Automatic hopper loading system
By designing a hopper automatic loading system and using a variety of sensors and automated control technologies, the problem of low automation in the existing technology is solved, efficient and accurate automatic loading is achieved, and operating costs are reduced.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421342029.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-13
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-07
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-06-13
AI Technical Summary
The existing material loading technology has a low degree of automation and uncertainty, and requires manual participation in the coordination of the loading process.
An automatic loading system for hoppers is designed, including a gantry, funnel, grab, bucket door opening and closing mechanism, funnel electrical control cabinet, vehicle identification device, material level detection device, dump truck position detection device and acoustic and optical prompt components to realize automatic unloading monitoring, vehicle identification and fixed-point automatic loading.
It realizes automatic control of automatic loading of hoppers, improves the accuracy and efficiency of loading, reduces labor costs and operation costs, and supports remote monitoring.
Smart Images
Figure CN222573714U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of automatic loading, in particular to an automatic hopper loading system. Background Art
[0002] As labor costs continue to rise, more and more industrial fields have begun to use automated equipment such as robots to replace manual operations. For example, product sorting on the production line, identifying product types based on collected images, using robotic arms to grab products, and sorting and loading products according to corresponding sorting rules based on product types.
[0003] However, in some industrial production environments with high safety requirements, it is not possible to achieve automated production only by controlling the manipulator. For example, in the existing material loading technology, although material loading can be achieved by using machines, due to the different specifications and loading capacities of material trucks, it is impossible to use the same material loading solution for all material trucks. In addition, the unloading operation process of the grab bucket of the port gantry crane is to first unload the material in the grab bucket into the funnel. There is a unloading port at the lower end of the funnel. By controlling the opening of the unloading port valve, the material is unloaded into the truck compartment. When the material in the compartment reaches a certain height, the unloading valve is automatically closed. At present, the process of loading materials still requires staff to participate in the entire material loading process and coordinate all matters in the material loading process. For example, personnel go to the material transfer site to determine whether the material truck is parked in the designated loading area, determine the volume tonnage of the material truck, and coordinate the material loading strategy according to the volume tonnage. Because the carriage is relatively long, it is necessary to move the vehicle multiple times to coordinate the material loading and unloading operations to ensure that the materials in the truck compartment are loaded evenly and there is no material overflow. The process of unloading the grab bucket to the funnel mouth is often determined by the gantry crane driver visually. However, this method is based on human sight. It can be seen that the existing material loading technology has a low degree of automation and there will be a lot of uncertainty. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of the utility model is to provide an automatic hopper loading system with automatic unloading monitoring, vehicle identification and fixed-point automatic loading functions, which saves labor costs, reduces work intensity, improves accuracy, improves work efficiency and reduces operating costs, and can remotely monitor on-site operations and is easy to operate.
[0005] The utility model is achieved in this way:
[0006] A hopper automatic loading system comprises a gantry, a hopper is arranged on the gantry, a grab is arranged on the top of the hopper, a hopper door opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the discharge port of the hopper is arranged at the bottom of the hopper, the hopper door opening and closing mechanism is connected to the hopper electric control cabinet, the grab is connected to the hopper electric control cabinet, the hopper electric control cabinet is connected to a pressure sensor for weighing the weight of the material in the hopper, a vehicle identification device is installed on the dump truck inlet side of the gantry, material level detection devices are arranged on both sides of the discharge port of the hopper, the material level detection device is connected to the gantry, a dump truck position detection device is installed on the side of the gantry close to the hopper, an acoustic and light prompt component is arranged on the gantry, the vehicle identification device, the material level detection device, the dump truck position detection device and the acoustic and light prompt component are all connected to the hopper electric control cabinet, and the hopper electric control cabinet is communicatively connected to a control terminal.
[0007] Furthermore, the hopper door opening and closing mechanism includes an electric push rod for opening and closing the hopper door, the electric push rod is connected to a stroke sensor for detecting and feeding back the stroke of the electric push rod, and the stroke sensor and the electric push rod are both electrically connected to the hopper electric control cabinet.
