METHOD FOR ALIGNING CONTAINER TRUCK AND CRANE, AND RELATED DEVICE

Abstract

 A method for aligning a container truck and a crane, and a related device. The alignment method comprises: scanning three-dimensional information by means of a traveling radar of the container truck; when the three-dimensional information matches with preset crane profile information, starting an alignment radar of the container truck, and projecting a target region, which is obtained according to the three-dimensional information and corresponds to the crane, to an alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar; obtaining a target working position of the crane according to three-dimensional data scanned by the alignment radar and located in the target region; guiding the container truck to travel by means of cooperation between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, such that a preset hoisting position of the container truck coincides with the target working position. By means of cooperation and linkage between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, the method for aligning the container truck and the crane and the related device efficiently and accurately implement fine alignment of the container truck and the crane, and are applicable for different types of port hoisting machinery.

Description

FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of port operations, and particularly relates to an alignment method for a container truck and a crane, and a related device.

BACKGROUND

[0002] In port container operations, it is necessary to align a crane with a container truck in order for the crane to hoist a container from the container truck or place a container onto the container truck.

[0003] A traditional alignment process includes: obtaining a position of the container truck through a fixed device, such as a camera, located on a port site; comparing the position of the container truck with a position of the crane to obtain a relative position; adjusting the position of the container truck on the basis of the relative position between the container truck and the crane; cyclically performing the above operations until the container truck travels to a designated position where the crane can accurately grasp and release a container.

[0004] In the traditional alignment process, data acquired by the fixed device is limited, and the alignment between the container truck and the crane can be achieved only by multiple cyclic operations. The amount of data computation is large, the alignment is slow, and the alignment accuracy is low, which affects the container grasping and releasing operations of the crane.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background art section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute the existing technology known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

SUMMARY

[0006] In view of this, the present disclosure provides an alignment method for a container truck and a crane, and a related device, which can efficiently and accurately implement, by means of cooperation and linkage between a traveling radar and an alignment radar, fine alignment between the container truck and the crane and are applicable for different types of port hoisting machinery.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure provides an alignment method for a container truck and a crane, including: scanning, by a traveling radar of the container truck, three-dimensional information; matching the three-dimensional information with profile information of the crane, for example, preset crane profile information, and obtaining a target region of the crane; starting an alignment radar of the container truck, and projecting the obtained target region of the crane to an alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar; obtaining a target working position of the crane according to three-dimensional data scanned by the alignment radar and located in the target region; and guiding, by the traveling radar and the alignment radar, the container truck to travel until a preset hoisting position of the container truck coincides with the target working position.

[0008] In some embodiments, the traveling radar is arranged in front of the container truck; and the alignment radar is arranged at a top of the container truck.

[0009] In some embodiments, the guiding, by the traveling radar and the alignment radar, the container truck to travel includes: projecting the target working position to a traveling coordinate system of the traveling radar; and controlling the container truck to travel according to a position deviation of the preset hoisting position in the traveling coordinate system relative to the target working position.

[0010] In some embodiments, the alignment method further includes: pre-storing various types of crane profile information; after the matching the three-dimensional information with the profile information of the crane, obtaining a crane type according to the three-dimensional information; and after the obtaining a target working position of the crane, obtaining the target working position according to the crane type and the three-dimensional data.

[0011] In some embodiments, the alignment method further includes: before the scanning, by a traveling radar of the container truck, three-dimensional information, pre-adjusting the target working position until a vertical projection is located on a guide lane of the crane; during the scanning, by a traveling radar of the container truck, three-dimensional information, controlling the container truck to travel along the guide lane, whereby a vertical projection of the preset hoisting position is located on the guide lane; and during the guiding, by cooperation between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, the container truck to travel, sending, according to a position deviation between the preset hoisting position and the target working position along the guide lane, a command for adjusting a position along the guide lane to the container truck.

[0012] In some embodiments, when the crane type is a gantry crane type, the obtaining the target working position includes: projecting the three-dimensional data to an X-Z coordinate plane of the alignment coordinate system, and obtaining a two-dimensional data map, wherein an X axis is parallel to the guide lane; performing straight line detection on the two-dimensional data map, and obtaining a line segment set; calculating slopes of a plurality of line segments in the line segment set on the basis of the X-Z coordinate plane, and screening out target line segments having the slopes within a target slope range; and obtaining, according to X-axis coordinates of vertices of the target line segments, a middle X-axis coordinate as an X-axis coordinate of the target working position.

[0013] In some embodiments, the obtaining a middle X-axis coordinate includes: obtaining a maximum coordinate X_max and a minimum coordinate X_min from the X-axis coordinates of the vertices of the plurality of target line segments; calculating a midpoint coordinate X_mid, where X_mid=(X_max+X_min)/2; classifying, on the basis of the midpoint coordinate X_mid, the vertices of the target line segments into a first set in which the X-axis coordinates are smaller than the midpoint coordinate X_mid and a second set in which the X-axis coordinates are larger than the midpoint coordinate X_mid; obtaining a median coordinate X_mid-front from the X-axis coordinates of the respective vertices in the first set and a median coordinate X_mid-back of the X-axis coordinates of the respective vertices in the second set; and calculating a middle X-axis coordinate X_middle, where X_middle = (X_mid-front+X_mid-back)/2.

