Automatic leveling control method for medium-length hole trolley
The automatic leveling method, which employs multi-stage collaborative control and phased adjustment, solves the problems of low leveling efficiency, poor stability, and safety hazards of medium-deep hole trolleys in complex terrain, achieving a fast, economical, and reliable leveling effect suitable for mining operating environments.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-10
AI Technical Summary
The existing leveling technology for medium-deep hole trolleys is inefficient, unstable, and poses safety hazards. In particular, it is difficult to achieve fast and accurate automatic leveling in complex terrain, resulting in long unplanned downtime, high costs, system complexity, and high failure rate.
A multi-stage collaborative control strategy is adopted, which uses an EPEC controller and a phased progressive control, combined with a dual-axis tilt sensor, to achieve phased adjustment of pre-extension, initial extension, front-back leveling, and left-right leveling. By using time control and incremental PID algorithm, the leveling oscillation and hydraulic system complexity in traditional methods are avoided.
It significantly shortens the leveling time to within 1 minute, reduces the failure rate of the hydraulic system, reduces costs, improves the stability of the work platform, meets the accuracy requirements of deep hole drilling, and reduces equipment manufacturing costs.
Smart Images
Figure CN121822385A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of intelligent control technology for mining machinery, specifically relating to an automatic leveling method and system for mining equipment based on an embedded controller. It is particularly suitable for medium-deep hole trolleys operating in mine environments, achieving rapid automatic leveling of the trolley body through an innovative multi-stage collaborative control strategy. Background Technology
[0002] As a core piece of equipment in modern mining operations, the stability of the working platform of a medium-deep hole drilling rig directly affects drilling accuracy, operational efficiency, and personnel and equipment safety. In typical operational scenarios such as bench drilling in open-pit mines and deep underground mining, the rig needs to maintain a horizontal working posture under complex terrain conditions with slopes exceeding 15° to ensure that the vertical deviation of the borehole does not exceed the technical requirement of 0.5° / m. Traditional leveling technology faces multiple technical bottlenecks in practical applications: manual leveling relies on operator experience, and completing leveling under typical working conditions is time-consuming, seriously affecting operational efficiency; while early automatic leveling systems, lacking a mechanism to predict the initial state of the outriggers, often experience hydraulic system oscillations during the leveling process when the rig is stationary on uneven bedrock surfaces due to uneven initial support forces of the outriggers. This manifests as a "fishing effect" of repeated extension and retraction of the cylinders, which not only prolongs the leveling time to 6-8 minutes but also accelerates the wear of seals and reduces the service life of the hydraulic system. More seriously, when operating on slopes of 25° or more, which are common for mining trolleys, if the traditional leveling algorithm directly enters the multi-degree-of-freedom synchronous adjustment mode, it may cause an instantaneous shift in the center of gravity of the vehicle body. There is about a 12% probability of triggering the anti-tipping protection device, leading to mandatory shutdown and maintenance as required by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
[0003] Existing technologies often require high-precision displacement sensors to be installed on each outrigger to improve leveling accuracy. For example, the procurement cost of a single outrigger sensing system from the German brand HBM is as high as $2,300, and a four-leg configuration increases the trolley manufacturing cost by approximately 15%. While Komatsu's K-ATS system can complete leveling within 5 minutes, its reliance on pressure sensors on all outriggers increases system complexity by 40% and reduces the mean time between failures (MTBF) to below 800 hours. These technological limitations mean that existing medium-deep hole trolleys still experience 56-72 hours of unplanned downtime annually due to leveling issues in typical large open-pit mines such as the Escondida copper mine in Chile. The industry urgently needs a new automatic leveling control method that balances leveling efficiency, safety, reliability, and economy to overcome the key technological bottlenecks hindering the intelligent upgrading of mining equipment. Summary of the Invention
[0004] This invention addresses the problems of low efficiency, poor stability, and safety hazards in existing deep-hole trolley leveling technologies by proposing an automatic leveling method based on multi-stage collaborative control. This method is implemented through an EPEC controller mounted on the trolley. The system configuration includes four leveling support leg cylinders (left front, right front, left rear, and right rear) and a dual-axis tilt sensor for detecting the trolley's posture. The core innovation of this invention lies in employing a phased progressive control strategy. First, in the pre-extension stage, the two front support leg cylinders are simultaneously extended for 5 seconds using timed control to establish an initial support benchmark. This design effectively avoids the leveling oscillation phenomenon caused by the uncertainty of the initial state of the support legs in traditional methods. After the pre-extension is completed, the system enters the initial extension stage. By controlling the front cylinders to continue extending while the rear cylinders retract, a benchmark posture with a higher front and lower rear is actively constructed. This unique design provides a clear adjustment direction for subsequent leveling processes, and actual measurements show a significant reduction in leveling time.
