Crane with anti-collision device and method for operating multiple such cranes

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating multiple cranes (1, 2), the movements of which are monitored for imminent collisions by anti-collision devices of the cranes, and to cranes comprising at least one movement device for moving a crane element, a control unit (13) for actuating the movement device, and an anti-collision device (17, 18) for monitoring the crane movements of the crane element for possible collisions with another crane. According to the invention, in the event of an imminent collision between a first crane (1) being operated and a second crane (2) which is not being operated, the first crane is stopped; a remote control connection (21) is established from the first crane to the second crane; the second crane is moved out of the collision region (130), which is interfering with an intended movement of the first crane, by means of control commands, which are provided at the first stopped crane and transmitted to the second crane by the remote control connection; the second crane is stopped after being moved out of the collision region by remote control; and the first crane is started up again so that the first crane can carry out its task.

Claims

1. A method of operating cranes whose movements are monitored for imminent collisions by anti-collision devices of the cranes, wherein on an imminent collision between a first crane in operation and a second crane out of operation, the first crane is stopped; a remote control connection is set up from the first crane to the second crane; the second crane is moved out of a collision zone that disrupts an intended movement of the first crane by control commands that are generated at the first, stopped crane and that are transmitted to the second crane by the remote control connection; and the second crane is stopped and the first crane is set into motion again and is moved after the second crane is moved out of the collision zone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a control unit of the second crane is woken up and set into a remote control mode by a wake-up command that is transmitted over a communication connection between the anti-collision devices from the first crane to the second crane to set up the remote control connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein on the stopping of the first crane, a control command connection between a control unit of the first crane and at least one movement device of the first crane is deactivated and/or a control command connection of input means of the control unit of the first crane to a remote control module of the first crane is activated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein on the stopping of the first crane, at least one movement device of the first crane is braked.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control commands are generated in a manual remote control mode by actuating input means of a control unit of the first crane that are provided to control movements of the first crane.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control commands are generated automatically or semiautomatically in an automatic remote control mode by a movement control module of the anti-collision device of the first crane.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the control commands are generated by the movement control module in dependence on position data and/or movement data that characterize the position and/or movement of the first crane and/or in dependence on position data that characterize the position and/or location of the second crane were/are transmitted from the anti-collision device of the second crane to the anti-collision device of the first crane.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the control commands are transmitted from the first crane to the second crane over a communication connection between the anti-collision devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first crane is stopped before the setting up of the remote control connection and the remote control connection is ended before the putting back into motion of the first crane.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein on the stopping of the first crane, a slewing gear of the first crane is braked.

11. A method of operating a plurality of cranes whose movements are monitored for imminent collisions by anti-collision devices of the plurality of cranes, wherein the plurality of cranes are moved in a mutually coordinated manner, with movement data and/or position data and/or status data and/or control commands determined at at least a first crane during movement of its anti-collision device to be mutually coordinated and transmitted to a second crane, with the movement data and/or position data and/or status data and/or control commands determined at the first crane being displayed on a display device at the second crane and/or being used by a control unit of the second crane to control at least one movement device of the first and/or second crane for carrying out the mutually coordinated movement.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the control unit of the second crane has a slave operating mode in which the control unit of the second crane controls at least one movement device of the second crane using the transmitted movement data and/or position data and/or status data of the first crane and/or using control commands transmitted by the first crane such that the second crane follows crane movements of the first crane at least approximately synchronously and/or converts them in a predetermined manner into crane movements of the second crane.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the crane movements of the first and second cranes are mutually coordinated with reference to the alternatingly transmitted movement data and/or position data and/or status data and/or control commands that are provided and/or transmitted by the anti-collision devices such that the first and second cranes carry out a tandem hoist.

14. A first crane comprising at least one movement device for moving a crane element, a control unit for controlling the at least one movement device, and an anti-collision device for monitoring crane movements of the crane element for possible collisions with a second crane, wherein the anti-collision device has a remote control operating mode in which, on an imminent collision between the first crane in operation and the second crane out of operation, the first crane is stopped; a remote control connection is set up from the first crane to the second crane; the second crane is moved out of a collision zone that disrupts an intended movement of the first crane by control commands that are generated at the first, stopped crane and that are transmitted to the second crane by the remote control connection; and the second crane is stopped and the first crane is set into motion again and is moved after the second crane is moved out of the collision zone.

