Control system of movable equipment in limited space

Abstract

The utility model relates to a control system for movable equipment in a confined space, the system comprises a first ultra-bandwidth sensor, a first radar, a first memory and a first controller, the first ultra-bandwidth sensor is used for generating position information of first movable equipment; the first radar is used for generating information including the distance between the first movable equipment and the contour edge of the confined space; the first memory is provided with a key value pair relation table; and the first controller is used for calling a key value pair relation table according to the position information and the distance information, triggering the steering angle information and the speed information of the first movable equipment, and sending the steering angle and the speed of the first movable equipment to the main controller. The system can accurately control the moving direction and speed of the movable equipment in a limited space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of autonomous driving technology, and in particular to a control system for movable equipment in a confined space. Background Art

[0002] In confined and complex environments, such as underground mines or narrow tunnels, traditional unmanned driving systems are unable to operate autonomously due to limited signal quality. Currently, a common approach is to use 5G technology to remotely control the vehicle through a console. However, in such environments, poor signal quality and poor data transmission can easily lead to operational errors.

[0003] Another common approach is to survey the confined space in three-dimensional point clouds in advance, build a three-dimensional map, and set it in the unmanned driving system in advance. Once the location of the unmanned driving system is obtained, the system can be driven automatically based on the three-dimensional map. However, this solution requires the contours of the entire confined space to be surveyed in advance, which is costly and difficult to implement. Utility Model Content

[0004] The following is a summary of the subject matter described in detail herein. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0005] The main purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a control system for movable equipment in a confined space, which can accurately control the moving direction and speed of the movable equipment in the confined space.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a control system for movable equipment in a confined space. The system is provided on a first movable equipment located in the confined space, and includes:

[0007] a first ultra-wideband sensor, configured to transmit signals to at least two second ultra-wideband sensors within the confined space to generate position information of the first mobile equipment;

[0008] a first radar, the first radar being configured to generate distance information including distance between the first movable equipment and an edge of a contour of the confined space;

[0009] a first memory, wherein the first memory is provided with a key-value pair relationship table; the keys preset in the key-value pair relationship table are the position information and the distance information, and the values are the steering angle information and the speed information;

[0010] A first controller, which is communicatively connected to the first ultra-wideband sensor, the first radar, the first memory, and the main controller of the first mobile device. The first controller is configured to call the steering angle information and speed information in the key-value pair relationship table according to the position information and the distance information, and transmit the steering angle and speed to the main controller; the main controller is a controller for controlling the steering and speed of the first mobile device.

[0011] The embodiments of the present application at least have the following beneficial effects:

[0012] Through UWB positioning, the position of the device can be accurately measured in a closed and restricted scenario, which is more accurate than radar ranging.

[0013] By presetting the key-value pair relationship table, according to the position information and distance information, the key-value pair relationship table can be called, and the steering angle information and speed information of the first mobile device can be triggered, so that the steering angle and speed information can be obtained relatively quickly without on-site calculation, and a large amount of calculation costs can be saved in a restricted space.

[0014] The system provides the ability of rapid deployment by combining UWB and radar, and is suitable for rapidly changing restricted spaces.

[0015] In some embodiments, the second ultra-wideband sensor is disposed on a second mobile device in the restricted space;

[0016] The second mobile device is different from the first mobile device;

[0017] The first ultra-wideband sensor is further configured to send the steering angle and speed of the first mobile device to the second mobile device.

[0018] In some embodiments, the second ultra-wideband sensor is an ultra-wideband base station disposed in the restricted space.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first radar includes a lidar or a millimeter-wave radar.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first radar and the first ultra-wideband sensor are disposed on the top of the first mobile device.

[0021] In some embodiments, the controller is a PLC controller.

[0022] In some embodiments, the first mobile device and the second mobile device are driverless vehicles.

[0023] In some embodiments, the system further includes an alarm sensor, which is connected to the controller and is used to generate an alarm signal.

[0024] In some embodiments, the alarm signal is a light signal or a sound signal.

[0025] In some embodiments, the confined space is a mine or a tunnel. Description of the Drawings

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the related art descriptions. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a control system for a movable device in a confined space provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic control diagram of an unmanned vehicle underground in a mine provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of calculating the steering angle and speed using the SLAM algorithm provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Reference Numeral Description:

[0031] 100, control system; 110, first ultra-wideband sensor; 120, first radar; 130, first memory; 140, first controller;

[0032] 210, second ultra-wideband sensor;

[0033] 310, main controller. Detailed Embodiments

[0034] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear and understandable, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0035] It should be noted that although the device schematics illustrate functional module divisions and the flowcharts illustrate logical sequences, in certain circumstances, the steps shown or described may be performed in a sequence that differs from the module divisions in the device or the sequence in the flowcharts. The terms "first," "second," and so on, in the specification, claims, and drawings, are used to distinguish similar items and are not necessarily used to describe a specific sequence or precedence.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application pertains. The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments of this application only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0037] In confined and complex environments, such as underground mines or narrow tunnels, traditional unmanned driving systems are unable to operate autonomously due to limited signal quality. Currently, a common approach is to use 5G technology to remotely control the vehicle through a console. However, in such environments, poor signal quality and poor data transmission can easily lead to operational errors.