[0008] Furthermore, the material level detection device includes a video monitoring component for monitoring the loading situation of the dump truck and the emptying situation of the hopper, and multiple material level millimeter-wave radars for detecting whether the hopper cover of the dump truck is open and the height of the material in the hopper. The multiple material level millimeter-wave radars are all installed on the side of the discharge port of the hopper.
[0009] Furthermore, the video surveillance component includes a first camera for monitoring the material dropping at the discharge port and a second camera for monitoring the loading situation in the hopper of the dump truck. The first camera and the second camera are respectively arranged on both sides of the central axis of the discharge port, and a third camera for monitoring the overall situation of the dump truck is installed on the door legs of the gantry.
[0010] Furthermore, the dump truck position detection device includes a laser scanner for detecting the relative position of the dump truck's hopper relative to the discharge port of the funnel, and a plurality of ranging millimeter-wave radars for detecting the distance of the dump truck relative to the gantry. The laser scanner and the plurality of ranging millimeter-wave radars are all connected to the gantry, and the plurality of ranging millimeter-wave radars are evenly distributed on both sides of the laser scanner.
[0011] Furthermore, the sound and light prompt assembly includes a two-color indicator light installed on the entrance side of the gantry, and a three-color indicator light and a speaker installed on the exit side of the gantry.
[0012] Furthermore, the funnel electrical control cabinet includes a PLC controller for analyzing and processing signals, and the PLC controller is electrically connected to the bucket door opening and closing mechanism, grab bucket, pressure sensor, vehicle identification device, material level detection device, dump truck position detection device and sound and light prompt component respectively, and the PLC controller is electrically connected to a network switch, and the network switch is electrically connected to a wireless bridge or a fiber optic transceiver, and the wireless bridge or the fiber optic transceiver is communicatively connected to the control terminal.
[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the utility model are:
[0014] In actual application, when the grab bucket discharges materials to the funnel mouth, the bucket door opening and closing mechanism closes the discharge port of the funnel, and the funnel electric control cabinet obtains the funnel storage data through the pressure sensor. When the funnel storage reaches 80% of the rated amount, an alarm is sent to the control terminal through the funnel electric control cabinet. When the funnel storage reaches 100% of the rated amount, the funnel electric control cabinet closes the grab bucket (not shown in the figure) and stops discharging. The whole unloading process is automatically controlled to improve accuracy; the funnel electric control cabinet identifies the type of working vehicle through the vehicle identification device and obtains the working vehicle information, thereby presetting the vehicle's drop position. The vehicle identification device is an RFID reader. At the same time, the vehicle enters the gantry and comes to the preset drop position under the funnel under the prompt of the sound and light prompt component. The dump truck position detection device detects whether the vehicle is parked on the central axis of the discharge port of the funnel and the drop position, and the material level detection device detects the vehicle hopper state. When the funnel starts to unload, the funnel electric control cabinet controls the grab bucket to close. The funnel electric control cabinet uses the material level detection device to detect whether the vehicle is parked on the central axis of the discharge port of the funnel and the drop position. The detection device detects and obtains the amount of material in the vehicle hopper, and prompts the driver to move the vehicle for the second time or fill it up and drive out through the sound and light prompt component. During this process, the hopper electric control cabinet controls the opening and closing of the discharge port of the hopper through the hopper door opening and closing mechanism to cooperate with automatic loading. When the vehicle is full, the hopper door opening and closing mechanism closes the hopper door of the discharge port, and the grab is allowed to open at this time, realizing automatic positioning loading, saving labor costs, reducing work intensity, improving accuracy, and reducing operating costs while improving work efficiency; the hopper electric control cabinet transmits the information collected by the pressure sensor, the material level detection device, and the dump truck position detection device to the control terminal in real time. The staff can remotely monitor the storage data and loading status in the hopper through the control terminal, and realize remote monitoring of the entire process of unloading and loading; the utility model has the functions of automatic unloading monitoring, vehicle identification and fixed-point automatic loading, saving labor costs, reducing work intensity, improving accuracy, and reducing operating costs while improving work efficiency, and can remotely monitor on-site operations for easy operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the implementation mode of the utility model, the drawings required for use in the implementation mode will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the utility model and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other relevant drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.
[0016] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the utility model;
[0017] Figure 2 It is an electrical connection block diagram of the utility model.
