Unmanned maintenance system suitable for multiple molten aluminum smelting furnaces and molten aluminum smelting furnace system

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of metal smelting intelligent equipment, in particular to an unmanned maintenance system suitable for multiple molten aluminum smelting furnaces and a molten aluminum smelting furnace system.The unmanned maintenance system comprises a moving assembly, a control assembly and a maintenance assembly, the moving assembly comprises a trackless flatcar, a ground rail arranged on the trackless flatcar and a multi-axis mechanical arm arranged on the ground rail, and the multi-axis mechanical arm is arranged on the trackless flatcar; the tail end of the multi-axis mechanical arm is provided with a quick change disc and a tail end camera. The execution tool side comprises a slag accretion tool, a slag skimming tool and a blowing tool; the controller is electrically connected with the moving assembly and is configured to determine that the molten aluminum smelting furnace meets the preset time period and / or process period and control the trackless flat car to move to the landmark position corresponding to the molten aluminum smelting furnace from the standby position; after it is determined that the molten aluminum smelting furnace is started, a tail end camera is controlled to position the molten aluminum smelting furnace so as to obtain furnace opening image information and liquid level image information; and a purging path is obtained according to the liquid level image information, and liquid level purging is conducted according to the purging path after a quick-change disc is connected with a material blowing tool.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of intelligent metal smelting equipment, and in particular to an unmanned maintenance system suitable for multiple molten aluminum furnaces and a molten aluminum furnace system. Background Art

[0002] During the aluminum production process, after the charge is completely melted, a layer of slag, consisting of metal oxides, flux, and other non-metallic inclusions, forms on the surface of the melt. This slag adversely affects the quality of the aluminum and subsequent processing, so slag removal is essential.

[0003] Traditional slag removal methods usually use manually operated slag scoops, which are inefficient and the slag removal effect is greatly affected by the operator's skill level. Due to the length and shape limitations of the slag scoop, it is difficult to completely remove the slag inside the smelting furnace, which easily leaves blind spots for slag removal.

[0004] Currently, some automated slag removal robots on the market are primarily designed for ladle handling. They typically utilize a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm carrying a rake-like tool for slag removal, or a hopper fixture for slag removal. However, in practice, molten aluminum has a low melting point and is more fluid at high temperatures, making slag more easily dispersed, making it difficult for traditional rake-type tools to effectively intercept it. During the slag removal process, rake-type tools and hopper fixtures are prone to leaking slag from the sides of the tools due to the fluidity of the fluid. Molten aluminum also readily oxidizes, forming alumina inclusions. These tiny particles, under the influence of the fluid, are more likely to escape through gaps in the tools. Molten aluminum is also highly sensitive to impurities, requiring more thorough slag removal to prevent casting defects.

[0005] Based on this, this application is filed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In response to the above-mentioned technical problems, namely the omission problem caused by the strong fluidity of slag during the slag removal process of molten aluminum by traditional slag removal tools, this system optimizes the structural design and introduces intelligent control to provide an unmanned maintenance system and molten aluminum furnace system suitable for multiple molten aluminum furnaces. It significantly improves the thoroughness of slag removal and reduces slag residue.

[0007] In the first aspect of the present application, an unmanned maintenance system suitable for multiple aluminum molten furnaces is provided, the unmanned maintenance system comprising: a mobile component, comprising a trackless flat car, a ground rail provided on the trackless flat car, and a multi-axis robotic arm provided on the ground rail, wherein the end of the multi-axis robotic arm is provided with a quick-change disc and an end camera; an execution tool side, comprising a slag gathering tool, a slag scraping tool and a blowing tool; a controller, electrically connected to the mobile component, and configured to: determine whether the aluminum molten furnace meets a preset time period and / or process cycle, and control the trackless flat car to move from a standby position to the corresponding aluminum molten furnace landmark position; after determining that the aluminum molten furnace is turned on, the terminal camera is controlled to locate the aluminum molten furnace to obtain furnace mouth image information and liquid level image information; the purging path is obtained according to the liquid level image information, and the liquid level is purged according to the purging path after the blowing tool is connected through the quick-change disk; after the liquid level purging is completed, the slag distribution data is obtained in real time according to the liquid level image information, and after the slag aggregation path is generated based on the slag distribution data, the slag aggregation tool is switched through the quick-change disk to aggregate the slag according to the slag aggregation path; after the slag aggregation is completed, the slag aggregation tool is switched through the quick-change disk to scrape out the aggregated slag.

[0008] In a further solution of the present application, the end camera is controlled to position the aluminum melting furnace to obtain furnace mouth image information and liquid surface image information, including: scanning the furnace mouth image information to extract the furnace mouth contour; calculating the contour set center based on the furnace mouth contour as the target coordinate position; controlling the end of the multi-axis robotic arm to extend into the aluminum melting furnace through the target coordinate position to scan the liquid surface image information.

