Method of moving a load using a crane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11242228-B2
Application number	US-201816125351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2018
Priority date	Sep 7, 2017
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of moving a load using a crane comprising the steps: defining an origin coordinate system in the crane; defining at least one obstacle coordinate system that is fixedly linked to a deployment location of the load movement; establishing a relationship of the at least one obstacle coordinate system with the origin coordinate system; predefining a travel path of the hook block, preferably with the suspended load, with the aid of the at least one obstacle coordinate system; and converting the travel path from the obstacle coordinate system into actuator controls of the crane for a corresponding movement of the hook block, preferably with the suspended load.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of moving a load using a crane, the method comprising:
defining an origin coordinate system in the crane, wherein the crane comprises a hook block for suspending the load therefrom, and wherein the crane is mobile and deployable to a deployment location for moving the load;
defining at least one obstacle coordinate system that is fixedly linked at least at times to the deployment location of the crane where the load is to be moved, wherein the at least one obstacle coordinate system corresponds to at least one obstacle to be avoided when moving the load suspended from the hook block;
establishing a relationship of the at least one obstacle coordinate system with the origin coordinate system after positioning of the crane at the deployment location, so that the origin coordinate system is brought into a spatial relationship with the at least one obstacle coordinate system, wherein establishing the relationship of the at least one obstacle coordinate system with the origin coordinate system comprises alignment of the hook block or a hook block coordinate system with at least one feature of the at least one obstacle;
predefining a travel path of the hook block with the suspended load with aid of the at least one obstacle coordinate system; and
converting the travel path from the at least one obstacle coordinate system into actuator controls of the crane for a corresponding movement of the hook block and the suspended load, wherein convening the travel path into the actuator controls of the crane is performed by a crane control.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising detecting a position and an orientation of the load to be moved in the at least one obstacle coordinate system.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein actuator controls for moving the load comprise an individual or common actuation of a luffing movement, of a hoisting movement, of a rotational movement of a superstructure of the crane, and/or a telescopic movement of a crane boom.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein, when the travel path to be converted is implementable using a plurality of actuator control sets, the actuator controls of the crane for the corresponding movement of the hook block are reached based on predetermined specifications, and wherein the predetermined specifications comprise a maximum payload, a maximum speed, and/or a minimal energy consumption.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the origin coordinate system is furthermore fixedly linked to the crane; and wherein a spatial relationship of the origin coordinate system and the at least one obstacle coordinate system is made known to the crane control, with the origin coordinate system being at a center of a slewing ring of the crane.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the hook block coordinate system is furthermore defined that is fixedly linked to the hook block of the crane, with a movement and a rotation of the hook block coordinate system being reverse calculated to the origin coordinate system fixedly linked to the crane.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6 , wherein a camera is used at a boom head to detect the at least one obstacle coordinate system in the crane control; and wherein the hook block coordinate system is aligned and superposed with respect to the at least one obstacle coordinate system to make known the at least one obstacle coordinate system in the crane control of the crane.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein characteristic features of the deployment location, including a building edge or a special topical or construction feature at the deployment location, are used to align the hook block coordinate system at the at least one obstacle coordinate system.

9. The method in accordance with claim 7 , wherein an origin of the hook block coordinate system is used to detect the at least one obstacle coordinate system in the crane control in order to make an origin of the at least one obstacle coordinate system and additionally a point of an axis on the at least one obstacle coordinate system known to the crane control of the crane with the crane control.

10. The method in accordance with claim 6 , wherein
a tandem hoist of two cranes is provided for the movement of the load; and
origin coordinate systems of both cranes are transmitted into a common obstacle coordinate system.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10 , wherein both cranes are coupled to one another before a traveling of the load via a data link that is used to transmit coordinates of the hook block of one crane in the common obstacle coordinate system to the other crane.

12. The method in accordance with claim 11 , wherein a second crane of the two cranes moves a position of the hook block of the second crane in dependence on the coordinates in the common obstacle coordinate system of the hook block of a first crane of the two cranes and in dependence on a desired orientation of the load.

13. The method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein radio GPS transmitters are used to detect the at least one obstacle coordinate system in the crane control that, in interaction with a radio GPS receiver present at the crane, permit the crane control of the crane to draw a conclusion on an orientation and a location of the at least one obstacle coordinate system.

14. The method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the crane is arranged in the at least one obstacle coordinate system before specification of the travel path of the load; and wherein a payload calculation of the crane furthermore takes place for a desired travel path after the specification of the travel path of the load.

15. An apparatus, comprising:
a crane for moving a load, wherein the crane comprises a book block for suspending the load therefrom, and wherein the crane is mobile and deployable to a deployment location for moving the load;
a crane control for controlling actuators of the crane; and
the hook block comprising a coordinate system detection device for detecting a position and an orientation of the crane in a spatially fixed obstacle coordinate system that is fixedly linked to the deployment location of the crane where the load is to be moved, wherein the obstacle coordinate system corresponds to at least one obstacle to be avoided when moving the load suspended from the hook block; wherein
the crane control is configured to perform the method of:
defining an origin coordinate system in the crane; and
establishing a relationship of the obstacle coordinate system with the origin coordinate system after positioning of the crane at the deployment location, so that the origin coordinate system is brought into a spatial relationship with the obstacle coordinate system, wherein establishing the relationship of the obstacle coordinate system with the origin coordinate system comprises alignment of the hook block or a hook block coordinate system with at least one feature of the at least one obstacle; wherein
the crane control is configured to travel the load on a basis of the detected position and orientation of the crane in the obstacle coordinate system, wherein the crane control is adapted to convert a travel path of the load with aid of the obstacle coordinate system into actuator controls.

16. The apparatus in accordance with claim 15 , wherein the crane control is configured to carry out a payload calculation for a load detected in the obstacle coordinate system after the detection of the position and the orientation of the crane in the obstacle coordinate system.

Assignees

• Liebherr Werk Ehingen

Inventors

• Hartmann Andreas

Classifications

• B66C15/045

  electrical · CPC title

• B66C13/16

  Applications of indicating, registering, or weighing devices (in crane hooks B66C1/40; in safety gear B66C15/00; weighing-apparatus G01G; remote indicating in general G08) · CPC title

• B66C13/48

  Automatic control of crane drives for producing a single or repeated working cycle; Program control · CPC title

• B66C13/46 Primary

  Position indicators for suspended loads or for crane elements · CPC title

• B66C15/04

  for preventing collisions, e.g. between cranes or trolleys operating on the same track · CPC title