Triple redundancy sensing cable take-up and pay-off vehicle and control method

Abstract

The invention provides a cable image path tracking crawler-type cable take-up and pay-off vehicle which integrates an electric power system, a control system and a power driving system, and the electric power system comprises a front-end high-voltage cable drum, a rear-end high-voltage cable drum, a high-voltage and low-voltage distribution room and a diesel engine; the control system comprises a front-end reel encoder, a rear-end reel encoder, a binocular vision system and a vehicle-mounted control electric cabinet. The power drive system comprises a hydraulic station, a hydraulic drive crawler chassis and a winding drum torque motor. According to the invention, real-time calculation of cable curvature and tension angle is realized through an image algorithm, centimeter-level high-precision positioning is realized in combination with a UWB positioning technology, and mine area multipath interference errors are reduced by using a correction mechanism combining RSSI and TDoA. Furthermore, the invention provides a full-process operation method of the cable take-up and pay-off vehicle, an integrated cable take-up and pay-off operation scheme with cooperation of mechanical driving, visual recognition, positioning monitoring and intelligent control is formed, and the cable take-up and pay-off vehicle is suitable for automatic take-up and pay-off and unmanned mobile operation scenes of cables in strip mine power construction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This patent relates to a cable delivery and take-up vehicle based on cable image path tracing. It belongs to the engineering machinery and mining machinery industry and is mainly used for the mobile power transmission of electric shovels used in mining operations. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most cable winding devices used in large open-pit mines in China are general-purpose equipment with relatively simple structures, limited cable capacity, and low automation levels, often requiring manual assistance to complete the winding and unwinding operations. For example, common sled-type cable winding devices or the tail rope drums attached to electric shovels have winding speeds that are difficult to precisely match with the walking speed of the electric shovel, which can easily cause cable dragging, accumulation, or abnormal tension, thus creating safety hazards.

[0003] Existing devices typically rely on manual remote control for operation, but this method is highly susceptible to noise, dust, lighting conditions, and operator reaction delays in the mining area, posing risks of misoperation and safety hazards. Regarding positioning, most systems employ GPS technology; however, in remote mining areas, GPS coverage is limited by ionospheric interference, resulting in significant signal strength variations at the same location at different times, which can easily lead to substantial positioning errors.

[0004] Furthermore, the onboard sensing systems of existing cable reel-and-delivery vehicles are mainly used to detect the surrounding environment and cannot effectively identify the actual condition of the cables. In actual operations, insufficient cable tension or disorderly cable stacking on the ground often leads to problems such as uneven cable arrangement, cable twisting, or even being run over by the track during the cable reel-and-delivery process. These problems not only exacerbate the risk of cable wear and damage but also severely restrict the widespread application of cable reel-and-delivery vehicles in smart mines. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the safety hazards, insufficient positioning accuracy, and easy damage to cables in existing technologies, this invention proposes a tracked cable winding and unwinding vehicle for cable image path tracking. This device works in concert through three major technical means: First, it employs ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning technology, which possesses high precision, high noise immunity, multipath suppression, and strong penetration capabilities, combined with RSSI and TDoA distance correction mechanisms to ensure stable ranging in complex mining environments; second, it utilizes a binocular vision system to achieve real-time identification of cable curvature, direction, and ground clearance, dynamically correcting the winding and unwinding vehicle's path and detecting potential cable damage or loosening risks; third, it uses a drum encoder to accurately monitor the cable winding and unwinding length and tension, thereby achieving closed-loop control of the entire winding and unwinding process.

[0006] Based on this, this invention proposes a triple-redundant sensing mechanism integrating UWB positioning, binocular vision, and a drum encoder. This mechanism ensures reliable sensing and control capabilities even when any single sensor source fails, significantly improving the safety and robustness of cable reeling operations. The onboard controller comprehensively collects data from the above three types of sensors, dynamically calculates the cable reeling torque, the left and right drive speeds of the tracked vehicle, and the power switching logic, achieving intelligent coordination between the reeling vehicle and the electric shovel.

[0007] A cable winding and unloading vehicle with triple redundant sensing, comprising an electric shovel and high / low voltage power distribution rooms on both sides, is characterized by the following components: a UWB positioning antenna, a first torque motor, a front-end binocular camera, a front-end cable reel, an on-board high / low voltage power distribution room, a rear-end cable reel, a rear-end binocular camera, a rear-end cable guide frame, a second torque motor, a hydraulic station, a diesel engine, an on-board control box, and a front-end cable guide frame; the first torque motor is mounted on the front-end cable reel to provide driving force for cable winding and unloading; the front-end binocular camera is fixed at the front of the vehicle body and at the power supply end. The system is designed to acquire spatial images of the front cable. A front cable reel is mounted on the front of the vehicle body for cable winding and unwinding connected to the electric shovel; a rear cable reel is mounted on the rear of the vehicle body for cable winding and unwinding connected to the high and low voltage distribution room; a rear binocular camera is fixed to the rear of the vehicle body for acquiring spatial images of the rear cable; a rear cable guide is located on the rear of the vehicle body and moves left and right with the cable during winding and unwinding; a torque motor is mounted on the rear end reel to provide driving force for cable winding and unwinding; and a front cable guide is located on the front of the vehicle body and moves left and right with the cable during winding and unwinding.

[0008] Real-time calculation of cable curvature and tension angle is achieved through image algorithms. Combined with UWB positioning technology, high-precision positioning is achieved using the cable retraction vehicle as the base station and the electric shovel as the tag station. Furthermore, a combined RSSI and TDoA correction mechanism is used to reduce multipath interference errors in the mining area.

[0009] The control method for the cable take-up and drop vehicle with triple redundant sensing includes the following steps:

[0010] S1, enable UWB positioning function, the vehicle controller can obtain the spatial distance between the cable retractor and the electric shovel in real time;

[0011] S2, when the working electric shovel moves a distance exceeding the minimum following threshold, the cable retractor automatically enters following mode; the binocular vision system at the working electric shovel end is activated, identifying the cable's trajectory information in three-dimensional space, including parameters such as curvature, extension direction, and ground clearance. The onboard controller fuses the visual data with UWB-corrected distance information, using a pure tracking algorithm to calculate the tracked chassis's travel speed and steering angle, thereby guiding the retractor to automatically travel along the cable path while always maintaining the minimum safe distance from the electric shovel;

[0012] S3, when the power supply end drum encoder detects in real time that the cable is in an empty reel state, the vehicle controller immediately stops the forward movement of the winding vehicle to avoid continuing to pull without a cable, which could lead to drum overload or equipment damage.

[0013] S4, when the electric shovel finishes its work and begins to return to the starting point, the UWB positioning system continuously monitors the distance between the two vehicles and ensures the distance measurement accuracy in the return path through distance correction;

[0014] S5, when the power supply end drum encoder detects that the cable is fully retracted and in a full state, the vehicle controller triggers the shutdown logic, sequentially shutting down the hydraulic drive, drum motor and power system, and the vehicle automatically stops moving.

[0015] In step S1, the UWB positioning system consists of a base station installed on the cable reel-and-delivery vehicle and a tag station installed on the electric shovel. The base station has a built-in ultra-wideband transmitting module and a receiving module. The tag station can respond to and transmit the ultra-wideband pulse signal emitted by the base station. The vehicle-mounted control box calculates the signal arrival time difference and phase difference to obtain bidirectional ranging results with centimeter-level accuracy. The ranging data is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted control box at a high sampling frequency of 10-100Hz to ensure that it can respond to the movement changes of the electric shovel in real time. The vehicle-mounted control box compares the UWB positioning data with a preset minimum following threshold to determine whether the electric shovel has started, exceeded the distance, or returned, thereby triggering the passive cable laying, following, and return cable retrieval logic of the cable reel-and-delivery vehicle. UWB positioning is not only used for distance determination, but also forms a redundant perception relationship with the binocular vision system. When the binocular camera fails to recognize the trajectory due to strong light interference, obstruction, or dust, UWB positioning can still independently provide reliable distance and position data, thereby maintaining the continuity and safety of cable reel-and-delivery operations. By fusing UWB and visual data, the vehicle control box can use Kalman filtering to jointly correct distance and trajectory.