[0014] In some embodiments, when the crane type is a quay crane type, the obtaining the target working position includes: projecting the three-dimensional data to an X-Z coordinate plane of the alignment coordinate system, and obtaining a two-dimensional data map, wherein an X axis is parallel to the guide lane; performing straight line detection on the two-dimensional data map, and obtaining a line segment set; performing feature point detection on the three-dimensional data, and obtaining a feature point set; calculating slope differences between a plurality of feature points in the feature point set and two vertices of a plurality of line segments in the line segment set on the basis of the X-Z coordinate plane, and screening out target feature points, wherein the slope differences of the target feature points from at least one line segment are within a target slope difference range; and obtaining, according to X-axis coordinates of the plurality of target feature points, a middle X-axis coordinate as an X-axis coordinate of the target working position.

[0015] In some embodiments, the obtaining a middle X-axis coordinate includes: classifying, by taking a center point of a crane detection box as a target point, the target feature points into a front-side set in which the X-axis coordinates are smaller than an X-axis coordinate of the target point and a back-side set in which the X-axis coordinates are larger than the X-axis coordinate of the target point; along the X-axis, obtaining an X-axis coordinate X_front of a front-side feature point, closest to the target point, in the front-side set and an X-axis coordinate X_back of a back-side feature point, closest to the target point, in the back-side set; and calculating a middle X-axis coordinate X_middle, where X_middle = (X_front+X_back)/2.

[0016] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an alignment system for a container truck and a crane, including: a traveling detection module, configured for scanning three-dimensional information by means of a traveling radar of the container truck; an alignment triggering module, configured for: when the three-dimensional information matches with preset crane profile information, starting an alignment radar of the container truck, and projecting a target region, which is obtained according to the three-dimensional information and corresponds to the crane, to an alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar; an alignment detection module, configured for obtaining a target working position of the crane according to three-dimensional data scanned by the alignment radar and located in the target region; and a position adjustment module, configured for guiding the container truck to travel by means of cooperation between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, whereby a preset hoisting position of the container truck coincides with the target working position.

[0017] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure provides an electronic device, including a processor and a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium stores computer instructions. The computer instructions, when executed by the processor, perform the alignment method for the container truck and the crane in any of the above embodiments.

[0018] Still another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium, configured for storing a program. The program, when executed, performs the alignment method for the container truck and the crane in any of the above embodiments. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

[0019] Still yet another aspect of the present disclosure further provides a computer program product, including computer instructions stored on a computer storage medium. The computer instructions, when executed by a processor, perform the alignment method for the container truck and the crane in any of the above embodiments.

[0020] Still yet another aspect of the present disclosure further provides a computer program, which is configured for causing a processor to perform the alignment method for the container truck and the crane in any of the above embodiments.

[0021] Compared with the existing technology, some embodiments of the present disclosure have the beneficial effects including the following:
By means of the scanning by the traveling radar, it is determined that the acquired three-dimensional information matches with the preset crane profile information, whereby fine alignment can be performed; the fine three-dimensional data of the crane is acquired by triggering the alignment radar; and the target region corresponding to the crane is determined according to the three-dimensional information acquired by the traveling radar, and the target working position of the crane is accurately calculated according to the fine three-dimensional data acquired by the alignment radar and located in the target region. Therefore, the position of the container truck is adjusted to eliminate the position deviation between the preset hoisting position and the target working position.

[0022] Thus, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, by means of cooperation and linkage between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, fine alignment between the container truck and the crane is efficiently and accurately implemented, and the alignment method is applicable for different types of port hoisting machinery.

[0023] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate examples consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Apparently, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art can further obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of steps of an alignment method for a container truck and a crane in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 show a schematic diagram of a real-time process of an alignment method for a container truck and a crane in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5 shows a top view of an alignment scenario in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of modules of an alignment system for a container truck and a crane in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 7 shows a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 8 shows a schematic structural diagram of a computer-readable storage medium in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Example implementation modes will be now described more comprehensively with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the exemplary implementations can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the implementations described here. On the contrary, providing these implementations makes the present disclosure comprehensive and complete, and comprehensively conveys the concept of the example implementations to those skilled in the art.

[0026] In addition, the drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present disclosure, and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and a repetitive description thereof will be omitted. Some of the block diagrams shown in the drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities may be implemented in the form of software, or implemented in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or implemented in different networks and/or processor devices and/or microcontroller devices.

[0027] The serial numbers of steps in the following embodiments are only used to represent different execution contents and do not strictly limit the execution order between the steps. The words "first", "second", and similar terms used in specific descriptions do not denote any order, quantity or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure and features in different embodiments may be combined with each other without conflicts.

[0028] Fig. 1 shows main steps of an alignment method for a container truck and a crane. Referring to Fig. 1, in some embodiments, the alignment method for the container truck and the crane includes:
Step S110: scanning, by a traveling radar of the container truck, three-dimensional information.

[0029] In some embodiments, in conjunction with a traveling stage before alignment shown in Fig. 2, during traveling of the container truck 1 towards the crane 4, the traveling radar 2 scans three-dimensional information of a surrounding environment to guide the container truck 1 to travel. The container truck 1 can achieve automatic traveling through an existing automatic driving method, an obstacle avoidance method, and the like, and will not be further explained here.

