A tank car parking assist device
By using multi-sensor fusion technology, geomagnetic sensors and lidar are used for tanker truck positioning, and combined with an AR projection module, the accuracy problems and reliance on vision in existing tanker truck parking systems are solved, achieving high-precision and reliable tanker truck assisted parking.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHANGHAI RUICHEN ELECTROMECHANICAL EQUIP CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-14
AI Technical Summary
Existing tanker parking assistance systems are susceptible to light and weather conditions, have low recognition rates, require drivers to frequently look up at the display screen for alignment, have limited effectiveness due to reliance on visual guidance, and require experience-based adjustments.
Employing multi-sensor fusion technology, combining geomagnetic sensors for coarse positioning, lidar for fine positioning, and AR projection module to display guidance instructions in front of the tanker, a three-level guidance mode is achieved, including geomagnetic coarse positioning, lidar fine positioning, and AR projection module front projection guidance.
It achieves high-precision and reliable tanker truck assisted parking, and the guidance instructions are displayed in front for easy driver operation, eliminating the need to frequently change the driver's line of sight, thus improving parking efficiency and accuracy and reducing the rate of misoperation.
Smart Images
Figure CN224500944U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of tanker truck alignment technology, and in particular relates to a tanker truck parking assistance device. Background Technology
[0002] Tanker truck docking with loading arms is a common fluid loading and unloading operation in industries such as petroleum, chemical, and food, mainly used for the transfer of liquids or liquefied gases.
[0003] To assist in the precise docking of tank trucks and loading arms, existing technology discloses a coarse positioning guidance and control system for powder ore tank trucks (authorization announcement number: CN 219078548 U). This system primarily uses a camera, a laser marking machine, a display screen, a PLC control system, and a video recorder to guide the driver to park the loading vehicle in the designated position, providing favorable conditions for subsequent intelligent fully automated loading and delivery (achieving coarse positioning). It eliminates the need for driver parking experience, providing a quick and efficient parking method, especially for new drivers, those with poor memory, or those with limited experience. It improves parking accuracy and loading / delivery efficiency. However, it has the following shortcomings:
[0004] (1) The camera's field of view is easily affected by light, weather, etc., especially at night or in low visibility conditions, the recognition rate decreases, which in turn affects the clarity of the image;
[0005] (2) The driver needs to frequently look up at the display screen to align the position, which not only distracts the driver, but also requires the driver to make multiple fine adjustments based on their own experience to get it in place.
[0006] (3) The display is singular and relies solely on visual guidance. The effect is greatly reduced when the driver's vision is limited.
[0007] Based on the above analysis, this application designs a novel auxiliary parking device according to existing technology. Utility Model Content
[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a tanker truck parking assistance device. This device employs multi-sensor fusion technology and utilizes a three-level guidance mode consisting of coarse geomagnetic positioning, fine lidar positioning, and forward projection guidance commands from an AR projection module. This not only achieves reliable and high-precision tanker truck parking assistance, but also provides convenience for the driver by eliminating the need for frequent changes in line of sight. Furthermore, the forward display of guidance commands provides an intuitive and dynamic display of the parking guidance direction, eliminating the need for the driver to adjust based on experience. This addresses at least one deficiency of the prior art.
[0009] To address the aforementioned problems, this solution provides a tanker truck parking assistance device, comprising:
[0010] A lidar sensor is mounted on the top center of the tanker loading trolley or above at least one side of the tanker loading trolley, and its scanning angle covers the parking area.
[0011] A geomagnetic sensor array is deployed in the parking area to coarsely locate the tanker truck by means of changes in the magnetic field. At the same time, it serves as a trigger element to enable the lidar sensor.
[0012] The guidance instruction display module includes an AR projection module that projects and displays dynamic guidance instructions in front of the tanker truck.
[0013] An edge controller is electrically connected to the geomagnetic sensor array, the lidar sensor, and the guidance command display module to coordinate the actions of the three.
[0014] As a preferred embodiment of this application, a lifting frame is provided, on which the lidar sensor, guidance command display module and edge controller are mounted and located above one side of the tanker loading trestle. The lidar sensor is 4.5-8m above the ground with a downward tilt angle of 25°-50°, and the AR projection module is 2-4m above the ground with a downward tilt angle of 60°-75°.