[0018] Figure numerals: gantry 1; funnel 2; pressure sensor 3; vehicle identification device 4; electric push rod 5; material level millimeter wave radar 6; first camera 7; second camera 8; third camera 9; laser scanner 10; ranging millimeter wave radar 11; two-color indicator light 12; three-color indicator light 13; speaker 14. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the utility model clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the utility model will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work belong to the scope of protection of the utility model. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the utility model provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the utility model for which protection is sought, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the utility model. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work belong to the scope of protection of the utility model.
[0020] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2, a hopper automatic loading system, comprising a gantry 1, a hopper 2 is arranged on the gantry 1, a grab is arranged on the top of the hopper 2, a hopper door opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the discharge port of the hopper 2 is arranged at the bottom of the hopper 2, the hopper door opening and closing mechanism is connected to the hopper electric control cabinet, the grab is connected to the hopper electric control cabinet, the hopper electric control cabinet is connected to a pressure sensor 3 for weighing the weight of the material in the hopper 2, a vehicle identification device 4 is installed on the dump truck entrance side of the gantry 1, material level detection devices are arranged on both sides of the discharge port of the hopper 2, the material level detection device is connected to the gantry 1, a dump truck position detection device is installed on the side of the gantry 1 close to the hopper 2, an acoustic and light prompt component is arranged on the gantry 1, the vehicle identification device 4, the material level detection device, the dump truck position detection device and the acoustic and light prompt component are all connected to the hopper electric control cabinet, and the hopper electric control cabinet is communicatively connected to the control terminal.
[0021] In actual application, when the grab bucket discharges materials to the hopper 2, the bucket door opening and closing mechanism closes the discharge port of the hopper 2, and the hopper electric control cabinet obtains the storage data of the hopper 2 through the pressure sensor 3. When the storage of the hopper 2 reaches 80% of the rated amount, an alarm is sent to the control terminal through the hopper electric control cabinet. When the storage of the hopper 2 reaches 100% of the rated amount, the hopper electric control cabinet closes the grab bucket (not shown in the figure) and stops discharging. The whole unloading process is automatically controlled to improve accuracy; the hopper electric control cabinet identifies the type of working vehicle through the vehicle identification device 4, obtains the working vehicle information, and thus presets the vehicle's drop position. The vehicle identification device 4 is an RFID reader. At the same time, the vehicle enters the gantry 1 and comes to the preset drop position under the hopper 2 under the prompt of the sound and light prompt component. The dump truck position detection device detects whether the vehicle is parked on the central axis of the discharge port of the hopper 2 and the drop position, and the material level detection device detects the vehicle hopper state. When the hopper 2 starts to unload, the hopper electric control cabinet controls the grab bucket to close, and the hopper electric control cabinet The material level detection device detects and obtains the amount of material in the vehicle hopper, and the sound and light prompt component prompts the driver to move the vehicle for the second time or to load the vehicle and drive out. During this process, the hopper electric control cabinet controls the opening and closing of the discharge port of the hopper 2 through the hopper door opening and closing mechanism to cooperate with automatic loading. When the vehicle is fully loaded, the hopper door opening and closing mechanism closes the hopper door of the discharge port, and the grab bucket is allowed to open at this time, realizing automatic positioning loading, saving labor costs, reducing work intensity, improving accuracy, and reducing operating costs while improving work efficiency; the hopper electric control cabinet transmits the information collected by the pressure sensor 3, the material level detection device, and the dump truck position detection device to the control terminal in real time, and the staff can remotely monitor the storage data and loading status in the hopper 2 through the control terminal, realizing remote monitoring of the entire process of unloading and loading; the utility model has the functions of automatic unloading monitoring, vehicle identification and fixed-point automatic loading, saving labor costs, reducing work intensity, improving accuracy, and reducing operating costs while improving work efficiency, and can remotely monitor on-site operations for easy operation.