[0030] In some embodiments, a global positioning system (GPS) positioning technology can also be combined to achieve traveling guidance for the container truck 1.

[0031] In some embodiments, the traveling radar 2 is arranged in front of the container truck 1 to better scan a road ahead. Further, there may be a plurality of traveling radars 2 which are distributed on both sides of the front of the container truck, so as to better scan the surrounding environment.

[0032] In some embodiments, the traveling radar 2 may be specifically a laser radar, which obtains three-dimensional point cloud data through scanning, but is not limited to this. The traveling radar 2 may also be any detection device that can obtain the three-dimensional information through scanning.

[0033] In some embodiments, a traveling coordinate system of the traveling radar 2 is an X₁-Y₁-Z₁ coordinate system, and its origin O₁ is a center point of the traveling radar 2, but is not limited to this. For example, the origin can also be a center point of the container truck 1. In some embodiments, the traveling coordinate system takes a horizontal forward direction as an X₁ axis, a vertical upward direction as a Z₁ axis, and a horizontal right or left direction as a Y₁ axis, but is not limited to this. The traveling coordinate system can be flexibly calibrated as needed.

[0034] In some embodiments, the container truck 1 performs coordinate calibration on the basis of the traveling coordinate system, whereby a preset hoisting position is pre-stored in the traveling coordinate system. In some embodiments, when a container is carried on the container truck 1, the preset hoisting position is usually a center point of the container. When no container is carried on the container truck 1, the preset hoisting position is usually a center point of a load-bearing surface of the container truck 1. Of course, according to an actual transportation situation or need, the preset hoisting position can be flexibly adjusted, as long as it is calibrated in advance on the basis of the traveling coordinate system.

[0035] Step S120: matching the three-dimensional information with preset crane profile information, obtaining a target region of the crane, starting an alignment radar of the container truck, and projecting the obtained target region of the crane to an alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar.

[0036] In some embodiments, in conjunction with an alignment triggering stage shown in Fig. 3, when the three-dimensional information acquired by the traveling radar 2 matches with the preset crane profile information, in one aspect, it indicates that the container truck 1 has traveled to be near the crane 4 and can enter a fine alignment stage; in another aspect, it is possible to accurately frame the target region corresponding to the crane 4 on the basis of the three-dimensional information acquired by the traveling radar 2; and in yet another aspect, finer three-dimensional data of the crane 4 can be acquired through the alignment radar 3. Therefore, the alignment radar 3 is triggered.

[0037] In some embodiments, the crane profile information at least includes a local profile of the crane, and different types of cranes have different local profiles. In some embodiments, the crane profile information of different types of cranes is pre-stored in a system. For example, for gantry cranes, the pre-stored local profile information corresponds to a bearing beam of a bearing lifting appliance and partial structures of supporting columns located at two ends of the bearing beam. For quay cranes, the pre-stored local profile information corresponds to the bearing beam of the bearing lifting appliance and partial structures of a supporting column located in the middle of the bearing beam. In some embodiments, when the three-dimensional information acquired by the traveling radar 2 matches with the local profile information of one of the cranes, the alignment radar 3 is triggered.

[0038] In some embodiments, a triggering condition for the alignment radar 3 can also be that the container truck 1 travels to a preset position of the crane 4. In some embodiments, the preset position is located within a certain region range radiating from the position of the crane 4 that is used as a center, and coordinate information of the region range is pre-stored in the traveling coordinate system of the traveling radar 2.

[0039] In some embodiments, the alignment radar 3 is arranged on a top of the container truck 1, so as to better acquire the fine three-dimensional data, including a target working position where the lifting appliance of the crane is located, of the crane 4 in an alignment scene with the crane 4. In some embodiments, the target working position of the crane 4 usually refers to a center point of the lifting appliance of the crane.

[0040] In some embodiments, the alignment radar 3 may be specifically a laser radar, which obtains three-dimensional point cloud data through scanning, but is not limited to this. The alignment radar 3 may also be any detection device that can obtain the three-dimensional information through scanning.

[0041] In some embodiments, an alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar 3 is an X₂-Y₂-Z₂ coordinate system, and its origin O₂ is a center point of the alignment radar 3, but is not limited to this. For example, the origin can also be the center point of the container truck 1. In some embodiments, the alignment coordinate system takes a horizontal backward direction as an X₂ axis, a vertical upward direction as a Z₂ axis, and a horizontal right or left direction as a Y₂ axis, but is not limited to this. The alignment coordinate system can be flexibly calibrated as needed.

[0042] In some embodiments, the target region corresponding to the crane 4 is obtained on the basis of the three-dimensional information acquired by the traveling radar 2. In some embodiments, within a scanning range of the traveling radar 2, the traveling radar may acquire the three-dimensional information of the crane 4 and the three-dimensional information of the surrounding environment, determine the target region corresponding to the crane 4 from the three-dimensional information, and project the target region to the alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar 3, so as to accurately screen the three-dimensional data framed by the target region from the three-dimensional data acquired by alignment radar 3 and accurately calculate the target working position of the crane 4.

[0043] In some embodiments, determining the target region is achieved using an existing method. For example, in some embodiments, in the embodiment where the traveling radar 2 is the laser radar, an existing three-dimensional target detection method can be used to analyze and process three-dimensional point cloud data acquired by the traveling radar 2 to obtain a minimum bounding box that surrounds the detected crane profile information and form a crane detection box BBox₁ as the target region corresponding to the crane 4. The three-dimensional target detection method is an existing technology, so it will not be explained in detail.