[0015] As a preferred embodiment of this application, the lifting frame includes a moving rod section and a fixed rod section, the lidar sensor is installed on the moving rod section to achieve adjustable lidar sensor height, and the AR projection module and edge controller are located on the fixed rod section.
[0016] As a preferred embodiment of this application, the moving rod segment is either an electric push rod or a hydraulic lifting cylinder.
[0017] As a preferred embodiment of this application, the geomagnetic sensing array includes multiple geomagnetic sensors, which are arranged in a grid pattern, with a spacing of 1-2m along the direction of travel of the tanker and a spacing of 0.5-1m along the width of the tanker.
[0018] As a preferred embodiment of this application, the geomagnetic sensors are connected in parallel in groups of 4-6 and then connected to the edge controller via an RS485 bus.
[0019] As a preferred embodiment of this application, the guidance instruction display module further includes a voice broadcast module, which is used to broadcast guidance instructions via voice on-site.
[0020] As a preferred embodiment of this application, the edge controller interacts with the PLC of the loading arm alignment system to remotely provide feedback on the parking status.
[0021] As a preferred embodiment of this application, the lidar sensor is a solid-state lidar of model MID-70.
[0022] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this application are:
[0023] This solution provides a tanker truck parking assistance device, which includes a lidar sensor, a geomagnetic sensor array, a guidance command display module, and an edge controller. The geomagnetic sensor array collects changes in magnetic field strength through multiple geomagnetic sensors within the array. The magnetic field strength change signal collected when the tanker truck initially enters the geomagnetic sensor array area is used as a trigger signal. The edge controller, based on the trigger signal, controls the lidar sensor to activate and perform a high-precision scan of the tanker truck's top, thereby obtaining the coordinates of the tank opening. Simultaneously, the edge controller calculates the tanker truck's center position based on the magnetic field changes collected by the multiple geomagnetic sensors, thus performing coarse positioning of the tanker truck. Furthermore, it also calculates the tanker truck's center position based on the scanned image from the lidar sensor. The coordinates of the top tank opening, combined with the pre-set position information of the loading arm, are used to accurately locate the tanker's position and generate dynamic guidance commands. These dynamic guidance commands are projected onto the front of the tanker through the AR projection module in the guidance command display module. Therefore, this auxiliary parking device employs multi-sensor fusion technology and a three-level guidance mode—coarse geomagnetic positioning, fine lidar positioning, and forward projection of guidance commands from the AR projection module—not only achieving reliable and high-precision tanker auxiliary parking, but also providing convenience for the driver by eliminating the need for frequent changes in line of sight. Furthermore, the forward display of guidance commands provides an intuitive and dynamic display of the parking guidance direction, eliminating the need for the driver to adjust based on experience. This addresses at least one deficiency of the prior art. Attached Figure Description
[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the installation location of the tanker parking assistance device provided by this utility model on the tanker loading trestle.
[0025] Figure 2 A diagram of the control module of the tanker truck parking assistance device provided by this utility model.
[0026] Figure 3 The control principle diagram of the tanker parking auxiliary device provided by this utility model.
[0027] Figure Labels
[0028] 10 is a tanker truck; 20 is a tanker truck loading trestle; 301 is a lidar sensor; 302 is a geomagnetic sensor array; 303 is an AR projection module; 304 is a lifting frame; 3041 is a moving pole section; 3042 is a fixed pole section; 305 is a voice broadcast module; 306 is an edge controller. Detailed Implementation
[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be emphasized that the following description is merely exemplary and not intended to limit the scope and application of the present invention.
[0030] This embodiment provides a tanker truck parking assistance device, such as... Figure 1-3 As shown, the device includes a lidar sensor 301, a geomagnetic sensor array 302, a guidance command display module, and an edge controller 306. The edge controller 306 is electrically connected to the geomagnetic sensor array 302, the lidar sensor 301, and the guidance command display module to coordinate their actions. In this embodiment, the edge controller 306 has preset loading arm position information.