[0022] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The hopper door opening and closing mechanism includes an electric push rod 5 for opening and closing the hopper door, and the electric push rod 5 is connected to a travel sensor for detecting and feeding back the travel of the electric push rod 5, and the travel sensor and the electric push rod 5 are both electrically connected to the hopper electric control cabinet. In this embodiment, the hopper electric control cabinet controls the action of the electric push rod 5 through switch output, and the travel sensor on the electric push rod 5 feeds back the travel of the electric push rod 5 through an analog signal, so that the opening size of the hopper door at the discharge port can be freely controlled, thereby achieving relatively accurate control of the material dropping.
[0023] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The material level detection device includes a video monitoring component for monitoring the loading of the dump truck and the dropping of the hopper 2, and multiple material level millimeter wave radars 6 for detecting whether the hopper cover of the dump truck is open and the height of the material in the hopper. The multiple material level millimeter wave radars 6 are installed on the side of the discharge port of the hopper 2. In this embodiment, the loading of the dump truck and the dropping of the hopper 2 are monitored by the video monitoring component, and the monitoring information is transmitted to the control terminal for storage and display through the hopper electric control cabinet, which is convenient for remote monitoring of the on-site operation and timely understanding of the loading of the dump truck and the dropping of the hopper 2. Combined with the height of the material in the dump truck hopper detected by the material level millimeter wave radar 6, the loading position of the dump truck can be timely controlled and adjusted according to the detection signal, so as to realize automatic loading control, improve the accuracy of automatic loading, avoid the situation of material overflow or blockage of the discharge port affecting the operation efficiency, and multiple material level millimeter wave radars 6 verify the data returned to each other to improve the accuracy of the detection data.
[0024] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The video monitoring component includes a first camera 7 for monitoring the material dropping at the discharge port and a second camera 8 for monitoring the loading in the dump truck hopper. The first camera 7 and the second camera 8 are respectively arranged on both sides of the central axis of the discharge port. A third camera 9 for monitoring the overall situation of the dump truck is installed on the door leg of the gantry 1. In this embodiment, the first camera 7 and the second camera 8 are both gun cameras, which are respectively used to monitor the material dropping of the hopper 2 and the loading in the dump truck hopper, and to understand in real time whether the discharge port of the hopper 2 is blocked or whether the material is overflowing. The third camera 9 is a ball camera with a wider viewing angle, which is used to monitor the overall situation of the dump truck and further improve the accuracy of automatic loading.
[0025] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2The dump truck position detection device includes a laser scanner 10 for detecting the relative position of the dump truck hopper relative to the discharge port of the hopper 2, and multiple ranging millimeter wave radars 11 for detecting the distance of the dump truck relative to the gantry 1. The laser scanner 10 and the multiple ranging millimeter wave radars 11 are connected to the gantry 1, and the multiple ranging millimeter wave radars 11 are evenly distributed on both sides of the laser scanner 10. In this embodiment, the laser scanner 10 is a 2D laser scanner, which forms point cloud data through scanning. The hopper electric control cabinet can identify the relative position of the car body relative to the discharge port by analyzing the point cloud data, and confirm the position of the dump truck hopper based on the preset scheme, so as to ensure the accuracy of the dump truck loading position. At the same time, the distance of the dump truck relative to the gantry 1 detected by the multiple ranging millimeter wave radars 11 on both sides of the laser scanner 10 is double-checked for the detection data of the laser scanner 10, so as to ensure the reliability of the detection data.
[0026] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The sound and light prompt assembly includes a two-color indicator light 12 installed on the entrance side of the gantry 1, and a three-color indicator light 13 and a speaker 14 installed on the exit side of the gantry 1. In this embodiment, when the two-color indicator light 12 displays a green light, it indicates that the dump truck can enter the bucket for loading. When the two-color indicator light 12 displays a red light, it indicates that the system has a fault and needs to be reset or there is an obstacle under the funnel 2, and the truck cannot enter the bucket for loading. A red, yellow and green three-color indicator light 13 is installed on the exit side of the gantry 1. According to the signal display of the three-color indicator light 13 and the voice broadcast of the speaker 14, the driver executes corresponding instructions to adjust the dump truck to the corresponding position, open the cabin for loading, or complete the transfer and leave the site.
