Crane and device for controlling same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11932517-B2
Application number	US-202117447152-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2021
Priority date	Mar 8, 2019
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

The invention relates to a crane, in particular a rotary tower crane (1), comprising a crane boom (3), from which runs a hoisting cable (6) connected to the load hook (7), as well as comprising a load hook positioning device (8) for determining the load hook position, wherein the load hook positioning device (8) has at least three electromagnetic radio modules (9) exchanging radio signals with one another, of which at least one radio module is attached to the load hook and at least two further radio modules are attached to the crane structure and/or in the environment of the crane in a spaced apart manner, as well as an electronic evaluation device for evaluating the radio signals and determining the position of the load hook from the radio signals.

First claim

We claim:

1. A crane having a crane boom from which a hoist rope connected to a load hook runs off, and having a load hook position determiner for determining a load hook position of the load hook, wherein the load hook position determiner has electromagnetic radio modules configured to exchange radio signals with one another, wherein the electromagnetic radio modules comprise at least one radio module attached to the load hook and at least two radio modules spaced apart from one another and attached to the crane and/or in a crane environment, wherein the at least one radio module is configured to exchange radio signals with each of the at least two radio modules, wherein the at least one radio module has an electronic evaluator, and wherein the load hook position is determinable via the electronic evaluator from radio signals exchanged between the at least one radio module and the at least two radio modules.

2. The crane of claim 1 , wherein a trolley is travelably supported along the crane boom, wherein the hoist rope runs off from the trolley, and wherein the electromagnetic radio modules further comprise at least one radio module attached to the trolley.

3. The crane of claim 1 , wherein a trolley is travelably supported along the crane boom, wherein the hoist rope runs off from the trolley, wherein the electromagnetic radio modules further comprise at least three radio modules attached to the trolley such that the at least three radio modules are arranged at corners of a triangle in a vertical plan view of the trolley, wherein each of the at least three radio modules is configured to exchange signals with the at least the radio module, and wherein a position of the load hook relative to the trolley, including a horizontal offset of the load hook with respect to the trolley, is determinable via the electronic evaluator from radio signals exchanged between the at least one radio module and the at least three radio modules.

4. The crane of claim 1 , wherein at least one radio module of the at least two radio modules is attached to the crane boom, wherein the electromagnetic radio modules further comprise at least one radio module attached to a trolley travelable along the crane boom, wherein the at least one radio module attached to the load hook is configured to exchange radio signals with the at least one radio module of the at least two radio modules and with the at least one radio module attached to the trolley, and wherein a position of the load hook relative to the crane boom, including a horizontal offset of the load hook with respect to the trolley caused by swaying, is determinable via the electronic evaluator from radio signals exchanged between the at least one radio module attached to the load hook and the at least one radio module of the at least two radio modules and the at least one radio module attached to the trolley.

5. The crane of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic radio modules further comprise at least two radio modules spaced apart from one another and attached to at least each end section of the crane boom, wherein the at least one radio module is configured to exchange radio signals with each of the at least two radio modules spaced apart from one another and attached to at least each end section of the crane boom, and wherein a position of the load hook relative to the crane boom is determinable via the electronic evaluator from radio signals exchanged between the at least one radio module and the at least two radio modules spaced apart from one another and attached to at least each end section of the crane boom.

6. The crane of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic radio modules are suppliable with electrical energy from an energy store.

7. The crane of claim 1 , wherein the at least one radio module is suppliable with electrical energy from a generator rotationally drivable by a rope deflection pulley provided at at least the load hook.

8. The crane of claim 1 , wherein the electronic evaluator has a time of flight determiner for determining signal times of flight between the electromagnetic radio modules and for determining distances between the electromagnetic radio modules from the signal times of flight.

9. The crane of claim 8 , wherein the time of flight determiner comprises a TDOA module for determining time differences of arrival of a radio signal from one of the electromagnetic radio modules to other of the electromagnetic radio modules and for determining the signal times of flight between the electromagnetic radio modules.

10. The crane of claim 8 , wherein the time of flight determiner comprises a TOA module or a TOF module for determining absolute times of arrival of a radio signal of one of the electromagnetic radio modules at other of the electromagnetic radio modules and wherein the distances between the electromagnetic radio modules are determinable via the TOA module or the TOF module from the absolute times of arrival or from transmission times.

11. The crane of claim 1 , wherein the electronic evaluator has an angle determiner for determining angles between the electromagnetic radio modules, and wherein positions of the electromagnetic radio modules relative to one another are trigonometrically determinable via the electronic evaluator from angles determined by the angle determiner.

12. The crane of claim 11 , wherein the angle determiner has a phase shift module for determining phase shifts of radio signals at the electromagnetic radio modules, and the angles between the electromagnetic radio modules are determinable via the angle determiner from phase shifts determined by the phase shift module.

13. The crane of claim 11 , wherein the angle determiner has a damping module for determining a damping of antennas of the electromagnetic radio modules caused by a directional radio pattern, and wherein angles between the electromagnetic radio modules are determinable via the angle determiner from damping determined by the damping module.

14. The crane of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor device provided at the load hook, wherein position data and/or orientation data and/or acceleration data is determinable via the sensor device, and wherein a load hook position is calculatable via the electronic evaluator from position data and/or orientation data and/or acceleration data detected by the sensor device.

15. The crane of claim 14 , wherein the sensor device comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU) having an acceleration detector and/or a rotation rate detector for providing acceleration signals and/or rotation rate signals, wherein the electronic evaluator has a first determiner for determining and/or estimating a tilt of the load hook from acceleration signals and/or rotational rate signals from the inertial measurement unit (IMU) and has a second determiner for determining a deflection of the hoist rope and/or of the load hook with respect to the vertical from a determined tilt of the load hook and an inertial acceleration of the load hook.

16. The crane of claim 14 , wherein the electronic evaluator comprises has-a Kalman filter for merging the load hook position determined from the radio signals exchanged between the at least one radio module and the at least two radio modules and a load hook position determined from position data and/or orientation data and/or acceleration data detected by the sensor device.

17. A method of controlling a crane having a crane boom from which a hoist rope connected to a load hook runs off, and having a load hook position determiner for determining a load hook position of the load hook, wherein radio signals are excha

Assignees

• Liebherr Werk Biberach Gmbh

Inventors

• Hofmeister Markus
• Englert Tobias

Classifications

• B66C13/063 Primary

  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

• B66C13/46

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

• B66C23/88

  Safety gear (for cranes in general B66C15/00; for rope, cable, or chain winding mechanisms B66D1/54) · CPC title

• B66C23/26 Primary

  for use on building sites; constructed, e.g. with separable parts, to facilitate rapid assembly or dismantling, for operation at successively higher levels, for transport by road or rail (with supporting couples provided by walls or buildings B66C23/20; mounted on vehicles B66C23/36; jib constructions B66C23/64) · CPC title