[0031] The lidar sensor 301 is mounted on the top center of the tanker loading gantry 20 or above at least one side of the tanker loading gantry 20, and its scanning angle covers the parking area. It is understood that mounting the lidar sensor 301 on the top center of the tanker loading gantry 20 allows for more comprehensive scanning, but it makes maintenance inconvenient. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is preferable to mount the lidar sensor 301 above one side of the tanker loading gantry 20, and a solid-state lidar of model MID-70 is used. This model of lidar has a circular field of view of 70.4 degrees in both the horizontal and vertical directions, significantly reducing the near blind zone to 5 cm. Furthermore, this lidar can operate normally in an ambient temperature range of -20℃ to 65℃, and its continuous operating time at room temperature is up to 8000 hours, meeting the high-intensity requirements of long-term uninterrupted operation for commercial robots. Even under strong sunlight of 100klx, the false alarm rate is still less than one in ten thousand, making it compatible with indoor and outdoor environments, stable and reliable. The 905 used... The nm laser power also meets the safety standards for the human eye, thus satisfying the requirements of this embodiment. The geomagnetic sensor array 302 is deployed in the parking area. It is understood that the geomagnetic sensor array 302 should be composed of multiple geomagnetic sensors. When the tanker truck 10 enters the parking area, the magnetic fields of the multiple geomagnetic sensors in the array will change abruptly. The edge controller 306 calculates the vehicle center coordinates using a weighted calculation method based on the intensity of the magnetic field changes of the geomagnetic sensors, so as to achieve preliminary positioning of the direction and position of the tanker truck 10. Since the accuracy of the geomagnetic sensors is relatively low, this preliminary positioning is coarse positioning. At the same time, the geomagnetic sensor array 302 also serves as the trigger element for enabling the lidar sensor 301. This allows the lidar sensor 301 to be in a low-power state when not needed, reducing the overall power consumption of the device and improving the lifespan of the lidar sensor 301. Specifically, a trigger signal is generated when the tanker 10 enters the area of the geomagnetic sensing array 302 and transmitted to the edge controller 306. The guidance instruction display module includes an AR projection module 303, which projects the dynamic guidance instructions generated by the edge controller 306 in front of the tanker 10. In this embodiment, the AR projection module communicates with the edge controller 306 through an HDMI 2.0 interface to project the dynamic guidance instructions in front of the tanker 10 through an aperture or other means.
[0032] Specifically, in this embodiment, the geomagnetic sensing array 302 collects changes in magnetic field intensity through multiple geomagnetic sensors in the array. The magnetic field intensity change signal collected when the tank truck 10 initially enters the area of the geomagnetic sensing array 302 is used as a trigger signal. The edge controller 306 receives the signal collected by the geomagnetic sensing array 302 via an RS485 bus and controls the lidar sensor 301 to start according to the trigger signal to perform a high-precision scan of the top of the tank truck 10, thereby obtaining the position of the tank opening on the roof. Simultaneously, the edge controller 306 calculates the vehicle center coordinates based on the magnetic field changes collected by multiple geomagnetic sensors, thereby performing coarse positioning of the tank truck 10. On the other hand, it also communicates with the lidar sensor 301 via an RS422 bus and performs precise positioning of the tank truck 10's pose based on the coordinates of the tank opening on the top of the tank truck 10 scanned by the lidar sensor 301, combined with the preset position information of the loading arm within it. It then generates dynamic guidance commands, which are transmitted via... The AR projection module 303 in the guidance command display module projects the guidance command to the front of the tanker truck 10. In this embodiment, the coarse positioning of the geomagnetic sensor array 302 is used to locate the direction and position of the tanker truck 10 and detect its entry into or exit from the parking area. On the other hand, the center position of the tanker truck 10 obtained by the coarse positioning is used to verify the data obtained by the lidar sensor 301, thereby calibrating the lidar sensor 301 and improving the accuracy of the device operation. It can be seen that this auxiliary parking device adopts multi-sensor fusion technology and, through the three-level guidance mode of geomagnetic coarse positioning, lidar fine positioning, and AR projection module 303 forward projection guidance command, not only achieves reliable and high-precision tanker truck auxiliary parking, but also provides convenience for the driver by eliminating the need to frequently change the driver's line of sight. On the other hand, it can intuitively display the parking guidance direction without requiring the driver to adjust it based on experience. This solves at least one deficiency of the background technology.
