Automatic obstacle avoidance system of ground climbing vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to an automatic obstacle avoidance system of a ground climbing vehicle, which comprises a controller, the output end of the controller is connected with the input end of a servo driver, the output end of the servo driver is connected with a motor, and the output shaft of the motor is in transmission connection with a wheel shaft; the controller is connected with a laser scanner through a communication module, the input end of the controller is connected with a Hall sensor, and the controller is further connected with an upper computer through the communication module. The number of the laser scanners is two, and the two laser scanners are arranged at the front end and the rear end of the chassis respectively. The two Hall sensors are arranged on the front side and the rear side of the side face of the chassis respectively. And magnets are arranged on the sides, corresponding to the Hall sensors, of the head end position and the tail end position of the ground rail. The laser scanners are arranged in front of and behind the ground climbing vehicle to judge whether an obstacle exists in front or not, the driving mechanism is combined to provide a hardware basis for realizing automatic obstacle avoidance, and the Hall sensor and the magnet are combined with the driving mechanism to realize automatic parking after the ground climbing vehicle arrives at a position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of aluminum material transportation, and particularly relates to an automatic obstacle avoidance system for a ground crawler vehicle. Background Art

[0002] In production operations, it is necessary to transport aluminum ingot materials between workshops. For this purpose, ground crawler vehicles and ground tracks for transportation are set between workshops. When transporting, the ingots are placed on the ground crawler vehicles, and the ground crawler vehicles move back and forth between workshops along the ground tracks. During transportation, there will be staff passing by the ground tracks. For safety reasons, the existing ground crawler vehicles are controlled remotely. During operation, the staff controls the movement of the ground crawler vehicle through a handle and walks along with the ground crawler vehicle when operating the handle, so as to control the ground crawler vehicle to decelerate or stop in time when encountering obstacles or staff passing through.

[0003] In production operations, the operation frequency of the ground crawler vehicle is very high. Therefore, the total distance traveled by the staff every day is very long, the work intensity is high, which takes up manpower and time, and there are visual blind spots when the staff is operating, so there are potential safety hazards.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an automatic obstacle avoidance system to provide a hardware basis for the automatic operation of the ground crawler vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The utility model provides an automatic obstacle avoidance system for a ground crawler vehicle to solve the problems that the existing ground crawler vehicle operation requires manual control with high work intensity and potential safety hazards. Laser scanners are arranged at the front and rear of the ground crawler vehicle, and infrared scanning technology is used to judge whether there are obstacles in front of the running direction of the ground crawler vehicle. Combined with the drive mechanism, it provides a hardware basis for realizing automatic obstacle avoidance. A Hall sensor is set, and magnets are arranged at both ends of the ground track. Combined with the drive mechanism, the ground crawler vehicle can automatically stop after reaching the position.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the utility model provides an automatic obstacle avoidance system for a ground crawler vehicle, including a ground crawler vehicle and a ground track. The ground crawler vehicle moves along the ground track. The ground crawler vehicle includes drive wheels, driven wheels, a chassis and a drive mechanism. The drive wheels are provided with axles, and the drive wheels are rotatably connected to the chassis through the axles. The drive mechanism includes a controller, a communication module, a servo driver and a motor. The output end of the controller is connected to the input end of the servo driver, the output end of the servo driver is connected to the motor, and the output shaft of the motor is in transmission connection with the axle.

[0007] The controller is connected with a laser scanner through the communication module, the input end of the controller is connected with a Hall sensor, and the controller is also connected with a host computer through the communication module;

[0008] The number of the laser scanners is two, and the two laser scanners are respectively arranged at the front and rear ends of the chassis;

[0009] There are two Hall sensors, and the two Hall sensors are respectively arranged on the front and rear sides of the side surface of the chassis;

[0010] Magnets are arranged on one side corresponding to the positions of the head and the tail of the ground rail where the Hall sensors are arranged.

[0011] Furthermore, the laser scanner is provided with a bracket, the bracket is an L-shaped plate body, the bracket is arranged in the middle of the chassis, the vertical section of the bracket is fixed to the chassis, and the bottom of the horizontal section of the bracket is detachably connected to the laser scanner through bolts.

[0012] Setting the bracket facilitates the installation and detection of the laser scanner. The detection range of the laser scanner is 180°. The laser scanner is arranged in the middle of the chassis through the bracket, which is convenient for detecting obstacles in the front, left front, and right front directions.

[0013] Furthermore, the two Hall sensors are arranged on the same side and are fixedly connected to the bottom of the side surface of the chassis.