[0016] In step S2, the binocular vision system consists of two cameras positioned at a fixed baseline distance at either the shovel end or the power supply end, enabling synchronous acquisition of cable image data under a unified clock. The acquired binocular images undergo distortion correction, grayscale conversion, and filtering preprocessing. Then, a disparity map is obtained using a stereo matching algorithm, which is converted into depth information of the cable in three-dimensional space. The onboard control box fits and smooths the depth point cloud to obtain the cable's spatial trajectory curve and key feature parameters, including the tangent direction vector, radius of curvature, and suspension height.

[0017] In step S3, the power supply end drum encoder adopts an incremental rotary encoder structure. By installing a code disk on the drum shaft, the drum rotation angle is converted into an electrical pulse signal, which is connected to the vehicle-mounted control box via A / B phase quadrature output. The vehicle-mounted control box records the pulse count in real time and calculates the cable length by combining it with the drum circumference. The vehicle-mounted control box identifies the status based on the cumulative pulse count. When the pulse count is zero, it is determined to be in an empty drum state, and a braking command is immediately issued to cut off the track drive and activate the braking device, so that the cable winding vehicle stops in a very short time, avoiding cable breakage or equipment idle operation due to continued movement without cable. When the cumulative pulse count reaches the preset maximum value (corresponding to the full capacity of the drum), it is determined to be in a full drum state. The vehicle-mounted control box sequentially shuts down the hydraulic station, drum motor, and engine power, entering a shutdown mode to avoid cable compression or mechanical damage caused by excessive cable winding. In addition, the encoder signal can also be used as auxiliary verification data for binocular vision and UWB positioning to estimate the total length of the actual cable release or recovery, ensuring the consistency and reliability of the operation data.

[0018] In step S2, during the automatic following process, the on-board control box comprehensively utilizes the real-time distance provided by UWB positioning and the trajectory parameters from binocular vision recognition to dynamically adjust the drive speed of the tracked chassis through a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm. The on-board control box compares the actual speed of the electric shovel with the current speed of the retractor in real time to obtain the speed error e(t), and then adjusts it according to the control formula.

[0019]

[0020] The speed correction U(t) is calculated to adjust the hydraulic pump speed, thereby achieving speed synchronization. Through this control method, the retrieval vehicle can always maintain a distance error between itself and the electric shovel within the allowable range (±0.5 meters), avoiding excessive cable stretching due to the shovel's acceleration or cable accumulation and dragging on the ground due to the retrieval vehicle's lag. The PID parameter K... p K i K d The system can be dynamically adjusted according to the operating conditions in the mining area. For example, the proportional coefficient can be increased during high-speed straight-line travel to ensure rapid response, while the integral and derivative coefficients can be increased during complex curves to ensure smooth transition. Furthermore, the onboard control box can build a speed prediction model based on historical motion data, adjusting the retrieval and extension speeds in advance when the electric shovel experiences sudden acceleration or deceleration, achieving proactive control. This control mechanism not only ensures the coordinated operation of the retrieval and extension vehicle and the electric shovel but also significantly reduces cable tension fluctuations, improving the stability and safety of the operation process.

[0021] In step S4, when the electric shovel completes its work and begins its return journey, the return phase is taken over by the binocular vision system at the power supply end. This system reconstructs the spatial trajectory of the return path using a stereo vision algorithm and transmits real-time data on the cable's direction, curvature, and tension angle to the vehicle-mounted control box. Upon receiving the trajectory data, the vehicle-mounted control box integrates it with the real-time distance information provided by UWB positioning and the cable length data output by the drum encoder, forming a multi-source input that drives the tracked chassis to move in the reverse direction along the laid cable path. During the return journey, the vehicle-mounted control box dynamically adjusts the vehicle speed according to the cable curvature, increasing speed on straight sections and slowing down on curves or sections with significant curvature to prevent crushing or pulling on the cable. The system adjusts the drum torque based on real-time changes in the tension angle. When the tension angle is too large, the cable is tightened appropriately to prevent slack cable buildup and subsequent obstruction. When the tension angle is too small, the torque is reduced to prevent damage to the cable due to excessive stretching. When the drum encoder detects that the cable is fully retracted and in a full-reel state, the vehicle-mounted control box triggers a shutdown, and the return cable reel is automatically completed. This return control mechanism achieves full automation and safety management from construction to site withdrawal through the triple synergy of visual guidance, positioning monitoring, and status perception.

[0022] The on-board control box fuses multi-source sensing data from binocular vision, UWB positioning, and the drum encoder. It optimizes measurements using weighted averaging and fault-tolerant mechanisms to eliminate environmental noise and sudden anomalies. When binocular vision fails due to strong light reflection, dust obstruction, or complex terrain, the system automatically switches to a combined UWB positioning and encoder mode. It estimates the trajectory using distance measurement data and cable length to ensure the cable reel continues operation. When the UWB signal is lost due to interference, the system relies on binocular vision trajectory and encoder data to maintain control. When the drum encoder signal is abnormal or briefly lost, the system uses binocular vision and UWB distance to estimate cable reel status. Through this complementarity between sensors, the system can maintain basic functions unaffected even if a single sensor fails, significantly improving operational reliability and safety. The on-board control box can also build a state prediction model based on historical data, filling in gaps with predicted values ​​when data is temporarily missing, avoiding downtime or malfunctions caused by momentary faults.

[0023] The vehicle-mounted control box employs a dual-threshold confirmation mechanism to improve the accuracy and safety of status identification when determining whether the cable reel is empty or full. Specifically, when the drum encoder detects that the cumulative pulse count has reached zero, it does not immediately determine that the reel is empty. Instead, it requires that the tension angle calculated by the cable tension sensor or binocular vision be lower than a preset lower limit (20N or a tension angle greater than 60 degrees) before confirming that the cable is empty and triggering the emergency braking logic of the take-up and release vehicle to prevent premature shutdown due to misjudgment. Similarly, in determining a full reel, when the encoder's cumulative pulse count reaches a preset maximum value, it requires that the cable tension show a significant decrease or the tension angle approaches zero before determining that the cable has been fully retracted and triggering the shutdown logic. Through the dual-threshold determination mechanism, false shutdowns caused by encoder signal jitter, electromagnetic interference, or short-term tension fluctuations are effectively avoided, thereby improving the continuity and stability of cable take-up and release operations. The vehicle-mounted control box uploads data to the central control system for recording each state switch, forming a traceable status log. This is beneficial for post-fault analysis and provides data support for subsequent operation scheduling.

[0024] The overall operation process of the cable winding and unwinding vehicle of this invention can be broken down into the following three core modules, which work together to achieve full automation:

[0025] 1. Positioning Monitoring Module: After UWB positioning is activated, the onboard controller acquires the spatial distance between the retrieval vehicle and the working electric shovel in real time. Through distance correction and filtering algorithms, when the electric shovel moves from the starting point, the shovel drum immediately enters passive cable release mode, releasing the cable under traction force to ensure that the tension matches the movement of the electric shovel and avoid overstretching. This invention uses image algorithms to calculate the cable curvature and tension angle in real time, combined with UWB positioning technology (the retrieval vehicle as the base station and the working electric shovel as the tag station) to achieve centimeter-level high-precision positioning, and utilizes a correction mechanism combining RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) and TDoA (Time Difference of Arrival) to reduce multipath interference errors in the mining area.

[0026] 2. Dynamic Following Module: When the electric shovel moves beyond the minimum following threshold, the retractor automatically enters following mode. During operation, the front-end binocular vision system identifies the cable's spatial trajectory and outputs its curvature and extension direction. On the return trip, the power supply-side binocular vision system takes over, achieving full-process bidirectional path tracking. The onboard controller integrates visual data and UWB positioning data, employing a pure tracking algorithm to dynamically adjust the tracked chassis's path, ensuring a safe distance from the electric shovel.

