A shield tunnel vision window automatic replacement and self-maintenance system based on visual perception

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of tunnel engineering equipment, and particularly relates to a shield machine vision window automatic replacement and self-maintenance system based on visual perception, comprising an external protection structure, a vision window automatic replacement mechanism, a pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly and an intelligent central control cabinet; the external protection structure is sealingly installed on the side wall of the shield machine, and a camera is arranged inside the external protection structure; the vision window automatic replacement mechanism comprises a guide sliding groove and at least two tempered glasses slidingly assembled in the guide sliding groove, the front end of the guide sliding groove is provided with an elastic pressing member, and the rear end is provided with a linear driving assembly; the pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly is arranged outside the vision window and connected to the air path system of the shield machine; and the intelligent central control cabinet is electrically connected with the camera, the linear driving assembly and the air path system respectively. The present application can automatically replace the contaminated vision window, has self-cleaning ability and high-strength waterproof sealing structure, and can overcome the interference of harsh environment to obtain clear images.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of tunnel engineering equipment technology, and in particular relates to an automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for the viewing window of a tunnel boring machine based on visual perception. Background Technology

[0002] During tunnel boring machine (TBM) excavation, industrial cameras installed on the sidewalls are required to monitor the surrounding rock conditions in real time. However, existing camera protection devices mostly use a fixed transparent glass cover combined with mechanical wipers, which has significant drawbacks in practical applications. The surface of the fixed glass cover is prone to accumulating mud and dust, causing the field of vision to blur rapidly; while the mechanical wipers are easily jammed or damaged in high-mud and sand environments, and the repetitive wiping accelerates the wear of the viewing window, further reducing image quality. When the viewing window is contaminated or damaged, manual shutdown and entry into the high-pressure working area are usually required for cleaning or replacement, which is not only extremely costly and inefficient but also poses a serious safety threat to construction personnel. In addition, the existing devices generally lack an effective dynamic sealing structure at the viewing window joint, which cannot prevent the penetration of high-pressure mud and water from outside the TBM, often leading to water accumulation inside the protective box and camera damage. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a vision-based automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for TBM viewing windows to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a visual perception-based automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machines (TBMs), which can automatically replace contaminated windows, has self-cleaning capabilities and a high-strength waterproof sealing structure, and can overcome harsh environmental interference to obtain clear images.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution: an automatic window replacement and self-maintenance system for a tunnel boring machine (TBM) based on visual perception, comprising an external protective structure, an automatic window replacement mechanism, a pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly, and an intelligent central control cabinet; the external protective structure is sealed and installed on the side wall of the TBM, and a camera is installed inside the external protective structure; the automatic window replacement mechanism includes a guide rail and at least two tempered glass pieces slidably assembled in the guide rail, with an elastic clamping element at the front end of the guide rail and a linear drive assembly at the rear end; the pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly is located outside the window and connected to the TBM's pneumatic system; the intelligent central control cabinet is electrically connected to the camera, the linear drive assembly, and the pneumatic system; the intelligent central control cabinet is equipped with an image processing module for real-time analysis of image data collected by the camera, and, based on the analysis results, controls the pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly to perform dust removal actions, or controls the linear drive assembly to push a spare window to replace the currently used window, thereby achieving automatic maintenance of the monitoring field of view.

[0005] Preferably, the external protective structure includes a funnel-shaped protective shell welded from inclined steel plates, the inclined angle of the inclined steel plates being 30°-45°, and a protective box connected to the bottom of the protective shell, with the camera fixedly installed inside the protective box.

[0006] Preferably, the top of the protective box has a circular opening facing the camera lens, and a flexible sealing element is installed on the edge of the circular opening; the elastic clamping element is a hinge with a torsion spring.

[0007] Preferably, the linear drive assembly includes a stepper motor and a worm gear driven by the stepper motor. The front end of the worm gear abuts against the rear edge of the last piece of tempered glass, for pushing the tempered glass into the working position along the guide groove and pushing out the waste tempered glass in front.

[0008] Preferably, the axis of the pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly is at an acute angle of 15°-30° to the surface of the tempered glass, and the blowing nozzle is connected to the main air circuit of the tunnel boring machine through a pipeline in series with a solenoid valve, a pressure reducing valve and an oil-water separator.

[0009] Preferably, the camera is connected to the intelligent control cabinet via a PoE Ethernet cable, enabling both power supply and digital image signal transmission via a single cable.