[0009] In a further scheme of the present application, the obtaining of the purge path based on the liquid surface image information includes: obtaining the liquid surface contour boundary based on the liquid surface image information; calculating the purge movement area based on the liquid surface contour boundary and the purge coverage radius of the blowing tool; and generating the purge path within the purge movement area according to a preset travel path.

[0010] In a further scheme of the present application, the purge motion area is calculated based on the corner points of the liquid surface contour boundary and the purge coverage radius of the blowing tool, including: fitting a virtual circle according to the purge coverage radius, and searching the center of the virtual circle within the coordinate range enclosed by the liquid surface contour boundary; when the virtual circle is tangent to two liquid surface contour boundaries, recording the first center of the virtual circle corresponding to this time; connecting several of the first centers in sequence to generate a purge motion boundary, and removing the intersecting purge motion boundaries in the purge motion boundary to enclose and form the purge motion area.

[0011] In a further scheme of the present application, a purge path is generated within the purge motion area according to a preset travel path, including: obtaining two first corner points of the purge motion area close to the moving component, and two second corner points away from the moving component; dividing multiple inflection point coordinates between the first corner point and the second corner point according to a preset step length; taking any one of the two first corner points as the starting point, generating a purge path according to a Z-shaped path through the inflection point coordinates.

[0012] In a further scheme of the present application, slag distribution data is acquired in real time according to liquid surface image information, and after a slag gathering path is generated based on the slag distribution data, the slag gathering tool is switched by a quick-change disk to gather the slag according to the slag gathering path, including: dividing a number of slag contours by a mask, and generating slag distribution coordinates with the center of the minimum circumscribed rectangle of the slag contour; generating multiple slag gathering paths according to the connection line of the preset slag gathering end point coordinates and the slag distribution coordinates; switching the slag gathering tool by a quick-change disk and executing the multiple slag gathering paths in sequence from long to short according to the path length, and updating the slag gathering path according to the real-time slag distribution coordinates and the slag gathering end point coordinates after each execution of a single slag gathering path.

[0013] In a further aspect of the present application, when no slag accumulation path exists, it is determined that the slag accumulation is completed.

[0014] In a further embodiment of the present application, the unmanned maintenance system further includes: an electrical control box provided with a plug-in connector; the controller is further configured to: after determining that all operations of the molten aluminum furnace are completed, control the trackless flat car to move to a preset standby position and charge through the plug-in connector.

[0015] In a further solution of the present application, the unmanned maintenance system further includes an air valve box and a slag cleaning agent box, and one end of the blowing tool is connected to the slag cleaning agent box and provides controllable air pressure through the air valve box.

[0016] A molten aluminum furnace system comprises: a plurality of molten aluminum furnaces, each of the molten aluminum furnaces comprising a controllable lifting furnace door to open or close the furnace mouth; and the unmanned maintenance system as described above.

[0017] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention provide at least the following technical effects:

[0018] Based on the general inventive concept of this application, a trackless flatcar automatically cruises based on landmarks to provide preliminary positioning. A terminal camera locates the aluminum molten furnace to obtain images of the furnace mouth and the liquid surface. After connecting to a blowing tool (C) via a quick-change disk, the liquid surface is purged according to the described purge path. The purge gas is an inert gas, and the solid is at least one of graphite, aluminum powder, and magnesium powder. The solid is preferably a composite particle composed of graphite, aluminum, or magnesium. During the purge process, the particles roll and collide on the surface of the molten aluminum, impacting and rubbing the slag layer, loosening the slag layer and reducing the adhesion between the slag and the molten aluminum. The aluminum powder particles are homogeneous with the molten aluminum. After being blown onto the surface of the molten aluminum, the aluminum powder rapidly melts and fuses with the molten aluminum. During the melting and fusion process, the aluminum powder particles disturb the slag layer, loosening it. Furthermore, the addition of aluminum powder does not introduce other impurities, which helps maintain the purity of the molten aluminum. At high temperatures, the magnesium powder reacts with oxides on the surface of the molten aluminum, reducing the oxides to metallic aluminum, thereby reducing the slag content. At the same time, magnesium powder particles can also impact and loosen the slag layer during the blowing process.

[0019] After the liquid surface is purged, slag aggregates will remain on the liquid surface. At this time, the slag distribution data is obtained in real time based on the liquid surface image information. After the slag aggregation path is generated based on the slag distribution data, the slag aggregation tool is switched by the quick-change disk to aggregate the slag according to the slag aggregation path, and the slag can be concentrated in a certain area on the liquid surface. Compared with the traditional direct slag scraping method, the tool can be scraped randomly on the liquid surface, which makes it difficult to fully cover all the slag, especially the slag hidden in the corner or mixed with other objects, and the probability of missing is high. In addition, it can only roughly remove the slag that is obviously on the surface, and it is not suitable for the slag that is tightly attached to the liquid surface or has something to do with the aluminum liquid. Slag with a certain adhesion is difficult to completely remove; in the present application, the slag distribution is accurately located based on real-time image information, and the slag gathering path is highly targeted and can cover all slag, significantly reducing the probability of omission. The slag is loosened by blowing and then accurately gathered by the slag gathering tool, which can more effectively separate and concentrate the slag from the liquid surface. After the slag is concentrated, it will partially condense into agglomerates due to their mutual adhesion, thereby achieving more convenient and thorough slag cleaning; the entire slag gathering process generates the optimal slag gathering path based on the slag distribution data, and the tool moves efficiently according to the planned path, reducing invalid paths and improving slag cleaning efficiency.