[0027] 3. Status Awareness and Intelligent Control Module: The drum encoder continuously monitors the cable winding and unwinding status. When an empty reel is detected, the winding and unwinding vehicle immediately stops moving forward to avoid idling or overload; the electric shovel drum continues to passively unwind the cable to ensure construction continuity. When a full reel is detected, the winding and unwinding vehicle automatically executes the shutdown logic, sequentially shutting down the hydraulic drive, power system, and control module, and uploading a work completion signal to achieve closed-loop control throughout the entire process.

[0028] The three modules form a complete link of "start-up judgment → path following → status closed loop". Positioning monitoring ensures the correct timing of operation start, dynamic following ensures path and tension safety during operation, and status perception and intelligent control provide safety boundaries and shutdown judgment at the end of the operation. Through this modular division of labor and closed-loop linkage, this invention not only improves the automation level and efficiency of mine cable winding and unwinding operations, but also significantly reduces the need for manual intervention and the risk of equipment damage, which is in line with the development trend of smart mines from partial intelligence to comprehensive intelligence. The system can automatically trigger passive cable unwinding when the electric shovel moves forward, automatically retract along the cable trajectory during the return trip, and automatically stop when the drum detects an empty or full state, thereby realizing the automation and safety management of the entire cable winding and unwinding process. The innovation of this invention lies in proposing a triple redundant collaborative perception mechanism of binocular vision, UWB positioning, and drum encoder to construct a closed-loop control of cable tension-path-state, realizing intelligent cable winding and unwinding operations in complex mining environments, and improving safety and unmanned operation levels.

[0029] The preferred embodiments of the present invention and their beneficial effects will be further described in detail with reference to specific implementation methods. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a diagram of cable winding and unwinding vehicle operations.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a front view of the tracked cable retractor vehicle.

[0032] Figure 3 A top view of the tracked cable retractor vehicle;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the effect of the algorithm calculating the excessive curvature caused by cable compression.

[0034] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the effect of the algorithm in calculating cable curvature breakpoints;

[0035] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the effect of the algorithm calculating the excessive curvature of a cable caused by being scraped.

[0036] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating the normal effect of the algorithm calculating cable curvature;

[0037] Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the algorithm for calculating cable tension angle and identifying images;

[0038] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the UWB positioning system structure;

[0039] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the power supply system for a cable reel-in / out vehicle;

[0040] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the cable winding and unwinding vehicle system.

[0041] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the movement control process for a cable winding and unwinding vehicle. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention. Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a cable reel-and-delivery vehicle in operation. From left to right, it shows three core components: a high- and low-voltage distribution room, the cable reel-and-delivery vehicle, and an electric shovel. These three components are sequentially connected by cables to form a complete power supply chain.

[0043] 1. High and low voltage power distribution room

[0044] The high- and low-voltage power distribution room 1 serves as the power management center for the cable reel-and-delivery vehicle, primarily used for switching between operational power supply and relocation power supply. It houses a high-voltage switchgear, a low-voltage power distribution unit, and protective relay modules. Under normal operating conditions, the electric shovel 3 receives stable power support from the power distribution room, ensuring continuous digging and traction operations. When the cable reel-and-delivery vehicle 2 is relocated or dispatched, the system switches to diesel engine power supply mode to ensure the vehicle's autonomy and continuity of movement.

[0045] 2. Cable winding and unwinding vehicle 2

[0046] The cable winding and unwinding vehicle 2 is the core execution equipment of the entire system, equipped with a front-end cable reel 7 and a rear-end cable reel 9, an on-board control electrical control box 15, a front-end binocular camera 6, a rear-end binocular camera 10, a UWB positioning antenna 4, and a hydraulically driven tracked chassis. Its main functions are to realize intelligent cable winding and unwinding, path following, and tension control.

[0047] 3. Electric shovel

[0048] As a primary production equipment in mining areas, the electric shovel is the service target of the cable winding and unloading vehicle. The shovel is equipped with a drum and a tag station at one end for UWB bidirectional distance measurement and positioning with the cable winding and unloading vehicle.

[0049] 4. UWB positioning antenna

[0050] Its function is to transmit and receive the wireless signals required for UWB positioning.

[0051] 5. Torque motor

[0052] A torque motor is installed on the front cable reel 7 to provide driving force for cable winding and unwinding. Combined with the vehicle-mounted control box 15 and tension sensor, it enables real-time adjustment of cable winding speed and tension to prevent cable breakage or slack accumulation.

[0053] 6. Front-end binocular camera 6

[0054] Fixed at the front end of the vehicle body and the power supply end, it is used to acquire spatial images of the cable. Combined with stereo vision algorithms, the cable curvature and tension angle can be calculated, thereby guiding the track travel path and the winding and unwinding speeds of the front cable reel 7 and the rear cable reel 9.

[0055] 7. Front-end cable reel 7

[0056] Mounted on the front of the vehicle body, this device is used for cable winding and unwinding connected to the electric shovel 3. The drum is driven by a torque motor and equipped with an incremental encoder to monitor the cable winding and unwinding length and direction in real time. During operation, when the front drum is in the unwinding state, damping is adjusted by a torque limiter and a magnetic powder brake to maintain the stability of the cable tension.

[0057] 8. Vehicle-mounted high and low voltage power distribution room

[0058] Located in the middle of the vehicle body, the electrical distribution room houses a high-voltage switchgear, a low-voltage control unit, and a power switching device. During operation, this room provides power to the electric shovel; when the vehicle is moved, it switches to diesel engine power to ensure independent operation of the equipment.

[0059] 9. Rear cable reel 9

[0060] Installed at the rear of the vehicle body, it is used for cable winding and unwinding connected to the high and low voltage power distribution room 8. Its drive mechanism is the same as the front cable reel 7, and it also features encoder monitoring. When the cable is in the winding stage, the rear reel actively winds it up, ensuring safe recovery of the cable during transfers or return trips. The cooperation between the front and rear reels enables bidirectional cable management.

[0061] 10. Back-end binocular camera 10

[0062] Fixed at the rear of the vehicle body and the power supply end, it is used to acquire spatial images of the cable. Combined with stereo vision algorithms, it can calculate the cable curvature and tension angle, thereby guiding the track travel path and the drum winding and unwinding speed.

[0063] 11. Rear cable guide frame

[0064] Located at the rear of the vehicle body, it moves left and right with the cable during cable winding and unwinding to ensure that the cable is wound and unwound as gently as possible, preventing tangling and scratches during the winding and unwinding process.

[0065] 12. Torque motor

[0066] A torque motor 2 is mounted on the rear drum 9 to provide driving force for cable winding and unwinding. Combined with the vehicle-mounted control box 15 and tension sensor, it enables real-time adjustment of cable winding speed and tension, preventing cable breakage or slack buildup.

[0067] 13. Hydraulic station

[0068] It provides hydraulic power to drive the tracked chassis and the drum torque motors 1 and 2. Internally, it contains a hydraulic pump, valve group, and oil tank, enabling precise torque and speed control to adapt to complex mining terrain and varying cable tension requirements.

[0069] 14. Diesel engine

[0070] As an auxiliary power source, it primarily provides electricity when the cable reel-in / delivery vehicle needs to be moved or when external power is unavailable. Used in conjunction with a hydraulic station, it drives the tracked chassis to achieve autonomous movement.

[0071] 15. Vehicle-mounted control electrical control box

[0072] Installed on the left side of the vehicle body, it serves as the core control unit. It connects to the drum encoder, hydraulic drive, UWB positioning module, and front and rear binocular cameras via CAN bus, performing cable reel-in / out logic, path following, and safety monitoring, forming the intelligent hub of the entire vehicle.

[0073] 16. Front-end cable guide frame 16

[0074] Located at the front of the vehicle body, it moves left and right with the cable during cable winding and unwinding to ensure the cable is wound and unwound as gently as possible, preventing tangling and scratches during the winding and unwinding process.