[0010] Preferably, the image processing module runs the dark channel dust-penetrating visual algorithm and the feature recognition algorithm in parallel; the dark channel dust-penetrating visual algorithm is used to filter out water vapor and dust interference in the image and output a clear image of the underlying layer; the feature recognition algorithm is used to calculate the area ratio of mud and sand obstructions and the length of glass cracks in the clear image of the underlying layer.

[0011] Preferably, the intelligent central control cabinet has a multi-level closed-loop triggering logic: when the area ratio of the mud and sand blocking block or the length of the glass crack exceeds the preset safety threshold for the first time, the pneumatic air curtain blowing component is triggered to remove dust; if the retest data after dust removal still does not meet the standard, the automatic window changing mechanism is triggered to change the window.

[0012] Preferably, the front end of the guide groove has a flip-up opening.

[0013] Preferably, the linear drive assembly can also be replaced by one of a linear miniature electric actuator, a motor screw mechanism, or a miniature cylinder, wherein the telescopic end of the actuator or cylinder abuts against the rear edge of the tempered glass.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and technical effects: 1. By employing an automatic window-changing mechanism and a linear drive assembly, along with an external pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly, not only is mechanical jamming avoided, but the problem of severe mud and sand obstruction is also completely solved. Combined with the system's built-in algorithms, it ensures that the camera can continuously output clear images of the surrounding rock regardless of the level of dust and moisture.

[0015] 2. Significantly reduces downtime and lowers maintenance costs. Once the algorithm determines that the glass has failed, the system will automatically remove the old glass and push in the new glass within seconds. This closed-loop mechanism of sensing and replacing windows greatly reduces the ineffective downtime of the tunnel boring machine, significantly saves on manual maintenance costs, and indirectly improves the efficiency of project progress.

[0016] 3. Through the deep integration of algorithms and electromechanical systems, the protection device has the ability to "think and act autonomously," completely eliminating the need for construction personnel to risk their lives to enter the high-voltage area to manually wipe or replace the viewing window, thus fundamentally ensuring the personal safety of construction personnel. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Fig. 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall invention; Fig. 2 This is a schematic diagram of the invention installed inside a tunnel boring machine.

[0019] Among them, 1. Protective box; 2. Camera; 3. Guide slide; 4. Stepper motor; 5. Worm gear; 6. Circular opening; 7. Tempered glass; 8. Flexible seal; 9. Hinge; 10. Flip opening; 11. Purge air nozzle; 12. Shield machine sidewall. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0022] ReferenceFigs. 1-2 As shown, this invention provides a visual perception-based automatic window replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machines (TBMs), including an external protective structure, an automatic window replacement mechanism, a pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly, and an intelligent central control cabinet. The external protective structure is sealed and installed on the side wall 12 of the TBM, and a camera 2 is installed inside the external protective structure. The automatic window replacement mechanism includes a guide groove 3 and at least two tempered glass pieces 7 slidably assembled in the guide groove 3. An elastic clamping element is provided at the front end of the guide groove 3, and a linear drive assembly is provided at the rear end. The pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly is located outside the window and connected to the TBM's air circuit system. The intelligent central control cabinet is electrically connected to the camera 2, the linear drive assembly, and the air circuit system. The intelligent central control cabinet is equipped with an image processing module for real-time analysis of image data collected by the camera 2, and controls the pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly to perform dust removal actions or controls the linear drive assembly to push the spare window to replace the currently used window, thereby realizing automatic maintenance of the monitoring field of view.

[0023] The scheme was further optimized. The external protective structure includes a funnel-shaped protective shell made of inclined steel plates welded together. The inclined angle of the inclined steel plates is 30°-45°. The bottom of the protective shell is connected to the protective box 1, and the camera 2 is fixedly installed in the protective box 1.

[0024] The concave slope formed by the inclined steel plate serves two purposes: firstly, it resists the direct physical impact of large boulders on the viewing window during tunnel boring machine excavation; secondly, it uses gravity to guide the high-viscosity mud to slide outwards. The full welded seal ensures structural-level waterproof and pressure-resistant isolation inside and outside the tunnel boring machine.

[0025] The design is further optimized by providing a circular opening 6 at the top of the protective box 1, directly opposite the lens of the camera 2, with a flexible sealing element 8 installed on the edge of the circular opening 6; the elastic clamping element is a hinge 9 with a torsion spring.

[0026] Further optimization of the scheme: the linear drive component includes a stepper motor 4 and a worm gear 5 driven by the stepper motor 4. The front end of the worm gear 5 abuts against the rear edge of the last piece of tempered glass 7, which is used to push the tempered glass 7 into the working position along the guide slide 3 and push out the waste tempered glass 7 in front.