[0005] During the precise leveling stage, this invention employs a front-to-rear and left-to-right sequential leveling strategy. First, front-to-rear leveling is performed based on X-axis tilt angle data. When the absolute value of the front-to-rear tilt angle exceeds a threshold, the system intelligently determines the vehicle's tilt direction and controls the front and rear cylinder groups accordingly. This threshold setting ensures leveling accuracy while avoiding over-adjustment. Notably, the left-to-right leveling stage innovatively adopts a front-wheel-dominated adjustment mode, achieving lateral vehicle balance by individually controlling the front left and right cylinders. This design not only simplifies the control system structure but also significantly reduces the energy consumption of the hydraulic system. The entire leveling process is seamlessly connected between stages through status flags, ensuring the rigor and reliability of the control logic. When the system detects that both the front-to-rear and left-to-right tilt angles have reached stable thresholds, it automatically enters the leveling completion state, and all cylinders stop operating and maintain the current support posture.
[0006] This disclosure adopts the following technical solution: an automatic leveling control method for a medium-deep hole trolley, the method comprising the following steps:
[0007] Step 1: Pre-extension stage
[0008] When the system detects that all components are in normal condition and receives an automatic leveling command, the controller first initiates the pre-extension procedure. In this stage, the system controls the left front outrigger cylinder (Y423) and the right front outrigger cylinder (Y424) to extend simultaneously, with the extension duration controlled by a preset 5-second timer. This design cleverly uses time control to replace traditional position sensor detection, significantly reducing system complexity while ensuring the front of the vehicle is reliably lifted off the ground. After the pre-extension action is completed, the system automatically sets a pre-extension completion flag, preparing for the next stage. The innovation of this stage lies in establishing the initial support point through simplified open-loop control, avoiding sensor misjudgments in complex environments.
[0009] Step 2, Initial Extension Stage
[0010] After confirming the pre-extension is complete, the system enters the attitude initialization phase. At this time, the controller simultaneously executes two control actions: on the one hand, it continues to control the extension of the left front (Y423) and right front (Y424) outrigger cylinders; on the other hand, it controls the retraction of the left rear (Y408) and right rear (Y409) outrigger cylinders. This coordinated control strategy enables the vehicle body to actively form a reference attitude with the front higher than the rear, and this unique design establishes a clear adjustment direction for subsequent precise leveling. The system monitors the X-axis tilt angle sensor data in real time. When the tilt angle reaches the preset threshold, it immediately stops the cylinder action and sets a preliminary extension completion marker. The innovation of this phase lies in actively constructing an asymmetric attitude, providing a clear vector reference for the subsequent leveling process.
[0011] Step 3: Leveling stage
[0012] After confirming the initial extension is complete, the system initiates closed-loop leveling control based on the X-axis tilt angle. The controller continuously compares the forward and backward tilt angles with a preset first threshold. When the absolute value of the tilt angle exceeds the threshold, it intelligently determines the tilt direction and executes corresponding control: if the rear is detected to be too high, the two front leg cylinders are controlled to extend synchronously; if the front is too high, the two rear leg cylinders are controlled to extend. This process uses an incremental PID algorithm to achieve precise control until the forward and backward tilt angles stabilize within the threshold range, at which point a leveling completion flag is set. The key technology in this stage lies in employing an asymmetric threshold control strategy, which ensures leveling accuracy while avoiding frequent cylinder movements.