[0075] Figures 4 to 7 This demonstration showcases the acquisition of images of the cable's location using a binocular camera, extraction of the Region of Interest (ROI), and ensuring that the processing focus is concentrated on the cable section. Affine transformations and edge detection are performed on the cable images to fit the cable's central axis (i.e., the cable's geometric centerline). Based on the geometric changes of the cable's centerline, its curvature distribution is calculated, and the point of maximum curvature is marked. This point corresponds to the cable's maximum bend, reflecting its spatial morphology. This is used for cable path tracking. By locating the point of maximum curvature, the cable reel-in / deel-out vehicle can adjust its track direction to ensure it travels along the cable's natural laying direction, avoiding crushing or pulling on the cable. Figure 4A schematic diagram illustrating the effect of the algorithm calculating the excessive curvature caused by cable compression. Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the effect of the algorithm in calculating cable curvature breakpoints; Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the effect of the algorithm calculating the excessive curvature of a cable caused by being scraped. Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating the normal effect of the algorithm calculating cable curvature.

[0076] Figure 8 This demonstration primarily showcases a cable take-up angle (tension angle) recognition and control logic based on binocular vision and geometric analysis. This logic is used to determine if there are any abnormalities in the take-up process of the front-end drum 7 or the rear-end drum 9, and adjust the take-up force of the drum motor accordingly. When the angle formed between the cable and the drum axis is too large when the cable enters the drum, the cable exhibits significant skewness in space. The corresponding coordinate curve in the right figure shows a steep change in cable curvature, indicating that the take-up angle deviates significantly from the normal range. The system identifies the cable entry angle θ using binocular vision. If the detected cable entry angle θ exceeds a set threshold (e.g., 15 to 20 degrees), it is determined to be "excessive take-up angle." When the cable entry angle is excessive, the system first triggers an alarm and eliminates the deviation by slowing down the drum motor, adjusting the torque, and correcting the chassis position. If the deviation cannot be restored to normal within a set time, a protective shutdown is initiated. This prevents cable wear, knotting, or even breakage caused by cable skew or twisting.

[0077] Figure 9 This paper demonstrates a positioning and control system architecture based on Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, primarily involving the positioning and control relationships of two types of equipment: a shovel (3) and a cable reel-and-delivery vehicle (2). The cable reel-and-delivery vehicle (2) is equipped with a UWB positioning antenna (4), which is electrically connected to a UWB positioning base station module in the onboard control box (15). This base station module, as part of the "UWB positioning system—base station," provides data support for the real-time positioning and motion control of the cable reel-and-delivery vehicle. Similarly, the shovel (3) is also equipped with a UWB positioning antenna and a tag module. This tag module, belonging to the "UWB positioning system—tag station" part, is connected to the shovel and is used to feed back received signal data to the base station of the cable reel-and-delivery vehicle (2), enabling precise distance measurement and dynamic collaborative control between the two vehicles.

[0078] Figure 10 The diagram illustrates the power supply system architecture, showcasing the power transmission and distribution logic from different power sources to the electrical equipment. Power from the "front-end high-voltage drum" first enters the "high-voltage distribution box," then is transmitted to the "high and low voltage distribution cabinet"; simultaneously, the "diesel generator set" also provides power. This power converges at the "power supply switching circuit contactor," which performs power switching and control. Finally, the power is delivered to the "hydraulic station" and the "on-board control system," providing them with the necessary operating energy.

[0079] Figure 11This is an architecture diagram of the equipment control system, illustrating the process of controlling various parts of the equipment after multi-sensor information fusion. Different sensing units, such as the "UWB positioning module," "binocular vision," and "drum absolute encoder," acquire positioning, visual, and drum position information, respectively. This information is then aggregated and transmitted to the "on-board control box 15," which, as the core control unit, processes the received information. After processing, the on-board control box 15 sends control commands to the actuators on the right, such as the "cable drum drive torque motor," "track chassis drive hydraulic station," and "power supply switching control," thereby controlling functions such as cable drum drive, track chassis drive, and power supply switching.

[0080] This invention provides a cable take-up and delivery vehicle for cable image path tracking, comprising the following steps:

[0081] S1, activate UWB positioning function. The vehicle controller acquires the spatial distance between the cable reel and the electric shovel in real time. The UWB module measures the distance using Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) and performs real-time correction based on Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) to ensure high-precision positioning in complex mining environments. When the electric shovel starts moving from the starting point, the vehicle controller triggers the shovel drum to enter passive cable release mode based on the corrected distance change. Passive cable release mode means that the shovel drum rotates passively under the shovel's traction force, without relying on a motor drive. Damping is adjusted by a torque limiter and magnetic powder brake to ensure smooth cable release while maintaining stable tension. This allows the drum to automatically release the cable under traction force, thus maintaining effective matching between cable tension and shovel movement, preventing cable breakage due to excessive tension or cable accumulation due to slack.

[0082] S2. When the working electric shovel moves beyond the minimum following threshold (preset 5 meters), the cable retractor automatically enters following mode. Following mode means that the cable retractor automatically activates path tracking after detecting that the electric shovel has exceeded the minimum following threshold. At this time, the retractor relies on binocular vision to identify the cable trajectory and combines this with distance data corrected by UWB positioning. The onboard controller calculates the travel speed and steering angle, driving the tracked chassis to autonomously move along the cable path, always maintaining a safe distance from the electric shovel. Simultaneously, the binocular vision system at the working electric shovel end activates, identifying the cable's trajectory information in three-dimensional space, including parameters such as curvature, extension direction, and ground clearance. The onboard controller fuses the visual data with the UWB-corrected distance information, using a pure tracking algorithm to calculate the tracked chassis's travel speed and steering angle, thereby guiding the retractor to automatically travel along the cable path and always maintain the minimum safe distance from the electric shovel.

[0083] S3: When the encoder on the power supply end detects in real time that the rear cable reel is empty, the vehicle controller immediately stops the forward movement of the cable reel to avoid overloading the reel or damaging the equipment due to continued traction without cable. Under this condition, the front cable reel continues to passively release the cable, with the remaining cable being released by the electric shovel, thus ensuring construction continuity and cable safety.

[0084] S4. When the electric shovel completes its work and begins its return to the starting point, the UWB positioning system continuously monitors the distance between the two vehicles and ensures distance measurement accuracy along the return path through distance correction. When the electric shovel approaches the minimum following threshold of the cable reel-in vehicle, the power supply-side binocular vision system activates to identify the cable return path. Based on the trajectory recognition results and the corrected UWB distance data, the onboard controller drives the tracked chassis to travel in the opposite direction, ensuring that the reel-in vehicle safely follows the cable path during the return trip, and maintaining the cable from being crushed or piled up through speed and tension adjustment mechanisms.

[0085] S5: When the drum encoder detects that the front and rear cables are fully retracted and in a full-reel state, the vehicle controller triggers the shutdown logic, sequentially shutting down the hydraulic drive, drum motor, and power system, causing the take-up and unwind vehicle to automatically stop moving. At the same time, the controller uploads the work completion status, total cable length, and work time to the central control platform, realizing a fully automated closed-loop workflow.

[0086] This invention provides a cable winding and unwinding vehicle with cable image path tracking. The vehicle integrates a power system, a control system, and a drive system: the power system includes a front cable reel 7 and a rear cable reel 9, a high and low voltage power distribution room 8, and a diesel engine 14; the control system includes front and rear reel encoders, a binocular camera, a UWB positioning module, and an on-board control electrical control box 15; the drive system includes a hydraulic station 13, a hydraulically driven crawler chassis, and a reel torque motor. By recognizing the three-dimensional trajectory of the cable through binocular vision, the system calculates the cable curvature and tension angle in real time. Combined with UWB positioning, it achieves dynamic distance monitoring between the cable winding and unwinding vehicle and the electric shovel, and performs multi-source fusion judgment based on the winding and unwinding status feedback from the reel encoders. Based on this, the system can automatically trigger passive cable unwinding when the electric shovel moves forward, automatically rewind along the cable trajectory during the return trip, and automatically stop when the reel detects an empty or full reel, thereby achieving automation and safety control of the entire cable winding and unwinding process. The innovation of this invention lies in proposing a triple-redundant collaborative perception mechanism combining binocular vision, UWB positioning, and a drum encoder to construct a closed-loop control system for cable tension, path, and status. This enables intelligent cable winding and unloading operations in complex mining environments, improving safety and automation levels. The following is a detailed description of a cable winding and unloading vehicle with cable image path tracking provided by this invention.