[0027] The guide groove 3 provides movement guidance for the tempered glass array 7 and limits its vertical movement; the worm gear 5 converts the rotational motion of the stepper motor 4 into linear thrust; the hinge 9 normally serves as a physical limit and anti-vibration fixation for the used tempered glass 7. More importantly, the downward pressing spring force of the hinge 9 forces the used tempered glass 7 to fit tightly against the flexible sealing element 8 at the two circular openings 6, forming a high-strength end face seal, completely blocking the path of external mud and sand and high-pressure water vapor to seep into the interior of the protective box 1; when replacing the window, the hinge 9 can be forcibly pushed open by the old tempered glass 7 to unload and drop the old tempered glass 7, and the surface characteristics of the flexible sealing element 8 allow the old tempered glass 7 to be smoothly pushed out without being jammed. Then, the spring automatically rebounds, pressing the newly pushed-in spare tempered glass 7, completing the closed-loop action of mechanical window replacement and resealing.

[0028] Further optimization of the scheme: the axis of the pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly's blowing nozzle 11 forms an acute angle of 15°-30° with the surface of the tempered glass 7. The blowing nozzle 11 is connected to the main air circuit of the tunnel boring machine through a pipeline in series with a solenoid valve, a pressure reducing valve and an oil-water separator.

[0029] Using the existing air source of the tunnel boring machine, a high-pressure air curtain is sprayed at a specific acute angle to non-contactly prevent water and oil impurities carried in the high-pressure airflow from contaminating the glass or causing it to shatter.

[0030] To further optimize the solution, camera 2 is connected to the intelligent control cabinet via a PoE Ethernet cable, enabling both power supply and digital image signal transmission through a single cable.

[0031] The scheme was further optimized by having the image processing module run the dark channel dust-penetrating visual algorithm and the feature recognition algorithm in parallel. The dark channel dust-penetrating visual algorithm was used to filter out water vapor and dust interference in the image and output a clear image of the underlying layer. The feature recognition algorithm was used to calculate the area ratio of mud and sand obstructions and the length of glass cracks in the clear image of the underlying layer.

[0032] The solution has been further optimized. The intelligent central control cabinet has a multi-level closed-loop trigger logic: when the area of ​​the mud and sand block or the length of the glass crack exceeds the preset safety threshold for the first time, the pneumatic air curtain blowing component is triggered to remove dust. If the retest data after dust removal still does not meet the standard, the automatic window changing mechanism is triggered to change the window.

[0033] To further optimize the design, a flip opening 10 is provided at the front end of the guide chute 3.

[0034] Further optimization of the scheme: the linear drive component can also be replaced with one of the following: a linear micro electric push rod, a motor screw mechanism, or a micro cylinder, with the telescopic end of the push rod or cylinder abutting against the rear edge of the tempered glass 7.

[0035] When this system is running, it presents a dynamic closed-loop linkage of "visual perception (data acquisition) algorithm decision-making (data comparison) mechanical execution (hardware linkage)", and the specific steps are as follows: Step 1: Image Acquisition and Environmental Filtering (Dark Channel Dust Removal Visual Algorithm) Camera 2 continuously acquires images of dust-laden areas. The central control unit first runs a dark channel dust-penetrating visual algorithm: First, it constructs dark channel features using the minimum RGB channel values ​​of local image regions; second, it selects the brightest 0.1 pixels in the dark channel to estimate the ambient atmospheric light value A, and calculates the transmittance t, reflecting the degree of dust obstruction. (x) The third step is to substitute the obtained values ​​into the atmospheric scattering model I. (x) =J (x) t (x) +A(1-t (x) Perform the reverse solution operation, where I (x) For dusty images, J (x) For a true, clear image.

[0036] Step 2: Status Monitoring and Decision Making (Feature Recognition Algorithm) The system performs physical state monitoring on the dehazed image: converts the image into a grayscale image, uses a conventional edge detection operator (Canny operator) to extract abrupt edge features; then, it calculates the area ratio of irregular connected regions (i.e., mud and sand occlusion blocks) in the image, as well as the length of high-contrast thin lines (i.e., glass cracks).

[0037] Step 3: Data-driven multi-level closed-loop execution The microcontroller compares the acquired "area percentage" and "crack length" data with a preset safety threshold (e.g., area percentage exceeding 30%) in real time, triggering multi-level linkage: Level 1 linkage (pneumatic purging): When the data exceeds the limit for the first time, the microcontroller activates the pneumatic solenoid valve and sprays a high-pressure air curtain into the viewing window for physical purging.