[0020] When the slag gathering tool completes the slag gathering task, the control system sends a tool switching signal to the quick-change disc according to the preset program instructions; after receiving the signal, the quick-change disc connects with the slag removal tool and can remove the accumulated slag at one time through a simple path.

[0021] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in the subsequent specific implementation examples. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an unmanned maintenance system for a multi-molten aluminum furnace provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a general flow chart executed by a controller in an unmanned maintenance system for a multi-molten aluminum furnace provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the target coordinate position of the furnace mouth demonstrated in the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the purge path in step S3 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of liquid surface image information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the slag accumulation path in step S3 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The terms "second direction", "first direction", "third direction", "inside", "outside" and the like that appear below to indicate directions or positional relationships, unless otherwise specified, are to be understood as being based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting this application.

[0030] Furthermore, the use of "first" or "second" in describing features is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features identified. Features identified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the identified features. The use of the word "plurality" generally implies at least two, such as two or three, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0031] In this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, terms such as "mounted," "connected," "connect," and "fixed" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, removable connections, or integration; mechanical connections, electrical connections, direct connections, or indirect connections through an intermediary; and internal connections between two components or interactions between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0032] In the description of this specification, if the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" appear, it means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples without contradiction.

[0033] Reference Figures 1 to 2 The present application first provides an unmanned maintenance system 100 suitable for a multi-aluminum molten furnace, which includes a moving component 10, an execution tool side 20, and a controller 40; the moving component 10 includes a trackless flat car 11, a ground rail 12 set on the trackless flat car 11, and a multi-axis robotic arm 13 set on the ground rail 12, and a quick-change disk A and an end camera B are set at the end of the multi-axis robotic arm 13; the execution tool side 20 includes a slag gathering tool a, a slag removal tool b, and a blowing tool c.

[0034] In this application, the trackless flat car 11 is defined as a transport equipment that can travel on the ground without fixed tracks, and is used to carry and move other components. Specifically, a trackless 4-steering wheel flat car can be used to drive the ground rail and the multi-axis robotic arm to move between different aluminum melting furnaces; the ground rail 12 is set on a linear drag chain track on the trackless flat car, providing a basis for installation and movement of the multi-axis robotic arm, ensuring that the multi-axis robotic arm can operate stably within a certain range.

[0035] In this application, the multi-axis robotic arm 13 is preferably a 6-axis robotic arm so as to be able to realize complex three-dimensional spatial movement; different tools can be installed at the end of the quick-change disk A to complete various operating tasks; the end camera B is also installed at the end of the multi-axis robotic arm, which is a three-dimensional camera used to obtain the furnace mouth image information and liquid level image information of the aluminum melting furnace, providing data support for subsequent positioning, path planning and other operations.

[0036] In the above description, the slag gathering tool a is a tool used to gather the scattered slag in the molten aluminum furnace to facilitate the subsequent slag removal operation.

[0037] Slag scraping tool b: a tool used to scrape the accumulated slag out of the molten aluminum furnace.

[0038] Blowing tool c: A tool used to blow the liquid surface of the aluminum molten furnace, which can change the state of the slag on the liquid surface.

[0039] The controller 40 is electrically connected to the moving component 10 and is configured to:

[0040] S1, determine that the aluminum molten furnace meets the preset time period and / or process cycle, and control the trackless flat car 11 to move from the standby position to the landmark position corresponding to the aluminum molten furnace;

[0041] S2. After confirming that the aluminum molten furnace is turned on, control the terminal camera B to locate the aluminum molten furnace to obtain furnace mouth image information and liquid level image information;

[0042] S3, obtaining a purge path based on the liquid surface image information, and connecting the blowing tool c via the quick-change plate A to purge the liquid surface according to the purge path;

[0043] S4. After the liquid surface is purged, slag distribution data is obtained in real time based on the liquid surface image information. After a slag aggregation path is generated based on the slag distribution data, the slag aggregation tool a is switched through the quick-change plate A to aggregate the slag according to the slag aggregation path.

[0044] S5. After the slag is gathered, the slag gathering tool a is switched through the quick-change plate A to scrape out the gathered slag.