[0087] according to Figure 11The schematic diagram of the cable winding and unwinding vehicle system shows that the entire device can be divided into three core modules: positioning and monitoring, dynamic tracking, and status perception and intelligent control. These modules work together to achieve automated cable winding and unwinding and equipment linkage.

[0088] Positioning and Monitoring Module: The positioning and monitoring module is the core foundation for the dynamic coordination between the cable winding vehicle and the electric shovel. Its main task is to achieve precise matching between cable tension and equipment movement through UWB positioning technology and linkage control with the shovel's drum. The specific working logic is as follows: A UWB base station is installed on the cable winding vehicle 2. The base station has a built-in ultra-wideband transmitter and signal receiving module, continuously transmitting ultra-wideband pulse signals in the 3.1–10.6 GHz frequency band. A UWB tag station is integrated on the electric shovel 3, responsible for receiving base station signals and transmitting responses, thus forming a two-way ranging link. The vehicle-mounted control box 15 reads the distance data output by the UWB positioning module in real time through a serial port (UART) and wireless communication protocols (such as WiFi), with a sampling frequency of 10–100 Hz to ensure high-frequency response to the shovel's movement.

[0089] During the ranging process, the UWB system not only calculates the spatial distance between the two vehicles based on the Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA), but also incorporates Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) to correct the data in real time, eliminating multipath effects and noise interference caused by rock wall reflections and equipment obstructions in the mining environment. To further improve stability, the onboard control box 15 uses a Kalman filter algorithm to fuse the raw ranging data, achieving a smooth estimation of the electric shovel's trajectory. Through this mechanism, the actual distance error between the retrieval vehicle and the electric shovel can be effectively controlled within ±50cm, significantly improving positioning accuracy.

[0090] Based on the corrected UWB distance information, the vehicle-mounted control box 15 can determine the start, stop, and speed changes of the electric shovel in real time. When the electric shovel starts moving, if the distance change output by the positioning monitoring module exceeds the preset threshold (0.5m), the vehicle-mounted control box 15 immediately triggers the shovel end drum to enter passive cable release mode. When the electric shovel decelerates or stops, the system adjusts the tension control in a timely manner to prevent the cable from becoming slack or overstretched due to inertia, thereby achieving high-precision matching between cable retraction and the movement of the working electric shovel 15.

[0091] The system establishes a distance monitoring and movement triggering mechanism: by setting a minimum response distance threshold (preset 5 meters), when the UWB positioning data shows that the distance between the electric shovel and the take-up / delivery vehicle is greater than this threshold, it is determined that "the electric shovel is moving away from the take-up / delivery vehicle." Based on this, the on-board control box 15 triggers the passive cable release logic of the front-end cable reel, i.e., cutting off the active winding power, allowing the reel to rotate freely under traction force, thereby avoiding excessive cable stretching due to mismatch between winding and release. Conversely, when the UWB positioning data shows that the distance between the electric shovel and the take-up / delivery vehicle is less than the minimum threshold, it is determined that "the electric shovel has approached the take-up / delivery vehicle." At this time, the on-board control box 15 keeps the take-up / delivery vehicle stationary or enters a return-to-work preparation state to prevent the two vehicles from getting too close, which could lead to cable accumulation or equipment collision. Through this distance-based triggering mechanism, the positioning monitoring module provides precise starting conditions and safety boundaries for subsequent dynamic tracking and status perception, ensuring coordinated operation of the take-up / delivery vehicle and the electric shovel under complex working conditions.

[0092] Tension control in passive cable laying is achieved through a mechanical structure coordination and tension matching mechanism. The shovel drum is equipped with a torque limiter and a magnetic powder brake. When the shovel moves and generates traction, the drum passively rotates against the damping force of the brake, thereby releasing the cable. If the shovel's moving speed increases, the traction force increases accordingly, and the drum automatically increases the cable laying speed to prevent the cable from breaking due to excessive tension. If the shovel pauses, the brake maintains minimum damping torque to prevent cable slack and accumulation, ensuring that the tension is always maintained within the safe range of 50–100 N. In typical operating scenarios, such as when the shovel is digging in a straight line at approximately 1 m / s, UWB positioning provides real-time feedback on its displacement changes. The onboard control box 15 dynamically adjusts the drum damping accordingly, synchronizing the passive cable laying speed with the shovel's traction speed, and maintaining the cable tension stably at approximately 80 N, avoiding cable dragging and wear caused by speed mismatch. When the electric shovel is turning, UWB positioning monitors the change in radial distance between the two vehicles. The on-board control box 15, combined with the cable curvature information from binocular vision recognition, fine-tunes the drum braking damping to ensure that the cable tension is evenly distributed during the turning process and to prevent damage caused by excessive stretching in local areas.

[0093] Furthermore, this invention also possesses anti-interference and anomaly handling mechanisms. The UWB positioning module suppresses ranging errors in complex mining environments through joint estimation of signal arrival time difference (TDoA) and signal strength (RSSI). The algorithm logic is as follows:

[0094] 1. TDoA Distance Measurement Principle

[0095] Let Bi be the UWB base station installed on the cable reel-in vehicle, and T be the UWB tag on the electric shovel end. The arrival times of the same pulse signal received by base stations B1 and B2 are t1 and t2, respectively. Assuming the propagation speed is approximately the speed of light c, the distance difference between the two base stations satisfies:

[0096]

[0097] Where d1 and d2 represent the geometric distances from the tag to the base station, respectively. By constructing a system of equations using multiple base stations, the three-dimensional coordinates of tag T can be calculated.

[0098]

[0099] 2. RSSI-assisted determination: The receiver simultaneously measures the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI). Its theoretical model is as follows:

[0100]

[0101] Where RSSI0 is the signal strength at the reference distance d0, n is the path loss factor, and X σ This represents the shadow fading term, which follows a Gaussian distribution. If the measured RSSI deviates significantly from the model result, it is determined to be a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path or multipath reflection signal, and the corresponding TDoA ranging result is assigned a low weight. The vehicle-mounted control box 15 fuses the multi-base station TDoA results with the RSSI weights to construct an observation vector:

[0102]

[0103] Among them, z k The observations at time k (including the TDoA difference and RSSI residual), h(x) k ) represents the positional state model, v k To measure noise, iterative updates are performed using an extended Kalman filter:

[0104]

[0105] The final estimated position x k | k It can smooth out instantaneous errors caused by multipath interference and effectively reduce ranging errors caused by reflections from rocks or large equipment in the mining area. When the UWB signal is temporarily lost, the system will automatically switch to the backup scheme, relying on the binocular vision at the electric shovel end to identify the cable displacement and combining the pulse count of the drum encoder to calculate the actual released cable length, thereby continuing to maintain the passive cable release logic. At the same time, the invention also has an emergency working condition protection mechanism to ensure the continuity and safety of the operation process.

[0106] Regarding the emergency protection mechanism: During cable winding and unwinding operations, the electric shovel 3, due to its high noise level, large size, and strong inertia, often cannot achieve rapid braking in emergency situations. When one side of the cable winding and unwinding vehicle 2 is forced to stop due to an emergency shutdown, malfunction, or safety trigger mechanism, if the electric shovel 3 continues to move, the cable will be subjected to excessive tension instantaneously, posing a serious risk of cable breakage. Therefore, this invention proposes an emergency protection mechanism based on dual-drum coordination and dynamic tension adjustment.

[0107] Specifically, the cable winding vehicle 2 of this invention is equipped with active winding drums at both the front and rear, and the two drums are interconnected and mutually controlled through the on-board control box 15. When one drum of the winding vehicle stops operating due to an abnormality, the other drum automatically switches to the compensation working state.