[0044] In some embodiments, when the three-dimensional target detection method is used to analyze and process the three-dimensional point cloud data acquired by the traveling radar 2, a crane type is further obtained, including a gantry crane type and a quay crane type. Of course, the crane type can also be determined on the basis of the profile information of a certain type of crane that matches with the three-dimensional information acquired by the traveling radar 2.

[0045] In some embodiments, the target region is projected to the alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar, which can be achieved by projecting a center point of the target region from the traveling coordinate system to the alignment coordinate system, and then calculating coordinate information of the target region in the alignment coordinate system on the basis of size information of the target region, or by projecting some feature corner points of the target region from the traveling coordinate system to the alignment coordinate system, and then calculating coordinate information of the target region in the alignment coordinate system.

[0046] In some embodiments, the crane detection box BBox₁ is taken as an example. The projection process specifically includes: detecting a positioning identification point jointly through the traveling radar 2 and the alignment radar 3, and obtaining a transformation matrix between the traveling coordinate system and the alignment coordinate system, for example, obtaining a transformation matrix M_1-to-2 from the traveling coordinate system to the alignment coordinate system. A specific calculation manner of the transformation matrix M_1-to-2 is implemented using an existing technology, so it will not be explained in detail. A center point coordinate C₁ of the crane detection box BBox₁ in the traveling coordinate system and size information of the crane detection box BBox₁ are obtained. The size information can specifically include length, width, and height information. According to the transformation matrix M_1-to-2, the center point coordinate C₁ of the crane detection box BBox₁ is transformed into a center point coordinate C₂ based on the alignment coordinate system, where C₂=C₁×M_1-to-2. Finally, a crane detection box BBox₂ in the alignment coordinate system is obtained on the basis of the center point coordinate C₂ and the size information.

[0047] Step S130: obtaining a target working position of the crane according to three-dimensional data scanned by the alignment radar and located in the target region. In this step, the calculation of the target working position based on the crane type and the three-dimensional data acquired by the alignment radar will be specifically explained in conjunction with a gantry crane and a quay crane below.

[0048] Step S140: guiding the container truck to travel by means of cooperation between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, whereby a preset hoisting position of the container truck coincides with the target working position.

[0049] In some embodiments, in conjunction with a fine alignment stage shown in Fig. 4, after the target working position in the alignment coordinate system is obtained, the target working position is further projected to the traveling coordinate system. Then, the container truck 1 is guided to travel on the basis of a position deviation of the preset hoisting position relative to the target working position in the traveling coordinate system, whereby the preset hoisting position 11 of the container truck 1 coincides with a vertical projection of the target working position 41 of the crane 4. Thus, the position deviation in a horizontal direction, including an X₁ axis direction and a Y₁ axis direction of the traveling coordinate system, is eliminated, whereby the preset hoisting position 11 reaches a position directly below the target working position 41, and the crane 4 can accurately perform container grasping and releasing operations when lowering the lifting appliance.

[0050] In some embodiments, when the alignment radar 3 is triggered, the container truck 1 can be controlled to be parked. After the position deviation is calculated, the container truck 1 is guided to travel. Thus, the fine alignment between the container truck 1 and the crane 4 can be efficiently achieved by means of one jointed scanning and position calculation.

[0051] In the alignment method of the above embodiment, by means of the scanning by the traveling radar, if it is determined that the acquired three-dimensional information matches with the preset crane profile information, it indicates that the container truck has traveled to be near the crane, and the fine alignment can be performed; the fine three-dimensional data of the crane is acquired by triggering the alignment radar; and the target region corresponding to the crane is determined according to the three-dimensional information acquired by the traveling radar, and the target working position of the crane is accurately calculated according to the fine three-dimensional data acquired by the alignment radar and located in the target region. Therefore, the position of the container truck is adjusted to eliminate the position deviation between the preset hoisting position and the target working position. Thus, by means of cooperation and linkage between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, the alignment method for the container truck and the crane efficiently and accurately implement the fine alignment between the container truck and the crane, and is applicable for different types of port hoisting machinery.

[0052] The calculation process of the target working position of the crane will be described in detail below in combination with specific examples.

[0053] In this example, the alignment method further includes: before the scanning, by a traveling radar of the container truck, three-dimensional information, pre-adjusting the target working position until a vertical projection is located on a guide lane of the crane; during the scanning, by a traveling radar of the container truck, three-dimensional information, controlling the container truck to travel along the guide lane, whereby a vertical projection of the preset hoisting position is located on the guide lane; and during the guiding, by cooperation between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, the container truck to travel, sending, according to a position deviation between the preset hoisting position and the target working position along the guide lane, a command for adjusting a position along the guide lane to the container truck.

[0054] That is, in this example, before the alignment and in the traveling stage before alignment, the position deviation between the container truck and the crane in the left-right direction has been eliminated in advance. As the position deviation in the left-right direction can be accurately eliminated through the guide lane of the crane, data calculation is not required. Therefore, in the fine alignment stage, only the position deviation between the container truck and the crane in the front-back direction, namely, along the guide lane, needs to be paid attention to.