[0045] A time cycle refers to operations performed at pre-set intervals, such as maintaining an aluminum furnace at set intervals. A process cycle refers to operations performed at specific process nodes according to the production process, such as maintaining an aluminum furnace after completing a certain process. A landmark is a pre-set location marker for each aluminum furnace, and the trackless flatcar moves accurately to the corresponding aluminum furnace location based on this marker.

[0046] The entire system is automatically controlled by a controller, eliminating the need for direct human involvement in the maintenance of the molten aluminum furnace, reducing labor costs while avoiding the risk of manual labor in high-temperature and dangerous environments, thereby improving production safety. The trackless flat car can carry a multi-axis robotic arm to move between different molten aluminum furnaces, enabling unmanned maintenance of multiple furnaces and improving equipment utilization and production efficiency, making it particularly suitable for production scenarios with multiple molten aluminum furnaces. The end camera is used to obtain image information of the furnace mouth and liquid level of the molten aluminum furnace, which is analyzed and processed by the controller to achieve precise positioning. The purge path and slag accumulation path are obtained based on the liquid level image information to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of the purge and slag accumulation operations and improve the slag removal quality.

[0047] Based on the general inventive concept of this application, a trackless flatcar automatically cruises based on landmarks to provide preliminary positioning. After a terminal camera B locates the aluminum molten furnace and obtains images of the furnace mouth and the liquid surface, it connects to a blowing tool C via a quick-change plate A and purges the liquid surface according to a purge path. The purge gas is an inert gas, and the solid is at least one of graphite, aluminum powder, and magnesium powder. The solid is preferably a composite particle composed of graphite, aluminum, or magnesium. During the purge process, the particles roll and collide on the surface of the molten aluminum, impacting and rubbing the slag layer, loosening the slag layer and reducing the adhesion between the slag and the molten aluminum. The aluminum powder particles are homogeneous with the molten aluminum. Once blown onto the surface of the molten aluminum, they rapidly melt and fuse with the molten aluminum. During the melting and fusion process, the aluminum powder particles disturb the slag layer, loosening it. Furthermore, the addition of aluminum powder does not introduce other impurities, which helps maintain the purity of the molten aluminum. At high temperatures, magnesium powder reacts with oxides on the surface of the molten aluminum, reducing them to metallic aluminum, thereby reducing the slag content. At the same time, magnesium powder particles can also impact and loosen the slag layer during the blowing process.

[0048] After the liquid surface is purged, slag aggregates will remain on the liquid surface. At this time, the slag distribution data is obtained in real time based on the liquid surface image information. After the slag aggregation path is generated based on the slag distribution data, the slag aggregation tool a is switched through the quick-change disk A to aggregate the slag according to the slag aggregation path, and the slag can be concentrated in a certain area on the liquid surface. Compared with the traditional direct slag scraping method, the tool randomly scrapes the liquid surface, which makes it difficult to fully cover all the slag, especially the slag hidden in the corner or mixed with other objects, and the probability of missing is high. In addition, it can only roughly remove the slag that is obviously on the surface, and it is not suitable for the slag that is tightly attached to the liquid surface or mixed with the aluminum liquid. Slag with a certain degree of adhesion is difficult to completely remove; in this application, the slag distribution is accurately located based on real-time image information, and the slag gathering path is highly targeted and can cover all slag, significantly reducing the probability of omission. The slag is loosened by blowing and then accurately gathered by the slag gathering tool, which can more effectively separate and concentrate the slag from the liquid surface. After the slag is concentrated, it will partially condense into agglomerates due to their mutual adhesion, thereby achieving more convenient and thorough slag cleaning; the entire slag gathering process generates the optimal slag gathering path based on the slag distribution data, and the tool moves efficiently according to the planned path, reducing invalid paths and improving slag cleaning efficiency.

[0049] like Figure 3 When slag gathering tool a completes its slag gathering task, the control system sends a tool switching signal to quick-change plate A according to pre-set program instructions. After receiving the signal, quick-change plate A connects to slag removal tool b and removes the accumulated slag in one go through a simple path. In step S2, the terminal camera B is controlled to locate the aluminum molten furnace to obtain furnace mouth and liquid surface image information, including:

[0050] Step S21, scanning the furnace mouth image information to extract the furnace mouth contour;

[0051] Step S22: Calculate the center of the contour set based on the furnace mouth contour as the target coordinate position;

[0052] Step S23 , controlling the end of the multi-axis robotic arm 13 to extend into the aluminum molten furnace through the target coordinate position to scan the liquid surface image information.

[0053] After the trackless flat car 11 arrives at the landmark position, the focal length, exposure time and resolution of the terminal camera B can ensure clear imaging of the furnace mouth area; after collecting the three-dimensional image, a contour extraction algorithm is used, and edge detection (such as the Canny operator) is used to extract the furnace mouth contour.

[0054] After denoising the extracted contour point set (RANSAC removes outliers), the geometric center of the contour is calculated:

[0055]

[0056] The center point (xc, yc) in the image coordinate system is converted into the three-dimensional coordinates in the robot arm base coordinate system.