[0108] In cable recovery compensation mode, when the electric shovel continues to move forward while the normal cable recovery drum stops abnormally, the cable will be overstretched, posing a risk of breakage. At this time, the undamaged end of the recovery vehicle actively recovers the cable, absorbing a portion of the cable length, redistributing the tension within the system, avoiding excessive traction on one end, thus maintaining stable cable tension and preventing breakage due to overload.

[0109] In cable release compensation mode, the cable will quickly slack when the electric shovel retreats rapidly or the traction force suddenly decreases. The undamaged drum of the reel-up vehicle actively releases the cable, releasing part of the cable to buffer the slack and retraction, preventing the cable from piling up on the ground or being run over by the track, while maintaining the smoothness and safety of cable operation.

[0110] The on-board control box 15 plays a core role in this mechanism: on the one hand, it monitors the winding and unwinding length and speed of both drums in real time based on the drum encoder; on the other hand, it combines the UWB positioning system and binocular vision algorithm to determine the relative position of the winding and unwinding vehicle and the working electric shovel, as well as the cable curvature, and then dynamically calculates the optimal compensation winding and unwinding rate. If the cable tension is detected to exceed the safety threshold (such as the preset 120N), the controller will prioritize instructing the other drum of the winding and unwinding vehicle to respond quickly, thereby achieving immediate protection of the cable.

[0111] Automatic Reset Function: After the emergency protection action is completed and the speed of the electric shovel 15 stabilizes or stops, the system enters the automatic reset process. The vehicle-mounted control box 15 first compares the encoder pulse counts of the front and rear drums, calculates the difference in cable winding and unwinding during the compensation process, and confirms, in conjunction with feedback from the tension sensor, that the cable tension has returned to the safe range (50-100N). Subsequently, the system gradually reduces the speed of the compensation drum, allowing it to smoothly exit the compensation state and return to normal standby within 5-10 seconds. If the fault of the originally stopped drum is detected to have been eliminated or the safety trigger signal disappears, the system automatically restores its normal winding and unwinding function, and the vehicle re-enters the working mode; if the fault is still not resolved, the system maintains single-end drum operation and uploads the alarm and reset status to the central control platform via wireless communication, prompting manual maintenance to ensure safe and continuous operation.

[0112] Through this emergency protection mechanism and automatic reset function, this invention not only ensures that cables do not break or accumulate in emergency situations, but also allows for rapid restoration of normal operating procedures afterward, reducing manual intervention and improving operational continuity and system intelligence. Compared with traditional solutions relying on manual recovery or single-reel structures, this invention significantly enhances the safety, reliability, and unmanned capability of cable operations. Other typical faults and corresponding solutions are as follows: Visual trajectory recognition failure, strong light reflection, or cable obstruction: switch to UWB positioning guidance, estimate the trajectory using encoder data, and trigger a manual intervention alarm; asynchronous following speed, rapid acceleration / deceleration of the electric shovel: activate the speed forward prediction model, predict the shovel's movement based on historical motion data, and adjust the retrieval and deployment speed in advance; oversteering causing cable dragging, trajectory curvature calculation error: introduce an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to correct the vehicle's attitude, and smooth the steering angle using multi-frame trajectory data.

[0113] The dynamic following module is the core unit for automated path tracking in cable reeling vehicles. Through the coordination of binocular vision and motion control, the vehicle can respond to the movement trajectory of the electric shovel in real time, ensuring safe and coordinated cable laying and retrieval. Its working mechanism includes the following three parts:

[0114] Threshold determination and mode switching: The UWB positioning system continuously monitors the distance between the trolley and the electric shovel. When the distance measurement result exceeds the preset minimum following threshold (preset 5 meters), the on-board control box 15 triggers the "dynamic following" mode. At this time, the positioning data is mainly used to ensure that the two workshops maintain a safe distance to avoid the cable breaking or piling up due to being too close or too far apart.

[0115] Dual-end vision collaboration: After the cable retrieval vehicle enters follow mode, the vision system becomes the main basis for path tracking. To adapt to different operation stages, this invention proposes a dual-end vision switching strategy: During the forward movement of the electric shovel 3, the binocular camera at the shovel end takes the lead, identifying the forward trajectory of the cable in real time. Its advantage is that it can capture changes in cable curvature, direction, and height above the ground earlier, thereby correcting the retrieval vehicle's path in advance; during the return movement of the electric shovel 3, the binocular camera at the power supply end takes over the task, identifying the cable shape on the return path to ensure that the cable retrieval is highly consistent with the laying path.

[0116] Throughout the process, the UWB positioning system continuously provides a global distance reference between the two workshops, while binocular vision provides local path reference information. The onboard controller fuses the two types of data: when visual recognition experiences brief occlusion or errors, UWB distance correction can still maintain the continuity of path following; and when the UWB signal experiences minor deviations due to environmental interference, visual recognition can provide fine-grained compensation. Through this collaborative mechanism of "global positioning + local vision," the deployment and retrieval vehicle can always obtain a stable and redundant path reference during bidirectional operations, achieving high accuracy in path tracking and high safety in the operation process.

[0117] Path tracking and motion control: The motion control of the cable retraction vehicle employs a pure tracking algorithm. This algorithm determines the target steering angle by calculating the geometric relationship between the current position of the retraction vehicle and the forward-looking point on the cable track in real time, and adjusts the path in conjunction with the differential control of the left and right tracks. If the retraction vehicle deviates from the cable track, the algorithm automatically increases the correction angle, gradually bringing the vehicle back to the vicinity of the track, ensuring that the travel route always conforms to the cable laying curve. UWB is responsible for maintaining a safe distance, binocular vision provides track points, and motion control translates the track into actual driving actions. The three work together to achieve dynamic following during the cable retraction process. The formula for calculating the steering angle of the tracked chassis is as follows:

[0118]

[0119] Parameter description:

[0120] δ: Tracked chassis steering angle, which determines the direction of travel of the retractable vehicle;

[0121] L: Track wheelbase (fixed parameter);

[0122] α: The azimuth angle of the target point (the pre-aiming point on the cable track) relative to the vehicle's centerline;

[0123] d: Pre-aiming distance, which is the distance to the trajectory point that needs to be tracked in front of the vehicle (dynamically adjusted, such as the faster the vehicle speed, the larger d is).

[0124] When binocular vision detects cable trajectory deviation, adjustments can be made in real time by calculating α and d. For example, if the cable bends to the right, α is positive, and the calculated δ causes the take-up and drop-off vehicle to turn right, maintaining its movement along the cable trajectory. Binocular vision trajectory recognition technology can be divided into two parts: image acquisition and preprocessing, and 3D trajectory reconstruction. In the image acquisition and preprocessing part, the binocular camera synchronously acquires images at a fixed frame rate (30fps), with a baseline distance typically 15-30cm to ensure depth calculation accuracy. The preprocessing flow is: distortion removal → grayscale conversion → Gaussian filtering → ROI extraction of the cable region (based on color thresholding or deep learning segmentation). For trajectory reconstruction, a disparity map is calculated using a stereo matching algorithm and converted into depth information; RANSAC straight line fitting or B-spline curve smoothing is performed on the cable point cloud to obtain the spatial trajectory equation (tangent direction vector, radius of curvature). The trajectory characteristic parameters are as follows: the tangent direction vector reflects the cable extension direction and is used to control the steering angle of the take-up and take-down vehicle; the radius of curvature reflects the degree of cable bending, and the vehicle speed is adjusted to avoid excessive turning; the height above the ground reflects the vertical distance of the cable suspension section and is used to determine whether obstacle avoidance or tension adjustment is required.

[0125] To prevent excessive stretching or slack in the cable due to speed mismatch between the trolley and the electric shovel 3, a PID controller is used to dynamically adjust the trolley speed. The output control quantity u(t) is shown in the following formula:

[0126]

[0127] Parameter description:

[0128] u(t): Output control quantity (hydraulic pump speed, which determines vehicle speed);

[0129] K p K i K d : Proportional, integral, and differential coefficients;

[0130] e(t): The speed error between the working electric shovel 3 and the take-up and release vehicle at the current moment is e(t) = v(electric shovel) - v(take-up and release vehicle).