[0033] As a preferred embodiment, the guidance instruction display module also includes a voice broadcast module 305, which is used to broadcast guidance instructions on-site. The combination of the voice broadcast module 305 and the AR projection module 303 achieves the purpose of multi-sensory collaborative guidance, improves positioning accuracy and reliability, and solves the drawbacks of existing visual displays. In addition, dual verification can reduce the error rate. It can be understood that in this embodiment, the voice broadcast module 305 and the AR projection module 303 are synchronized. For example, when the guidance instruction projected by the AR projection module 303 points to the left, the edge controller 306 can control the voice broadcast module 305 to broadcast "translate to the left" synchronously through the GPIO pin. For greater accuracy, the specific translation distance can be broadcast, such as "translate to the left 10cm", further improving the alignment efficiency and accuracy of the tanker 10. Of course, the voice broadcast module 305 can also broadcast only after alignment is completed, such as "alignment completed", so that the driver can know the alignment status in a timely manner.
[0034] In a preferred embodiment, a lifting frame 304 is provided, and a lidar sensor 301, a guidance command display module, and an edge controller 306 are all mounted on the lifting frame 304 and located above one side of the tanker loading trestle 20. The lidar sensor 301 is 4.5-8m above the ground with a downward tilt angle of 25°-50°, and the AR projection module 303 is 2-4m above the ground with a downward tilt angle of 60°-75°. In this embodiment, it is understood that the deployment height and tilt angle of the lidar sensor 301 determine the size of its scanning area. Therefore, in actual... In use, the deployment height and pitch angle of the lidar sensor 301 can be adjusted according to the height of the tank truck 10. In this embodiment, the preferred deployment height is 5m and the pitch angle is 32°. According to the calculation of the tangent function, under these data, the horizontal scanning range of the lidar sensor 301 will be about 8m, which meets the needs of a conventional tank truck 10. The AR projection module 303 is lower than the lidar sensor 301 at a height of 3m, preferably with a pitch angle of 75° downwards, to ensure that the dynamic guidance command of the projection is located about 2m in front of the tank truck 10, so that the driver can directly know it when looking straight ahead without having to frequently move his eyes.
[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the lifting frame 304 includes a movable rod section 3041 and a fixed rod section 3042. A lidar sensor 301 is mounted on the movable rod section 3041, allowing for height adjustment of the lidar sensor 301. An AR projection module 303 and an edge controller 306 are located on the fixed rod section 3042. Figure 1 As can be seen, the AR projection module 303 and the voice broadcast module 305 are both integrated on the edge controller 306. Of course, for the convenience of subsequent maintenance, the voice broadcast module 305 and the edge controller 306 can also be integrated together and set at a distance close to the bottom of the top pole section.
[0036] As a preferred embodiment, the moving rod segment 3041 is either an electric push rod or a hydraulic lifting cylinder, and in this embodiment, an electric push rod is preferred.
[0037] As a preferred embodiment, the geomagnetic sensor array 302 includes multiple geomagnetic sensors, which are arranged in a grid pattern. The spacing between the geomagnetic sensors is 1-2m along the direction of travel of the tanker 10 and 0.5-1m along the width of the tanker 10. This grid pattern arrangement can enhance the accuracy and density of sensor data acquisition and eliminate blind spots. In this embodiment, it is preferable that 4-6 geomagnetic sensors are connected in parallel as a group and then connected to the edge controller 306 via an RS485 bus. That is, at least 4-6 sensors detect synchronously, completely avoiding blind spots.
[0038] As a preferred embodiment, in order to link with the loading arm alignment system, the edge controller 306 interacts with the PLC of the loading arm alignment system to remotely report the parking status, so as to facilitate real-time monitoring and recording of relevant data in the background.