[0013] Step 4: Leveling the left and right sides
[0014] After successful front and rear leveling verification, the system transitions to Y-axis tilt adjustment. This stage innovatively employs a front-wheel-dominated control mode, achieving lateral balance through individual adjustment of the left and right front hydraulic cylinders. When the absolute value of the left or right tilt angle exceeds the 0.5° threshold, if the right side is too high, the left front hydraulic cylinder (Y423) is extended; if the left side is too high, the right front hydraulic cylinder (Y424) is extended. This design reduces the number of hydraulic valve actions compared to traditional four-wheel linkage schemes. During leveling, an adaptive filtering algorithm is used to eliminate vibration interference unique to mining machinery until the left and right tilt angles stabilize within the threshold, at which point a left and right leveling completion indicator is set.
[0015] Step 5: Leveling Completion Stage
[0016] Once the system detects that both front-to-back and left-to-right leveling are complete, it immediately sends a stop command to all outrigger cylinder control valves, maintaining the cylinders in their current extended state. Simultaneously, a continuous monitoring mechanism is activated, detecting changes in vehicle body tilt angle in real time at a frequency of 1Hz. If the tilt angle in any direction exceeds the threshold and persists for more than 3 seconds, the corresponding leveling process is automatically retried. This stage incorporates a safety interlock logic to ensure that non-operational commands will not trigger malfunctions once leveling is complete.
[0017] An electronic device includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the program to implement the automatic leveling control method for a deep-hole trolley.
[0018] A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the automatic leveling control method for a medium-deep hole trolley.
[0019] Features and beneficial effects of the present invention:
[0020] This invention offers significant advantages over existing technologies: First, by employing a pre-extension mechanism and a phased control strategy, the leveling time under typical working conditions is reduced from 5-10 minutes using traditional methods to less than 1 minute. Second, the front-wheel-driven left-right leveling method reduces frequent adjustments to the rear cylinders, lowering the hydraulic system failure rate. Third, it requires only dual-axis tilt sensors, saving four outrigger displacement sensors compared to traditional solutions, thus reducing costs by over 8,000 yuan per unit. Fourth, the unique baseline posture establishment method effectively avoids vehicle body swaying during leveling, improving the stability of the work platform and fully meeting the precision requirements of deep hole drilling operations. These technological innovations make this invention particularly suitable for complex mining environments, providing a reliable solution for the intelligent upgrading of mining equipment. Attached Figure Description
[0021] Figure 1 This is the overall flowchart of the automatic leveling control method of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.
[0023] Conversely, this application covers any substitutions, modifications, equivalents, and solutions made within the spirit and scope of this application as defined by the claims. Furthermore, to provide a better understanding of this application, certain specific details are described in detail below. However, those skilled in the art will fully understand this application even without these detailed descriptions.
[0024] The automatic leveling control system for medium-deep hole trolleys provided by this invention adopts a modular design and achieves fully automatic control through an EPEC 3724 industrial-grade programmable controller. The control system mainly consists of three parts: a hydraulic actuator, a sensing and detection unit, and a control center. The hydraulic actuator includes six sets of high-performance outrigger cylinders, employing a double-acting hydraulic cylinder design with a working pressure set at 21 MPa. The piston rod surface is hard chrome plated to improve wear resistance. The two sets of front outriggers employ independent control design: the Y423 valve group controls the extension and retraction of the front left outrigger (Y423A controls extension, Y423B controls retraction), and the Y424 valve group controls the extension and retraction of the front right outrigger (Y424A controls extension, Y424B controls retraction). These two sets of cylinders are primarily responsible for leveling the trolley in the forward and backward directions. The Y408 and Y409 valve groups independently control the raising and lowering of the front left and front right outriggers, respectively. The Y410 valve group adopts a parallel hydraulic circuit design, which can synchronously control the raising and lowering of the two rear outriggers, ensuring the synchronicity of rear leveling. All hydraulic valve groups are equipped with pressure compensators and flow control valves to ensure the smoothness and accuracy of cylinder movement.
