Patent Application
20140112746
1. Field of Invention
The current invention relates generally to apparatus, systems and methods for loading steels coils onto trains. More particularly, the apparatus, systems and methods relate to automatically loading steels coils onto trains. Specifically, the apparatus, systems and methods provide for automatically loading steels coils onto rail cars using images from stereo cameras to position and guide the steel coils onto the rail cars.
2. Description of Related Art
In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through a pair of rolls. Rolling is classified according to the temperature of the metal rolled. If the temperature of the metal is above its recrystallization temperature then the process is termed as hot rolling. If the temperature of the metal is below its recrystallization temperature the process is termed as cold rolling. In terms of usage, hot rolling processes more tonnage than any other manufacturing process and cold rolling processes the most tonnage out of all cold working processes.
When the steel passes through its final set of rollers it is then coiled into a cylindrically-shaped coil. Coils of rolled steel can be very heavy weighing tens of thousands of pounds and can be awkward to maneuver and transport. When steel coils are produced, they are often first moved to a cooling area knows as a coil yard. Later, they may be moved again for loading onto a rail car for transportation by train. Because the coils are so heavy, special overhead cranes are often used to move the steel coils to load them onto rail cars. Often these cranes are controlled by a person holding a control device used to control the movement and functionality of the crane. While holding the control device, that person would follow the crane moving a steel coil and that movement may require him to walk on surfaces near the steel coil being moved as well as on catwalks, up stairs and down stairs. Often, this person is looking overhead which can cause them to fall off catwalks, down stairs and/or lose their attention to cause life threatening movement of the crane and the steel coil it is moving. Therefore, a better way of moving coils in a coil yard is desired.
The preferred embodiment of the invention includes a method for automatically positioning a metal coil into rail cars using stereoscopic images. The method begins by picking up the metal coil using a hoist of a crane. The metal coil is then moved to a position over a rail car to where the metal coil will be located. At least one stereoscopic photo is taken of a location in the rail car to where the metal coil will be located. The coil is accurately positioned as it is lowered based on data extracted from the stereoscopic photo(s) to determine a “determined position” of where the coil is as it is lowered onto the rail car. The picking up of the metal coil, the moving of the metal coil to a position over a rail car and the lowering of the metal coil into the rail car are performed automatically without human involvement.
In another configuration, the method can include comparing the stereoscopic photo to a predetermined image of a location in a rail car to where the metal coil will be located. This comparison can be used to further refine how to position the metal coil as it is placed onto the rail car. The comparison of the stereoscopic photo to the predetermined image of the location in the rail car where the metal coil will be located can be based, at least in part, on the rail car type. In some implementations, the predetermined image can be selected based on the rail car type.
Other configurations can include taking a stereographic photo of two different locations using two different stereoscopic cameras. This can include taking a first stereographic photo adjacent a first side of the metal coil and taking a second stereographic photo adjacent a second side of the metal coil. These two images can be used in determining the determined position of the metal coil. Lighting can be used to light up both sides of the coil prior to taking the stereographic photos.
The method can also include other useful actions used to more accurately pick up and place a metal coil. For example, the method can also include taking stereoscopy photos of a saddle of the location in the rail car to where the metal coil will be located. Additionally, the method can use a laser positioning system to determine a position of the crane. The method can determine where to pick up a coil by first finding a central opening from stereoscopic photos. Hoist tongs can then more accurately be inserted into that opening.
Another configuration of the preferred embodiment is a system for automatically positioning a metal coil into a rail car. The system includes a crane with a hoist for lifting a metal coil and for lowering the metal coil onto the rail car. The crane includes a hoist with a hoist frame. A stereoscopic camera is mounted on the hoist frame. The stereoscopic camera takes a stereoscopic image of a location on the rail car to where the metal coil is to be placed. Stereoscopic image processing logic processes the stereoscopic image to determine a position of the metal coil relative to the location on the rail car based, at least in part, on the stereoscopic image. The crane and the stereoscopic image processing logic can work together to pick up the metal coil and place the metal coil onto the rail car automatically and without human intervention.
The system can further include a second stereoscopic camera on a corner of the hoist frame configured to take stereoscopic images of a second side of the location on the rail car to where the metal coil is to be placed. The first stereoscopic camera is on a corner of the hoist frame diagonal to the second stereoscopic camera and the first stereoscopic camera takes stereoscopic images of a first side of the location on the rail car to where the metal coil is to be placed. Two lights are located on corners of the hoist frame between the first stereoscopic camera and the second stereoscopic camera and can be used to illuminate the rail car.
The system for automatically positioning a metal coil into a rail can further include memory storing a pre-stored image of the location on the rail car to where the metal coil is to be placed. The stereoscopic image processing logic can use that pre-stored image to determine the position of the metal coil relative to the location on the rail where the coil is to be placed by comparing stereoscopic images of the rail car to the pre-stored image.
One or more preferred embodiments that illustrate the best mode(s) are set forth in the drawings and in the following description. The appended claims particularly and distinctly point out and set forth the invention.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various example methods, and other example embodiments of various aspects of the invention. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale.
Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.
Because the steel coils 3 can be very heavy, custom cranes are often used to pick them up from the coil yard 1 and load them onto a rail car 5.