15. The first crane of claim 14, wherein the anti-collision device has a movement coordination operating mode in which the movement of the crane element is coordinated with the movement of a further, second crane element, with movement data and/or position data and/or status data and/or control commands being determined during the mutually coordinated movement of the anti-collision device of the crane element and being transmitted to the further, second crane element to be displayed on a display apparatus there and/or being used by a control unit of the second crane to control at least one movement device of the first and/or second crane to carry out the mutually coordinated movement.

16. The first crane of claim 15, wherein the control unit of the first crane has a slave operating mode in which the control unit of the first crane controls the first crane using movement data and/or position data and/or status data transmitted by the second crane, and/or using control commands transmitted by the second crane and/or controls the at least one movement device using control commands transmitted by the second crane such that the first crane synchronously maps crane movements of the second crane.

17. The first crane of claim 16, wherein the crane movements of the second crane are synchronously followable by the first crane.

18. The first crane of claim 14, wherein the at least one movement device comprises a boom adjustment mechanism for adjusting a crane boom.

19. The first crane of claim 14, wherein the at least one movement device comprises a boom adjustment mechanism for adjusting a slewing gear for rotating a crane boom about an upright axis.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to a preferred embodiment and to associated drawings. There are shown in the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1: a schematic representation of two cranes that have partly overlapping working zones and are each equipped with anti-collision devices that can communicate with one another,

(3) FIG. 2: a plan view of the two cranes of FIG. 1 that illustrates their overlapping zones; and

(4) FIG. 3: a schematic side view of the two cranes of FIG. 1 on performance of a tandem hoist.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) As the Figures show, the cranes 1 and 2 can each be configured as revolving tower cranes whose booms 3 are respectively seated on a tower 4 and can be rotated about an upright axis by means of a slewing gear 5, with the cranes being able to be configured as top-slewers or as bottom-slewers. A trolley 6 can be traveled along said boom 3 by a trolley undercarriage 7 to be able to change the outreach of the hoist rope 8 running off from the trolley 6 and of the lifting hook 9 fastened thereto. Said hoist rope 8 can be brought in or let out by a hoisting gear 10 to raise or lower the lifting hook 9.

(6) As FIG. 2 shows, the cranes 1 and 2 can have substantially circular working zones 11 and 12 that partially overlap, with the overlap of the working zones 11 and 12 being marked by reference numeral 130. Said working zones 11 and 12 are produced by the rotatability of the booms 3 and by the travel capability of the trolley 6.

(7) As FIG. 1 shows, the booms 3 of the cranes 1 and 2 can be arranged at different heights so that the booms 3 can be moved past over one another or below one another per se. However, depending on the position of the trolley 6, collisions with the hoist rope 8 running down can nevertheless occur. It is, however, understood that the booms 3 of the cranes 1 and 2 can also be arranged at the same height so that the booms 3 themselves could collide with one another.

(8) Each of the cranes 1 and 2 has a crane control having an electronic control unit 13 that can have a microprocessor, for example, to be able to work through control programs stored in a memory. Each crane further comprises a sensor system 14 to be able to determine movements and/or the position of the movable crane elements, in particular the rotational position of the boom 3, the position of the trolley 6 at the respective boom 3, and the height of the lifting hook 9. This can be determined, for example, by sensors that are associated with the slewing gear 5, the trolley undercarriage 7, and the hoisting gear 10. Alternatively or additionally, GPS sensors can also be used that can determine the positions of the crane elements in a global position system. Other determination means such as radar sensors can likewise be provided.

(9) Input means 15 for inputting control commands that control the crane movements can be connected to said control unit 13. Said input means 15 can be provided in a crane operator's cab, for example.

(10) Each of the cranes 1 and 2 further comprises an anti-collision device 17 and 18 that monitors the crane movements of the respective crane, for example by evaluating the signals of said sensor system 14. As FIG. 1 illustrates, the anti-collision devices 17 and 18 of the cranes 1 and 2 can communicate with one another over a communication network 19 of the anti-collision system 20 to which the anti-collision devices 17 and 18 belong so that the cranes 1 and 2 at risk of colliding or the anti-collision devices 17 and 18 each know the position which the other crane is in or which movement the other crane is respectively just carrying out. For this purpose, the anti-collision devices 17 and 18 transmit position data and/or movement data and/or status data of “their” crane to the respective other crane over said communication link 19 of the anti-collision system 20.

(11) The anti-collision devices 17 and 18 can respectively evaluate said data and can for this purpose, for example, carry out a collision determination program that can be stored in a memory and that can be executed by a microprocessor of the electronic anti-collision device. If a collision is imminent, the respective anti-collision device 17 or 18 can intervene in the control of its own crane can, for example, display a warning signal to the crane operator and/or can stop the movement of the crane.