[0025] The dual-axis tilt sensor used in this invention is the core sensing element of the automatic leveling control system, and its performance directly affects the accuracy and reliability of the entire leveling system. This sensor is manufactured based on advanced MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) technology and employs a high-precision capacitive measurement principle, capable of simultaneously measuring the vehicle's tilt angle in both the front-rear and left-right directions. The dual-axis tilt sensor is carefully positioned below and behind the storage rod, accurately reflecting the overall attitude of the vehicle body. In terms of measurement principle, the sensor contains two mutually perpendicular miniature accelerometers. The X-axis accelerometer measures the front-rear tilt, with its sensitive axis parallel to the vehicle's direction of travel; the Y-axis accelerometer measures the left-right tilt, with its sensitive axis perpendicular to the vehicle's direction of travel. Each accelerometer consists of a mass-spring system made of micro-machined silicon wafers. When tilting occurs, the mass displaces under gravity, causing a change in the capacitance value. This change in capacitance is converted into a digital signal by a dedicated ASIC chip.
[0026] An automatic leveling control method for a medium-deep hole trolley provided in this embodiment of the invention includes the following steps:
[0027] Step 1: Pre-extension stage
[0028] When the system detects that all components are in normal condition and receives an automatic leveling command, the controller first initiates the pre-extension procedure. In this stage, the system controls the front left outrigger cylinder (Y423) and the front right outrigger cylinder (Y424) to extend simultaneously, with the extension duration controlled by a preset 5-second timer. This design cleverly uses time control to replace traditional position sensor detection, significantly reducing system complexity while ensuring the front of the vehicle is reliably lifted off the ground. After the pre-extension action is completed, the system automatically sets a pre-extension completion flag, preparing for the next stage. The innovation of this stage lies in establishing the initial support point through simplified open-loop control, avoiding sensor misjudgments in complex environments.
[0029] Step 2, Initial Extension Stage
[0030] After confirming the pre-extension is complete, the system enters the attitude initialization phase. At this time, the controller simultaneously executes two control actions: on the one hand, it continues to control the extension of the front left (Y423) and front right (Y424) outrigger cylinders; on the other hand, it controls the retraction of the rear left (Y408) and rear right (Y409) outrigger cylinders. This coordinated control strategy enables the vehicle body to actively form a reference attitude with the front higher than the rear, and this unique design establishes a clear adjustment direction for subsequent precise leveling. The system monitors the X-axis tilt angle sensor data in real time. When the tilt angle reaches the preset threshold, it immediately stops the cylinder action and sets a preliminary extension completion marker. The innovation of this phase lies in actively constructing an asymmetric attitude, providing a clear vector reference for the subsequent leveling process.
[0031] Step 3: Leveling stage
[0032] After confirming the initial extension is complete, the system initiates closed-loop leveling control based on the X-axis tilt angle. The controller continuously compares the forward and backward tilt angles with a preset first threshold. When the absolute value of the tilt angle exceeds the threshold, it intelligently determines the tilt direction and executes corresponding control: if the rear is detected to be too high, the two front leg cylinders are controlled to extend synchronously; if the front is too high, the two rear leg cylinders are controlled to extend. This process uses an incremental PID algorithm to achieve precise control until the forward and backward tilt angles stabilize within the threshold range, at which point a leveling completion flag is set. The key technology in this stage lies in employing an asymmetric threshold control strategy, which ensures leveling accuracy while avoiding frequent cylinder movements.
[0033] Step 4: Leveling the left and right sides
[0034] After successful front and rear leveling verification, the system transitions to Y-axis tilt adjustment. This stage innovatively employs a front-wheel-dominated control mode, achieving lateral balance through individual adjustment of the left and right front hydraulic cylinders. When the absolute value of the left or right tilt angle exceeds the 0.5° threshold, if the right side is too high, the left front hydraulic cylinder (Y423) is extended; if the left side is too high, the right front hydraulic cylinder (Y424) is extended. This design reduces the number of hydraulic valve actions compared to traditional four-wheel linkage schemes. During leveling, an adaptive filtering algorithm is used to eliminate vibration interference unique to mining machinery until the left and right tilt angles stabilize within the threshold, at which point a left and right leveling completion indicator is set.
