Patent classifications
B66C13/066
Hydraulic system and method for reducing boom bounce with counter-balance protection
A hydraulic system (600) and method for reducing boom dynamics of a boom (30), while providing counter-balance valve protection, includes a hydraulic cylinder (110), first and second counter-balance valves (300, 400), first and second control valves (700, 800), and a selection valve set (850). The selection valve set is adapted to self-configure to a first configuration and to a second configuration when a net load (90) is supported by a first chamber (116, 118) and a second chamber (118, 116) of the hydraulic cylinder, respectively. When the selection valve set is enabled in the first and second configurations, the second and first control valve may fluctuate hydraulic fluid flow to the second and first chamber, respectively, to produce a vibratory response (950) that counters environmental vibrations (960) of the boom. When the selection valve set is not enabled, the first and second counter-balance valves are adapted to provide the hydraulic cylinder with conventional counter-balance valve protection.
Position control of a boom tip
A large manipulator includes a boom arm with a turntable and a plurality of boom segments, which are configured to be pivoted at respective articulation joints with respect to an adjacent boom segment or the turntable. The boom arm further includes at least one inertial sensor configured to measure inclination and/or acceleration of at least one of the plurality of boom segments.
METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF A CONCRETE-DISTRIBUTING BOOM
This disclosure relates to a method and a device for controlling the movement of a concrete-distributing boom, the boom base of which is mounted on a slewing gear so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis of rotation, the slewing gear being actuated by means of a rotary drive and, if necessary, a brake in order to bring the boom into a desired angular position, it being possible for an undesired natural oscillation of the boom to occur in the horizontal direction upon accelerating and/or decelerating the boom. According to this disclosure, it is proposed that the rotary drive be temporarily switched to a freewheel mode in the range of at least one peak of oscillation of the natural oscillation, so that the slewing gear is freely movable and the natural oscillation is reduced.
Pilot control mechanism for boom bounce reduction
A hydraulic system (600) and method for reducing boom dynamics of a boom (30), while providing counter-balance valve protection, includes a hydraulic actuator (110), first and second counter-balance valves (300, 400), first and second control valves (700, 800), and first and second blocking valves (350, 450). A net load (90) is supported by a first chamber (116, 118) of the hydraulic actuator, and a second chamber (118, 116) of the hydraulic actuator may receive fluctuating hydraulic fluid flow from the second control valve to produce a vibratory response (950) that counters environmental vibrations (960) on the boom. The first blocking valve prevents the fluctuating hydraulic fluid flow from opening the first counter-balance valve. The first blocking valve may drain leakage from the first counter-balance valve.
Methods and apparatus to enable boom bounce reduction and prevent un-commanded motion in hydraulic systems
A hydraulic system (600) and method for reducing boom dynamics of a boom (30), while providing counter-balance valve protection, includes a hydraulic actuator (110), first and second counter-balance valves (300, 400), first and second independent control valves (700, 800), and first and second blocking valves (350, 450). The actuator includes first and second corresponding chambers. In a first mode, the second counter-balance valve is opened by the first control valve, and the first counter-balance valve is opened by the second control valve. In a second mode, at least one of the counter-balance valves is closed. A meter-out control valve (800, 700) may be operated in a flow control mode, and/or a meter-in control valve (700, 800) may be operated in a pressure control mode. Boom dynamics reduction may occur while the boom is in motion (e.g., about a worksite). By opening the counter-balance valves, sensors at the control valves may be used to characterize external loads. The control valves may respond to the external loads and at least partially cancel unwanted boom dynamics. The system may further detecting faults in actuators with counter-balance valves and prevent any single point fault from causing a boom falling event and/or mitigate such faults.
