Suction cup safety control system and method for multi-suction-cup type glass lifting vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of safety control of special equipment, in particular to a safety control system and method for suction cups of a multi-suction-cup type glass lifting truck. Comprising a sucker hoisting module which is connected with a mechanical arm of a glass lifting vehicle and comprises a plurality of suckers used for vacuum adsorption of curtain wall glass; the mode configuration module is used for receiving a user instruction and setting a sucker working mode; the state monitoring module is independently connected with all the suction cups and used for obtaining the suction or release state of each suction cup in real time and generating a safety supervision instruction; the safety interlocking control module is connected with the mode configuration module and the state monitoring module and used for controlling the suction cup hoisting module to work; the control module is further used for receiving the safety supervision instruction and conducting safety supervision control on the suction cup hoisting module and the mechanical arm. The system is suitable for the installation work of various types of curtain wall glass, has the safety control capability of deep interlocking with the action of the mechanical arm, can adapt to various complex working conditions, and can greatly improve the operation safety of the glass lifting vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of special equipment safety control technology, specifically to a multi-suction cup glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system and method. Background Technology

[0002] In the installation of glass curtain walls for high-rise buildings, glass lifting vehicles have gradually replaced traditional manual labor, becoming a more efficient, safe, and reliable construction equipment. This type of equipment belongs to a special boom-type aerial work platform. Its multi-section articulated robotic arm is equipped with a suction cup lifting module at its end. A vacuum pump is used to evacuate the suction cups, creating negative pressure inside them. Then, atmospheric pressure is used to firmly adhere the entire curtain wall glass panel to the lifting unit, achieving lifting and installation.

[0003] Although the principle of vacuum adsorption is simple and clear, the aforementioned suction cup control system faces many severe challenges in actual high-altitude working environments, placing higher demands on its intelligence level, safety, and operational reliability. With the increasing demands for decorative finishes in modern construction, curtain wall glass increasingly features decorative seams, decorative components, and special coatings, making it difficult for some suction cups to effectively adsorb or requiring active avoidance. If all suction cups are still forcibly activated in such situations, air leakage from individual suction cups will lower the overall vacuum level of the system, affecting adsorption stability and even causing the entire curtain wall glass to fail to adsorb.

[0004] More seriously, during the lifting process, if one or more key load-bearing suction cups suddenly fail and fall off due to foreign objects on the surface of the curtain wall glass or system failure, while the robotic arm continues to extend or luff, it will generate a large overturning moment, which can easily cause major safety accidents such as vehicle slippage or the entire machine overturning.