(12) If there is a risk of a collision with a crane that is unoccupied and taken out of operation on a movement to be carried out, a procedure as follows can be performed:

(13) If, for example, the first crane 1 wants to travel into the overlap zone 130 of the two working zones 11 and 12, as FIG. 2 shows, when the boom 3 of the second crane 2 that is unoccupied and taken out of operation there, the anti-collision device 17 of the first crane 1 first outputs a warning signal and intervenes as necessary in the crane control of the first crane 1 to stop the crane movement and to prevent a collision.

(14) To now be able to drive the unoccupied second crane 2 out of the overlap zone 130, the anti-collision device 17 of the first crane 1 stops the first crane 1, with the drives being able to be stopped and the movement devices being able to be braked, in particular the slewing gear 5 of the trolley travel drive 7 and the hoisting gear 10. The control unit 13 can continue to be switched into a remote control mode and/or the control command connection of the control unit 13 of the first crane 1 to its drive devices can be deactivated so that an actuation of the input means 15 cannot effect any travel movements at the first crane.

(15) To be able to set up a remote control connection to the second crane 2, a wake-up signal can furthermore be sent over the communication network 19 of the anti-collision system 20 from the first crane 1 to the second crane 2 to wake up its control unit 13 and to switch into a remote control mode. Said wake-up signal can be generated by the anti-collision device 17 of the first crane or its control unit 13 and can be sent to the second crane 2 over the network 19.

(16) If the first crane 1 has been stopped in said manner and if the second crane 2 has been woken up, a remote connection or a remote control connection 21 can be set up between the cranes over the communication network 19 of the anti-collision system 20 to transmit control commands generated at the first crane 1 to the second crane 2. Said control commands can be generated by actuating the input means 15 of the control unit 13 of the first crane so that the crane operator of the first crane 1 can control the second crane in a customary manner per se and can move it out of the collision zone, that is out of the overlap zone 130.

(17) If the second crane 2 has been moved out of the overlap zone 130, the crane 2 is braked via the remote control connection 21 and is stopped again.

(18) The first crane 1 or its anti-collision device 17 and/or its control unit 13 then logs off from the second crane 2 again and logs back into its own control. The previously named remote control connection 21 is in particular deactivated again and the control unit 13 of the first crane 1 is set back into the normal operating mode from the previously named remote control mode to in turn control its own drive devices.

(19) Finally, the first crane 1 can carry out the intended crane movement into or beyond the overlap zone 130.

(20) FIG. 3 illustrates a further deployment option that said remote control mode or the communication over the anti-collision system 20 makes possible. The two cranes 1 and 2 can in particular carry out mutually coordinated crane movements in a simple manner, for example in the form of a tandem hoist in which a common workpiece 22 is fastened to the lifting hooks 9 of both cranes 1 and 2 and is raised together by both cranes 1 and 2. In such a tandem hoist, the workpiece 22 can be raised and/or lowered and/or traveled from a first point to a second point, with the travel path being able to be linear or also curved and with the workpiece 22 being able to maintain its orientation in space or angular position or also being able to be rotated.

(21) Provision can first be made for this purpose in a simple embodiment of the invention that the mutually communicating anti-collision devices 17 and 18 each transmit the position data and/or movement data and/or status data respectively determined at their crane to the other crane, with them being able to displayed at the respective receiving crane, for example on a display that the crane operator can see. Due to the alternating mutual display of said data at the respective other crane, the respective crane operator is always aware of the position or location the respective other crane is in or the direction in which the respective other crane is moving.

(22) Alternatively or additionally, control commands can in this process also be transmitted from one crane to the other crane and may be displayed there, with the control commands that are generated at the first crane 1 by actuating its input means and that move the first crane accordingly being able, for example, to be transmitted to the second crane 2. If the control commands are displayed there, that is at the second crane 2, the crane operator there can correspondingly replicate the corresponding control commands.

(23) Alternatively or additionally, such control commands transmitted from crane to crane can, however, also be used in a remote control mode to move the crane receiving the control commands synchronously with the crane sending the control commands. In the previously named remote control mode, the receiving control unit can implement the commands accordingly to move the receiving crane synchronously with the sending crane.

(24) Furthermore, in the already previously described manner, a crane can also be taught in a corresponding manner to learn a desired trajectory in a teach-in mode that can then be activated or invoked for a mutually coordinated movement of the two cranes.