[0035] Step 5: Leveling Completion Stage
[0036] Once the system detects that both front-to-back and left-to-right leveling are complete, it immediately sends a stop command to all outrigger cylinder control valves, maintaining the cylinders in their current extended state. Simultaneously, a continuous monitoring mechanism is activated, detecting changes in vehicle body tilt angle in real time at a frequency of 1Hz. If the tilt angle in any direction exceeds the threshold and persists for more than 3 seconds, the corresponding leveling process is automatically retried. This stage incorporates a safety interlock logic to ensure that non-operational commands will not trigger malfunctions once leveling is complete.
[0037] In addition to the embodiments described above, this disclosure may have other implementation methods. All technical solutions formed by equivalent substitution or equivalent transformation fall within the protection scope claimed by this invention.
Claims
1. An automatic leveling control method for a medium-deep hole trolley, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: Step 1, Pre-extension stage, Step 2, Initial Extension Stage Step 3, front and rear leveling stage, Step 4: Leveling left and right. Step 5: Leveling completed.
2. The automatic leveling control method for a medium-deep hole trolley according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 1, the pre-extension stage, is detailed below. When the system detects that all components are in normal condition and receives an automatic leveling command, the controller first starts the pre-extension program. In this stage, the system controls the left front outrigger cylinder (Y423) and the right front outrigger cylinder (Y424) to extend simultaneously. The extension duration is controlled by a preset 5-second timer. After the pre-extension action is completed, the system automatically sets the pre-extension completion flag to prepare for the next stage.
3. The automatic leveling control method for a medium-deep hole trolley according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 2, the initial extension stage, is detailed below. After confirming the pre-extension is completed, the system enters the attitude initialization stage. At this time, the controller simultaneously executes two control actions: on the one hand, it continues to control the extension of the left front (Y423) and right front (Y424) outrigger cylinders, and on the other hand, it controls the retraction of the left rear (Y408) and right rear (Y409) outrigger cylinders. The system monitors the X-axis tilt angle sensor data in real time. When the front and rear tilt angles reach the preset threshold, the cylinder action is immediately stopped and the preliminary extension completion mark is set. The innovation of this stage is reflected in actively constructing an asymmetric attitude, so that the subsequent leveling process has a clear vector reference.
4. The automatic leveling control method for a medium-deep hole trolley according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 3, the front and rear leveling stage, is detailed below. After confirming the initial extension is completed, the system initiates closed-loop leveling control based on the X-axis tilt angle. The controller continuously compares the front and rear tilt angles with a preset first threshold. When the absolute value of the tilt angle exceeds the threshold, it intelligently determines the tilt direction and executes corresponding control: if the rear is detected to be too high, the front two leg cylinders are controlled to extend synchronously; if the front is too high, the rear two leg cylinders are controlled to extend.
5. The automatic leveling control method for a medium-deep hole trolley according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 4, the left-right leveling stage, is detailed below. After the front and rear leveling verification is passed, the system switches to Y-axis tilt adjustment. In this stage, the front wheel-dominated control mode is innovatively adopted. Lateral balance is achieved by adjusting the left and right front cylinders separately. When the absolute value of the left and right tilt angles exceeds the 0.5° threshold, if the right side is too high, the left front cylinder (Y423) is controlled to extend; if the left side is too high, the right front cylinder (Y424) is controlled to extend.
6. The automatic leveling control method for a medium-deep hole trolley according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 5, Leveling Completion Stage, details are as follows: When the system detects that the front-to-back leveling and left-to-right leveling have been completed, it immediately sends a stop command to all outrigger cylinder control valves to keep the cylinders in their current extended state. At the same time, it starts a continuous monitoring mechanism to detect changes in the vehicle body tilt angle in real time at a frequency of 1Hz. If the tilt angle in any direction exceeds the threshold and lasts for more than 3 seconds, the corresponding leveling process will be automatically retried.
7. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the program, it implements the automatic leveling control method for the medium-deep hole trolley as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.
8. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions thereon, characterized in that, When the computer instructions are executed by the processor, they implement the automatic leveling control method for the medium-deep hole trolley as described in any one of claims 1-7.