[0005] Therefore, it is evident that, on the one hand, the existing suction cup lifting modules of glass lifting vehicles generally adopt simple control logic of "full adsorption" or "full release," which is difficult to adapt to the needs of actual complex working surfaces. The control system lacks the ability to control suction cups in groups / independently and to make fault-tolerant adjustments. When facing situations where obstacles need to be avoided or local adsorption conditions are poor, the operational flexibility and reliability are significantly insufficient, limiting the application of the equipment in a wider range of working conditions. On the other hand, the existing suction cup lifting modules and the mechanical arm of the glass lifting vehicle have insufficient linkage control capabilities. In extreme cases of curtain wall glass adsorption failure, this may lead to safety accidents such as vehicle slippage or overturning of the entire machine, necessitating an urgent technological upgrade. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-suction cup glass lifting vehicle suction cup safety control system and method. This system has adjustable suction cup matrix control capability, which can be applied to various types of curtain wall glass installation operations; and it has intelligent safety control capability that is interlocked with the depth of the robotic arm movement, which can adapt to various complex working conditions and greatly improve the operational safety of the glass lifting vehicle.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system, the system comprising: The suction cup lifting module, connected to the robotic arm of the glass lifting vehicle, includes multiple suction cups used for vacuum adsorption of curtain wall glass; The mode configuration module is used to receive user instructions and set the suction cup working mode according to the user instructions. The suction cup working mode is used to define the set of suction cups participating in the suction operation and their control logic. The status monitoring module is independently connected to each suction cup to obtain the suction or release status of each suction cup in real time and generate safety supervision instructions in real time. The safety interlock control module is connected to the mode configuration module, the status monitoring module, and the suction cup hoisting module. It is used to control the suction cup hoisting module to work according to the suction cup working mode set by the mode configuration module. It is also used to receive safety supervision instructions from the status monitoring module and to perform safety supervision and control on the suction cup hoisting module and the robotic arm.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system further includes a self-test module. The self-test module is connected to the status monitoring module and is used to receive the suction or release status of each suction cup acquired in real time by the status monitoring module, and to determine whether the initial state of the glass lift vehicle meets the safety requirements by referring to a preset configuration table.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the suction cup lifting module includes eight suction cups; the suction cup working modes include eight-suction cup mode, four-suction cup mode, arbitrary suction cup mode, and bypass mode.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-suction cup glass lifting vehicle suction cup safety control system further includes a bypass module. The bypass module is used to activate the bypass mode in the mode configuration module according to the user instruction, shield the status monitoring module from the status detection action of each suction cup, and cut off the safety supervision and control of the safety interlock control module over the suction cup lifting module.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the status monitoring module includes a dangerous action judgment unit and an instruction generation unit; the dangerous action judgment unit is used to determine whether the conditions for the robotic arm to perform a preset dangerous action are met based on the current real-time acquired suction cup adsorption or release status, and outputs an action restriction signal to the instruction generation unit when the conditions are not met; the instruction generation unit is used to generate a safety supervision instruction based on the action restriction signal.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the preset dangerous action includes at least one of the following: robotic arm lifting, robotic arm extension, and robotic arm swinging.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the status monitoring module further includes a release verification unit, which is used to determine whether the condition that all suction cups have been released is met based on the release status of each suction cup currently acquired in real time, and outputs an action restriction signal to the instruction generation unit when the condition is not met.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the status monitoring module further includes a leakage detection unit. The leakage detection is used to determine whether each suction cup has leakage behavior based on the suction cup adsorption or release status of each suction cup currently acquired in real time. If leakage is found, an action restriction signal is output to the instruction generation unit.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-suction cup glass lifter suction cup safety control system further includes a human-machine interaction module. The human-machine interaction module is connected to the mode configuration module and the status monitoring module, and is used to provide a graphical operation interface to the mode configuration module for users to select and set the working mode of the suction cups. It is also used to receive and visually display the real-time status of each suction cup and the specific content of the safety supervision instructions from the status monitoring module.

[0016] Secondly, the present invention also provides a safety control method for the suction cups of a multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle, the method comprising: Receive user instructions and set the suction cup working mode according to the user instructions. The suction cup working mode is used to define the set of suction cups participating in the suction operation and their control logic. The sensor signals of each independent suction cup are acquired in real time to determine the suction or release status of each suction cup, and safety supervision instructions are generated in real time based on the status. Based on the pre-set suction cup working mode, the suction cup is controlled to perform operations; based on the safety supervision instructions, the suction cup and the robotic arm connected to it are subjected to safety interlock control.

[0017] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. This invention introduces flexibly configurable suction cup operating modes (such as eight-suction cup mode, four-suction cup mode, arbitrary suction cup mode, etc.), enabling the suction cup hoisting module to adaptively adjust according to the actual conditions of the curtain wall glass surface (such as decorative joints, coatings, or obstacles), actively avoiding areas with poor adsorption conditions or selectively activating some suction cup sets; this adjustable suction cup matrix control capability significantly improves the equipment's adaptability to complex working surfaces, overcomes the limitations of traditional "all adsorption" control logic, not only enhancing operational flexibility and reliability, but also expanding the application range of the glass lifting vehicle in various types of curtain wall glass installation conditions.

[0018] 2. This invention collects the adsorption status of each suction cup in real time through a status monitoring module, and achieves deep interlocking between the suction cup hoisting module and the robotic arm's movements based on a safety interlock control module. When abnormal conditions such as failure or air leakage of key suction cups are detected, the system can promptly generate safety supervision instructions to restrict the robotic arm from performing dangerous actions, thereby effectively suppressing the generation of overturning moment and avoiding major safety accidents such as vehicle slippage or overturning of the entire machine. This intelligent safety control mechanism greatly improves the inherent safety of the glass lifting vehicle in high-altitude operations, ensuring the stability and reliability of the construction process. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a system structure block diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the method of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The subject matter described herein will now be discussed with reference to exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed merely to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the subject matter described herein, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims. The function and arrangement of the elements discussed may be changed without departing from the scope of this specification. Various processes or components may be omitted, substituted, or added as needed in the various examples. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Furthermore, features described in some examples may be combined in other examples.

