Cutting track control system of coal mining machine

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of coal mining machine cutting track control scheme design, in particular to a coal mining machine cutting track control system. Comprising a sensor group, a control unit and an execution mechanism. The sensor group collects position and posture information of the cutting roller in real time; the control unit processes sensor data and outputs a control signal; the executing mechanism comprises a height adjusting oil cylinder, a deflection oil cylinder and a roller telescopic oil cylinder which are used for cooperatively adjusting and controlling the movement track of the roller. According to the system, a traditional inclined cutting feed process is replaced with vertical feed, automatic cutting control is achieved, and production efficiency and safety are improved. The method has the key advantages that manual operation dependence is eliminated, and time waste is reduced; closed-loop control ensures track precision; the memory function supports path reproduction; the mining height and the dinting amount are optimized through cooperation of multiple mechanisms. The method is suitable for the field of coal mining, and operation continuity and equipment reliability can be remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of coal mining machine cutting trajectory control design technology, specifically to a coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system. Background Technology

[0002] In the coal mining industry, the coal mining machine is the core equipment for achieving mechanized coal mining, and its cutting performance directly affects production efficiency and safety. Traditional coal mining machine cutting systems mainly rely on manual operation, controlling the movement trajectory of the cutting drum by adjusting the height of the rocker arm. This method requires a series of complex technological steps, such as oblique cutting, triangular coal cutting, and reverse sweeping, to complete the entire mining cycle. Specifically, oblique cutting requires operators to precisely control the cutting angle of the drum at the end of the coal seam; triangular coal cutting involves repeated cutting in specific areas to form a regular coal face; and reverse sweeping is used to remove residual coal chunks. Although these processes have become standardized through long-term practice, they have significant technical drawbacks. First, operations at the head and tail of the machine are particularly cumbersome, requiring repeated adjustments to the drum position, resulting in a significant waste of time on non-productive processes and severely hindering overall mining efficiency. For example, each oblique cutting process can take tens of minutes, and the excessive time the coal mining machine spends at these critical positions prevents continuous operation, leading to resource idleness and production losses. Secondly, traditional systems demand extremely high skill levels from operators. Workers must possess extensive experience to accurately judge drum height, feed angle, and cutting depth. Operational errors, such as improper drum height adjustment or feed angle deviations, can easily lead to collisions between the drum and hard rock formations or equipment structures, causing equipment damage (e.g., rocker arm deformation or cylinder rupture) and even threatening worker safety, resulting in personal injury accidents. Furthermore, existing control systems lack intelligent elements and cannot monitor drum position and posture in real time. Low sensor integration, such as relying solely on simple height sensors or mechanical limiters, results in inaccurate feedback signals and delayed control response. This further exacerbates operational uncertainty. When coal seams change or geological conditions are complex, manual intervention often fails to correct deviations in time, leading to large fluctuations in the cutting trajectory, poor coal face flatness, and increased burden on subsequent cleaning and maintenance. Overall, traditional coal mining machine cutting methods have become a bottleneck restricting efficient coal mining, urgently requiring a solution that can achieve automated, high-precision trajectory control to eliminate human interference and improve production continuity and safety.

[0003] Therefore, existing technologies still need further development. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned technical deficiencies and provide a coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention provides a coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system, comprising: A sensor array used to detect the position and orientation information of the cutting drum of a coal mining machine; A control unit communicatively connected to the sensor group, the control unit being configured to receive and process the detection signals from the sensor group; An actuator communicatively connected to the control unit, the actuator including a height adjustment cylinder, a deflection cylinder, and a drum telescopic cylinder; The control unit outputs control signals to the actuator to coordinate and regulate the actions of the height adjustment cylinder, deflection cylinder, and drum extension cylinder, thereby controlling the trajectory of the cutting drum.

[0006] Specifically, the sensor group includes a stroke sensor for detecting the displacement of the cylinder piston rod, and the stroke sensor is disposed in the height adjustment cylinder, deflection cylinder and / or roller telescopic cylinder.

[0007] Specifically, the sensor group also includes a tilt sensor for detecting the angle of the rocker arm or the fuselage.

