METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING THE SET-UP STATE OF A CONSTRUCTION AND/OR MATERIAL-HANDLING MACHINE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a device for detecting the set-up state of a construction and/or material-handling machine, in particular a crane, and/or the location of individual set-up elements of the construction and/or material-handling machine, with electronic identification elements which are attached to the set-up elements of the construction and/or material-handling machine, and an electronic evaluation unit for determining the set-up state and/or location of the set-up elements based on information received from the identification elements. The invention further also relates to such a construction and/or material-handling machine, in particular in the form of a crane. According to the invention the identification elements attached to the set-up elements are provided with energy-generating means for generating electrical energy from environmental influences, as well as an energy accumulator for storing the generated energy and supplying the identification elements.

Claims

1. A method for detecting the set-up state of a construction and/or material-handling machine comprising a crane, and/or the location of individual set-up elements of the construction and/or material-handling machine, the method comprising: transmitting information from electronic identification elements attached to the set-up elements to an electronic evaluation unit; determining the set-up state and/or the location of the set-up elements by the electronic evaluation unit on the basis of the information received from the identification elements; supplying the identification elements with electrical energy by energy-generators on a respective identification element; and converting environmental influences acting on the respective identification element into electrical energy by the energy-generators.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising supplying at least one identification element with electrical energy by a plurality of differently operating energy-generating modules; and converting different environmental influences into electrical energy by the plurality of energy-generating modules.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the electrical energy generated by the different energy-generating modules in a common energy accumulator; and providing the electrical energy from the energy accumulator to consumers of the identification element.

4. A device for detecting the set-up state of a construction and/or material-handling machine comprising a crane, and/or the location of individual set-up elements of the construction and/or material-handling machine, the device comprising: electronic identification elements attached to the set-up elements of the construction and/or material-handling machine; and an electronic evaluation unit for determining the set-up state and/or location of the set-up elements on the basis of information received from the identification elements; wherein the identification elements each comprise energy-generators for generating electrical energy from environmental influences acting on the respective identification element, and an energy accumulator for storing the generated energy and supplying the stored energy to consumers of the identification elements.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the energy-generators comprise a plurality of differently operating energy-generating modules.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the energy-generating modules are connected to a common energy accumulator from which consumers of the identification element are supplied.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the energy-generators comprise a thermoelectric energy-generating module for converting a temperature difference into electrical energy, wherein the thermoelectric energy-generating module comprises a Peltier element.

8. The device of claim 4, wherein the energy-generator comprises an electromechanical energy-generating module for converting mechanical deformations and/or movements into electrical energy, wherein the electromechanical energy-generating module comprises a piezo element.

9. The device of claim 4, wherein the energy-generators comprise a photoelectric energy-generating module for converting ambient light into electrical energy, wherein the photoelectric energy-generating module comprise a photosensitive cell.

10. The device of claim 4, wherein the energy-generators comprise an inductive energy generator.

11. The device of claim 4, wherein the energy-generators are integrated into the identification element within an element housing or on the element housing.

12. The device of claim 5, wherein at least one energy-generating module forms part of a mounting surface of the identification element by which the identification element is attached to the respective set-up element.

13. The device of claim 4, further comprising an energy control and/or management device connected to the energy-generators and the energy accumulator, and is configured to control the storing and/or reclaiming energy to/from the energy accumulator in dependence on at least one operating function and/or operating parameter of the identification element.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the energy control and/or management device is configured to control and/or distribute the storage of energy from the energy-generators into the energy accumulator depending on an expected duration and/or amount of energy generation.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the energy control and/or management device is configured to control the supply of energy from the energy accumulator to at least one consumer of at least one identification element as a function of an operating function of the identification element and/or as a function of an information signal received from the identification element.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the energy control and/or management device is configured to supply the consumer with energy only when a functional logic of the identification element requires an information transmission or an information request signal has been received from the identification element, and wherein the consumer comprises a transmitting device of the identification element.

17. The device of claim 4, wherein the identification elements each comprise a communication device comprising an antenna device.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the communication device is connected to a radio power control device which is configured to increase or decrease the radio power of the communication device in dependence on the information to be transmitted and/or in dependence on the remote station to which information is to be transmitted.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the antenna device comprises a plurality of antennas for communicating with different remote stations, and wherein the antennas are differently configured.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the antenna device comprises a multi-frequency antenna for transmitting and/or receiving in different frequency bands.