[0057] The trajectory of the robotic arm is generated according to the target coordinates to ensure that the end is extended into the furnace in a safe posture (avoiding collision with the furnace wall); after the end reaches the specified depth, the end camera B is started to scan the liquid surface image information.

[0058] Since the molten aluminum level is lower than the furnace mouth, the multi-axis robot arm 13 usually needs to tilt the tool on the executing tool side 2 in the direction of the molten aluminum level when carrying the executing tool side 20. Therefore, after the trackless flat car 11 arrives at the landmark position for preliminary positioning, its geometric center is determined by scanning the furnace mouth contour, and is used as the end calibration point of the executing tool side 20, which can avoid structural interference between the tool on the executing tool side 20 and the edge of the furnace mouth.

[0059] In step S3, the purge path is obtained according to the liquid surface image information, including:

[0060] S31, obtaining the liquid surface contour boundary according to the liquid surface image information;

[0061] S32, calculating the blowing motion area based on the liquid surface contour boundary and the blowing coverage radius of the blowing tool c;

[0062] S33 , generating a purge path within the purge motion area according to a preset travel path.

[0063] It can be understood that the liquid surface contour boundary is the boundary line between the liquid surface and the furnace wall or oxide layer extracted from the liquid surface image through image processing algorithms (such as edge detection and region segmentation), which is usually expressed as a rectangular closed curve.

[0064] The purge coverage radius is the effective radius of the range of action of the blowing tool c at a preset height. Since the gas jet is conical, the coverage radius r has a geometric relationship with the jet angle θ and the height difference h from the end of the tool to the liquid surface. In this application, the jet angle θ is always controlled to be 90 degrees to the liquid surface. The purge coverage radius can be calculated by simply reading the liquid level. In this application, if the liquid level fluctuates, the average value read can be used.

[0065] In short, the injection range simulated by the blowing tool c is a circle formed by the purge coverage radius; the purge movement area is the area where the end of the robot arm needs to move, calculated based on the liquid surface contour boundary and the purge coverage radius, to ensure that all areas of the liquid surface are processed by the purge tool; the preset stroke path is a predefined robot arm motion trajectory pattern, which is used to efficiently cover the purge movement area.

[0066] In the above method, the liquid surface image is subjected to denoising (such as Gaussian filtering) and contrast enhancement (such as histogram equalization) to highlight the difference between the liquid surface and the background. The Canny operator or Sobel operator is used to extract the liquid surface edge, and threshold segmentation (such as the Otsu algorithm) is combined to remove interference areas (such as furnace wall reflections). Polygon fitting is performed on the extracted edge point set to generate an image description of the liquid surface contour.

[0067] In summary, based on the height difference between the tool side end and the current liquid surface image information, the purge coverage radius r can be calculated, and the range of movement required by the robot end to cover the entire liquid surface contour boundary can be calculated based on the purge coverage radius r.

[0068] like Figure 4 As demonstrated, in a specific scenario, it is as follows;

[0069] In step S32, the blowing motion area is calculated based on the corner points of the liquid surface contour boundary and the blowing coverage radius of the blowing tool c, including:

[0070] Step S321: fitting a virtual circle according to the purge coverage radius, and searching the center of the virtual circle within the coordinate range enclosed by the liquid surface contour boundary;

[0071] Step S322: When the virtual circle is tangent to the two liquid surface contour boundaries, the first center of the virtual circle is recorded;

[0072] Step S323 : connecting the first circle centers in sequence to generate a purge motion boundary, removing the intersecting purge motion boundaries from the purge motion boundary to enclose and form a purge motion area.

[0073] It can be understood that the virtual circle is a theoretical circular area, and its purge coverage radius r is calculated by the above height difference. Its center O needs to be searched within the coordinate range enclosed by the liquid surface contour boundary; for example: if the liquid surface contour is a rectangle, the center of the circle needs to be inside the polygon.

[0074] When the virtual circle is tangent to two edges (or contour segments) of the liquid surface contour, the distance from the center O to both edges is equal to r. Assuming the two edges of the liquid surface contour are straight lines L1 and L2, the center O must satisfy the following conditions: dist(O, L1) = r, dist(O, L2) = r. The center O that satisfies the tangency condition can be found by solving a set of equations, or by performing a grid search within the liquid surface contour to select centers that meet the conditions. When the virtual circle is tangent to two contour boundaries, the center O1 (i.e., the first center) at that point is recorded. All first centers that meet the tangency condition are sequentially connected to form the purge motion boundary. The purge motion boundary is checked for self-intersecting sections, and the paths of the intersecting sections are trimmed or adjusted to close the boundary without the intersecting sections, forming the final purge motion region.

