Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-07-27 Origin: Site
In stamp‑charging coke oven production, multiple machines—pushing cars, charging cars, coke guide cars—operate on the same track area, requiring precise positional awareness and coordinated action among them. Take a typical configuration of 16 batteries with 288 ovens: the coke guide car travels approximately 1,050 meters, the charging‑pushing car about 470 meters, and the equipment list includes 8 stamping machines, 7 charging‑pushing cars, 3 coke guide cars, and 3 fixed pushers. The ambient temperature near the pusher‑side platform can reach 200°C, with open flames, heavy dust, corrosive gases, and continuous vibration also present.
Under these extreme conditions, the system design must address three fundamental issues:
Positioning accuracy. Each vehicle must stop precisely at the designated oven position along tracks hundreds of meters long. Any deviation results in a failed push or equipment damage. Track expansion and contraction from heat, long‑term deformation, and mechanical tolerances all degrade repeatability. Traditional inductive communication operates at low frequencies (49KHz/79KHz) and is susceptible to harmonic interference from variable‑frequency drives—enough to cause signal loss or data corruption.
Communication reliability. The central control room needs real‑time data from every vehicle—position, status, motor currents—and must simultaneously send production schedules and interlock commands to all machines. With multiple vehicles operating concurrently, any communication failure disables the interlock system's decision‑making capability.
Interlock safety. A pushing operation requires that both the charging‑pushing car and the coke guide car be aligned with the same oven centerline, oven doors on both sides removed, and the coke guide plate fully engaged before the pusher ram can advance. A single error at any step can lead to incandescent coke falling to the ground, equipment destruction, or personnel injury. Processes such as door removal, pushing, charging, and stamping must follow strict sequential and positional interlock rules.
The system employs a dual‑channel architecture in which position detection and data communication are completely independent of each other.
Positioning. A coding cable is laid along the track, and the vehicle‑mounted antenna box reads the absolute position through electromagnetic coupling. Decoding is done on the vehicle side, so position data never travels to the ground station—avoiding transmission latency that could affect real‑time control. The coding cable features a non‑metallic sealed construction that is dustproof, waterproof, corrosion‑resistant, and heat‑resistant, with a design life of over 20 years. Key specifications: 1mm resolution, positioning accuracy ≤10mm, first‑attempt success rate ≥98%.
Communication. Spread‑spectrum wireless at 2.4GHz/5.8GHz avoids the harmonic frequencies generated by variable‑frequency drives, and the position detection and data transmission paths are physically separate. The communication rate is 100Mbps with a bit‑error rate below 10⁻⁷.
Interlock control. The system implements interlocks for all operational sequences—door removal, door replacement, pushing, charging, stamping, fixed pusher operation, and travel. Each operation's enabling conditions are defined as programmable logic criteria: actuation is permitted only when all conditions are satisfied; if any condition is not met, the action remains locked out.
Operation | Enabling Conditions | Result |
|---|---|---|
Door removal | Door extractor aligned with planned oven centerline; current time within allowed advance window | Door removal permitted |
Door replacement | Door extractor aligned with the oven from which door was previously removed | Door replacement permitted |
Pushing | Charging‑pushing car and coke guide car both aligned with planned oven; both oven doors removed; coke guide plate engaged and locked; current time within advance window (Level 1 Push‑Enable); coke guide car operator confirms (Level 2 Push‑Enable) | Pusher ram advance permitted |
Charging | Charging plan auto‑generated after push complete; charging plate aligned with planned oven; coke‑side door closed | Charging plate advance permitted |
Stamping | Charging‑pushing car at stamping station; coal tower discharge gate closed; stamping hammers at upper limit | Charging plate movement permitted |
Fixed pusher | Coke dry‑quenching car at receiving position; coke guide car at transfer position and indexed forward (Level 1); coke guide car operator confirms (Level 2) | Fixed pusher ram advance permitted |
Travel anti‑collision | Distance between vehicles below deceleration threshold; distance below stop threshold | Speed reduction; emergency stop (applies only to approaching direction) |
Derailment prevention | Vehicle reaches system‑defined track limit position (coding cable length corresponds to track length) | Speed reduction and stop imposed |
Each machine is equipped with an interlock override selector switch for maintenance or system fault conditions; all override events are automatically logged. A latching "push emergency stop" pushbutton is installed on each coke guide car—pressing it immediately halts the pushing operation, and normal operation can resume only after the button is released and a new manual push‑enable signal is issued.