[0038] Another common approach is to survey the confined space in three-dimensional point clouds in advance, build a three-dimensional map, and set it in the unmanned driving system in advance. Once the location of the unmanned driving system is obtained, the system can be driven automatically based on the three-dimensional map. However, this solution requires the contours of the entire confined space to be surveyed in advance, which is costly and difficult to implement.

[0039] like Figure 1 To address the shortcomings of the prior art, one embodiment of the present application provides a control system for movable equipment in a confined space. The system is provided on a first movable equipment located in the confined space, and includes:

[0040] a first ultra-wideband sensor 110, configured to transmit signals to at least two second ultra-wideband sensors 210 within the confined space to generate position information of the first mobile equipment;

[0041] A first radar 120, wherein the first radar 120 is configured to generate distance information including distance between the first movable equipment and an edge of a contour of the confined space;

[0042] A first memory 130, wherein the first memory 130 is provided with a key-value pair relationship table; the keys preset in the key-value pair relationship table are the position information and the distance information, and the values are the steering angle information and the speed information;

[0043] The first controller 140 is communicatively connected to the first ultra-wideband sensor 110, the first radar 120, the first memory 130, and the main controller 310 of the first movable device. The first controller 140 is configured to call the steering angle information and speed information in the key-value pair relationship table according to the position information and the distance information, and transmit the steering angle and speed to the main controller 310. The main controller 310 is a controller for controlling the steering and speed of the first movable device.

[0044] Introduce several key technical points:

[0045] An ultra-wideband (UWB) sensor is a signal receiver or transmitter based on ultra-wideband technology, which may not be limited here. Ultra-wideband technology is a wireless carrier communication technology that does not use a sine carrier but uses nanosecond-level non-sine wave narrow pulses to transmit data, so the occupied spectrum range is very wide. UWB has the advantages of low system complexity, low transmitted signal power spectral density, insensitivity to channel fading, low interceptability, and high positioning accuracy, and is especially suitable for high-speed wireless access in dense multipath places such as indoors. This application mainly uses ultra-wideband sensors for positioning.

[0046] Radar includes lidar (Laser Radar, LR) and millimeter-wave radar (Millimeter-Wave Radar, MWR), where: (1) Lidar is mainly a radar system that detects the position, speed, and other characteristic quantities of a target by emitting laser beams. Its working principle is to emit a detection signal (laser beam) to the target, and then compare the received signal (target echo) reflected from the target with the transmitted signal. After appropriate processing, relevant information about the target can be obtained, such as parameters such as target distance, azimuth, altitude, speed, attitude, and even shape. (2) Millimeter-wave radar is a radar that operates in the millimeter-wave band. Compared with optical seekers such as infrared, laser, and television, the millimeter-wave seeker has strong ability to penetrate fog, smoke, and dust, and has the characteristics of all-weather (except heavy rain) and all-time. In addition, the anti-interference and anti-stealth capabilities of the millimeter-wave seeker are also better than those of other microwave seekers. This application mainly uses radar for ranging.

[0047] A key-value pair is an implementation of the mapping in mathematical concepts in programming languages. The key is used as an index of the element, and the value represents the data stored and read.

[0048] First, in this embodiment, the confined space can be a mine or a tunnel. Here, it is not specifically limited that the mobile equipment is set in the confined space to perform corresponding tasks. This includes a first mobile equipment and a second mobile equipment. The first mobile equipment is the object of implementation of this application, that is, it is necessary to control the moving angle and speed of the first mobile equipment. The second ultra-wideband sensor 210 can be an ultra-wideband base station set in the confined space or an ultra-wideband sensor located on the second mobile equipment. Here, it is not specifically limited. The first mobile equipment and the second mobile equipment can be driverless vehicles, robots, etc. Here, it is not limited.

[0049] However, it should be noted that the first ultra-wideband sensor 110 and the second ultra-wideband sensor 210 are within the communication range of each other, and the communication between the first ultra-wideband sensor 110 and the second ultra-wideband sensor 210 is unobstructed. Moreover, the position of the second ultra-wideband sensor 210 is known.