21. The device of claim 17, wherein the antenna device comprises at least one directional antenna comprising a radiocommunication antenna or a phased array antenna.

22. The device of claim 17, wherein the antenna device comprises a near field antenna.

23. The device of claim 17, wherein the antenna device comprises a satellite antenna for receiving signals from a navigation satellite.

24. The device of claim 4, further comprising a position determining device for determining the positions of the identification elements.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the position determining device comprises a satellite navigation element for evaluating satellite signals received at the identification elements.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the position determining device comprises a mobile radio positioning device for evaluating mobile radio signals received at the identification elements and determining the position of the identification elements from the received mobile radio signals.

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the position determining device comprises a propagation time determining device for determining the positions of the identification elements from the propagation times of signals between the identification elements.

28. The device of claim 4, wherein the identification elements form a serial transmission structure and are configured to transmit information received from an adjacent identification element to a further, adjacent identification element and, in doing so, dynamically adapt an information block to be transmitted to the received information.

29. A system comprising the device of claim 4 and a permanently installed transmitting and/or receiving device at a storage location for receiving information from identification elements located at the storage location.

30. A system comprising the device of claim 4 and a mobile, manually movable transmitting and/or receiving device at a storage location for receiving information from identification elements located at the storage location.

31. A construction and/or material-handling machine comprising the device of claim 4.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of a preferred exemplary embodiment and the corresponding drawings. The drawings show:

[0043] FIG. 1 shows a representation of two construction and material-handling machines in the form of revolving tower cranes, the set-up elements of which, comprising tower sections and boom sections and ballast elements, are each provided with an identification element, showing the communication paths between the identification elements and the communication paths to a tracking system, a mobile radio system and a cloud,

[0044] FIG. 2 shows a representation of one of the identification elements of FIG. 1 in a detailed view showing energy-generating modules, an energy accumulator, and an energy management device of the identification element,

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a representation of the identification elements attached to the boom sections of one of the revolving tower cranes of FIG. 1 and their communication with each other, illustrating the daisy chain system formed by the identification elements,

[0046] FIG. 4 shows a representation of one of the set-up elements of the construction and material-handling machine of FIG. 1 during loading or unloading at a storage location, showing the transmission of information between the identification element attached to the set-up element and a registration station at the storage location, and

[0047] FIG. 5 shows a representation of the set-up elements stored at the storage location with the identification elements attached to them, wherein there is shown the reading of the information of the identification elements by means of a hand-held transmitter or receiver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] As FIG. 1 shows, the construction and/or material-handling machine 11 can be in the form of a crane, for example in the form of a revolving tower crane, and can comprise a plurality of set-up elements 12 from which the construction and/or material-handling machine 11 can be constructed. Typically, the set-up elements 12 can be provided variably and/or installed at various locations so that the machine can be operated in various configurations depending on the presence, number and mounting position of the set-up elements 12.

[0049] Such set-up elements 12 can be, in particular, mechanical structural components such as structural steel members, guyings, ballast weights, and similar. In a crane, for example, the set-up elements 12 may comprise boom sections and/or tower sections from which the boom 13 or tower 14 of the crane may be assembled. Depending on the crane type, these can be, for example, a truss carrier, telescopic apron or tower segments or boom segments.

[0050] Other set-up elements 12 can comprise ballast weights, upper and/or lower undercarriage elements, guying elements, or other assemblies of the respective construction and/or material-handling machine 11.

[0051] As FIG. 1 shows, electronic identification elements 1 can be attached to said set-up elements 12, in particular rigidly attached, which can be done, for example, by gluing or in another way. Advantageously, at least one identification element 1 is permanently assigned to each set-up element 12.

[0052] Said identification elements 1 can be in the form of ID labels or smart labels that are affixed to the respective set-up element 12.

[0053] As FIG. 2 shows, the identification elements 1 can comprise electronic data processing and/or communication equipment to process and/or store and/or transmit and/or receive information. Advantageously, the identification element 1 can comprise data processing logic, for example in the form of hard wiring or in the form of a program stored in a program memory, which can be processed by a microprocessor.