[0014] Furthermore, the magnets are embedded at the head and tail positions of the ground rail.

[0015] The level signal output after the Hall sensor approaches the magnet will change, thereby providing a signal for the ground climbing vehicle to stop.

[0016] Furthermore, the driven wheel is also provided with a wheel axle, and the driven wheel is rotationally connected to the chassis through the wheel axle.

[0017] Through the above technical solutions, the beneficial effects of the present utility model are as follows:

[0018] The present utility model provides a hardware basis for realizing the automatic operation and automatic obstacle avoidance of the ground climbing vehicle. Laser scanners are arranged at the front and rear ends of the ground climbing vehicle, Hall sensors are arranged at the front and rear of the side surface of the chassis, and magnets are arranged at the head and tail positions of the ground rail. During transportation, the ground climbing vehicle starts to move towards the transportation position. On the way, the laser scanner detects whether there are obstacles in the front, left front, and right front directions. When an obstacle appears, a signal is sent to the controller, and the controller controls the motor to decelerate or slowly stop through the servo driver, avoiding knocking down obstacles or workers. When reaching the end of the ground rail, the Hall sensor outputs a high-level signal, and the controller controls the motor to slowly stop through the servo driver, and the ground climbing vehicle arrives. When returning, the controller controls the motor to reverse through the servo driver, the head and tail of the ground climbing vehicle are interchanged, and the ground climbing vehicle moves along the ground rail to the initial position. On the way, another laser scanner detects whether there are obstacles in the front, left front, and right front directions. When reaching the initial position, another Hall sensor outputs a high-level signal, and the ground climbing vehicle is reset. Description of the Drawings

[0019] Figure 1Structural schematic diagram of an automatic obstacle avoidance system for a ground - crawling vehicle of the present utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 Electrical schematic diagram of an automatic obstacle avoidance system for a ground - crawling vehicle of the present utility model.

[0021] Reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1 is the ground rail, 2 is the driving wheel, 3 is the driven wheel, 4 is the chassis, 6 is the controller, 7 is the communication module, 8 is the servo driver, 9 is the motor, 10 is the laser scanner, 11 is the Hall sensor, 12 is the upper computer, 13 is the magnet, 14 is the bracket. Specific embodiments

[0022] The present utility model will be further described below in conjunction with the attached drawings and specific embodiments:

[0023] Embodiment 1

[0024] As Figures 1 - 2 shown, an automatic obstacle avoidance system for a ground - crawling vehicle includes a ground - crawling vehicle and a ground rail 1. The ground - crawling vehicle moves along the ground rail 1. The ground - crawling vehicle includes a driving wheel 2, a driven wheel 3, a chassis 4 and a driving mechanism. The driving wheel 2 is provided with a wheel axle, and the driving wheel 2 is rotationally connected to the chassis 4 through the wheel axle. The driving mechanism includes a controller 6, a communication module 7, a servo driver 8 and a motor 9. The output end of the controller 6 is connected to the input end of the servo driver 8, the output end of the servo driver 8 is connected to the motor 9, and the output shaft of the motor 9 is in transmission connection with the wheel axle;

[0025] The controller 6 is connected with a laser scanner 10 through the communication module 7. The input end of the controller 6 is connected with a Hall sensor 11, and the controller 6 is also connected with an upper computer 12 through the communication module 7;

[0026] The number of the laser scanners 10 is two, and the two laser scanners 10 are respectively arranged at the front and rear ends of the chassis 4;

[0027] The number of the Hall sensors 11 is two, and the two Hall sensors 11 are respectively arranged at the front and rear sides on the same side of the side surface of the chassis 4;

[0028] Magnets 13 are arranged at the positions corresponding to the sides where the Hall sensors 11 are arranged at the head end and the tail end of the ground rail 1.

[0029] The laser scanner 10 is provided with a bracket 14. The bracket 14 is an L - shaped plate body. The bracket 14 is arranged in the middle of the chassis 4. The vertical section of the bracket 14 is fixed to the chassis 4, and the bottom of the horizontal section of the bracket 14 is detachably connected to the laser scanner 10 through bolts.

[0030] The two Hall sensors 11 are arranged on the same side and are fixedly connected to the bottom of the side surface of the chassis 4.

[0031] The magnet 13 is embedded at the head and tail positions of the ground rail 1.

[0032] The driven wheel 3 is also provided with an axle, and the driven wheel 3 is rotatably connected to the chassis 4 through the axle.