[0008] Specifically, the sensor group also includes an encoder for detecting the travel distance of the coal mining machine.

[0009] Specifically, the sensor group also includes an inertial navigation device for detecting the spatial orientation and attitude of the coal mining machine.

[0010] Specifically, the control unit adjusts the extension speed and / or extension amount of each cylinder in the actuator via PWM.

[0011] Specifically, the control unit controls the cutting drum to complete vertical coal cutting by adjusting the movement of the deflection cylinder.

[0012] Specifically, the control unit controls the mining height and / or the bottom depth by coordinating the actions of the height adjustment cylinder and the drum telescopic cylinder.

[0013] Specifically, the control unit also has the function of storing and recalling the position and orientation information of the cutting roller to achieve memory cutting.

[0014] Specifically, the control unit, sensor group, and actuator constitute a closed-loop control system.

[0015] Beneficial effects: The coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system of this invention brings multiple significant benefits through innovative design. First, the system achieves fully automated cutting control, completely eliminating reliance on manual operation. A sensor group (including stroke sensors, tilt sensors, encoders, and inertial navigation devices) collects drum posture information in real time. The control unit integrates multi-source data for intelligent decision-making, and the actuators (such as height adjustment cylinders, deflection cylinders, and drum extension cylinders) work in coordination to ensure the drum trajectory accurately matches the preset path. This not only simplifies the operation process but also significantly reduces the skill requirements for workers, allowing ordinary workers to easily manage the system and reducing the risk of human error. Second, the system significantly improves production efficiency and operational continuity. The traditional oblique cutting process is replaced by vertical cutting, with the drum directly driven by the deflection cylinder to complete the vertical cut, avoiding repeated adjustments and time-consuming processes at the end area (such as cutting triangular coal). This allows the coal mining machine to quickly switch operating states at the head and tail, shortening non-productive time and improving equipment utilization. Simultaneously, the closed-loop control mechanism ensures smooth drum movement through real-time feedback and dynamic adjustment, reducing trajectory deviation, resulting in a smoother coal wall cut and reducing subsequent cleaning workload. Third, the system enhances safety and equipment reliability. By coordinating the adjustment of the hydraulic cylinders and the drum telescopic cylinders, the mining height and bottom depth are precisely controlled, effectively preventing the drum from colliding with the rock strata and avoiding equipment overload or damage. Furthermore, the memory cutting function allows for the storage and retrieval of historical pose data, achieving consistent path reproduction and maintaining stable performance under complex coal seam conditions. This not only reduces unexpected downtime but also extends the service life of key components such as hydraulic cylinders and drums. Fourth, the system's intelligent design is highly adaptable, capable of handling different coal seam hardness and geological variations. The control unit optimizes the cylinder response through advanced algorithms (such as PWM control) to ensure efficient energy utilization. Overall, this invention simplifies the coal mining process, improves mining accuracy and safety levels, and provides reliable technical support for the automation upgrade of coal mines. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the installation positions of the hydraulic cylinders and sensors in the coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the coal cutting / feeding posture of the coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the height adjustment / underground posture of the coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Based on the embodiments in this application, other similar embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Furthermore, directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as "up," "down," "left," and "right," are only for reference to the directions in the accompanying drawings; therefore, the directional terms used are for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the invention.

[0018] First, it's important to note that traditional coal mining machines can only cut coal seams by adjusting the height of the rocker arm. This requires various mining techniques, such as oblique cutting, triangular coal cutting, and reverse sweeping, which wastes significant time at the head and tail of the machine and demands a high level of skill from operators. Improper operation can cause injury to personnel and equipment. This solution utilizes a vertical feed coal mining machine. By installing stroke sensors in the height adjustment cylinder, deflection cylinder, and drum extension cylinder, along with tilt sensors, encoders, and inertial navigation sensors, the position and status of the drum can be clearly determined through calculation. Vertical cutting is then achieved by controlling the rocker arm deflection, and the height adjustment cylinder and drum extension cylinder are coordinated to control the cutting height and bottom position.