Control strategy for reducing boom oscillation
A hydraulic system (600) and method for reducing boom dynamics of a boom (30), while providing counter-balance valve protection, includes a hydraulic cylinder (110), first and second counter-balance valves (300, 400), first and second control valves (700, 800), and first and second blocking valves (350, 450). A net load (90) is supported by a first chamber (116, 118) of the hydraulic cylinder, and a second chamber (118, 116) of the hydraulic cylinder may receive fluctuating hydraulic fluid flow from the second control valve to produce a vibratory response (950) that counters environmental vibrations (960) on the boom. The method may include measuring first pressure ripples at the second chamber and reducing a magnitude of second pressure ripples at the first chamber. The pressure ripples may be transformed into a flow command by multiplying the pressure ripples by a gain and/or phase shifting. The gain and/or the phase shifting may be adjusted by feedback. The feedback may include the second pressure ripples at the load holding chamber, a position of the hydraulic actuator, and/or an operator input. A reference signal may be filtered with a moving average filter.
Automated crane controller taking into account load- and position-dependent measurement errors
A control method for a handling system includes when a trolley is loaded at a target location by a target loading, matching by a crane controller the target location of the trolley on a crossmember with a target location of a load handling point on the substrate, such that a target load is lowered onto the target location of the load handling point, when the target load is lowered at the target location of the trolley, positioning the trolley at the target location by the crane controller, subsequently lowering the target load onto the load handling point by the crane controller and positioning the load handling point at the target location before the target load is lowered onto the load handling point, when the load handling point is movable on the substrate and the load handling point is controlled by the crane controller.
CONTROL METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING A PAIR OF INDEPENDENT HYDRAULIC METERING VALVES TO REDUCE BOOM OSCILLATIONS
A hydraulic system (600) and method for reducing boom dynamics of a boom (30), while providing counter-balance valve protection, includes a hydraulic cylinder (110), first and second counter-balance valves (300, 400), and first and second control valves (700, 800). A net load (90) is supported by a first chamber (116, 118) of the hydraulic cylinder, and a second chamber (118, 116) of the hydraulic cylinder may receive fluctuating hydraulic fluid flow from the second control valve to produce a vibratory response (950) that counters environmental vibrations (960) on the boom. The first control valve may apply a holding pressure and thereby hold the first counter-balance valve closed and the second counter-balance valve open.
Method for reducing dynamic loads of cranes
A method and related device for reducing resonant vibrations and dynamic loads of cranes, where vertical motion of a pay load is controlled by a boom winch and a hoist winch. In an embodiment, the method includes determining resonance frequencies of the crane boom and pay load from inertia data of the boom and stiffness on at least the boom and hoist ropes, the resonance frequencies including a first frequency and a lower second frequency. In addition, the method includes automatically modifying the motion of the boom winch or the hoist winch to induce a damping inducing winch motion in the boom or hoist winch, by tuning a proportional integral (PI)-type boom winch speed controller or a PI-type hoist winch speed controller. The boom winch speed controller is tuned to absorb energy at the second frequency, the hoist winch speed controller is tuned to absorb energy at the first frequency.
Control system and method for controlling the orientation of a segment of a manipulator
A regulation system for controlling the orientation of a segment (5.3) of a manipulator, in particular of a large manipulator for truck-mounted concrete pumps, wherein the segment (5.3) is connected to a base (5.4) or a preceding segment (5.3) of the manipulator via a joint (5.5) and can be pivoted at the joint (5.5) relative to the base (5.4) or the preceding segment (5.3) about at least one axis of rotation by means of at least one actuating member (5.6), preferably a hydraulic actuating element, characterized in that the regulation system at least comprises: a first sensor (4.1), which is arranged on a segment (5.3) attached to the joint (5.5) and delivers a first measurement signalreferred to as a deformation signalcorresponding to a deformation of the segment (5.3), a second sensor (4.2, 4.3), which delivers a second measurement signalreferred to as an orientation signalcorresponding to the spatial orientation of the segment (5.3) attached to the joint (5.5), and at least one actuating element (5.6) associated with the joint (5.5);
and is designed to process the deformation signal and the orientation signal as input variables and to determine from these, under consideration of a target orientation of the segment (5.3) associated with the joint (5.5), an actuating signal, which is fed to the associated actuating element (5.6).