A pair of stereoscopic cameras 9 are mounted on two corners of a frame 11 mounted to the bottom side of the crane 6. The two cameras 9 can be best seen together in the top view of
In the preferred embodiment and for the purpose of simplicity, the Figures illustrate a pair of stereoscopic cameras and the Specification discusses a pair of stereoscopic cameras. However, those of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that in other embodiments of the invention more stereoscopic cameras can be used or only a single stereoscopic camera can be used. Of course, the number of stereoscopic cameras and lighting fixtures can be different and they do not have to be used in equal numbers as illustrated and described in the present Specification. When using multiple stereoscopic cameras, multiple different images may be captured to produce more accurate special images. Likewise, adaptive lighting can be used in different environments and positions that the cameras operate in order to enhance stereoscopic images in ever changing conditions. It is even conceivable that any number of stereoscopic cameras, non-stereoscopic cameras, lighting systems, adaptive lighting systems and the like can be used to implement different embodiments of novel features of this invention.
“Logic”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to hardware, firmware, software and/or combinations of each to perform a function(s) or an action(s), and/or to cause a function or action from another logic, method, and/or system. For example, based on a desired application or needs, logic may include a software controlled microprocessor, discrete logic like an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmed logic device, a memory device containing instructions, or the like. Logic may include one or more gates, combinations of gates, or other circuit components. Logic may also be fully embodied as software. Where multiple logical logics are described, it may be possible to incorporate the multiple logical logics into one physical logic. Similarly, where a single logical logic is described, it may be possible to distribute that single logical logic between multiple physical logics.
As mentioned above, the crane 6 further includes a hoist 38. The hoist 38 includes coil tongs 39, a tong support structure 41 and a rotation package 43. The rotation package 43 is attached to the crane 6 and has a motor for rotating the tong support structure 41 and the pair of coil tongs 39. The tong support structure 41 supports the coil tongs 39 and is configured to move the coil tongs 39 into and out of engagement with steel coils 3.
Example methods may be better appreciated with reference to flow diagrams. While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the illustrated methodologies are shown and described as a series of blocks, it is to be appreciated that the methodologies are not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks can occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from that shown and described. Moreover, less than all the illustrated blocks may be required to implement an example methodology. Blocks may be combined or separated into multiple components. Furthermore, additional and/or alternative methodologies can employ additional, not illustrated blocks.
After the selected coil 3A and its location is known, the method 500 then moves the crane 6 and hoist 38 over the selected coil 3A, at 506. The method 500 can use the stereoscopic image processing system 24 to move the crane 6 and its hoist 38 over the coil 3A. After it is over the coil 3A, the left 17 and right 19 sides of the selected coil 3A can be illuminated, at 508. This allows better stereoscopic images to be taken of the coil 3A. In addition to using stereoscopic imaging, the alternative method 500 can use GPS devices to communicate the location of a shuttle car 4 to the crane 6 and the crane 6 can use this information to move the crane 6 over that particular shuttle car 4. The method 500 can now begin lowering the hoist 38 down in the direction of arrow C in
Just before and/or while lowering the hoist 38 to the coil the method 500 can begin taking stereoscopic images, at 512, of the left side 17 and right side 19 of the selected coil 3A. In the preferred embodiment, one stereoscopic camera takes pictures of the left side 17 of the coil 3A and a second stereoscopic camera takes pictures of the right side 19 of the coil 3A. A series of stereoscopic images can be taken as the tong support structure 41 and coil tongs 39 are lowered. When the lights 11 and cameras 9 are properly positioned, there while be no light glare so that an image taken of the opening 45 can be processed to determine the bottom surface just inside the opening 45. Once the bottom surface of the opening 45 is determined, these images are analyzed to find the central opening (e.g., eye) 45 of the steel coil, at 514. For example, the stereo images can be analyzed with image analysis software and algorithms running on the computer 35 in the stereoscopic image processing system 24 of
Once the central opening 45 has been found, the hoist 38 is lowered and centered above the selected coil 3A so that pairs of lower arms of the coil tongs 39 can be slid into the central opening 45. The coil 3A is lifted in the direction of arrow D in
As the coil 3A is lowered, the method 500 again can begin taking stereoscopic images, at 524. This time, images are taken of the left side and right side of saddles 47 forming a position in the rail car 5 into which the selected coil 3A is being lowered. In the preferred embodiment, one stereoscopic camera 9 takes pictures of the left side of a saddle 47 into which the coil is being lowered and a second stereoscopic camera 9 takes pictures of the right side of a saddle 47 into which the coil is being lowered. In general, five or so different types of rail cars currently exist so once the rail car type is known, its type of saddle used to hold coils loaded into that rail car can be determined. Some rails cars have beam structures used to hold coils and in those cases the beam structures can be determined.
Once the saddle type is determined, a predefined image of that saddle type can be extracted. The method 500 then compares stereograph images to the extracted saddle type, at 526, as the coil 3A is lowered by the hoist 38 toward the selected rail car position “2c”. The comparisons can be used to calculate and generate a precise position of the coil, at 528, relative to the selected rail car position. Any suitable software, imaging processing algorithm or other logic as understood by those of ordinary skill in the art can be used in determining the position of the coil relative to the selected rail car position. In some configurations, the laser positioning system 25 can also be used to determine the position of the coil. The method 500 can use this location to automatically adjust how the coil 3A is lowered and guided into position “2c” in the rail car 5.
In some configurations, the method 500 can determine the location of the coil and/or saddles by first determining the physical location of the cameras. This physical location is then translated into X, Y and/or Z dimensions. For example, the expected location where the coil is to be located in a rail car may be (142′, 42′). However, as the coil is lowered, based on the stereographic images and location/position calculations, it may be determined that the X value is really 0.7° larger and the Y value is really 0.5° larger. In this case, the (X, Y) value can be updated to (142.7′, 42.5°) for subsequent uses.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific details, the representative embodiments, and illustrative examples shown and described. Thus, this application is intended to embrace alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described. References to “the preferred embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “one example”, “an example”, and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase “in the preferred embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, though it may.