[0054] In order to be self-sufficient in energy over a long period of time, even under unfavorable conditions, the identification element 1 comprises energy-generating means 10 that can generate energy from the environment surrounding the identification element 1. Said energy-generating means 10 can thereby advantageously comprise a plurality of energy-generating modules operating in different ways to be able to convert various environmental influences into electrical energy.

[0055] As FIG. 2 shows, the energy-generating means 10 can advantageously comprise at least one thermoelectric energy-generating means 8, or can, for example, be in the form of a Peltier element.

[0056] Advantageously, such a thermoelectric energy-generating module 8 can on the one hand be connected to a usually warm ambient element and on the other hand to a usually cold ambient element via a thermally highly conductive material, for example a thermally conductive paste 9. For example, one side of the Peltier element or the thermoelectric energy-generating module 8 can form part of the mounting surface of the identification element 1, which mounting surface is connected to the set-up element 12, for example is flattly connected to the surface of the set-up element 12, or is glued on. If the set-up element 12 is a metal component, it is subject to major temperature fluctuations, for example great heat when exposed to sunlight or great cold at night or cold outside temperatures.

[0057] Another surface of the thermoelectric energy-generating module 8, in particular an opposite surface of the Peltier element can be connected, for example, to the inside of the electronic element 1, in particular to its data processing and/or transmitting devices, via said conductive material 9.

[0058] The temperature gradient applied to the two surfaces of device 8 is converted into electrical energy by device 8.

[0059] Alternatively, or in addition to such a thermoelectric energy module 8, the energy-generating means 10 may advantageously also comprise at least one mechanical electrical energy-generating module 4, for example in the form of a piezo element. Such a mechanical-electrical energy-generating module 4 may be integrated into the identification element 1 and/or connected to surrounding components to undergo deformations of the identification element 1 and/or a respective surrounding component, or to be deformed by such deformations. As FIG. 2 shows, for example, a mechanical- electrical energy-generating module 4 may be attached to the connection surface of the identification element 1, which is flatly connected to the respective set-up element 12. Alternatively or additionally, another mechanical-electrical energy-generating module 4 may be integrated into the housing and/or into the interior of the identification element 1 to undergo a corresponding deformation when the element 1 is deformed and/or strained. Said mechanical deformation is converted into electrical energy.

[0060] Alternatively or additionally, at least one photoelectric energy-generating module 5 may also be provided, which can be attached to an outer side or outer housing of the identification element 1 to capture ambient light falling on the identification element 1, in particular to capture solar radiation or light. The captured light is converted into electrical energy by device 5.

[0061] Alternatively or additionally, the identification element 1 may also comprise an inductive energy-generating module 3, for example in the form of a coil, to convert communication signals or waves acting on the identification element 1 from the environment, such as near field communication signals or radio signals, into energy.

[0062] The various energy-generating modules of the energy-generating means 10 are advantageously connected, via an energy control and/or management device 6, to at least one energy accumulator 7 in which the electrical energy generated by said modules can be stored. In this respect, said energy control and/or management device 6 can, for example, limit the storing of energy, for example if a plurality of energy-generating modules provide more energy than can be stored in the energy accumulator 7. Alternatively or additionally, said energy control and/or management device can distribute the electrical energy provided by the energy-generating means 10 to various energy accumulators 7, which may be controlled in the manner explained at the beginning, for example, depending on the amount and/or the expected duration of energy generation.

[0063] Said energy control and/or management device 6 can also be connected in a reverse manner to consumers of the identification element 1, in order to control their energy supply and/or the reclaiming of energy from the energy accumulator 7.

[0064] Such a consumer may be, for example, a communication device 15 that may include a data transmitting device and/or a data receiving device to transmit and/or receive information.

[0065] In order to be able to communicate with different remote stations, said communication device 15 can advantageously have various antenna devices 16. For example, the antenna device 16 may include a multi-frequency antenna and/or a directional antenna, for example in the form of a phased array antenna or a radiocommunication antenna, and/or a near field communication antenna and/or a cellular communication antenna and/or a GPS and/or tracking antenna for communicating with a navigation satellite or other positioning device.