[0131] Binocular vision calculates the depth information of the cable point cloud through triangulation, using the following formula:

[0132]

[0133] Parameter description:

[0134] Z: Depth of the target point (a point on the cable) (vertical distance from the camera).

[0135] f: Camera focal length (intrinsic parameter, known parameter);

[0136] B: Baseline distance of the binocular camera (fixed value);

[0137] d: Disparity (pixel difference) of the target point in the left and right images.

[0138] To prevent cable slack or breakage, the tension angle needs to be calculated and the drum torque adjusted based on the cable suspension configuration. Assuming the two ends of the suspended cable are A and B, the direction of gravity is G, and the tension angle is θ, the tension angle is calculated based on the law of cosines.

[0139]

[0140] Parameter description:

[0141] AB: Length of cable suspension section (measured by binocular vision).

[0142] AG, BG: Distances from the two endpoints to the point of application of gravity;

[0143] When the tension angle exceeds the safety threshold (60 degrees), it indicates cable slack, and the on-board control box 15 increases the drum torque to tighten the cable; conversely, if the tension angle is too small (close to 0 degrees), the torque is reduced to prevent overstretching. Through trajectory planning, speed adjustment, depth sensing, and tension control, quantitative driving from visual data to mechanical action is achieved. The tracking formula guides the steering of the take-up and release vehicle, the PID formula ensures speed synchronization, the triangulation formula constructs a three-dimensional trajectory, and the tension angle formula optimizes cable tension, all working together to ensure safe and coordinated operation of the take-up and release vehicle and the electric shovel 3 under complex working conditions.

[0144] The status perception and intelligent control module is a key component for achieving closed-loop operation of the take-up and unwinding vehicle. The power supply-side drum is equipped with an incremental rotary encoder, which converts the drum's rotation angle into a displacement signal via code disk pulses, outputting 1000 pulses per revolution. Combined with the drum's circumference (e.g., 1m), the system can calculate the cable length and winding direction in real time. When the cumulative pulse count is zero, it is determined to be an empty drum; when the pulse count reaches the maximum threshold (e.g., 10000 pulses), it is determined to be a full drum.

[0145] In the empty disc operation, when the encoder detects that the pulse count has returned to zero, the onboard controller immediately stops the track drive and triggers the electromagnetic brake to lock, preventing misoperation when there is no cable. Simultaneously, the shovel drum continues passive cable release to ensure continuous operation. To prevent misjudgment, the system introduces a dual-threshold confirmation mechanism: the disc is only considered empty when both "pulse count returning to zero" and "tension sensor detecting tension below 20N" are simultaneously met.

[0146] Under full-load operation, the encoder detects that the cable has been completely retracted, and the on-board controller sequentially shuts down the drum motor, hydraulic station, and power system, automatically stopping the take-up and unwinding vehicle. At the same time, the system uploads the operation completion signal, the total length of the cable taken up and unwound, and the operation time to the central dispatch platform via the communication interface, realizing fully automated closed-loop management of the operation.

[0147] 1. Monitoring Principle of Roll Encoder

[0148] The power supply drum uses an incremental rotary encoder, with its code disk fixed on the drum shaft. During rotation, it outputs quadrature pulse signals (A / B phase). The encoder resolution is 1000 pulses / revolution. When the drum circumference is set to 1 meter, each 1000 pulses corresponds to 1 meter of cable winding / unwinding length. The vehicle-mounted control box 15 reads the pulse count and direction in real time via the CAN bus and calculates the remaining cable length: when the pulse count reaches zero, it is marked as an empty drum; when the pulse count reaches the set upper limit (e.g., 10000 pulses), it is marked as a full drum.

[0149] 2. Linkage control in empty disk state

[0150] The triggering conditions are: the encoder pulse count returns to zero, and the cable tension detected by the tension sensor of the electric shovel 3 remains below 20N (dual threshold confirmation to avoid false alarms). Once these conditions are met, the onboard control box 15 immediately executes three actions: ① It cuts off the hydraulic drive of the tracks, triggering the electromagnetic brake to stop the vehicle within one second; ② It sends a control signal to the drum of the electric shovel 3, keeping it in passive release mode and stabilizing the tension at approximately 50N through the torque limiter and magnetic powder brake; ③ It reports the empty drum status to the central control system, prompting on-site personnel to replace the cable drum promptly. This strategy ensures that the equipment will not continue to operate without cable, preventing damage caused by crushing or dragging.

[0151] 3. Automatic shutdown when the disk is full.

[0152] The triggering conditions are: the cumulative pulse count reaches the upper limit or an abnormal decrease in cable tension is detected. At this time, the vehicle-mounted control box 15 sequentially shuts down the hydraulic station, diesel engine, and UWB positioning module, entering a low-power standby mode; simultaneously, it sends a control signal to lock the drum brake of the electric shovel 3 to prevent cable rebound. Work completion information (including work duration, cable usage, etc.) is uploaded to the central control system via wireless network, achieving a closed-loop process.

[0153] By employing dual-threshold judgment, high-resolution encoder monitoring, and multi-device linkage, this module effectively avoids common errors encountered in traditional manual judgment. Experimental results show that the system significantly improves the accuracy of empty / full disk identification, and significantly reduces the operation interruption rate and equipment failure rate, providing a high-reliability guarantee for cable winding and unwinding operations in smart mines.

[0154] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cable reel-and-delivery vehicle with triple redundancy sensing, wherein an electric shovel and a high- and low-voltage distribution room are respectively installed on both sides of the cable reel-and-delivery vehicle, characterized in that, The cable winding and unwinding vehicle is equipped with a UWB positioning antenna, a torque motor, a front-end binocular camera, a front-end cable reel, an on-board high and low voltage power distribution room, a rear-end cable reel, a rear-end binocular camera, a rear-end cable guide frame, a torque motor, a hydraulic station, a diesel engine, an on-board control box, and a front-end cable guide frame. The torque motor is mounted on the front-end cable reel to provide driving force for cable winding and unwinding. The front-end binocular camera is fixed at the front of the vehicle and the power supply end to collect spatial images of the front cable. The front-end cable reel is mounted on the front of the vehicle for winding and unwinding cables connected to the electric shovel. The rear-end cable reel is mounted on the rear of the vehicle for winding and unwinding cables connected to the high and low voltage power distribution room. The rear-end binocular camera is fixed at the rear of the vehicle to collect spatial images of the rear cable. The rear-end cable guide frame is located at the rear of the vehicle and moves left and right with the cable during winding and unwinding. The torque motor is mounted on the rear-end reel to provide driving force for cable winding and unwinding. The front-end cable guide frame is located at the front of the vehicle and moves left and right with the cable during winding and unwinding. The image algorithm is used to calculate the cable curvature and tension angle in real time. Combined with UWB positioning technology, the cable delivery vehicle is used as the base station and the electric shovel is used as the tag station to achieve high-precision positioning. The RSSI and TDoA combined correction mechanism is used to reduce multipath interference errors in the mining area.