[0055] It should be particularly noted that there may be a plurality of guide lanes of the crane. In this example, one guide lane can be determined on the basis of a port operation requirement. The crane is adjusted to make the vertical projection of the target working position of the crane fall onto the guide lane. The guide lane can be virtual. The virtual guide lane can be determined in the following manner: The target working position of the crane is vertically projected to the ground; a projection point extends in a direction perpendicular to the bearing beam of the crane; and position information of the determined guide lane is calibrated to the traveling coordinate system.

[0056] However, the explanation of this example cannot be considered as a limitation on the present disclosure. In other examples, the position deviations in both the front-back direction and the left-right direction can be calculated according to this example, and the position of the container truck is adjusted using the two groups of position deviations.

[0057] Fig. 5 shows an example alignment scene. In this case, the container truck 1 has traveled along the guide lane 40 of the crane 4 until the traveling radar 2 has acquired the preset three-dimensional information. The vertical projection of the preset hoisting position 11 of the container truck 1 is located on the guide lane 40. Moreover, the target working position 41 of the crane 4 has been pre-adjusted until the vertical projection is located on the guide lane 40. The target working position 41 of the crane 4 is specifically located on the bearing beam 400 of the crane 4. In this case, the X₁ axis of the traveling coordinate system of the traveling radar 2 and the X₂ axis of the alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar 3 are both parallel to the guide lane 40. During the calculation of the target working position 41 in the alignment coordinate system, it only needs to calculate an X₂-axis coordinates of the target working position 41, transform into an X₁-axis coordinates of the target working position 41 in the traveling coordinate system, and subtract the X₁-axis coordinates of the preset hoisting position 11 from the X₁-axis coordinates of the target working position 41, which can quickly and accurately calculate the position deviation between the container truck 1 and the crane 4. The container truck 1 is then guided to move forwards or backwards along the guide lane 40 through the command for adjusting a position.

[0058] When the crane type is a gantry crane type, the process of obtaining the target working position specifically includes: projecting the three-dimensional data acquired by the alignment radar and located within the target region to an X-Z coordinate plane of the alignment coordinate system, and obtaining a two-dimensional data map; performing straight line detection on the two-dimensional data map, and obtaining a line segment set; calculating a slope of each line segment in the line segment set on the basis of the X-Z coordinate plane, and screening out target line segments having the slopes within a target slope range; and obtaining, according to X-axis coordinates of vertices of all the target line segments, a middle X-axis coordinate as an X-axis coordinate of the target working position.

[0059] By way of example, the alignment radar is the laser radar, and the alignment radar acquires three-dimensional point cloud data. When the three-dimensional point cloud data in the crane detection frame BBox₂ is projected to the X-Z coordinate plane (hereinafter referred to as X₂-Z₂ coordinate plane) of the alignment coordinate system, redundant dimensions unrelated to the guide lane can be removed, and a two-dimensional point cloud map can be obtained. It reduces the amount of data and facilitates the quick and accurate calculation of the X₂-axis coordinate of the target working position.

[0060] The process of performing the straight line detection on the two-dimensional point cloud map and obtaining the line segment set specifically includes: dividing the two-dimensional point cloud map into uniform grids, for example, uniformly dividing the two-dimensional point cloud map into rectangular grids at an interval of 0.05 m; assigning a value to each grid on the basis of whether the grid contains a point cloud; if there is a grid containing a point cloud, assigning 1; if there is no point cloud, assigning 0, and finally obtaining a two-dimensional feature map; and performing Hough straight line transformation on the feature map, and obtaining the line segment set composed of all line segments in the feature map. The Hough straight line transformation is an existing technology, so it will not be explained in detail.

[0061] The slope is specifically calculated on the basis of the X₂-axis coordinates and Z₂-axis coordinates of two vertices of a line segment. If coordinates of two vertices of a line segment are set to be (X_2-0, Z_2-0) and (X_2-1, Z_2-1), the slope of the line segment is K=(Z_2-1-Z_2-0)/(X_2-1-X_2-0). To screen the line segments, if the slope K of a line segment is less than a threshold or is greater than a -threshold, the line segment is removed from the line segment set. That is, the target line segments having the slopes within the target slope range of threshold to -threshold are maintained. Threshold can be set as needed to screen out the target line segments that are as vertical as possible.

[0062] To improve the accuracy, the middle X₂-axis coordinate is calculated in the following manner: obtaining a maximum coordinate X_2-max and a minimum coordinate X_2-min from the X₂-axis coordinates of the vertices of all the target line segments; calculating a midpoint coordinate X_2-mid, where X_2-mid=(X_2-max+X_2-min)/2; classifying, on the basis of the midpoint coordinate X_2-mid, the vertices of all the target line segments into a first set in which the X₂-axis coordinates are smaller than the midpoint coordinate X_2-mid and a second set in which the X₂-axis coordinates are larger than the midpoint coordinate X_2-mid; obtaining a median coordinate X_2-mid-front from the X₂-axis coordinates of the respective vertices in the first set and a median coordinate X_2-mid-back of the X₂-axis coordinates of the respective vertices in the second set; and calculating a middle X₂-axis coordinate X_2-middle, where X_2-middle= (X_2-mid-front+X_2-mid-back)/2.