[0019] Furthermore, this control system needs to integrate, analyze, and process signals from sensors such as cylinder stroke sensors, tilt sensors, encoders, and inertial navigation systems. Then, it uses PWM functionality to adjust the extension and retraction speed and amount of each cylinder in real time, forming a closed-loop control. This allows the drum to cut coal in the most efficient way and can feed or cut coal according to a memorized posture, avoiding errors caused by manual operation. Vertical feed instead of oblique feed greatly reduces the difficulty of using the equipment and improves production efficiency.

[0020] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0021] Please see Figure 1-3 This invention provides a coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system, comprising: A sensor array used to detect the position and orientation information of the cutting drum of a coal mining machine; A control unit communicatively connected to the sensor group, the control unit being configured to receive and process the detection signals from the sensor group; An actuator communicatively connected to the control unit, the actuator including a height adjustment cylinder, a deflection cylinder, and a drum telescopic cylinder; The control unit outputs control signals to the actuator to coordinate and regulate the actions of the height adjustment cylinder, deflection cylinder, and drum extension cylinder, thereby controlling the trajectory of the cutting drum.

[0022] It should be further explained that the coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system of the present invention comprises three parts: a sensor group, a control unit, and an actuator. The sensor group collects the position and orientation information of the cutting drum in real time. The control unit receives and fuses multi-source sensor data through a high-speed processor (such as an ARM Cortex-A series) to generate a PWM control signal. The actuator includes a height adjustment cylinder, a deflection cylinder, and a drum extension cylinder, which work in coordination through a hydraulic servo valve. The control unit communicates with the sensor group and the actuator via a CAN bus to form a closed-loop control, ensuring that the cutting trajectory accurately matches the preset path.

[0023] It is understandable that the above solution achieves the following technical effects: 1. Breaking through the limitations of traditional coal mining machines that rely on manual operation, achieving fully automated cutting control; 2. By coordinating the actions of multiple mechanisms, the time-consuming problem of the oblique cutting feed process is eliminated, increasing production efficiency by approximately 40%; 3. The closed-loop control mechanism significantly reduces equipment failure rate and avoids safety accidents caused by operational errors.

[0024] Specifically, the sensor group includes a stroke sensor for detecting the displacement of the cylinder piston rod, and the stroke sensor is disposed in the height adjustment cylinder, deflection cylinder and / or roller telescopic cylinder.

[0025] Specifically, the sensor group also includes a tilt sensor for detecting the angle of the rocker arm or the fuselage.

[0026] Specifically, the sensor group also includes an encoder for detecting the travel distance of the coal mining machine.

[0027] Specifically, the sensor group also includes an inertial navigation device for detecting the spatial orientation and attitude of the coal mining machine.

[0028] It should be further noted that the stroke sensor is a magnetostrictive linear displacement sensor, installed inside each hydraulic cylinder, with a measurement accuracy of ±0.1mm. The tilt sensor is a dual-axis MEMS tilt meter (range ±90°, resolution 0.001°), fixed at the rocker arm shaft to monitor the pitch angle. The encoder is an absolute photoelectric encoder, integrated into the coal mining machine's traveling wheel system, providing real-time displacement data feedback. The inertial navigation system consists of a three-axis gyroscope and an accelerometer (such as ADIS16470), with a sampling frequency of 1kHz, and calculates the drum's three-dimensional spatial attitude through Kalman filtering.

[0029] Understandably, magnetostrictive sensors are superior to potentiometer-type sensors in terms of their resistance to high-pressure oil pollution environments (IP68 protection); MEMS inclinometers maintain a repeatability of 0.01° even under vibration conditions, and their temperature drift compensation algorithm can adapt to downhole temperature variations ranging from -10℃ to 60℃.

[0030] Specifically, the control unit adjusts the extension speed and / or extension amount of each cylinder in the actuator via PWM.

[0031] Specifically, the control unit controls the cutting drum to complete vertical coal cutting by adjusting the movement of the deflection cylinder.

[0032] Specifically, the control unit controls the mining height and / or the bottom depth by coordinating the actions of the height adjustment cylinder and the drum telescopic cylinder.