2. A control method for a cable reel-in / deel-out vehicle with triple redundant sensing as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1, enable UWB positioning function, the vehicle controller can obtain the spatial distance between the cable retractor and the electric shovel in real time; S2, when the working electric shovel moves a distance exceeding the minimum following threshold, the cable reel-in vehicle automatically enters the following mode; the binocular vision system at the working electric shovel end is activated to identify the cable's trajectory information in three-dimensional space, including parameters such as curvature, extension direction and height above the ground; The onboard controller fuses visual data with distance information corrected by UWB, and uses a pure tracking algorithm to calculate the travel speed and steering angle of the tracked chassis, thereby guiding the launch vehicle to travel automatically along the cable path and always maintaining the minimum safe distance from the electric shovel. S3, when the power supply end drum encoder detects in real time that the cable is in an empty reel state, the vehicle controller immediately stops the forward movement of the winding vehicle to avoid continuing to pull without a cable, which could lead to drum overload or equipment damage. S4, when the electric shovel finishes its work and begins to return to the starting point, the UWB positioning system continuously monitors the distance between the two vehicles and ensures the distance measurement accuracy in the return path through distance correction; S5, when the power supply end drum encoder detects that the cable is fully retracted and in a full state, the vehicle controller triggers the shutdown logic, sequentially shutting down the hydraulic drive, drum motor and power system, and the vehicle automatically stops moving.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step S1, the UWB positioning system consists of a base station installed on the cable reel vehicle and a tag station installed on the electric shovel. The base station has a built-in ultra-wideband transmitting module and receiving module. The tag station can respond to and transmit the ultra-wideband pulse signal emitted by the base station. The vehicle-mounted control box calculates the signal arrival time difference and phase difference to obtain a two-way ranging result with centimeter-level accuracy. The ranging data is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted control box at a high sampling frequency of 10-100Hz to ensure that it can respond to the movement changes of the electric shovel in real time. The vehicle-mounted control box compares the UWB positioning data with preset... The minimum following threshold is compared to determine whether the electric shovel has started, exceeded the distance, or returned, thereby triggering the passive cable laying, following, and return cable retrieval logic of the cable reel-in vehicle. UWB positioning is not only used for distance determination, but also forms a redundant perception relationship with the binocular vision system. When the binocular camera fails to recognize the trajectory due to strong light interference, obstruction, or dust, UWB positioning can still independently provide reliable distance and position data, thereby maintaining the continuity and safety of cable reel-in operations. Through the fusion of UWB and visual data, the vehicle-mounted control box can use Kalman filtering to jointly correct the distance and trajectory.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step S2, the binocular vision system consists of two cameras. The cameras are arranged at a fixed baseline distance at the working electric shovel end or the power supply end, and can synchronously acquire cable image data under a unified clock. The acquired binocular images are first processed by distortion correction, grayscale conversion and filtering preprocessing, and then a disparity map is obtained through a stereo matching algorithm, which is then converted into the depth information of the cable in three-dimensional space. The vehicle-mounted control box is fitted and smoothed to obtain the spatial trajectory curve of the cable.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step S3, the power supply end drum encoder adopts an incremental rotary encoder structure. By installing a code disk on the drum shaft, the drum rotation angle is converted into an electrical pulse signal, which is connected to the vehicle-mounted control box through A / B phase quadrature output. The vehicle-mounted control box records the pulse count in real time and calculates the cable length by combining it with the drum circumference. The vehicle-mounted control box identifies the status based on the cumulative pulse count. When the pulse count is zero, it is determined to be in an empty drum state, and a braking command is immediately issued to cut off the track drive and activate the braking device, so that the cable winding vehicle stops in a very short time, avoiding cable breakage or equipment idle due to continued movement in an empty state. When the cumulative pulse count reaches the preset maximum value (corresponding to the full capacity of the drum), it is determined to be in a full drum state. The vehicle-mounted control box sequentially shuts down the hydraulic station, drum motor, and engine power, entering a shutdown mode to avoid cable compression or mechanical damage caused by excessive cable winding. The encoder signal can also be used as auxiliary verification data for binocular vision and UWB positioning to estimate the total length of the actual cable release or recovery, ensuring the consistency and reliability of the operation data.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step S2, during the automatic following process, the vehicle-mounted control box comprehensively utilizes the real-time distance provided by UWB positioning and the trajectory parameters of binocular vision recognition to dynamically adjust the driving speed of the tracked chassis through a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm. The onboard control box compares the actual speed of the electric shovel with the current speed of the shovel in real time to obtain the speed error e(t), and then uses the control formula... The speed correction U(t) is calculated to adjust the speed of the hydraulic pump, thereby achieving speed synchronization. Through this control method, the retrieval vehicle can always maintain the distance error between itself and the electric shovel within the allowable range, avoiding excessive cable stretching due to the shovel's acceleration or cable accumulation and dragging on the ground due to the retrieval vehicle's lag. The PID parameter K... p K i K d It can be dynamically adjusted according to the operating conditions in the mining area. For example, when traveling at high speed on a straight line, the proportional coefficient can be increased to ensure a rapid response, and when traveling on complex curves, the integral and derivative coefficients can be increased to ensure a smooth transition. The vehicle-mounted control box can also establish a speed prediction model by combining historical motion data, and adjust the speed of the retrieval vehicle in advance when the electric shovel accelerates or decelerates suddenly, so as to achieve forward control. This control mechanism not only ensures the coordinated operation of the retrieval vehicle and the electric shovel, but also significantly reduces cable tension fluctuations and improves the stability and safety of the operation process.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step S4, when the electric shovel completes its work and begins to return to the starting point, the return phase is taken over by the binocular vision system at the power supply end to identify the trajectory. It reconstructs the spatial trajectory of the return path through a stereo vision algorithm and transmits the cable's direction, curvature, and tension angle data to the vehicle-mounted control box in real time. After receiving the trajectory data, the vehicle-mounted control box integrates it with the real-time distance information provided by UWB positioning and the cable winding length data output by the drum encoder to form a multi-source input, thereby driving the tracked chassis to move in the opposite direction along the laid cable path. During the return trip, the vehicle-mounted control box dynamically adjusts the vehicle speed based on the cable curvature, increasing speed on straight sections and slowing down on curves or sections with significant curvature to prevent running over or pulling on the cable. The system adjusts the drum torque based on real-time changes in the tension angle. When the tension angle is too large, the cable is tightened appropriately to prevent obstruction due to loose cable accumulation; when the tension angle is too small, the torque is reduced to prevent damage to the cable due to excessive stretching. When the drum encoder detects that the cable is fully retracted and in a full-reel state, the vehicle-mounted control box triggers a shutdown, and the return cable retrieval is completed automatically. This return trip control mechanism achieves full automation and safety management from construction to site withdrawal through the triple synergy of visual guidance, positioning monitoring, and status perception.

8. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The vehicle-mounted control box fuses multi-source sensing data from binocular vision, UWB positioning, and the drum encoder. It optimizes measurements using weighted averaging and fault-tolerant mechanisms to eliminate environmental noise and sudden anomalies. When binocular vision fails due to strong light reflection, dust obstruction, or complex terrain, the system automatically switches to a UWB positioning and encoder combination mode. It estimates the trajectory using distance measurement data and cable length to ensure the cable reel continues operation. When the UWB signal is lost due to interference, the system relies on binocular vision trajectory and encoder data to maintain control. When the drum encoder signal is abnormal or briefly lost, the system uses binocular vision and UWB distance to estimate cable reel status. Through this complementarity between sensors, the system can maintain basic functions even if a single sensor fails, significantly improving operational reliability and safety. The vehicle-mounted control box can also build a state prediction model based on historical data, filling in gaps with predicted values ​​when data is temporarily missing, preventing downtime or malfunctions caused by momentary faults.

9. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The vehicle-mounted control box employs a dual-threshold confirmation mechanism when determining whether the reel is empty or full to improve the accuracy and safety of status identification. Specifically, when the drum encoder detects that the cumulative pulse count has returned to zero, it cannot immediately determine that the reel is empty. Instead, it is necessary to simultaneously meet the condition that the tension angle calculated by the cable tension sensor or binocular vision is lower than the preset lower limit (20N or the tension angle is greater than 60 degrees) before confirming that the reel is empty and triggering the emergency braking logic of the take-up and release vehicle to prevent premature shutdown due to misjudgment. In the full retraction determination, when the cumulative number of encoder pulses reaches the preset maximum value, the cable tension must be significantly reduced or the tension angle must be close to zero before it is determined that the cable has been fully retracted and the shutdown logic is triggered. The dual threshold judgment mechanism effectively avoids accidental shutdowns caused by encoder signal jitter, electromagnetic interference, or short-term tension fluctuations, thereby improving the continuity and stability of cable winding and unwinding operations. The vehicle-mounted control box uploads data to the central control system for recording each state switch, forming a traceable status log.

Images