[0063] When the crane type is a quay crane type, the process of obtaining the target working position specifically includes: projecting the three-dimensional data acquired by the alignment radar and located within the target region to an X-Z coordinate plane of the alignment coordinate system, and obtaining a two-dimensional data map; performing straight line detection on the two-dimensional data map, and obtaining a line segment set; performing feature point detection on the three-dimensional data, and obtaining a feature point set; calculating slope differences between each feature point in the feature point set and two vertices of each line segment in the line segment set, and screening out target feature points, where the slope differences of the target feature points from at least one line segment are within a target slope difference range; and obtaining, according to X-axis coordinates of all the target feature points, a middle X-axis coordinate as an X-axis coordinate of the target working position.

[0064] By way of example as well, the alignment radar is the laser radar, and the alignment radar acquires three-dimensional point cloud data. The method for projecting the three-dimensional point cloud data and the method for obtaining the line segment set may refer to the above description.

[0065] The feature point detection can be achieved by performing Harris operator calculation on the three-dimensional point cloud data. Harris operator is an angular point detection operator that can extract point features from the three-dimensional point cloud data in the crane detection box BBox₂. The Harris operator is an existing technology, so it will not be explained in detail.

[0066] To calculate the slope difference between each feature point and the two vertices of each line segment, coordinates of feature point P are set to be (PX₂, PZ₂), and coordinates of the two vertices of a line segment are set to be (X_2-2, Z_2-2) and (X_2-3, Z_2-3), so the slope difference V is: V=|(PZ₂-Z_2-2)/(PX₂-X_2-2)| - |(PZ₂-Z_2-3)/(PX₂-X_2-3)|. To screen the feature points, the target slope difference range is less than a set value. If the slope difference V between a feature point and one or more line segments satisfies V< ε, the feature point is maintained as a target feature point. ε can be set as needed to screen out the target feature points that are located at the same end of each line segment as far as possible.

[0067] Further, in order to improve the accuracy, the middle X₂-axis coordinate is calculated in the following manner: classifying, by taking a center point of the crane detection box BBox₂ as a target point, all the target feature points into a front-side set in which the X₂-axis coordinates are smaller than an X₂-axis coordinate of the target point and a back-side set in which the X₂-axis coordinates are larger than the X₂-axis coordinate of the target point; along the X₂-axis, obtaining an X₂-axis coordinate X_2-front of a front-side feature point, closest to the target point, in the front-side set and an X₂-axis coordinate X_2-back of a back-side feature point, closest to the target point, in the back-side set; and calculating a middle X₂-axis coordinate X_2-middle, where X_2-middle = (X_2-front+X_2-back)/2.

[0068] Later, when the X₂-axis coordinate of the target working position to the traveling coordinate system, the transformation matrix M_1-to-2 can be used. Due to the fact that the vertical projection of the preset hoisting position of the container truck and the vertical projection of the target working position of the crane are both on the guide lane, the position deviation between the container truck and the crane only needs to be considered being parallel to the guide lane. In fact, it is the coordinate information on coordinate axes, namely, the X₁ axis and X₂ axis, which are located in the same vertical plane as the guide lane. Any suitable values can be filled in for the Y₂-axis coordinate and Z₂-axis coordinate of the target working position on the basis of accurately obtaining the X₂-axis coordinate of the target working position, so as to obtain Pos₂ of the target working position in the alignment coordinate system. Coordinate Posi of projection from the target working position to the traveling coordinate system can be obtained according to Pos₁=Inv(M_1-to-2)×Pos₂, thereby obtaining an X₁-axis coordinate of the target working position.

[0069] Further, the X₁-axis coordinate of the preset hoisting position is subtracted from the X₁-axis coordinate of the target working position to obtain the position deviation; the positional deviation is converted into an actual deviation distance; and a command for adjusting a position, which includes the actual deviation distance, is sent to the container truck to guide the container truck to move forwards or backwards by the actual deviation distance along the guide lane. The fine alignment between the container truck and the crane can be completed.

[0070] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an alignment system for a container truck and a crane, which is configured for implementing the alignment method described in any of the above embodiments. Fig. 6 shows main modules of the alignment system. Referring to Fig. 6, in some embodiments, the alignment system 600 for the container truck and the crane includes: a traveling detection module 610, configured for scanning three-dimensional information by means of a traveling radar of the container truck; an alignment triggering module 620, configured for: when the three-dimensional information matches with preset crane profile information, starting an alignment radar of the container truck, and projecting a target region, which is obtained according to the three-dimensional information and corresponds to the crane, to an alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar; an alignment detection module 630, configured for obtaining a target working position of the crane according to three-dimensional data scanned by the alignment radar and located in the target region; and a position adjustment module 640, configured for guiding the container truck to travel by means of cooperation between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, whereby a preset hoisting position of the container truck coincides with the target working position.

[0071] Further, the alignment system 600 for the container truck and the crane can further include modules configured for implementing other detailed processes of all the above alignment method embodiments. Specific principles of all the modules can refer to the descriptions of all the above alignment method embodiments, and will not be repeatedly described.

[0072] As mentioned above, the alignment system for the container truck and the crane in some embodiments of the present disclosure can efficiently and accurately implement, by means of cooperation and linkage between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, fine alignment between the container truck and the crane and is applicable for different types of port hoisting machinery.