[0075] It can be understood that the corner point of the liquid surface contour is the intersection point of the two edges, so the center of the virtual circle that meets the tangency condition must be located on the "equidistant line" of the corner point (that is, the trajectory that is r away from both edges); that is, if the liquid surface contour is a rectangle, the center of the virtual circle at the corner point is located at the corner point of the rectangle after it is indented by r; all the centers of the circles that meet the tangency condition (usually four, corresponding to the four corner points of the convex polygon) are connected in sequence to form an initial closed boundary. Since the initial boundary may have diagonal intersections (such as the diagonals after the rectangle is indented), the intersecting parts need to be removed to retain the effective area covering the liquid surface contour; after removing the intersecting parts, the remaining closed boundary is the purge motion area.

[0076] Further in step S33, a purge path is generated in the purge motion area according to a preset travel path, including:

[0077] Step S331, obtaining two first corner points of the purge motion area close to the moving component 10 and two second corner points away from the moving component 10;

[0078] Step S332: Divide the coordinates of a plurality of inflection points between the first corner point and the second corner point according to a preset step length;

[0079] Step S333 : Using any one of the two first corner points as a starting point, a purge path is generated according to a Z-shaped path using the inflection point coordinates.

[0080] It can be understood that if the liquid surface contour is a rectangle, the first corner points are the lower left corner and the lower right corner, and the second corner points are the upper left corner and the upper right corner; the corner points can be determined by the geometric characteristics of the liquid surface contour boundary (such as the extreme values ​​of the coordinates) or the preset reference direction (such as the axis of the coordinate system).

[0081] On the line connecting the first corner point to the second corner point, a number of inflection point coordinates are divided at equal intervals according to the step length ΔL. Any first corner point (such as A) is selected as the starting point of the path. Starting from the starting point, it moves along the first direction (such as the horizontal direction) to another first corner point (such as B), then tilts upward to the first inflection point (such as P1), then horizontally to the first inflection point of the other side (such as E1), and then tilts upward to the first inflection point (such as P2). The above process is repeated to form a "Z"-shaped return path until the entire purge movement area is covered. The above Z-shaped path ensures that the purge tool covers the entire area without omission; in addition, the step length ΔL maximizes the single movement stroke and reduces the idle stroke time. For this application, the size of ΔL is dynamically adjusted according to the tool performance and the shape of the area to avoid the path being too dense or sparse.

[0082] During the above process, precise control is performed by relying on the ground rail 12 and the robotic arm 13. That is, the ground rail 12 adopts a step-by-step linear motion forward or backward, and the multi-axis robotic arm 13 can realize a Z-shaped path by performing a lateral motion.

[0083] like Figures 5 and 6 In S4, slag distribution data is obtained in real time according to the liquid surface image information, and after a slag aggregation path is generated based on the slag distribution data, the slag aggregation tool a is switched by the quick-change plate A to aggregate the slag according to the slag aggregation path, including:

[0084] S41, segmenting a number of slag contours through a mask, and generating slag distribution coordinates using the center of the minimum circumscribed rectangle of the slag contour;

[0085] S42, generating multiple slag aggregation paths according to the connection lines of the preset slag aggregation end point coordinates and the slag body distribution coordinates;

[0086] S43, switching the slag aggregation tool a through the quick-change plate A and executing the multiple slag aggregation paths in order from longest to shortest according to the path length. After each execution of a single slag aggregation path, the slag aggregation path is updated according to the real-time slag distribution coordinates and the slag aggregation end point coordinates;

[0087] S44: When no slag accumulation path exists, determine that slag accumulation is completed.

[0088] Input liquid surface image information, use image processing algorithms (such as threshold segmentation, edge detection, or deep learning semantic segmentation) to extract the slag area, and generate a binary mask (slag area is 1, background is 0). Example: Segment the slag using OpenCV's cv2.threshold() or the U-Net model.

[0089] Extract the connected areas in the mask, find the minimum bounding rectangle for each contour, and then calculate the coordinates of its geometric center (center of mass):

[0090] Center of mass = (∑xi / N,∑yi / N)

[0091] Where (xi, yi) is the coordinate of the contour point, and N is the number of points; thus, a set of geometric center coordinates {C1, C2, ..., Cn} of multiple slag bodies is output.

[0092] The preset slag aggregation target position (such as the edge of the liquid surface or the entrance of the recovery device) is recorded as T; for each slag centroid Ci, a straight line path Li is generated from Ci to T; the paths are sorted from long to short according to their length (Li), and the long paths are executed first to reduce the number of tool movements.

[0093] Switch to slag gathering tool a through quick change plate A and execute the following steps in sequence:

[0094] Move the tool to the path starting point Ci, move along the path Li to the end point T, and complete the slag aggregation. After each execution, update the slag distribution data (because part of the slag has been cleared in the process of moving from the long to the short path).

