Control Method and System for Removing Coal Blockage

Abstract

The present invention provides a control method and system for removing coal blockages, which identify the types of debris and the hardware parameters of the transportation equipment, determine an arm operation mode suitable for the current coal blockage situation based on the preset correspondence between the parameters and the arm operation mode, then control the arm to operate according to this arm operation mode, further comprehensively judge the state of the coal blockage, drive the arm to execute different removal operations, automatically identify and execute the removal operations, timely discover the coal blockage, and improve the removal efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of removing coal blockages in the mining industry, and specifically relates to a control method and system for removing coal blockages.

Background Art

[0002] During transportation, there is a risk that large coal, metal anchors, silica, etc. will accumulate at positions such as the coal tank and the middle groove of the transfer machine. As the accumulation increases, it may prevent transportation and cause coal blockages. Currently, since it is removed manually or by controlling a machine, there is a problem that coal blockages cannot be detected in a timely manner and the removal efficiency is low.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to solve the problem that the method of removing coal blockages manually or by controlling a machine cannot detect coal blockages in a timely manner and the removal efficiency is low.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] To solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a control method for removing coal blockages. The method includes the following: obtaining an image of the target area of the coal blockage, and identifying the type of debris based on the image. The debris includes metal debris and lignite attachments. Obtaining the hardware parameters of the transportation equipment corresponding to the target area of the coal blockage. The hardware parameters include at least one of the wall thickness and hole diameter of the coal tank. Determining the arm operation mode corresponding to the type of debris and the hardware parameters according to the preset correspondence between the type of debris, the hardware parameters, and the arm operation mode. The arm operation mode includes at least one of excavation, vibration, and excavation + vibration. Controlling the operation of the arm according to the determined arm operation mode.

[0005] Optionally, the preset correspondence relationship includes the following: when the wall thickness of the coal tank is smaller than the preset wall thickness, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation + vibration or vibration; when the wall thickness of the coal tank is equal to or greater than the preset wall thickness, the corresponding arm operation mode is vibration; when the hole diameter of the coal tank is smaller than the preset hole diameter, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation or excavation + vibration; when the hole diameter of the coal tank is equal to or greater than the preset hole diameter, the corresponding arm operation mode is vibration; when the metal debris is an anchor net, an anchor rope or iron ore, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation + vibration or excavation; when the metal debris is an anchor, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation + vibration; when the lignite attachment is silica, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation or excavation + vibration; when the lignite attachment is slurry, the corresponding arm operation mode is vibration or excavation + vibration.

[0006] Optionally, obtaining an image of the clogging target area of the coal and obtaining the type of debris by image identification includes the following: obtaining an image of the clogging target area of the coal through a camera, and preprocessing the image to obtain an image block of the object, comparing the image block of the object with a template image to obtain the similarity between the image block and the template image, and when the similarity meets the matching condition, determining that the type of debris corresponding to the template image is the type of debris included in the image.

[0007] Optionally, comparing the image block of the object with a template image to obtain the similarity between the image block and the template image includes the following: moving the template image into the image block of the object, calculating the average value of the difference in gray level values between the pixels of the image block and the pixels at the corresponding positions of the template image, and calculating the average value of the squares of the differences in gray level values between the pixels of the image block and the pixels at the corresponding positions of the template image.

[0008] Optionally, the method further includes obtaining the execution frequency of each arm operation mode in a past period, and controlling the arm based on the execution frequency to cause the arm operation mode to be executed within a predetermined time.

[0009] Optionally, obtaining the hardware parameters of the transportation facility corresponding to the target area of the coal blockage includes obtaining an image of the target area of the coal blockage through a camera, and determining the hardware parameters of the transportation facility based on the image, and / or detecting the transportation facility corresponding to the target area of the coal blockage through an ultrasonic sensor to obtain the hardware parameters of the transportation facility.

[0010] Optionally, the preset wall thickness is 50 mm, or the preset hole diameter is 0.5 m.

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention provides a control system for removing coal blockage. The system includes a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, an arm, a single-chip computer, and a master computer. The master computer is used to execute a control method for removing the coal blockage.

[0012] Optionally, the camera is used to collect an image of the target area of the coal blockage, and the ultrasonic sensor is used to detect the transportation facility corresponding to the target area of the coal blockage to obtain the hardware parameters of the transportation facility.