[0033] It should be further noted that the control unit executes the following process with a period of 100ms: 1. The cylinder extension / retraction speed is adjusted by the PWM duty cycle (preferably within the range of 20-80%). For every 10% increase in the duty cycle, the cylinder response speed increases by 15%. This proportional relationship is determined through calibration of the hydraulic system's flow-pressure characteristics. 2. The deflection cylinder drives the drum to complete the vertical feed according to the preset trajectory function, and the feed angle error is controlled within ±0.5°; 3. The lifting cylinder and the telescopic cylinder adopt a master-slave control strategy. When the extension amount ΔL1 of the lifting cylinder is increased, the telescopic cylinder synchronously compensates ΔL2=0.3ΔL1. This coefficient is obtained by dynamic simulation optimization under the working condition of coal and rock hardness coefficient f=2-4.

[0034] Understandably, the beneficial effects of the above solution include: PWM control avoids hydraulic shock and extends cylinder life; the master-slave control strategy ensures that the sampling height / underground measurement error is <2cm, which is 5 times more accurate than manual operation.

[0035] Specifically, the control unit also has the function of storing and recalling the position and orientation information of the cutting roller to achieve memory cutting.

[0036] It should be further noted that the control unit has a built-in FLASH memory that can store 100 sets of cutting path data. When the memory mode is activated, the system recalls historical pose data (including roller spatial coordinates, pitch angle, and cylinder stroke) and uses the PID controller to correct the actuator's actions in real time. Preferably, a set of data is recorded every 0.5 seconds; this frequency ensures trajectory reconstruction accuracy while avoiding storage overflow.

[0037] Understandably, the beneficial effects of the above scheme include: eliminating random errors from manual operation and achieving a 98% consistency in the reproduction of complex coal seam cutting paths.

[0038] Specifically, the control unit, sensor group, and actuator constitute a closed-loop control system.

[0039] It should be further explained that the system uses sensor feedback as input and a preset trajectory as reference, generating control commands through a feedforward-feedback composite control strategy. The control unit calculates the trajectory deviation e in real time, and triggers dynamic gain adjustment when e > 5mm, with a response time < 200ms. This threshold is set based on the roller inertia torque (approximately 850kg·m²) and the step response characteristics of the hydraulic system.

[0040] Understandably, the beneficial effects of the above scheme include: adaptive compensation for sudden changes in coal seam hardness, and a 70% reduction in the fluctuation amplitude of the cutting trajectory.

[0041] The 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, provided that such combination does not contain contradictions.

[0042] The specific embodiments of the present invention described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made in accordance with the technical concept of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system, characterized in that, include: A sensor array used to detect the position and orientation information of the cutting drum of a coal mining machine; A control unit communicatively connected to the sensor group, the control unit being configured to receive and process the detection signals from the sensor group; An actuator communicatively connected to the control unit, the actuator including a height adjustment cylinder, a deflection cylinder, and a drum telescopic cylinder; The control unit outputs control signals to the actuator to coordinate and regulate the actions of the height adjustment cylinder, deflection cylinder, and drum extension cylinder, thereby controlling the trajectory of the cutting drum.

2. The coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor group includes a stroke sensor for detecting the displacement of the cylinder piston rod, and the stroke sensor is disposed in the height adjustment cylinder, the deflection cylinder and / or the roller telescopic cylinder.

3. The coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The sensor group also includes tilt sensors for detecting the angle of the rocker arm or fuselage.

4. The coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The sensor array also includes an encoder for detecting the travel distance of the coal mining machine.

5. The coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The sensor array also includes an inertial navigation device for detecting the spatial orientation and attitude of the coal mining machine.

6. The coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit adjusts the extension speed and / or extension amount of each cylinder in the actuator via PWM.

7. The coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The control unit controls the cutting drum to complete vertical coal cutting by adjusting the movement of the deflection cylinder.

8. The coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The control unit controls the mining height and / or the bottom depth by coordinating the actions of the height adjustment cylinder and the drum telescopic cylinder.

9. The coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit also has the function of storing and recalling the position and orientation information of the cutting roller to achieve memorized cutting.

10. The coal mining machine cutting trajectory control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit, sensor group, and actuator constitute a closed-loop control system.

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