[0095] After the updated liquid surface image, step S41 is re-executed to obtain the coordinates of the remaining slag centroid. After the path is updated, a new path is generated based on the new coordinates (S42), ensuring that the uncleaned slag is covered. When the set of paths corresponding to all slag centroids is empty (i.e., {L1, L2, ..., Ln} = empty set), the slag aggregation is considered complete. Alternatively, if the remaining slag area is less than a threshold (e.g., 5% of the liquid surface area), the process can be terminated early.

[0096] Through real-time image segmentation, dynamic path planning, and tool switching, this process achieves efficient and adaptive slag aggregation. Key to this is its real-time nature (rapidly updating slag distribution) and dynamic nature (optimizing execution order based on path length), making it suitable for liquid surface cleaning tasks in industrial automation scenarios.

[0097] Finally, after the slag is gathered, the slag gathering tool a is switched through the quick-change plate A to scrape out the gathered slag.

[0098] Continue reading Figure 1 In the application, the unmanned maintenance system 100 further includes an electric control box 50, which is provided with a plug-in connector 51; correspondingly, the controller 40 is further configured as follows:

[0099] After it is determined that all operations of the molten aluminum furnace are completed, the trackless flat car 11 is controlled to move to a preset standby position and is charged through the plug-in connector 51.

[0100] The electrical control box 50 provides power to the trackless flat car 11, the controller 40 and other equipment. The plug-in connector 51 is a quick-plug electrical connector (such as an industrial-grade aviation plug or a magnetic charging interface). The controller 40 confirms that all maintenance operations of the aluminum melting furnace have been completed through a task list or sensor feedback (such as the return signal of the maintenance tool). For example, tasks such as purging, slag aggregation, and temperature detection are all marked as "completed".

[0101] The controller 40 calls the pre-stored standby position coordinates and plans the optimal path of the trackless flat car 11. The trackless flat car 11 identifies the standby position through the RFID tag or QR code and initially approaches the electric control box 50; the controller 40 controls the charging interface of the trackless flat car 11 and the connector 51 to complete the connection; after the connection is successful, the electric control box 50 feeds back a signal to the controller 40.

[0102] Through the coordinated control of the plug-in connector 51 of the electrical control box 50 and the controller 40, the unmanned maintenance system 100 realizes the automatic charging function of the trackless flat car 11. This solution solves the pain points of equipment endurance and maintenance in industrial scenarios, and provides an efficient and reliable unmanned solution for high-temperature working environments such as aluminum melting furnaces.

[0103] The unmanned maintenance system further includes an air valve box 60 and a slag cleaning agent box 70 . One end of the blowing tool c is connected to the slag cleaning agent box 70 and provides controllable air pressure through the air valve box 60 .

[0104] It can be understood that the air valve box 60 provides controllable inert gas pressure to drive the cleaning agent from the slag cleaning agent box 70 to the blowing tool c, and assists in the blowing operation. It needs to support PWM or proportional valve adjustment to achieve precise air pressure output. The installation position can be fixed on the trackless flat car 11 or an independent frame, close to the slag cleaning agent box 70 to reduce pipeline loss.

[0105] The slag cleaning agent box 70 stores special cleaning agents (such as composite particles composed of graphite, aluminum and magnesium) and is connected to the blowing tool c through a pipeline; the controller 40 opens the air valve box 60 and outputs the set air pressure to the slag cleaning agent box 70. The cleaning agent is transported to the nozzle of the blowing tool c through the pipeline under the action of the air pressure, thereby spraying out composite particles with inert gas pressure.

[0106] Furthermore, those skilled in the art should understand that if the offline calibration device 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application; all or part of the sub-modules involved in each product are combined and replaced through embodiments such as fusion, simple change, mutual transformation, etc., such as the placement and movement of each component, or designing an offline calibration device 100; or a detachable design; or the product it constitutes is set as one, such as an integrated design; all the combined components can form equipment / devices / systems with specific functions, and using such equipment / devices / systems to replace the corresponding components of the present application also falls within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0107] Based on the above, the present application also provides an aluminum molten furnace system (not shown in the figure), including multiple aluminum molten furnaces 201, each of the aluminum molten furnaces 201 includes a controllable lifting furnace door 201a to open or close the furnace mouth; and also includes the unmanned maintenance system 100 as described above.

[0108] The various technical features described above can be combined arbitrarily. Although not all possible combinations of these technical features are described, any combination of these technical features should be considered to be covered by this specification as long as such combination does not conflict.