Safety protection. Travel anti‑collision automatically controls speed based on real‑time distance between vehicles: an audible warning when the distance falls below the safety threshold, and deceleration to a full stop when it falls below the critical threshold—this control applies only to approaching directions. Exclusion zones are defined around the stamping station and fixed pusher; when the relevant equipment extends into the track area, vehicle entry into these zones is automatically prevented. Track end points have derailment limits. A video‑based detection system monitors the working area in front of the charging‑pushing car; when personnel are detected, the pusher ram, door extractor, and charging plate are locked out. If someone enters while any of these mechanisms is running, the mechanism stops immediately, and an audible/visual alarm is triggered.
Central control management. The central control room provides: schedule generation (manual or automatic sequence‑based) and distribution to all vehicles; full‑oven animation display with color‑coded oven maturation and real‑time vehicle positions; coking time overview; real‑time pushing and charging current curves; automatic shift, daily, and monthly reports including K₁, K₂, K₃ performance coefficients; and long‑term storage of all operational and process data for traceability.
Adaptive and recovery functions. Automatic adjustment of oven center addresses to compensate for deformation or wear; automatic identification of a standby vehicle when it replaces an active unit; and automatic schedule resynchronization after fault recovery.
System capacity. The solution covers 16 oven batteries, 288 ovens, and 21 vehicles (including stamping machines and fixed pushers), with expansion interfaces for additional vehicles. The central system supports integration with plant‑local area networks and coke oven heating optimization control systems via TCP/IP.
Environmental adaptability. Coding cables, antenna boxes, terminal enclosures, and junction boxes all use non‑metallic sealed construction, with external units fitted with fire‑resistant jacketing—allowing continuous operation from ‑40°C to 200°C. All electrical components are industrial‑grade brands such as Schneider, Siemens, and Phoenix Contact, with protection rating IP67.
Communication architecture. The spread‑spectrum wireless at 2.4GHz/5.8GHz completely avoids VFD harmonic interference, with 100Mbps data rate and bit‑error rate below 10⁻⁷. Since position detection and data communication are physically separate, the positioning system remains fully functional even if the communication link experiences anomalies.
Safety integrity. Process interlocks, travel protection, zone protection, personnel detection, and emergency stop are all integrated into a single coherent framework, with all interlock events logged for traceability.
In‑house self‑sufficiency. Coding cables, antenna boxes, decoders, central control software, interlock logic, and reporting systems are all designed and manufactured in‑house by Forward Technology. A single supplier takes full system responsibility, eliminating interface ambiguities and troubleshooting complications that arise from multi‑vendor coordination.
Forward Technology possesses end‑to‑end design and manufacturing capability for coke oven vehicle positioning and interlock systems, covering both core hardware and system software.
Architectural design. The dual‑channel architecture separating position detection from data communication is the foundation for long‑term stability in high‑electromagnetic‑interference environments. The combination of coding cable positioning and spread‑spectrum wireless communication has been validated in multiple coke‑making projects.
In‑house manufacturing. Coding cables, antenna boxes, decoders, central control software, interlock logic, and reporting systems are all developed and produced internally. A single supplier assumes full system responsibility, avoiding interface compatibility and maintenance cost issues that often arise with multiple vendors.
Environment‑specific engineering. Material selection, sealing processes, and protective designs are specifically optimized for coke oven conditions—high temperatures, dust, and corrosive atmospheres—rather than being off‑the‑shelf industrial products adapted for the application.
Integrated safety framework. Process interlocks, travel protection, zone protection, personnel detection, and emergency stop are deeply coupled within a unified safety architecture, not simply a collection of independent functions.
Proven implementability. The solution has been applied and verified in several large‑scale coke‑making projects in China. The system capacity, equipment configuration, and control logic are all designed for real‑world large‑scale multi‑vehicle coordinated operations, demonstrating complete engineering feasibility.
The core value of a coke oven vehicle positioning and interlock management control system lies in its ability to reliably perform three tasks—position detection, data transmission, and safety interlocking—in a harsh, continuous industrial environment of high temperature, dust, and strong interference. Forward Technology's solution covers the entire chain from precision positioning and reliable communication to full‑process interlocking, personnel protection, and centralized management, making it a credible technology partner for such projects.