[0022] As used herein, the term "comprising" and its variations are open terms meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" means "at least partially based on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" mean "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" means "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc., may refer to different or the same objects. Other definitions, whether explicit or implicit, may be included below. Unless explicitly indicated by the context, the definition of a term shall remain consistent throughout the specification. Example 1

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system, and further explains the system, which includes: The suction cup lifting module, which connects to the robotic arm of the glass lifting vehicle, contains multiple suction cups.

[0024] Specifically, in this embodiment, the suction cup lifting module is installed at the end of the mechanical arm of the glass lifting vehicle and includes eight independently controllable vacuum suction cups (numbered 1 to 8). Each suction cup is equipped with a vacuum sensor and an independent vacuum solenoid valve. The vacuum sensor is used to detect the "adhesion" or "release" state of the suction cup in real time, and the vacuum solenoid valve is used to control the vacuuming and vacuum breaking operations of the suction cup.

[0025] The mode configuration module is used to receive user instructions and set the suction cup working mode according to the user instructions. The suction cup working mode is used to define the set of suction cups participating in the suction operation and their control logic.

[0026] Specifically, as a core component of the system, the mode configuration module is embedded in the main controller. It receives user commands from the human-machine interface module and parses them into specific suction cup control logic. For example, when the user selects "eight suction cup modes", the module configures all eight suction cups to participate in the operation; when the user activates "suction cup 1458 removal mode", the module actually activates "four suction cup modes", using only suction cups 2, 3, 6, and 7, and disabling the status feedback and control of suction cups 1, 4, 5, and 8; when the user selects "any suction cup mode", the module selects the suction cup numbers (1~8) to be used on the interface, and then configures the set of suction cups to participate in the operation accordingly.

[0027] The status monitoring module is independently connected to each suction cup to obtain the suction or release status of each suction cup in real time and generate safety supervision instructions in real time.

[0028] Specifically, the status monitoring module is also embedded in the main controller and is connected to the vacuum sensor of each suction cup via a cable. This module continuously reads the status signals of all suction cups and contains multiple functional units: One is the separation verification unit. After the release action, this unit will check whether all the suction cups that need to participate in the work have been successfully released. If any suction cup fails to be released, it is determined that the condition of all suction cups being released is not met, and an action restriction signal is output to the instruction generation unit.

[0029] Secondly, the air leakage detection unit, in the adsorption state, analyzes the vacuum degree change information fed back by the vacuum sensor to determine whether there is air leakage in the suction cup. If the suction cup accidentally detaches during operation (i.e., air leakage failure), the unit will immediately identify it. In addition, through the identification of this unit, an air replenishment command can also be sent to the existing auxiliary air replenishment module to perform air replenishment action.

[0030] The third is the dangerous action judgment unit, which is used to determine whether the robotic arm is allowed to perform dangerous actions (such as lifting or extending) based on the current adsorption state. Its judgment logic is related to the current mode. Specifically, it is used to determine whether the conditions for the robotic arm to perform preset dangerous actions are met, and outputs an action restriction signal to the instruction generation unit when the conditions are not met.

[0031] Fourthly, there is an instruction generation unit, which has a pre-set instruction set in its built-in memory. It can generate safety supervision instructions based on the mapping of action restriction signals. As the direct execution instructions of the safety interlock control module, the safety supervision instructions play a prerequisite role in subsequent safety supervision and control.

[0032] The safety interlock control module is connected to the mode configuration module, the status monitoring module, and the suction cup hoisting module. It is used to control the suction cup hoisting module to work according to the suction cup working mode set by the mode configuration module. It is also used to receive safety supervision instructions from the status monitoring module and to perform safety supervision and control on the suction cup hoisting module and the robotic arm.

[0033] Specifically, as the final execution decision unit, the safety interlock control module connects and interacts with the mode configuration module and the status monitoring module. It controls the vacuum pump and the solenoid valves of each suction cup according to the current mode, and receives the safety supervision instructions generated by the status monitoring module. When an unsafe state is detected (such as the detachment of a critical suction cup), the module will send a restriction signal to the hydraulic control system of the robotic arm to prohibit or restrict the execution of dangerous actions, that is, to perform safety supervision control.

[0034] The human-machine interaction module is connected to the mode configuration module and the status monitoring module. It provides a graphical user interface to the mode configuration module for users to select and set the suction cup working mode. It also receives and visualizes the real-time status of each suction cup and the specific content of safety supervision instructions from the status monitoring module.