[0050] The following describes how to use the first ultra-wideband sensor 110 to transmit signals with at least two second ultra-wideband sensors 210 to generate the position information of the first mobile equipment:

[0051] The implementation principle is triangulation. Suppose there are a second ultra-wideband sensor, a second ultra-wideband sensor, and a second ultra-wideband sensor. Obtain the signal transmission speeds and times between the second ultra-wideband sensor, the second ultra-wideband sensor, and the second ultra-wideband sensor and the first ultra-wideband sensor respectively, determine the distances between the first ultra-wideband sensor and the second ultra-wideband sensor, the second ultra-wideband sensor, and the second ultra-wideband sensor, and then each of the second ultra-wideband sensor, the second ultra-wideband sensor, and the second ultra-wideband sensor uses its own position as the center of a circle and the distance as the radius to draw a circle. Then the intersection of the three circles is the position of the first ultra-wideband sensor.

[0052] Another case, assuming the number is 2, then the basic triangulation between the two second ultra-wideband sensors 210 and the first ultra-wideband sensor 110 is common knowledge and will not be elaborated here.

[0053] The following describes how to measure the distance value between the first ultra-wideband sensor 110 and the spatial edge contour:

[0054] The first radar 120 is used to scan the confined space. If it is a lidar, it can also generate a three-dimensional point cloud. The first radar 120 can detect the distance value between the first ultra-wideband sensor 110 and any point on the spatial edge contour through radar scanning. For example, laser ranging is used to generate the distance information between the first mobile equipment and the contour edge of the confined space.

[0055] The following introduces the generation of the key-value pair relationship table. It should be noted that this application does not involve the calculation of the key-value correspondence in the key-value pair relationship table, nor does it involve the improvement of the call logic. This application only calls information from the first memory, and the information correspondence in the relationship table is clear. For example, the keys are: location information and distance information, and the values are steering angle information and speed information. Then the correspondence between the keys and the values can be calculated in advance through corresponding algorithms. For example, through common current obstacle avoidance and SLAM algorithms, the corresponding steering angle information and speed information are calculated based on the location information and distance.

[0056] This application only needs to store the calculated location information and distance information and the corresponding steering angle information and speed information in the relationship table, without any extra operations. When using it, it can be directly called without temporary calculation, saving a large amount of calculation costs.

[0057] Such as Figure 3 , the following introduces an algorithm (not involved in this application):

[0058] The SLAM algorithm is the abbreviation of Simultaneous Localization And Mapping, and was first used to solve the problems of positioning navigation and map construction when running in an unknown environment. After the map is constructed, an algorithm for setting the target trajectory can be set and calculated according to the set algorithm, which will not be elaborated here.

[0059] For example:

[0060] (1) Import UWB-guided waypoint and real-time UWB position data;

[0061] (2) Location discrimination of the unmanned equipment;

[0062] (3) Direction discrimination of the unmanned equipment;

[0063] (4) Cartesian coordinate conversion of the unmanned equipment;

[0064] (5) Finally, output the corresponding steering angle and speed information;

[0065] Finally, the first controller 140 is the main controller of the system. It is communicatively connected to the first ultra-wideband sensor 110, the first radar 120, the first memory 130, and the main controller 310 of the first mobile equipment. On the one hand, it is used to call the key-value pair relationship table according to the position information and distance information, and trigger the steering angle information and speed information of the first mobile equipment, and send the steering angle and speed of the first mobile equipment to the main controller 310; the main controller 310 is a controller used to control the steering and speed of the first mobile equipment. On the other hand, it is used to control the first ultra-wideband sensor 110 to perform position positioning, control the first radar 120 to measure distance information, and call relevant information from the key-value pair relationship table.

[0066] It should be noted that the first controller 140 can be a common TMS320F28335 series, or a computer device or server with data processing functions;

[0067] In this embodiment, the main controller 310 is the main controller of the mobile equipment. It can be connected to the motor, engine controller, and steering controller, and is used to send instructions for control.

[0068] It should be noted that this application does not involve how to calculate the steering angle information and speed information based on the position information and distance information. Instead, it can be calculated in advance, then a relationship table is constructed, the corresponding data is stored, and finally called without calculation. In this application, the system of the embodiment includes: signal transmission between the first ultra-wideband sensor 110 and at least two second ultra-wideband sensors 210 to generate the position information of the first mobile equipment, scanning the restricted space by the first radar 120 to generate the distance information between the first mobile equipment 100 and the contour edge of the restricted space, and the first controller 140 calling the key-value pair relationship table according to the position information and distance information, and triggering the steering angle information and speed information of the first mobile equipment, and sending the steering angle and speed of the first mobile equipment to the main controller 310, and then the main controller 310 performs control.