[0066] As FIG. 1 shows, the identification elements 1 can advantageously communicate with one other or with each other, which can be done, for example, via the near field communication antenna of the communication device 15. Alternatively or additionally, said identification elements 1 or at least one of said identification elements 1 can communicate with a mobile radio device 17 and/or with a navigation satellite 17 or with another positioning device, for example in the form of a radio tower.

[0067] Alternatively or additionally, the communication device 15 of at least one identification element 1 can be configured to communicate with a cloud 18 in which the information or data of all identification elements 1 can be stored.

[0068] In further development of the invention, it is also possible that not the identification elements 1 themselves, but an interposed communication device, for example a communication module of a machine control, for example the crane control device, communicates with said navigation satellite 17 and/or the mobile radio device 16 and/or the cloud 18 in order to forward or transmit data received from the identification elements 1 thereto or, conversely, to receive information from said devices and forward it to the identification elements 1 or transmit it in a processed form.

[0069] In order to save energy for communication, the communication device 15 of at least one identification element 1 may include a radio power control device 19 that increases or decreases or turns off the radio power depending on how much radio power is needed. This can be controlled, for example, as a function of the distance to an adjacent identification element 1 or to another remote station, and/or as a function of a transmit function to be performed and/or as a function of a received information signal.

[0070] Advantageously, said radio power control device 19 is designed to transmit radio signals only in the environment necessary for the task at hand. In particular, crossings between element groups can be avoided. In addition, it is advantageous to transmit with the lowest possible power and thus to save energy.

[0071] Alternatively or additionally, the communication device 15 may be configured to adapt the transmission frequencies to the environment in order to establish radio links to different remote stations and to keep the communication stable.

[0072] In further embodiments of the invention there is provided a position determining device 20 which may be integrated into one or each of the identification elements 1 and/or provided on an external data processing module of the construction and/or material-handling machine 1 such as a crane control device.

[0073] By means of such a position determining device 20, there can be determined the exact position of a respective identification element 1 and thus of the set-up element 12 identified thereby. Said position determining device 20 may be configured to operate in various ways. For example, the position determining device 20 may perform GPS positioning, for example by evaluating a navigation satellite signal received in the respective identification element 1. Alternatively or additionally, the position determining device 20 can determine the position of the identification element 1 receiving the signal from the mobile radio signal received by the mobile radio device 16, for example with the aid of triangulation techniques and/or with the aid of directional techniques.

[0074] Alternatively or additionally, the position determining device 20 may also determine the position of the identification elements 1 by measuring the propagation time of the radio signals between the elements 1.

[0075] In order to save energy, the identification elements 1 are advantageously configured to send only the most necessary data of a predetermined time period, such as a tag, in order to obtain the shortest possible transmission cycles and to save energy. Advantageously, a dynamic telegram adaptation is carried out and/or information is strung together, for example, in the manner of a daisy chain structure.

[0076] Such a stringing together of information advantageously also makes it possible to determine the sequence of the individual assemblies and elements, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0077] Advantageously, an interrogation initiated by a first identification element can be forwarded by a second identification element to a third identification element up to an nth identification element, in each case the reception time and/or runtime of the interrogation signals and/or the reception confirmation signals being determined and sent back, cf. FIG. 3. On the basis of the signal propagation times and/or reception times and/or on the basis of the dynamically assembled data packets, which may comprise, for example, the sum of the identification codes of the individual elements in a predetermined sequence, there can be determined the sequence and/or the spacing of the elements 1.

[0078] All information of the elements 1 can advantageously be combined in a higher-level system, for example a machine control, which can be a crane control, or a data cloud, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0079] Furthermore, the identification elements can also be used to determine a storage location of the respective set-up element 12 if the set-up element 12 is not installed on a machine but is stored in a storage location. As FIG. 4 shows, there can be determined the position of a respective identification element 1 and thus of a corresponding set-up element 12, for example, in said manner via mobile radio positioning and/or GPS satellite navigation positioning. Alternatively or additionally, however, the position determining device 20 can also evaluate a central radio station 21 of the storage location, possibly in a refined manner via directional radio.

[0080] Alternatively or additionally, communication can also take place with a hand-held transmitter 22, with the aid of which the set-up elements 12 or the identification elements 1 attached to them can be scanned or located at their storage location, cf. FIG. 5.