[0013] Optionally, the single-chip computer receives the data collected by the camera and the ultrasonic sensor, transmits the data to the master computer, receives the control command of the master computer, and is used to control the arm based on the control command.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] The control method and system for removing coal blockage provided by the embodiments of the present invention identify the types of sundries and the hardware parameters of the transportation facilities, determine the arm operation mode suitable for the current coal blockage situation based on the preset correspondence between the parameters and the arm operation mode, then control the arm to operate according to the arm operation mode, further comprehensively judge the state of coal blockage, drive the arm to execute different removal operations, automatically identify and execute the removal operations, discover coal blockage in a timely manner, and improve the removal efficiency.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] To more clearly explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following briefly describes the drawings necessary for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings used in the following description are only the embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on the provided drawings without creative efforts.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more clear and understandable, the following specifically describes the specific embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, it should be understood that the specific embodiments described in this specification are for the purpose of explaining the present invention and do not limit the present invention.

[0017] The embodiments of the present invention utilize a vision system to identify the internal and external environments of the coal clogging area (e.g., coal tank), and at the same time, assist with an ultrasonic system, collect and process information through a single-chip computer, and comprehensively determine the state of the coal tank based on the processed information (including wall thickness, hole diameter size of the coal tank, metal shape, lignite appendages, etc.), and drive the arm to execute different operation modes such as excavation, vibration, and excavation + vibration based on different situations.

[0018] In the control system for removing coal clogging provided by the embodiments of the present invention, the hardware part includes a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, an arm, a single-chip computer, and a master computer.

[0019] Here, the camera is used to collect images of the target area of coal clogging, and the ultrasonic sensor is used to detect the transportation equipment corresponding to the target area of coal clogging and obtain the hardware parameters of the transportation equipment.

[0020] The single-chip computer is used to receive the data collected by the camera and ultrasonic sensor, send the data to the master computer, receive the control commands of the master computer, and control the arm based on the control commands.

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the control system for removing coal clogging provided by the embodiments of the present invention, showing a vision system, an ultrasonic system, an arm, a single-chip computer, and a master computer.

[0022] Exemplarily, the vision system composed of a camera can identify the environmental information inside and outside the coal tank, determine the measured spatial position, and realize the identification function of the object. The ultrasonic system composed of an ultrasonic sensor mainly assists in identifying the wall thickness, hole diameter of the coal tank, etc. The vision system and the ultrasonic system transmit information to the master computer.

[0023] Exemplarily, the master computer is a general PC, and its main function is to connect a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, and an arm, and transmit the motion mode that the arm needs to perform after identification to a single-chip computer through serial communication. The single-chip computer controls the arm to perform the specified operation. The single-chip computer can use model series such as STM32S or C51, and transmit commands through the serial port to drive the motors of each part of the arm to realize the movement of each part.

[0024] The above system software development part can: 1. Utilize the upper computer program that mixes c+ and MATLAB (registered trademark) to realize the visualization of the three-dimensional information of the observed physics; 2. Conduct development using a single-chip computer, mainly controlling the arm to realize the specified operation.

[0025] Data collection mainly includes the following: the wall thickness of the coal tank, the size of the clogged hole diameter, metals, lignite attachments. The wall thickness is mainly determined with the assistance of the vision system and the ultrasonic system, and its range is within 50mm, 50mm - 100mm, 100mm - 150mm, 150mm - 200mm. The size of the hole diameter is also generally determined with the assistance of the ultrasonic system, mainly within a radius of 0.5m, 0.5m - 1m, 1m - 2m. The types of metal solids are usually determined through the vision system by different boundary and color tone values, mainly including anchors, anchor nets, anchor ropes, iron ore, etc. The lignite attachments are also determined through the vision system by different boundary and color tone values, mainly including silica, slurry, etc.

[0026] After the vision system and the ultrasonic system collect information, the single-chip computer transmits it to the upper computer PC side for processing, and feeds back the processed information to the single-chip computer. The single-chip computer selects the arm motion mode based on the feedback information. The matching correspondence between the type of debris obtained by information collection and the arm motion mode is preset.

[0027] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a control method for removing coal blockage provided by an embodiment of the present invention, and this method includes the following steps.