[0109] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still adjust the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these adjustments or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An unmanned maintenance system suitable for a multi-aluminum molten furnace, characterized in that: include: A mobile assembly (10) includes a trackless flat car (11), a ground rail (12) arranged on the trackless flat car (11), and a multi-axis robotic arm (13) arranged on the ground rail (12), wherein a quick-change disc (A) and a terminal camera (B) are arranged at the end of the multi-axis robotic arm (13); The execution tool side (20) includes a slag gathering tool (a), a slag removal tool (b) and a blowing tool (c); The controller (40) is electrically connected to the moving component (10) and is configured to: S1, determining that the aluminum molten furnace meets the preset time period and / or process cycle, and controlling the trackless flat car (11) to move from the standby position to the landmark position corresponding to the aluminum molten furnace; S2. After confirming that the aluminum molten furnace is turned on, controlling the terminal camera (B) to locate the aluminum molten furnace to obtain furnace mouth image information and liquid level image information; S3, obtaining a purge path according to the liquid surface image information, and connecting the blowing tool (c) via the quick-change plate (A) to purge the liquid surface according to the purge path; S4. After the liquid surface is purged, slag distribution data is obtained in real time based on the liquid surface image information. After a slag aggregation path is generated based on the slag distribution data, the slag aggregation tool (a) is switched by the quick-change plate (A) to aggregate the slag according to the slag aggregation path. S4. After the slag is gathered, the slag gathering tool (a) is switched through the quick-change plate (A) to scrape out the gathered slag.

2. The unmanned maintenance system for a multi-aluminum molten furnace according to claim 1 is characterized in that: Control the end camera (B) to locate the aluminum molten furnace to obtain furnace mouth image information and liquid surface image information, including: Scan the furnace mouth image information to extract the furnace mouth contour; Calculate the center of the contour set based on the furnace mouth contour as the target coordinate position; The end of the multi-axis mechanical arm (13) is controlled to extend into the aluminum molten furnace through the target coordinate position to scan the liquid surface image information.

3. The unmanned maintenance system for a multi-aluminum molten furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The obtaining of the purge path according to the liquid surface image information includes: Obtaining the liquid surface contour boundary according to the liquid surface image information; Calculate the blowing motion area based on the liquid surface contour boundary and the blowing coverage radius of the blowing tool (c); A purge path is generated in the purge movement area according to a preset travel path.

4. The unmanned maintenance system for a multi-aluminum molten furnace according to claim 3, characterized in that: Based on the corner points of the liquid surface contour boundary and the blowing coverage radius of the blowing tool (c), the blowing motion area is calculated, including: Fitting a virtual circle according to the purge coverage radius, and searching the center of the virtual circle within the coordinate range enclosed by the liquid surface contour boundary; When the virtual circle is tangent to the two liquid surface contour boundaries, the first center of the virtual circle corresponding to this time is recorded; A plurality of the first circle centers are sequentially connected to generate a purge motion boundary, and intersecting purge motion boundaries are removed from the purge motion boundaries to enclose and form the purge motion area.

5. The unmanned maintenance system for a multi-aluminum molten furnace according to claim 3, characterized in that: Generating a purge path in the purge motion area according to a preset travel path includes: Obtaining two first corner points of the purge motion area close to the moving component (10) and two second corner points away from the moving component (10); Dividing a plurality of inflection point coordinates between the first corner point and the second corner point according to a preset step length; With either of the two first corner points as a starting point, a purge path is generated along a Z-shaped path using the inflection point coordinates.

6. The unmanned maintenance system for a multi-aluminum molten furnace according to claim 3, characterized in that: The slag distribution data is acquired in real time based on the liquid surface image information, and after a slag gathering path is generated based on the slag distribution data, the slag gathering tool (a) is switched by the quick-change plate (A) to gather the slag according to the slag gathering path, including: Segment a number of slag contours using a mask, and generate slag distribution coordinates using the center of the minimum circumscribed rectangle of the slag contours; Generate multiple slag gathering paths based on the connection lines of the preset slag gathering end point coordinates and the slag body distribution coordinates; The slag aggregation tool (a) is switched by the quick-change disk (A) and multiple slag aggregation paths are sorted from long to short according to the path length. After each execution of a single slag aggregation path, the slag aggregation path is updated according to the real-time slag body distribution coordinates and the slag aggregation end point coordinates.

7. The unmanned maintenance system for a multi-aluminum molten furnace according to claim 6, characterized in that: When there is no slag accumulation path, it is determined that the slag accumulation is completed.

8. The unmanned maintenance system for a multi-aluminum molten furnace according to claim 7, characterized in that: The unmanned maintenance system further comprises: An electric control box (50), wherein the electric control box (50) is provided with a plug-in connector (51); The controller (40) is further configured to: After it is determined that all operations of the aluminum molten furnace are completed, the trackless flat car (11) is controlled to move to a preset standby position and is charged through the plug-in connector (51).

9. The unmanned maintenance system for a multi-aluminum molten furnace according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The unmanned maintenance system further comprises an air valve box (60) and a slag cleaning agent box (70); one end of the blowing tool (c) is connected to the slag cleaning agent box (70) and provides controllable air pressure through the air valve box (60).

10. An aluminum molten furnace system, characterized in that: include: A plurality of aluminum molten furnaces, each of which includes a controllable lifting furnace door to open or close the furnace mouth; An unmanned maintenance system for a multi-aluminum molten furnace as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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