Crane, and method for controlling such a crane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11919749-B2
Application number	US-201716092550-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2017
Priority date	Apr 11, 2016
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

The present invention relates to a crane, in particular to a revolving tower crane, having a load suspension means attached to a hoist rope, drive devices for moving a plurality of crane elements and for traveling the load suspension means, a control apparatus for controlling the drive devices such that the load suspension means travels along a travel path, and an oscillation damping device for damping oscillation movements of the load suspension means, wherein said oscillation damping device has a control module for influencing the control of the drive devices in dependence on oscillation-relevant criteria. It is proposed not only to take account of the actual oscillation movement of the rope per se in the oscillation damping measures, but also the dynamics of the steel construction of the crane and its drivetrains.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tower crane subject to dynamic loads during operation comprising:
a tower that supports a boom on which a trolley is displaceable, wherein one or more structural elements of the tower crane experience elastic deformations and movements in response to being subject to the dynamic loads;
a load suspension means attached to a hoist rope running from the trolley, wherein at least one of the load suspension means or the hoist rope experience oscillation movements resultant from the dynamic loads;
drive devices for moving one or more crane elements used for traveling the load suspension means;
a control apparatus for controlling the drive devices such that the load suspension means travels along a travel path; and
an oscillation damping device for damping the oscillation movements of the load suspension means and/or of the hoist rope as a result of the dynamic loads, the oscillation damping device comprising:
determination means comprising a sensor system including at least one deformation sensor, the determination means for determining the elastic deformations and movements of the one or more structural elements of the tower crane under the dynamic loads during operation of the tower crane; and
a control module for automatically influencing the movement of one or more of the crane elements via control of the drive devices in response to the determined elastic deformations and movements.

2. The tower crane in accordance with claim 1 , wherein one of the structural elements is selected from the group consisting of the tower and the boom; and
wherein the determination means are configured to determine deformations and movements of at least one of the tower or the boom during operation of the tower crane.

3. The tower crane in accordance with claim 1 , wherein structural elements that experience the elastic deformations and movements include the tower and a drivetrain part; and
wherein the determination means are configured to determine deformations and movements of the tower and drivetrain part during operation of the tower crane.

4. The tower crane in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the determination means determines the elastic deformations and movements of the tower and one or more other structural elements;
wherein at least one deformation sensor is attached to the tower; and
wherein, while the tower crane is configured to allow the tower and the one or more other structural elements to experience the elastic deformations and movements, the oscillation damping device dampens the oscillation movements of the load suspension means and/or of the hoist rope resultant from the elastic deformations and movements of the tower and the one or more other structural elements.

5. The tower crane in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the determination means further comprise at least one of:
an estimation device for estimating the deformations and movements of the tower and the one or more other structural elements during operation of the tower crane on the basis of digital data of a data model describing the tower crane; or
a calculation unit that calculates the deformations and movements of the tower and the one or more other structural elements on the basis of a stored calculation model in dependence on control commands input at a control station.

6. The tower crane in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the sensor system further comprises a dynamic parameter sensor for detecting dynamic parameters of the tower and the one or more other structural elements.

7. The tower crane in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the sensors are selected from the group consisting of:
an inclination sensor and/or acceleration sensor for detecting tower inclinations and/or tower speeds;
a rotational speed sensor and/or rotational acceleration sensor for detecting the rotational speed and/or rotational acceleration of the boom;
a pitching movement sensor for detecting pitching movements and/or pitching accelerations of the boom;
a rope speed sensor and/or rope acceleration sensor for detecting rope speeds and/or rope accelerations of the hoist rope; and
a combination thereof.

8. The tower crane in accordance with claim 4 further comprising a detection device for detecting a deflection of the hoist rope and/or of the load suspension means with respect to a vertical;
wherein the control module of the oscillation damping device is further configured to influence the control of the drive devices in dependence on the determined deflection of the hoist rope and/or of the load suspension means with respect to the vertical.

9. The tower crane in accordance with claim 8 further comprising an image evaluation device;
wherein the detection device comprises an imaging sensor system; and
wherein the image evaluation device is for evaluating an image provided by the imaging sensor system with respect to the position of the load suspension means in the provided image and for determining the deflection of the load suspension means and/or of the hoist rope and/or of the deflection speed with respect to the vertical.

10. The tower crane in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the imaging sensor system comprises a camera configured to look substantially straight down in the region of a trolley of the hoist rope.

11. The tower crane in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the oscillation damping device further comprises a filter device and/or observation device for influencing adjustment values of drive regulators for controlling the drive devices, with the filter device and/or observer device being configured to obtain the adjustment values of the drive regulators and the detected and/or estimated movements of crane elements and/or deformations and/or movements of the tower and the one or more other structural elements that occur during operation of the tower crane as input values and to influence the adjustment values of the drive regulators in dependence on the dynamically induced movements of crane elements and/or deformations of the tower and the one or more other structural elements obtained for specific adjustment values of the drive regulators.

12. The tower crane in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the filter device and/or observer device is configured as a Kalman filter.

13. The tower crane in accordance with claim 12 , wherein detected and/or estimated and/or calculated and/or simulated functions that characterize dynamics of the tower and the one or more other structural elements are implemented in the Kalman filter.

14. The tower crane in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the oscillation damping device further comprises a position sensor system that is configured to detect the load suspension means relative to a fixed global coordinate system and/or is configured to position the load suspension means relative to a fixed global coordinate system.

15. The tower crane in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the oscillation damping device further comprises an oblique pull regulator and is configured to actuate the drive devices for moving the crane elements and for traveling the load suspension means such that the hoist rope, where possible, is perpendicular to suspended load, even if the tower crane deforms due to an increasing load torque and/or due to increasing transverse forces and/or increasing transverse twisting torques.

16. The tower crane in accordance with claim 1 , wherein structural elements that experience the elastic deformations and movements include the tower and drivetrain parts;
wherein at least one of the drivetrain parts is selected from the group consisting of slewing gear p

Assignees

• Liebherr Components Biberach Gmbh

Inventors

• Palberg Michael
• Resch Jürgen
• Fenker Oliver

Classifications

• B66C13/063 Primary

  electrical · CPC title

• B66C23/16

  with jibs supported by columns, e.g. towers having their lower end mounted for slewing movements · CPC title

• B66C13/06 Primary

  for minimising or preventing longitudinal or transverse swinging of loads · CPC title