Method for managing the electric power supply of a crane from a primary source and from a rechargeable secondary source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11916433-B2
Application number	US-202217692120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2022
Priority date	Mar 10, 2021
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

An electric power supply management method is configured to electrically power electrical equipment of a crane, via a conversion circuit, from a primary power supply source capable of providing a primary power and from a rechargeable secondary power supply source capable of providing a secondary power. The electric power supply management method includes monitoring of a requested general power which corresponds to a power demanded by all the electrical equipment, and a monitoring of a charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A management method for managing electrical power supply for electrically powering electrical equipment of a crane, via a conversion circuit, from a primary power supply source capable of providing a primary power and from a rechargeable secondary power supply source capable of providing a secondary power, wherein said management method comprises a monitoring of a requested general power which corresponds to a power requested by all the electrical equipment and a monitoring of a charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source, and
wherein the management method implements, depending on said requested general power and said charge level, at least the following management modes:
a recharging mode in which the requested general power is zero and the primary power supply source is available and connected to the rechargeable secondary power supply source to recharge it according to its charge level;
a mixed recharging/powering mode in which the requested general power is non-zero, and the primary power supply source is available and connected, on the one hand, to the electrical equipment to electrically power them and, on the other hand, to the rechargeable secondary power supply source to recharge it depending on the charge level;
a main power supply mode in which the requested general power is non-zero, and only the primary power supply source is connected to the electrical equipment to electrically power them;
a hybrid power supply mode in which the requested general power is non-zero, and the primary power supply source and the rechargeable secondary power supply source are both connected to the electrical equipment to electrically power them; and
an autonomous power supply mode in which the requested general power is non-zero, and only the rechargeable secondary power supply source is connected to the electrical equipment to electrically power them according to the charge level;

wherein the electrical equipment are powered by an available maximum power which corresponds to a minimum between a maximum conversion power and a source power, wherein the maximum conversion power corresponds to a maximum power that can be delivered at the output of the conversion circuit and wherein the source power corresponds to:
the sum of the secondary power and of the primary power in the hybrid power supply mode;
the secondary power in the autonomous power supply mode;
the primary power in the main power supply mode; and
the primary power minus a recharging power used to recharge the rechargeable secondary power supply source in the mixed recharging/powering mode;

wherein the management method implements, in the autonomous power supply mode and in the hybrid power supply mode, an adaptation of the secondary power as a function at least of the charge level, said secondary power being lower than or equal to a secondary maximum power which corresponds to a maximum power that can be delivered by the rechargeable secondary power supply source,
wherein the management method implements a selection, in the hybrid power supply mode and in the autonomous power supply mode, of a management sub-mode amongst several management sub-modes comprising at least:
an automatic sub-mode in which the secondary power is monitored so as to correspond to ka times the secondary maximum power, wherein ka is a coefficient that is less than or equal to 1 and which decreases with the charge level until the charge level drops below a low threshold; and
an economical sub-mode in which the secondary power is monitored so as to correspond to ke times the secondary maximum power, wherein ke is a coefficient lower than ka and which decreases with the charge level until the charge level drops below a low threshold.

2. The management method according to claim 1 , wherein:
in the automatic sub-mode, the coefficient ka is equal to kamax as long as the charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source is above a high threshold, then the coefficient ka is equal to kamin when the charge level is comprised between the low threshold and the high threshold, and finally the coefficient ka is zero when the charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source is below the low threshold, wherein kamax is higher than kamin; and
in the economical sub-mode, the coefficient ke is equal to kemax as long as the charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source is above the high threshold, then the coefficient ke is equal to kemin when the charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source is comprised between the low threshold and the high threshold, and finally the coefficient ke is zero when the charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source is below the low threshold, wherein kemax is higher than kemin, kamax is higher than kemax and kamin is higher than kemin.

3. The management method according to claim 2 , wherein kamax is comprised between 0.8 and 1, kamin is comprised between 0.5 and 0.7, kemax is comprised between 0.6 and 0.8 and kemin is comprised between 0.2 and 0.4.

4. The management method according to claim 2 , wherein the low threshold is comprised between 5 and 15% of a charge capacity of the rechargeable secondary power supply source and the high threshold is comprised between 40 and 60% of a charge capacity of the rechargeable secondary power supply source.

5. The management method according to claim 2 , wherein, in the autonomous power supply mode and whether in the automatic sub-mode or in the economical sub-mode, the management method automatically switches into a standby mode after the charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source drops below the low threshold, wherein in the standby mode only predefined safety equipment amongst the electrical equipment are powered to allow the crane to be safe-guarded.

6. The management method according to claim 5 , wherein, in the standby mode, the secondary power is monitored to match the secondary maximum power in order to power the safety equipment at least while safeguarding the crane.

7. The management method according to claim 2 , wherein the management sub-modes also comprise an extreme sub-mode in which the secondary power corresponds to the secondary maximum power regardless of the value of the charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source.

8. The management method according to claim 5 , wherein the management sub-modes also comprise an extreme sub-mode in which the secondary power corresponds to the secondary maximum power regardless of the value of the charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source, and
wherein, in the extreme sub-mode, when the charge level of the rechargeable secondary power supply source drops below the low threshold, then only the safety equipment are powered to allow the crane to be safe-guarded.

9. The management method according to claim 1 , wherein an allocation method for allocating the available maximum power over the different electrical equipment is implemented, regardless of the management mode amongst the hybrid power supply mode, the autonomous power supply mode, the main power supply mode and the mixed recharging/powering mode.

10. The management method according to claim 9 , wherein the allocation method comprises a step of selecting between:
a raw mode in which the available maximum power is allocated over predefined actuation equipment and over predefined accessory equipment among the electrical equipment, the actuation equipment being defined according to a configuration of the crane; and
an optimized mode in which the available maximum power is allocated over the predefined actuation equipment and also over the accessor

Assignees

• Manitowoc Crane Group France

Inventors

• Roni-Damond Bruno
• Veillerot Vincent

Classifications

• H02J7/865

  Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J7/855

  with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery · CPC title

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J9/062 Primary

  for AC powered loads · CPC title

• B66C13/12 Primary

  Arrangements of means for transmitting pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric power to movable parts of devices · CPC title