[0028] S202. Obtain an image of the target area of coal blockage, and identify the type of debris based on the above image.

[0029] Specifically, obtain an image of the target area of coal blockage in real time through a camera. The target area of coal blockage may be a position with a risk of coal blockage, such as a coal tank of a transportation facility such as a scraper transfer machine, a middle groove of a transfer machine, etc. The type of debris can be determined by image identification. The type of debris can be metal debris and lignite appendages. The metal debris can be an anchor, an anchor net, an anchor rope, or iron ore. The lignite appendages can be silica or slurry.

[0030] S204. Obtain the hardware parameters of the transportation facility corresponding to the target area of coal blockage.

[0031] Optionally, the above hardware parameters of the transportation facility can be determined using a camera or an ultrasonic sensor. These hardware parameters can include at least one of the wall thickness of the coal tank and the hole diameter of the coal tank. Specifically, obtain an image of the target area of coal blockage through a camera, and determine the hardware parameters of the transportation facility based on the above image, and / or detect the transportation facility corresponding to the target area of coal blockage through an ultrasonic sensor to obtain the hardware parameters of the transportation facility.

[0032] S206. Based on the preset correspondence between the type of debris, the hardware parameters, and the arm removal operation mode, determine the arm operation mode corresponding to the type of debris and the hardware parameters. The arm operation mode can include at least one of excavation, vibration, and excavation + vibration.

[0033] Exemplarily, the preset correspondence is as follows.

[0034] The wall thickness of the coal tank is smaller than the preset wall thickness, and the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation + vibration or vibration. When the wall thickness of the coal tank is equal to or greater than the preset wall thickness, the corresponding arm operation mode is vibration. In many cases, the vibration method can be used to remove the blockage of coal. When the wall thickness of the coal is smaller than the preset wall thickness, the blockage of coal can be removed by excavation + vibration. The preset wall thickness is set to 50 mm.

[0035] When the hole diameter of the coal tank is smaller than the preset hole diameter, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation or excavation + vibration. When the hole diameter of the coal tank is equal to or greater than the preset hole diameter, the corresponding arm operation mode is vibration. Considering that the larger the hole diameter of the coal tank, the more easily the coal tank is affected by vibration and the blockage of coal can be removed, when the hole diameter of the coal tank is greater than or equal to the preset hole diameter, the vibration method can be adopted. When it is smaller than the preset hole diameter, the vibration alone is not effective, so the excavation or excavation + vibration method can be adopted. Exemplarily, the preset hole diameter is set to 0.5 m.

[0036] When the metal debris is anchor net, anchor rope or iron ore, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation + vibration or excavation. When the metal debris is an anchor, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation + vibration. When there is metal debris, the excavation method is mainly adopted, but the excavation + vibration method can also be adopted.

[0037] When the lignite attachment is silica, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation or excavation + vibration. When the lignite attachment is slurry, the corresponding arm operation mode is vibration or excavation + vibration. Considering the different characteristics of silica and slurry, when silica exists, the excavation method is mainly adopted, but excavation + vibration can also be adopted. When slurry exists, the vibration method is mainly adopted, but excavation + vibration can also be adopted.

[0038] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the matching relationship between the feedback information of the single-chip computer provided by the embodiment of the present invention and the arm operation mode, showing that the clogging objects are classified into wall thickness, hole diameter, metal, lignite appendages and their corresponding specific classifications, and also showing that the arm operation modes are excavation, vibration and excavation + vibration.

[0039] S208. Control the operation of the arm based on the determined arm operation mode.

[0040] After determining the above arm operation mode, the operation of the arm can be controlled based on this operation mode.

[0041] The control method for removing coal clogging provided by the embodiment of the present invention identifies the types of impurities and the hardware parameters of the transportation equipment, and determines an arm operation mode suitable for the current coal clogging situation based on the preset corresponding relationship between the parameters and the arm operation mode. Then, the arm is controlled to operate according to the arm operation mode, thereby comprehensively judging the state of coal clogging, driving the arm to perform different operations to remove coal clogging, automatically performing the identification and removal operations, timely discovering coal clogging, and improving the removal efficiency.

[0042] Exemplarily, in this embodiment, image identification can be performed by similarity measurement. Therefore, it can be performed by the following method.

