Crane maneuvering assistance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9238570-B2
Application number	US-201213541168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2012
Priority date	Jul 5, 2011
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

A system for tracking movable crane components to assist maneuvering the crane within a jobsite includes a computing device having a processor which calculates a 3D geospatial location and orientation of a 3D coordinate system for an upperworks that has an origin chosen along an axis of rotation between the upperworks and a lowerworks. The processor calculates a 3D position of the origin of the upperworks based on local coordinates and transforms the 3D position of the origin of the upperworks from the local coordinates to global 3D coordinates using absolute position sensing data from first and second positioning sensors attached to the crane (for instance on the upperworks and the hook, respectively) and using global 3D coordinates specific to the jobsite where the crane is located. The upperworks 3D coordinate system is useable to determine line segments in the upperworks 3D coordinate system for various movable components.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for determining a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system for a crane to assist maneuvering the crane within a jobsite, the crane comprising movable components including an upperworks rotatably attached to a lowerworks, a boom attached to the upperworks, a hoist line extending over a sheave mounted on the boom, and a hook attached to the hoist line, the system comprising:
a computing device including a processor and memory, and in the memory stored instructions for computing positions of at least one movable crane component with respect to other tracked objects on the jobsite, the processor configured to execute the instructions;
a first positioning sensor attached to the upperworks, wherein the upperworks is rotatably attached to the lowerworks; and
a second positioning sensor located on the hook;
the processor operable to calculate a 3D geospatial location and orientation of a 3D coordinate system for the upperworks, the upperworks 3D coordinate system having an origin chosen along an axis of rotation between the upperworks and lowerworks, the processor operable to:
calculate a 3D position of the origin of the upperworks based on local coordinates; and
transform the 3D position of the origin of the upperworks from the local coordinates to global 3D coordinates using absolute position sensing data from the first and second positioning sensors and using global 3D coordinates specific to the jobsite where the crane is located, the upperworks 3D coordinate system being useable to track the at least one moveable component for maneuvering assistance with reference to the other tracked objects.

2. The system of claim 1 , the processor further operable to:
calculate a first distance between locations of the first and second positioning sensors in global 3D coordinates;
calculate a second distance and a direction between a location of the first positioning sensor toward a mid-plane of the crane in 3D global coordinates based on the location of the first positioning sensor, the first distance, and an intersection point with the mid-plane of the crane, where the mid-plane of the crane is determined based on a heading of the boom and the location of the second positioning sensor; and
offset a distance to the origin in the global 3D coordinates in at least one of the three dimensions based on a vector created from the second distance and corresponding direction to the mid-plane of the crane.

3. The system of claim 1 , the processor further operable to:
calculate a 3D geospatial location of a boom hinge point where the boom is attached to the upperworks based on the 3D coordinate system for the upperworks; and
generate a 3D line segment in relation to the upperworks 3D coordinate system that is aligned with a central axis of the boom based on a combination of the location of the boom hinge point and absolute position sensing data from the second positioning sensor, the 3D line segment useable to generate an exclusion zone in absolute space surrounding the boom to be compared with locations of the other tracked objects on the jobsite.

4. The system of claim 3 , where the computing device is coupled with a display in a cab of the crane, the processor further operable to create an image on the display of the 3D line segment and line segments corresponding to the other tracked objects on the jobsite in relation to the upperworks 3D coordinate system for real-time viewing by a crane operator.

5. The system of claim 3 , where the computing device is coupled with a display in a cab of the crane, the processor further operable to create an image on the display for viewing by a crane operator of planned motions of at least the boom in relation to the 3D line segment and 3D line segments of the other tracked objects on the jobsite to demonstrate to the crane operator motions to take with the crane and the boom to avoid the crane from contacting the other tracked objects.

6. The system of claim 3 , the processor further operable to:
vary a size of the exclusion zone based on one or more conditions of the crane received by the computing device, the one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of: speed of the boom, type of crane, and location of the crane within the jobsite.

7. The system of claim 3 , where the other tracked objects also include 3D line segments, the processor further operable to project the upperworks 3D coordinate system to a 2D coordinate system and to track the exclusion zone with reference to the other tracked objects in the 2D coordinate system by removing the z-axis component of the 3D line segments corresponding thereto.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a portable validation device useable to validate the origin and other locations of the upperworks 3D coordinate system.

9. The system of claim 1 , where the second positioning sensor is attached to a second location of the upperworks, the processor further operable to:
determine a local vector and a unit vector between the first and second locations of the upperworks;
calculate an angle between the unit vector and an x-axis of the local coordinates;
calculate an angle of angular rotation useable to rotate the unit vector about a local z-axis to produce an x-axis direction of the upperworks 3D coordinate system; and
determine a direction of the y-axis of the upperworks 3D coordinate system based on the x-axis direction.

10. The system of claim 9 , the processor further operable to:
determine a second local vector that originates from the first location and points to the origin of the 3D coordinate system; and
determine a global position vector of the UW coordinate system by transforming the second local vector from local to global 3D coordinates using the x-axis and y-axis directions.

11. The system of claim 1 , where the origin is chosen at an intersection of rotation and a plane formed between the upperworks and the lowerworks.

12. A system for determining a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system for a crane to assist maneuvering the crane within a jobsite, the crane comprising movable components including an upperworks rotatably attached to a lowerworks, and a boom attached to the upperworks, the system comprising:
a computing device including a processor and memory, and in the memory stored instructions for computing positions of at least one movable crane component with respect to other tracked objects on the jobsite, the processor configured to execute the instructions;
a first positioning sensor attached to a first location on the upperworks, wherein the upperworks is rotatably attached to the lowerworks;
a second positioning sensor attached to a second location on the upperworks different than the first location; and
a third positioning sensor attached to a third location on the upperworks different than the first and second locations;
the processor operable to calculate a 3D geospatial location and orientation of a 3D coordinate system for the upperworks, the upperworks 3D coordinate system having an origin chosen along an axis of rotation between the upperworks and lowerworks, the processor operable to:
calculate a 3D position of the origin of the upperworks based on local coordinates; and
transform the 3D position of the origin of the upperworks from the local coordinates to global 3D coordinates using absolute position sensing data from the first, the second, and the third positioning sensors and using global 3D coordinates specific to the jobsite where the crane is located, the upperworks 3D coordinate system being useable to track the at least one moveable component for maneuvering assistance with reference to the other tracked obj

Assignees

• Schoonmaker Stephen J
• Maynard Kurtis L
• Fidler Eric
• Trimble Navigation Ltd

Inventors

• Schoonmaker Stephen J
• Maynard Kurtis L
• Fidler Eric

Classifications

• B66C13/46 Primary

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

• B66C13/18

  Control systems or devices (exclusively for rope, cable, or chain winding mechanisms B66D1/40) · CPC title

• B66C15/04

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