[0073] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, including a processor and a memory. The memory stores executable instructions. The executable instructions, when executed by the processor, perform the alignment method for the container truck and the crane described in any of the above embodiments.

[0074] As mentioned above, the electronic device in some embodiments of the present disclosure can efficiently and accurately implement, by means of cooperation and linkage between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, fine alignment between the container truck and the crane and is applicable for different types of port hoisting machinery.

[0075] Fig. 7 shows a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device in the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that Fig. 7 only schematically shows various modules. These modules can be virtual software modules or actual hardware modules. Combination and division of these modules and addition of other modules are within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0076] As shown in Fig. 7, the electronic device 700 is represented in the form of a universal computing device. Components of the electronic device 700 include, but are not limited to: at least one processing unit 710, at least one storage unit 720, a bus 730 connecting different platform components (including the storage unit 720 and the processing unit 710), a display unit 740, and the like.

[0077] The storage unit stores program codes. The program codes may be executed by the processing unit 710, which causes the processing unit 710 to execute the steps of the alignment method for the container truck and the crane described in any of the above embodiments. For example, the processing unit 710 may execute the steps shown in Fig. 1.

[0078] The storage unit 720 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage unit, such as a random access memory (RAM) 7201 and/or a cache storage unit 7202, and may further include a read-only memory (ROM) 7203.

[0079] The storage unit 720 may also include a program/general utility tool 7204 having one or more program modules 7205. The program modules 7205 include, but are not limited to: an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each or a certain combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0080] The bus 730 can represent one or more kinds of bus structures, including a storage unit bus or a storage unit controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processing unit, or a local area bus using any of the various bus structures.

[0081] The electronic device 700 can also communicate with one or more external devices 800. The external device 800 can be one or more of a keyboard, a pointing device, a Bluetooth device, and the like. These external devices 800 cause a user to interact and communicate with the electronic device 700. The electronic device 700 can also communicate with one or more other computing devices, including a router and a modem. This communication may be carried out through input/output (I/O) interface 750. Furthermore, the electronic device 700 may communicate with one or more networks (for example, a LAN, a WAN, and/or a public network such as the Internet) through a network adapter 760. The network adapter 760 may communicate with other modules of the electronic device 700 via a bus 730. It should be understood that, although not shown, other hardware and/or software modules may be used in conjunction with the electronic device 700, including but not limited to: a microcode, a device driver, a redundant processing unit, an external magnetic disk drive array, a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) system, a magnetic tape driver, a data backup storage platform, and the like.

[0082] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, configured for storing a program. The program, when executed, performs the alignment method for the container truck and the crane described in any of the above embodiments. In some possible implementations, all the aspects of the present disclosure can also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes program codes. When the program product is run on a terminal device, the program code is configured for causing the terminal device to execute the steps of the alignment method for the container truck and the crane described in any of the above embodiments.

[0083] As mentioned above, the computer-readable storage medium in some embodiments of the present disclosure can efficiently and accurately implement, by means of cooperation and linkage between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, fine alignment between the container truck and the crane and is applicable for different types of port hoisting machinery.

[0084] Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a computer-readable storage medium according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 8, a program product 900 for implementing the above method according to the implementation of the present disclosure is described, which can use a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and include program codes, and can be run on a terminal device such as a personal computer. However, the program product of the present disclosure is not limited to this. In this text, the readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program. The program can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0085] The program product may use any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or a combination of any of the above. More specific examples of the readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, a RAM, a ROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0086] The computer-readable storage medium may include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as a part of a carrier wave, and a readable program code is carried. This propagated data signal can take many forms, including, but is not limited to, an electromagnetic signal, an optical signal, or any suitable combination of the above. The readable storage medium may also be any readable storage medium other than the readable storage medium. The readable medium may send, propagate or transmit a program for use by or in combination with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the readable storage medium may be transmitted by any suitable medium, including, but is not limited to: radio, a wire, an optical cable, a radio frequency (RF), or any suitable combination of the above.

[0087] The program code configured for performing the operations of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The programming languages include, but are not limited to, object-oriented programming languages such as Java and C++, and also include conventional procedural programming languages such as "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code can be executed entirely on a user computing device, executed partly on a user device, executed as an independent software package, executed partly on the user computing device and partly on a remote computing device, or executed entirely on the remote computing device or a server. In the case of involving the remote computing device, the remote computing device can be connected to the user computing device through any kind of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computing device, for example, using an Internet service provider by means of an Internet.

[0088] The above content is a further detailed description made to the present disclosure in combination with the specific preferred implementations, and cannot be considered that the specific implementations of the present disclosure are merely limited to these descriptions. Those ordinarily skilled in the art can further make various simple deductions or substitutions without departing from the concept of the present disclosure, and these deductions or substitutions shall all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An alignment method for a container truck and a crane, comprising:

scanning, by a traveling radar of the container truck, three-dimensional information;

matching the three-dimensional information with profile information of the crane, and obtaining a target region of the crane;

starting an alignment radar of the container truck, and projecting the obtained target region of the crane to an alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar;

obtaining a target working position of the crane according to three-dimensional data scanned by the alignment radar and located in the target region; and

guiding, by the traveling radar and the alignment radar, the container truck to travel until a preset hoisting position of the container truck coincides with the target working position.

2. The alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the traveling radar is arranged in front of the container truck; and the alignment radar is arranged at a top of the container truck.