[0038] Secondary linkage (mechanical window replacement and resealing): If the above data is still not eliminated after purging and retesting (determined to be permanent obstruction or damage), the microcontroller immediately outputs an electrical signal to the motor driver. The stepper motor 4 drives the worm gear 5 to push out the waste tempered glass 7 at the front end, overcoming the spring resistance to push open the front hinge 9 and fall for recycling. After the old tempered glass 7 is removed, the hinge 9 quickly rebounds downward under the action of elasticity, pressing the newly pushed-in spare tempered glass 7, forcing it to tightly fit the flexible sealing element 8 at the circular opening 6, completing the mechanical window replacement and instantly reconstructing the high-pressure end face seal.

[0039] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this invention, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0040] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various modifications and improvements made to the technical solutions of the present invention by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A visual perception-based automatic window replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machines, characterized in that, The system includes an external protective structure, an automatic window switching mechanism, a pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly, and an intelligent central control cabinet. The external protective structure is sealed and installed on the side wall (12) of the tunnel boring machine, and a camera (2) is installed inside the external protective structure. The automatic window switching mechanism includes a guide slide (3) and at least two tempered glass (7) pieces that are slidably assembled in the guide slide (3). The front end of the guide slide (3) is provided with an elastic clamping component, and the rear end is provided with a linear drive assembly. The pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly is located outside the window and connected to the air circuit system of the tunnel boring machine. The intelligent central control cabinet is electrically connected to the camera (2), the linear drive assembly, and the air circuit system. The intelligent central control cabinet is equipped with an image processing module, which is used to analyze the image data collected by the camera (2) in real time, and control the pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly to perform dust removal action according to the analysis results, or control the linear drive assembly to push the spare window to replace the currently used window, so as to realize the automatic maintenance of the monitoring field of view.

2. The automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machine windows based on visual perception according to claim 1, characterized in that, The external protective structure includes a funnel-shaped protective shell made of inclined steel plates welded together. The inclined angle of the inclined steel plates is 30°-45°. The bottom of the protective shell is connected to a protective box (1). The camera (2) is fixedly installed in the protective box (1).

3. The automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machine windows based on visual perception according to claim 2, characterized in that, The protective box (1) has a circular opening (6) at the top facing the lens of the camera (2), and a flexible sealing element (8) is installed on the edge of the circular opening (6); the elastic clamping element is a hinge (9) with a torsion spring.

4. The automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machine windows based on visual perception according to claim 1, characterized in that, The linear drive assembly includes a stepper motor (4) and a worm gear (5) driven by the stepper motor (4). The front end of the worm gear (5) abuts against the rear edge of the last piece of tempered glass (7) and is used to push the tempered glass (7) into the working position along the guide groove (3) and push out the waste tempered glass (7) in front.

5. The automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machine windows based on visual perception according to claim 1, characterized in that, The axis of the pneumatic air curtain blowing assembly's blowing nozzle (11) forms an acute angle of 15°-30° with the surface of the tempered glass (7). The blowing nozzle (11) is connected to the main air circuit of the tunnel boring machine via a pipeline that connects a solenoid valve, a pressure reducing valve, and an oil-water separator in series.

6. The automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machine windows based on visual perception according to claim 1, characterized in that, The camera (2) is connected to the intelligent control cabinet via a PoE Ethernet cable, and the power supply and digital signal transmission of the image are realized simultaneously through a single cable.

7. The automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machine windows based on visual perception according to claim 1, characterized in that, The image processing module runs the dark channel dust-penetrating visual algorithm and the feature recognition algorithm in parallel. The dark channel dust-penetrating visual algorithm is used to filter out water vapor and dust interference in the image and output a clear image of the underlying layer. The feature recognition algorithm is used to calculate the area ratio of mud and sand obscured blocks and the length of glass cracks in the clear image of the underlying layer.

8. The automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machine windows based on visual perception according to claim 7, characterized in that, The intelligent central control cabinet has a multi-level closed-loop triggering logic: when the area ratio of the mud and sand blocking block or the length of the glass crack exceeds the preset safety threshold for the first time, the pneumatic air curtain blowing component is triggered to remove dust; if the retest data after dust removal still does not meet the standard, the automatic window changing mechanism is triggered to change the window.

9. The automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machine windows based on visual perception according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide groove (3) has a flip opening (10) at its front end.

10. The automatic replacement and self-maintenance system for tunnel boring machine windows based on vision perception according to claim 4, characterized in that, The linear drive assembly can also be replaced by one of a linear micro electric push rod, a motor screw mechanism, or a micro cylinder, wherein the telescopic end of the push rod or cylinder abuts against the rear edge of the tempered glass (7).

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