[0043] First, obtain an image of the target area of coal clogging through a camera, and preprocess the image to obtain an image block of the target object. The preprocessing process includes noise correction, removal of irrelevant information, removal of interference points, etc. Next, obtain the geometric edges of the target object by edge detection.

[0044] Next, compare the image block of the object with the template image to obtain the similarity between the image block and the template image. When the sizes of the image block and the template image do not match, adopt the method of sliding the window to slide the template image within the image block at a predetermined step length until all ranges of the image block are covered. Optionally, it includes the following steps.

[0045] (1) Move the template image into the image block of the object.

[0046] (2) Calculate the average value of the difference in gray levels between the pixels of the image block and the corresponding pixels of the template image, and the average value of the square of the difference in gray levels between the pixels of the image block and the corresponding pixels of the template image. When the above average value meets the preset similarity condition, it is determined that the image block matches the template image.

[0047] And when the similarity meets the matching condition, it is determined that the type of debris corresponding to the template image is the type of debris included in the above image.

[0048] The above image identification will be introduced in detail below.

[0049] 1. Image preprocessing.

[0050] Calibrate the screen captured by the camera to obtain the initial parameter matrix of the camera. Since noise may occur in the camera itself or during shooting, it is necessary to correct it and remove irrelevant information. First, enhance the contrast between the object and the image background by changing the gray level value, then remove the interference points by the filter algorithm, and finally extract the geometric edges of the object using the edge detection algorithm.

[0051] (2) Algorithm identification

[0052] After preprocessing the image, image blocks are obtained. Each block has different features such as boundaries, central pixel values, and color information. By extracting the features of different blocks and calculating the similarity between the template and the image, the template image is horizontally moved within the identification area. When the template image is moved to a specific position, the similarity S is as follows and is used to characterize the degree of difference.

[0053] [Number]

[0054] Here, T is the identification area, t(a, b) is the template image, and f(r + a, c + b) is the tone value moving to the template area. The absolute value addition S' and the square addition S" of the difference in tone values between the template and the image are as follows.

[0055] [Number]

[0056] [Number]

[0057] Here, n is the number of pixels in the identification area. When the light changes linearly, the tone also changes similarly. To prevent the influence of the linear light irradiation change, a normalization-related function form is adopted.

[0058] [Number]

[0059] Here, JPEG2025522188000006.jpg10143 is the average value and variance of the tone values of all pixel points of the template, JPEG2025522188000007.jpg11144 is the average value and variance of the tone values of all pixel points of the image moving to the current position.

[0060] According to the above algorithm, various metals and lignite appendages can be identified.

[0061] Considering the timeliness of the operation to remove coal blockage, it can be automatically performed at regular intervals. Exemplarily, the automatic execution frequency can be determined based on the execution frequency of the operation mode within the past period. Specifically, it can be performed in the step of obtaining the execution frequency of each arm operation mode in the past period and controlling the arm based on the above execution frequency to execute the arm operation mode within a predetermined time.

[0062] The embodiments of the present invention utilize a vision system to identify the internal and external environments of a coal tank, and at the same time, are assisted by an ultrasonic system. Information collection and processing are performed through a single-chip computer. Based on the information to be processed, including wall thickness, the size of the hole diameter of the coal tank, metal shape, lignite appendages, etc., the state of the coal tank is comprehensively judged, and the arm is driven based on different situations to execute different operation modes such as excavation, vibration, and excavation + vibration.

[0063] The embodiments of the present invention further provide a control system for removing coal blockage. The system includes a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, an arm, a single-chip computer, and a master computer. The master computer is used to execute a control method for removing the coal blockage.

[0064] Optionally, the camera is used to collect an image of the target area of coal blockage, and the ultrasonic sensor is used to detect the transportation equipment corresponding to the target area of coal blockage to obtain the hardware parameters of the transportation equipment.

[0065] Optionally, the single-chip computer is used to receive the data collected by the camera and the ultrasonic sensor, transmit the data to the master computer, receive the control command of the master computer, and control the arm based on the control command.

[0066] Those skilled in the art should understand that the process for implementing all or part of the methods in the above embodiments can be carried out by sending commands to a control device by means of a computer program. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, the program can include the processes of the above embodiments when executed, and the storage medium can be a memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or the like.