3. The alignment method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guiding, by the traveling radar and the alignment radar, the container truck to travel comprises:

projecting the target working position to a traveling coordinate system of the traveling radar; and

controlling the container truck to travel according to a position deviation of the preset hoisting position in the traveling coordinate system relative to the target working position.

4. The alignment method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

pre-storing the profile information of the crane;

after the matching the three-dimensional information with profile information of the crane, obtaining a crane type of the crane according to the three-dimensional information; and

after the obtaining a target working position of the crane, obtaining the target working position according to the crane type and the three-dimensional data.

5. The alignment method according to claim 4, further comprising:

before the scanning, by a traveling radar of the container truck, three-dimensional information, adjusting the target working position until a vertical projection is located on a guide lane of the crane;

during the scanning, by a traveling radar of the container truck, three-dimensional information, controlling the container truck to travel along the guide lane, whereby a vertical projection of the preset hoisting position is located on the guide lane; and

during the guiding, by cooperation between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, the container truck to travel, sending, according to a position deviation between the preset hoisting position and the target working position along the guide lane, a command for adjusting a position along the guide lane to the container truck.

6. The alignment method according to claim 5, wherein the crane type is a gantry crane type, and the obtaining the target working position comprises:

projecting the three-dimensional data to an X-Z coordinate plane of the alignment coordinate system, and obtaining a two-dimensional data map, wherein an X axis is parallel to the guide lane;

performing straight line detection on the two-dimensional data map, and obtaining a line segment set;

calculating slopes of a plurality of line segments in the line segment set on the basis of the X-Z coordinate plane, and screening out a plurality of target line segments having the slopes within a target slope range; and

obtaining, according to X-axis coordinates of vertices of the plurality of target line segments, a middle X-axis coordinate as an X-axis coordinate of the target working position.

7. The alignment method according to claim 6, wherein the obtaining a middle X-axis coordinate comprises:

obtaining a maximum coordinate X_max and a minimum coordinate X_min from the X-axis coordinates of the vertices of the plurality of target line segments;

calculating a midpoint coordinate X_mid, wherein X_mid = (X_max+X_min)/2;

classifying, on the basis of the midpoint coordinate X_mid, the vertices of the target line segments into a first set in which the X-axis coordinates are smaller than the midpoint coordinate X_mid and a second set in which the X-axis coordinates are larger than the midpoint coordinate X_mid;

obtaining a median coordinate X_mid-_front from the X-axis coordinates of the respective vertices in the first set and a median coordinate X_mid-_back of the X-axis coordinates of the respective vertices in the second set; and

calculating a middle X-axis coordinate X_middle, wherein X_middle = (X_mid-front+X_mid-back)/2.

8. The alignment method according to claim 5, wherein the crane type is a quay crane type, and the obtaining the target working position comprises:

projecting the three-dimensional data to an X-Z coordinate plane of the alignment coordinate system, and obtaining a two-dimensional data map, wherein an X axis is parallel to the guide lane;

performing straight line detection on the two-dimensional data map, and obtaining a line segment set;

performing feature point detection on the three-dimensional data, and obtaining a feature point set;

calculating slope differences between a plurality of feature points in the feature point set and two vertices of a plurality of line segments in the line segment set on the basis of the X-Z coordinate plane, and screening out a plurality of target feature points, wherein the slope differences of the target feature points from at least one line segment are within a target slope difference range; and

obtaining, according to X-axis coordinates of the plurality of target feature points, a middle X-axis coordinate as an X-axis coordinate of the target working position.

9. The alignment method according to claim 8, wherein the obtaining a middle X-axis coordinate comprises:

classifying, by taking a center point of a crane detection box as a target point, the plurality of target feature points into a front-side set in which the X-axis coordinates are smaller than an X-axis coordinate of the target point and a back-side set in which the X-axis coordinates are larger than the X-axis coordinate of the target point;

along the X-axis, obtaining an X-axis coordinate X_front of a front-side feature point, closest to the target point, in the front-side set and an X-axis coordinate X_back of a back-side feature point, closest to the target point, in the back-side set; and

calculating a middle X-axis coordinate X_middle, wherein X_middle = (X_front+X_back)/2.

10. An alignment system for a container truck and a crane, comprising:

a traveling detection module, configured for scanning three-dimensional information by means of a traveling radar of the container truck;

an alignment triggering module, configured for: when the three-dimensional information matches with preset crane profile information, starting an alignment radar of the container truck, and projecting a target region, which is obtained according to the three-dimensional information and corresponds to the crane, to an alignment coordinate system of the alignment radar;

an alignment detection module, configured for obtaining a target working position of the crane according to three-dimensional data scanned by the alignment radar and located in the target region; and

a position adjustment module, configured for guiding the container truck to travel by means of cooperation between the traveling radar and the alignment radar, whereby a preset hoisting position of the container truck coincides with the target working position.

11. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor; and

a storage medium, which stores computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions, when executed by the processor, perform the alignment method for the container truck and the crane according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions, when executed by a processor, perform the alignment method for the container truck and the crane according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

13. A computer program product, comprising computer instructions stored on a computer storage medium, wherein the computer instructions, when executed by a processor, perform the alignment method for the container truck and the crane according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

14. A computer program, configured for causing a processor to perform the alignment method for the container truck and the crane according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Drawing