[0033] In this embodiment, the controller 6 is a PLC controller, the communication module 7 is an RS232 module, the host computer 12 is an HMI module, and the laser scanner 10 is a TIM-S type safety laser scanner produced by SICK, with an operating range of 180° and an operating distance of 0.05 m to 25 m.

[0034] During operation, place the flat ingot on the ground crawler vehicle. Send a start command through the host computer 12. The controller 6 controls the motor 9 to rotate forward through the servo driver 8. The motor 9 drives the axle to make the driving wheel 2 rotate, and the ground crawler vehicle moves forward. The laser scanner 10 continuously detects whether there are obstacles in the front, left front, and right front directions. If there are obstacles, the laser scanner 10 sends a signal to the controller 6. The controller 6 controls the motor 9 to decelerate or slowly stop through the servo driver 8 according to the distance of the obstacle. Wait until the obstacle disappears (the laser scanner 10 cannot detect the obstacle), and the controller 6 controls the motor 9 to continue working through the servo driver 8 until the ground crawler vehicle reaches the tail position of the ground rail 1. The Hall sensor 11 detects the magnet 13, and the Hall sensor 11 sends an electrical signal to the controller 6. The controller 6 controls the motor 9 to slowly stop through the servo driver 8, and the ground crawler vehicle gradually decelerates until it stops stably. The staff starts to unload the flat ingot from the ground crawler vehicle. During the above process, the rear laser scanner 10 and Hall sensor 11 do not work.

[0035] When the ground crawler vehicle returns, the staff sends a reset command through the host computer 12. The controller 6 controls the motor 9 to rotate reversely through the servo driver 8, and the ground crawler vehicle moves in the reverse direction along the ground rail 1. The laser scanner 10 continuously detects whether there are obstacles in the front, left front, and right front directions. The detection process is the same as above and will not be elaborated here;

[0036] Until the ground crawler vehicle reaches the head position of the ground rail 1, the Hall sensor 11 detects the magnet 13, and the Hall sensor 11 sends an electrical signal to the controller 6. The controller 6 controls the motor 9 to slowly stop through the servo driver 8, and the ground crawler vehicle gradually decelerates until it stops stably. During this process, the front laser scanner 10 and Hall sensor 11 do not work.

[0037] The above embodiments are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the structure, features, and principles described in the scope of the present invention patent shall be included in the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic obstacle avoidance system for a floor crawler vehicle, comprising a floor crawler vehicle and a floor track (1), wherein the floor crawler vehicle moves along the floor track (1), and is characterized in that, The floor crawler includes drive wheels (2), driven wheels (3), a chassis (4), and a drive mechanism. The drive wheels (2) are provided with axles, and the drive wheels (2) are rotatably connected to the chassis (4) through the axles. The drive mechanism includes a controller (6), a communication module (7), a servo driver (8), and a motor (9). The output end of the controller (6) is connected to the input end of the servo driver (8), the output end of the servo driver (8) is connected to the motor (9), and the output shaft of the motor (9) is in transmission connection with the axle. The controller (6) is connected to a laser scanner (10) through the communication module (7), the input end of the controller (6) is connected to a Hall sensor (11), and the controller (6) is also connected to a host computer (12) through the communication module (7). The number of the laser scanners (10) is two, and the two laser scanners (10) are respectively arranged at the front and rear ends of the chassis (4). The number of the Hall sensors (11) is two, and the two Hall sensors (11) are respectively arranged at the front and rear sides of the side surface of the chassis (4). Magnets (13) are arranged at the positions of the front end and the rear end of the floor track (1) corresponding to the side where the Hall sensors (11) are arranged.

2. The automatic obstacle avoidance system for a ground crawler vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The laser scanner (10) is provided with a bracket (14). The bracket (14) is an L-shaped plate body. The bracket (14) is arranged in the middle of the chassis (4). The vertical section of the bracket (14) is fixed to the chassis (4), and the bottom of the horizontal section of the bracket (14) is detachably connected to the laser scanner (10) through bolts.

3. The automatic obstacle avoidance system for a ground crawler vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two Hall sensors (11) are arranged on the same side, and the Hall sensors (11) are fixedly connected to the bottom of the side surface of the chassis (4).

4. The automatic obstacle avoidance system for a ground crawler vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that, The magnets (13) are buried at the positions of the front end and the rear end of the floor track (1).

5. The automatic obstacle avoidance system for a ground crawler vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that The driven wheels (3) are also provided with axles, and the driven wheels (3) are rotatably connected to the chassis (4) through the axles.

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