-connected. Two groups of batteries are provided to power the motor simultaneously or alternately.

10. The unmanned frame transport vehicle adapted to mixed roads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transport vehicle further comprises an integrated antenna, which is arranged on the top of the cab and is connected to the control system to provide a wireless communication network for the control system.

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