[0069] The system of this embodiment has the following advantages:

[0070] (1) Through UWB positioning, the position of the device can be accurately measured in a closed restricted scenario, which is more accurate than radar ranging.

[0071] (2) By presetting the key-value pair relationship table, according to the position information and distance information, the key-value pair relationship table can be called, and the steering angle information and speed information of the first mobile equipment can be triggered, and the steering angle and speed information can be obtained relatively quickly without on-site calculation, which can save a large amount of calculation costs in the restricted space.

[0072] (3) The system provides the ability for rapid deployment through the combination of UWB and radar, and is suitable for confined spaces with rapid changes.

[0073] For example Figure 2 , in one embodiment of the present application, the first movable device is an unmanned vehicle.

[0074] In some embodiments, the second ultra-wideband sensor is disposed on a second movable device within the confined space;

[0075] The second movable device is different from the first movable device;

[0076] The first ultra-wideband sensor is further configured to transmit the steering angle information and speed information of the first movable device to the second movable device.

[0077] Transmit the steering angle and speed of the first movable device to the second movable device.

[0078] The first ultra-wideband sensor can also transmit the steering angle and speed of the first movable device to the second movable device, so that the second movable device knows the steering and speed of the first movable device, thereby avoiding the second movable device from affecting the movement path of the first movable device.

[0079] In some embodiments, the first radar and the first ultra-wideband sensor are disposed on the top of the first movable device. By setting on the top, the coverage range of the signal is maximized, avoiding being affected by the structure of the movable device.

[0080] In some embodiments, the controller is a PLC controller. A PLC controller is a digital operation controller with a microprocessor for automatic control, which can load control instructions into memory for storage and execution at any time.

[0081] In some embodiments, the system further includes an alarm sensor, which is connected to the controller. The alarm sensor is configured to generate an alarm signal according to a third signal. The alarm signal is a light signal or a sound signal. The alarm sensor generates an alarm signal. It can be a combination of both, where the sound sensor emits a sound signal and the light sensor emits a light signal.

[0082] The above is a specific description of the preferred implementation of the embodiments of the present application. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the above implementation manners. Those skilled in the art can make various equivalent deformations or substitutions without departing from the spirit of the embodiments of the present application, and these equivalent deformations or substitutions are all included within the scope defined by the claims of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A control system for a movable device within a confined space, characterized in that, The system is set on a first movable device located within a confined space, and the system includes: A first ultra-wideband sensor (110) for signal transmission between the first ultra-wideband sensor (110) and at least two second ultra-wideband sensors (210) within the confined space to generate position information of the first movable device; A first radar (120) for generating distance information between the first movable device and the contour edge of the confined space; A first memory (130) provided with a key-value pair relationship table; the preset keys in the key-value pair relationship table are the position information and the distance information, and the values are steering angle information and speed information; A first controller (140) communicatively connected to the first ultra-wideband sensor (110), the first radar (120), the first memory (130), and the main controller (310) of the first movable device. The first controller (140) is configured to call the steering angle information and speed information in the key-value pair relationship table according to the position information and the distance information, and transmit the steering angle and speed to the main controller (310); the main controller (310) is a controller for controlling the steering and speed of the first movable device.

2. The control system of the movable equipment in the confined space according to claim 1, wherein The second ultra-wideband sensor is set on a second movable device within the confined space; The second movable device is different from the first movable device; The first ultra-wideband sensor (110) is further configured to transmit the steering angle and speed of the first movable device to the second movable device.

3. The control system of the movable equipment in the confined space according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second ultra-wideband sensor is an ultra-wideband base station set in the confined space.

4. The control system of the movable equipment in the confined space according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first radar (120) includes a lidar or a millimeter-wave radar.

5. The control system of the movable equipment in the confined space according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first radar (120) and the first ultra-wideband sensor (110) are set on the top of the first movable device.

6. The control system of the movable equipment in the confined space according to claim 2, characterized in that, The controller is a PLC controller.

7. The control system of the movable equipment in the confined space according to claim 2, wherein The first movable device and the second movable device are driverless vehicles.

8. The control system of the movable equipment in the confined space according to claim 1, characterized in that The system further includes an alarm sensor connected to the controller, and the alarm sensor is configured to generate an alarm signal.

9. The control system of the movable equipment in the confined space according to claim 8, characterized in that, The alarm signal is a light signal or a sound signal.

10. The control system of the movable equipment in the confined space according to claim 1, wherein, The confined space is a mine or a tunnel.

Images