[0035] Specifically, the human-machine interaction module is embodied in a touch screen integrated on the vehicle's control panel. This screen provides a graphical interface for displaying the current suction cup operating mode and the real-time status of the eight suction cups (different colors or icons can be used to represent suction / release / fault, etc.). It also provides virtual buttons to facilitate the operator switching between different modes. Furthermore, it displays prompts such as "Suction cup not engaged, do not move upwards or extend" or "Suction cup X air replenishment timeout" when the system triggers a limitation or alarm.

[0036] The self-test module is connected to the status monitoring module. It receives the real-time suction and release status of each suction cup from the status monitoring module and determines whether the initial state of the glass lift vehicle meets the safety requirements by comparing it with the preset configuration table.

[0037] Specifically, the self-test module runs automatically when the system is powered on. It receives the initial status data from the status monitoring module and makes a judgment against the preset safety configuration. In this embodiment, the self-test process can be set to 10 seconds. If the self-test passes, the vacuum solenoid valve is released to prepare for operation; if it fails, the system remains locked and a fault is indicated.

[0038] The bypass module is used to activate the bypass mode in the mode configuration module according to user instructions, shield the status monitoring module from detecting the status of each suction cup, and disconnect the safety interlock control module from the safety supervision and control of the suction cup hoisting module.

[0039] Specifically, the bypass module is used to implement a special bypass mode. When this mode is activated, the safety interlock control module is completely shielded, the feedback from the status monitoring module is cut off, the system does not perform any safety logic judgment, and the operator's instructions are executed directly. This mode is only used for equipment debugging or special emergency situations. When the system is powered on, it will prominently display "Currently in bypass mode, please operate with caution". Example 2

[0040] This embodiment provides a safety control method for the suction cups of a multi-suction cup glass lift vehicle, and further explains the method.

[0041] First, in step 01, receive user instructions and set the suction cup working mode according to the user instructions. The suction cup working mode is used to define the set of suction cups participating in the suction operation and their control logic.

[0042] Specifically, when the vehicle starts, all modules of the system are powered on, and the self-test module begins to work. The check is to see if all suction cups that should be working are in a "not suctioning" state, depending on the current mode. For example, in the "eight suction cups mode", all eight suction cups are checked; in the "four suction cups mode (2367 mode)", suction cups 2, 3, 6, and 7 are checked. If the self-test passes, the system enters a standby state; if the self-test fails (e.g., a suction cup is abnormally adsorbed), the system will lock and alarm, prompting the operator to check.

[0043] After completing the self-test, the operator selects the suction cup working mode through the human-machine interaction module. The mode configuration module loads the corresponding control logic according to the selection result. It should be noted that the mode change must be made in the safe state of "main arm lower limit and fully retracted", and the system needs to be powered on again after the change takes effect. This design is the key to ensuring safety in this embodiment.

[0044] The operator uses a remote control to bring the suction cup hoisting module close to the curtain wall glass surface and issues a suction command. The safety interlock control module starts the vacuum pump according to the mode configuration to evacuate the designated set of suction cups. After confirming the suction, the system determines whether the action conditions are met. For example, in this embodiment, under the "eight suction cup mode," at least three of the four key suction cups (2, 3, 6, and 7) must be successfully engaged before the robotic arm is allowed to perform lifting, extension, or other actions. If the conditions are not met, the action is restricted, and a message "Suction cups not engaged; upward or extension actions prohibited" is displayed on the human-machine interface module.

[0045] Next, in step 02, the sensor signals of each independent suction cup are acquired in real time to determine the suction or release status of each suction cup, and safety supervision instructions are generated in real time based on the status.

[0046] Specifically, the status monitoring module begins to monitor the status of all suction cups in real time. During the lifting process, the status monitoring module continues to work. Once a suction cup is detected to be leaking air and falling off, the dangerous action judgment unit will immediately assess the risk. If the number or location of the fallen suction cups triggers the safety threshold (such as two or more suction cups falling off in the "eight suction cups mode"), the safety interlock control module will restrict the dangerous actions of the robotic arm again.

[0047] Next, in step 03, based on the pre-set suction cup working mode, control the suction cup to perform operations; and based on safety supervision instructions, perform safety interlock control on the suction cup and the robotic arm connected to it.

[0048] Specifically, once the glass is installed in place, the operator issues a release command. The safety interlock control module controls the vacuum solenoid valve to break the vacuum. The detachment verification unit in the status monitoring module checks whether all suction cups that should be released have changed to the "released" state. Only after all suction cups have been successfully released can the robotic arm be allowed to retract and perform subsequent actions to prevent collisions caused by moving under load.