[0039] like Figure 3 The diagram shown is a detailed usage flow or schematic diagram of the device provided in this embodiment:
[0040] When the tanker truck 10 enters the parking area, the geomagnetic sensor array 302 is triggered. At this time, the initially acquired magnetic field strength change signal is transmitted to the edge controller 306 as a trigger signal. The edge controller 306 activates the lidar sensor 301 according to the trigger signal, putting it into an enabled state. The lidar sensor 301 scans the top of the tanker truck 10 to obtain the coordinates of the inlet and transmits them to the edge controller 306. At the same time, the geomagnetic sensors in the geomagnetic sensor array 302 synchronously acquire magnetic field strength changes and transmit them to the edge controller 306. The edge controller 306 then activates the lidar sensor 301 according to the pre-set magnetic field strength change signal. The dynamic pose of the loading arm 10 is calculated based on the position information of the loading arm and the coordinates of the top filling port of the tanker 10. At the same time, the edge controller 306 calculates the center of the tanker 10 based on the changes in magnetic field strength collected by the magnetic sensors in various locations to achieve coarse positioning of the tanker 10. The dynamic pose of the tanker 10 is verified using this coarse positioning. If there is no error, the dynamic guidance command is displayed in real time through the AR projection sensor and the dynamic guidance command is broadcast through the voice broadcast module 305. The real-time guidance data is also uploaded to the PLC of the loading arm alignment system. If there is an error, the guidance is recalculated or stopped and an early warning is sent to the PLC.
[0041] It should be noted that the logic control involved in this solution is all existing conventional technology and does not constitute an improvement in this application.
[0042] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of this utility model, and common knowledge regarding specific structures and characteristics is not elaborated upon here. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements without departing from this utility model, and these improvements should also be considered within the scope of protection of this utility model. These improvements will not affect the effectiveness of the implementation of this utility model or the practicality of the patent. The scope of protection claimed in this application should be determined by the content of the claims, and the specific embodiments described in the specification can be used to interpret the content of the claims.
Claims
1. A tanker truck parking assistance device, characterized in that: Include: A lidar sensor (301) is mounted on the top center of the tanker loading trolley (20) or above at least one side of the tanker loading trolley (20), and its scanning angle covers the parking area. A geomagnetic sensor array (302) is deployed in the parking area to coarsely locate the tanker (10) by means of changes in the magnetic field, and at the same time, it serves as a trigger element to enable the lidar sensor (301). The guidance instruction display module includes an AR projection module (303) that projects and displays dynamic guidance instructions in front of the tanker (10); An edge controller (306) is electrically connected to the geomagnetic sensing array (302), the lidar sensor (301), and the guidance command display module to coordinate the actions of the three.
2. The tanker truck parking auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A lifting frame (304) is provided, on which the laser radar sensor (301), the guidance command display module and the edge controller (306) are mounted and located above one side of the tanker loading trestle (20). The laser radar sensor (301) is 4.5-8m above the ground and has a pitch angle of 25°-50° downward. The AR projection module (303) is 2-4m above the ground and has a pitch angle of 60°-75° downward.
3. The tanker truck parking auxiliary device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lifting frame (304) includes a moving rod section (3041) and a fixed rod section (3042). The laser radar sensor (301) is installed on the moving rod section (3041) to enable the laser radar sensor (301) to be height adjustable. The AR projection module (303) and the edge controller (306) are located on the fixed rod section (3042).
4. The tanker truck parking auxiliary device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The moving rod section (3041) is either an electric push rod or a hydraulic lifting cylinder.
5. The tanker truck parking auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The geomagnetic sensing array (302) includes multiple geomagnetic sensors, which are arranged in a grid pattern, with a spacing of 1-2m along the direction of travel of the tanker (10) and a spacing of 0.5-1m along the width of the tanker (10).
6. The tanker truck parking auxiliary device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The geomagnetic sensors are connected in parallel in groups of 4-6 and then connected to the edge controller (306) via an RS485 bus.
7. The tanker truck parking auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guidance instruction display module also includes a voice broadcast module (305), which is used to broadcast guidance instructions on-site via voice.
8. The tanker truck parking auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The edge controller (306) interacts with the PLC of the loading arm alignment system to remotely provide feedback on the parking status.
9. The tanker truck parking auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lidar sensor (301) is a solid-state lidar of model MID-70.