[0067] In this specification, it should be explained that relative terms such as first and second are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is such an actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Also, the term "comprising", "including", or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, where a process, method, article, or device that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "one...comprising" does not exclude the presence of another identical element in the process, method, article, or device that includes that element.

[0068] From the above description of the disclosed embodiments, those skilled in the art can implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein and should conform to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A control method for removing coal blockages, the method including the following, acquiring an image of the target area of the coal blockage and identifying the type of debris based on the image, wherein the debris includes metal debris and lignite attachments, acquiring the hardware parameters of the transportation equipment corresponding to the target area of the coal blockage, wherein the hardware parameters include at least one of the wall thickness of the coal tank and the hole diameter of the coal tank, determining the arm operation mode corresponding to the type of debris and the hardware parameters according to a preset correspondence between the type of debris, the hardware parameters, and the arm operation mode, wherein the arm operation mode includes at least one of excavation, vibration, and excavation + vibration, controlling the operation of the arm according to the determined arm operation mode, wherein the preset correspondence includes the following, when the wall thickness of the coal tank is less than a preset wall thickness, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation + vibration or vibration, when the wall thickness of the coal tank is equal to or greater than the preset wall thickness, the corresponding arm operation mode is vibration, when the hole diameter of the coal tank is less than a preset hole diameter, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation or excavation + vibration, when the hole diameter of the coal tank is equal to or greater than the preset hole diameter, the corresponding arm operation mode is vibration, the control method for removing the coal blockage.

2. The preset correspondence includes the following, when the metal debris is an anchor net, an anchor rope, or iron ore, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation + vibration or excavation, when the metal debris is an anchor, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation + vibration, when the lignite attachment is silica, the corresponding arm operation mode is excavation or excavation + vibration, when the lignite attachment is slurry, the corresponding arm operation mode is vibration or excavation + vibration, the control method for removing the coal blockage according to Claim 1.

3. Acquiring an image of the target area of the coal blockage and obtaining the type of debris by image identification includes the following, acquiring an image of the target area of the coal blockage through a camera and preprocessing the image to obtain an image block of the object, Comparing the image block of the object with a template image to obtain the similarity between the image block and the template image, When the similarity meets the matching condition, it is determined that the type of foreign matter corresponding to the template image is the type of foreign matter included in the image. The control method for removing coal blockage according to claim 1.

4. Obtaining the similarity between the image block of the object and the template image by comparing the image block of the object with the template image includes the following: Moving the template image into the image block of the object, Calculating the average value of the difference in gradation values between the pixels of the image block and the pixels at the corresponding positions of the template image, and Calculating the average value of the squares of the differences in gradation values between the pixels of the image block and the pixels at the corresponding positions of the template image. The control method for removing coal blockage according to claim 3.

5. The method further includes the following: Obtaining the execution frequency of each arm operation mode in the past period, Controlling the arm based on the execution frequency to cause the arm operation mode to be executed within a predetermined time. The control method for removing coal blockage according to claim 1.

6. Obtaining the hardware parameters of the transportation equipment corresponding to the target area of coal blockage includes the following: Obtaining an image of the target area of coal blockage through a camera, and determining the hardware parameters of the transportation equipment based on the image, and / or Detecting the transportation equipment corresponding to the target area of coal blockage through an ultrasonic sensor to obtain the hardware parameters of the transportation equipment. The control method for removing coal blockage according to claim 1.

7. The preset wall thickness is 50 mm, or The preset hole diameter is 0.5 m. The control method for removing coal blockage according to claim 2.

8. A control system for removing coal blockage, The system includes a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, an arm, a single-chip computer, and a master computer, The master computer is used to execute the control method for removing coal blockage according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The control system for removing coal blockage.

9. The camera is used to collect an image of the target area of coal blockage, The ultrasonic sensor is used to detect a transportation facility corresponding to a clogged area of the coal and obtain hardware parameters of the transportation facility, and the control system for removing the coal clogging according to claim 8.

10. The single-chip computer receives data collected by the camera and the ultrasonic sensor, transmits the data to the master computer, receives a control command of the master computer, and is used to control the arm based on the control command, and the control system for removing the coal clogging according to claim 8.

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