[0049] In addition, this embodiment also includes a timeout alarm handling step. Throughout the process, the system has timers for the "automatic gas replenishment" (maintaining vacuum) and "release" operations. If the operation is not completed within a preset number of minutes, it is determined to be a timeout. The human-machine interaction module will display specific alarm information such as "suction cup X gas replenishment timeout" or "suction cup X release timeout" to guide the operator to troubleshoot.

[0050] In summary, the above embodiments effectively achieve high safety and high reliability of the glass lifting vehicle under complex working conditions by transforming abstract safety control logic into specific, programmable modes and hard interlocking conditions, and by combining real-time status monitoring with user-friendly human-machine interaction.

[0051] The foregoing has described specific embodiments of this specification. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims may be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and may still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific or sequential order shown to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are possible or may be advantageous.

Claims

1. A multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system, characterized in that the system... include: The suction cup lifting module, connected to the robotic arm of the glass lifting vehicle, includes multiple suction cups used for vacuum adsorption of curtain wall glass; The mode configuration module is used to receive user instructions and set the suction cup working mode according to the user instructions. The suction cup working mode is used to define the set of suction cups participating in the suction operation and their control logic. The status monitoring module is independently connected to each suction cup to obtain the suction or release status of each suction cup in real time and generate safety supervision instructions in real time. The safety interlock control module is connected to the mode configuration module, the status monitoring module, and the suction cup hoisting module. It is used to control the suction cup hoisting module to work according to the suction cup working mode set by the mode configuration module. It is also used to receive safety supervision instructions from the status monitoring module and to perform safety supervision and control on the suction cup hoisting module and the robotic arm.

2. The multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, This multi-suction cup glass lifter suction cup safety control system also includes a self-test module. The self-test module is connected to the status monitoring module and is used to receive the suction or release status of each suction cup in real time from the status monitoring module, and to determine whether the initial state of the glass lifter meets the safety requirements by referring to the preset configuration table.

3. The multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The suction cup hoisting module includes eight suction cups; the suction cup working modes include eight-suction cup mode, four-suction cup mode, arbitrary suction cup mode, and bypass mode.

4. The multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, This multi-suction cup glass lifting vehicle suction cup safety control system also includes a bypass module. The bypass module is used to activate the bypass mode in the mode configuration module according to the user's instructions, shield the status monitoring module from the status detection actions of each suction cup, and cut off the safety supervision and control of the safety interlock control module over the suction cup lifting module.

5. The multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The status monitoring module includes a dangerous action judgment unit and an instruction generation unit. The dangerous action judgment unit is used to determine whether the conditions for the robotic arm to perform a preset dangerous action are met based on the current real-time acquired suction cup adsorption or release status, and outputs an action restriction signal to the instruction generation unit when the conditions are not met. The instruction generation unit is used to generate safety supervision instructions based on the action restriction signal.

6. A multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The preset dangerous actions include at least one of the following: robotic arm lifting, robotic arm extension, and robotic arm swinging.

7. A multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The status monitoring module also includes a release verification unit, which is used to determine whether the condition that all suction cups have been released is met based on the release status of each suction cup currently acquired in real time, and outputs an action restriction signal to the instruction generation unit when the condition is not met.

8. A multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The status monitoring module also includes a leakage detection unit. The leakage detection is used to determine whether each suction cup has leakage behavior based on the suction cup adsorption or release status of each suction cup currently acquired in real time. If leakage is found, an action restriction signal is output to the instruction generation unit.

9. A multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle suction cup safety control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, This multi-suction cup glass lifter suction cup safety control system also includes a human-machine interaction module. The human-machine interaction module is connected to the mode configuration module and the status monitoring module. It is used to provide a graphical operation interface to the mode configuration module for users to select and set the working mode of the suction cups. It is also used to receive and visualize the real-time status of each suction cup and the specific content of the safety supervision instructions from the status monitoring module.

10. A safety control method for suction cups in a multi-suction cup type glass lift vehicle, characterized in that the method... include: Receive user instructions and set the suction cup working mode according to the user instructions. The suction cup working mode is used to define the set of suction cups participating in the suction operation and their control logic. The sensor signals of each independent suction cup are acquired in real time to determine the suction or release status of each suction cup, and safety supervision instructions are generated in real time based on the status. Based on the pre-set suction cup working mode, control the suction cup to perform the operation; Based on the aforementioned safety supervision instructions, safety interlock control is performed on the suction cup and the robotic arm connected to it.

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