[0027] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The hopper electric control cabinet includes a PLC controller for analyzing and processing signals. The PLC controller is electrically connected to the bucket door opening and closing mechanism, grab bucket, pressure sensor 3, vehicle identification device 4, material level detection device, dump truck position detection device and sound and light prompt component respectively. The PLC controller is electrically connected to a network switch, and the network switch is electrically connected to a wireless bridge or optical fiber transceiver. The wireless bridge or optical fiber transceiver is communicatively connected to the control terminal. In this embodiment, the bucket door opening and closing mechanism, grab bucket, pressure sensor 3, vehicle identification device 4, material level detection device, dump truck position detection device and sound and light prompt component are controlled by the PLC controller respectively, and the feedback signal is analyzed and processed, and the collected signal is transmitted to the wireless bridge or optical fiber transceiver through the network switch and sent to the control terminal to realize remote control.
[0028] The above description is only the preferred implementation of the utility model, and is not intended to limit the utility model. For those skilled in the art, the utility model can have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the utility model shall be included in the protection scope of the utility model.
Claims
1. A hopper automatic loading system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a gantry (1), a hopper (2) is arranged on the gantry (1), a grab bucket is arranged on the top of the hopper (2), a hopper door opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the discharge port of the hopper (2) is arranged at the bottom of the hopper (2), the hopper door opening and closing mechanism is connected to a hopper electric control cabinet, the grab bucket is connected to the hopper electric control cabinet, the hopper electric control cabinet is connected to a pressure sensor (3) for weighing the weight of the material in the hopper (2), and a vehicle is installed on the dump truck entrance side of the gantry (1). An identification device (4), material level detection devices are arranged on both sides of the discharge port of the hopper (2), the material level detection devices are connected to the door frame (1), a dump truck position detection device is installed on the side of the door frame (1) close to the hopper (2), and a sound and light prompt component is arranged on the door frame (1), the vehicle identification device (4), the material level detection device, the dump truck position detection device and the sound and light prompt component are all connected to the hopper electric control cabinet, and the hopper electric control cabinet is communicatively connected to the control terminal.
2. The automatic hopper loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hopper door opening and closing mechanism comprises an electric push rod (5) for opening and closing the hopper door, the electric push rod (5) being connected to a travel sensor for detecting and feeding back the travel of the electric push rod (5), the travel sensor and the electric push rod (5) being both electrically connected to the hopper electric control cabinet.
3. The automatic hopper loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material level detection device comprises a video monitoring component for monitoring the loading condition of the dump truck and the material dropping condition of the hopper (2), and a plurality of material level millimeter wave radars (6) for detecting whether the hopper cover of the dump truck is open and the height of the material in the hopper. The plurality of material level millimeter wave radars (6) are all installed on the side of the discharge port of the hopper (2).
4. The automatic hopper loading system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The video monitoring component comprises a first camera (7) for monitoring the material dropping at the discharge port and a second camera (8) for monitoring the loading condition in the dump truck hopper, the first camera (7) and the second camera (8) being respectively arranged on both sides of the central axis of the discharge port, and a third camera (9) for monitoring the overall condition of the dump truck being installed on the door leg of the door frame (1).
5. The automatic hopper loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dump truck position detection device comprises a laser scanner (10) for detecting the relative position of the dump truck hopper relative to the discharge port of the hopper (2), and a plurality of ranging millimeter wave radars (11) for detecting the distance of the dump truck relative to the gantry (1), the laser scanner (10) and the plurality of ranging millimeter wave radars (11) are both connected to the gantry (1), and the plurality of ranging millimeter wave radars (11) are evenly distributed on both sides of the laser scanner (10).
6. The automatic hopper loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sound and light prompting assembly comprises a two-color indicator light (12) installed on the entrance side of the door frame (1), and a three-color indicator light (13) and a loudspeaker (14) installed on the exit side of the door frame (1).
7. The automatic hopper loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hopper electric control cabinet comprises a PLC controller for analyzing and processing signals, the PLC controller being electrically connected to the hopper door opening and closing mechanism, the grab bucket, the pressure sensor (3), the vehicle identification device (4), the material level detection device, the dump truck position detection device and the sound and light prompting component, respectively, the PLC controller being electrically connected to a network switch, the network switch being electrically connected to a wireless bridge or an optical fiber transceiver, and the wireless bridge or the optical fiber transceiver being communicatively connected to the control terminal.