CONSTRUCTION MACHINE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a construction machine, in particular in the form of a crane, cable excavator or similar, comprising an electronic control device for controlling and/or detecting operating parameters, in addition to at least one drive device for moving a functional element, especially a load take-up means. According to the invention, the functional element of the construction machine is guided in the desired direction by the exertion of manipulation forces on the functional element, or on a component fastened thereto, or the functional element is moved manually in a designated direction, this motion then being assisted by the drives of the construction machine. If the functional element is manually pressed or pulled in a designated direction and/or rotated, or if this is at least attempted, these motion attempts are detected and converted into a corresponding positioning motion of the construction machine.

Claims

1. A construction machine, in particular a crane, comprising an electronic control device (3) for controlling and/or detecting operating parameters in addition at least one drive device for moving a functional element, especially a load take-up means (208), characterized in that a detection device (60) is provided for detecting manually carried out manipulation forces and/or manual motions that are exerted on the functional element and/or that are carried out at the functional element, with the control device (3) being configured to control the at least one drive device in dependence on the detected manipulation force and/or manipulation motion.

2. A construction machine in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein the functional element is suspended in an oscillating manner, is in particular a load take-up means (208) of a crane fastened to a hoist rope (207), or is an excavator tool of a cable excavator, wherein the detection device (60) has determination means (62) for determining a deflection of the functional element suspended in an oscillating manner with respect to a vertical line (61) through the suspension point; and wherein the control device (3) is configured to control the at least one drive device in dependence on the detected deflection, in particular such that the detected deflection is compensated.

3. A construction machine in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein the detections means (62) comprises an imaging sensor, in particular a camera (63) whose axis of view passes perpendicularly downwardly through the suspension point and an image evaluation device for determining the oblique pull and/or the deflection of the functional element with respect to the vertical line (61) through the suspension point.

4. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection means (60) has a travel control module (65) that is positionable at the functional element of the construction machine and/or at a component to be traveled that is taken up therein and that has at least one operating element (69) for inputting control commands in dependence on which the functional element is travelable by the control device.

5. A construction machine in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein the actuation axis of the at least one operating element (69) coincides with a travel axis of the functional element of the construction machine.

6. A construction machine in accordance with one of the two preceding claims, wherein the operating element of the travel control module (65) has at least one force and/or torque and/or distance sensor for detecting a force and/or a torque and/or a positioning path of a handle (66) of the travel control module (65).

7. A construction machine in accordance with one of the three preceding claims, wherein the travel control module (65) has a tiltable and/or rotatable joystick as the operating element (69).

8. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection device (60) has a gesture detecting apparatus for detecting gestures and for generating control commands in dependence on the detected gestures, with said gesture detection apparatus preferably comprising an imaging sensor, in particular a camera, and an image evaluation device arranged downstream.

9. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection apparatus (60) has a voice recognition device for recognizing spoken control commands, with the control device (3) being configured to convert detected voice commands into control commands for the at least one drive device.

10. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection device (60) has an optical detection means for detecting a laser light dot that can be emitted by a laser pointer and that marks a destination point for the traveling of the functional element, with the control device (3) being configured to control the at least one drive device in dependence on the detected laser light dot.

11. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (3) comprises at least one mobile electronic module (5) that includes at least one accelerometer, with the control device (3) being configured to control the at least one drive device in dependence on an acceleration of the mobile electronic module (5) detected by the accelerometer, with said mobile electronic module (5) preferably being formed as portable in a hand and/or at a limb.

12. A construction machine in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 or in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (3) has a mobile electronic module (5) for displaying and/or for inputting control data that is integrated in a wearable (6) that is to be worn on the body of the machine operator in accordance with its intended purpose and that is wearable in a self-supporting manner on a limb.

13. A construction machine in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein the mobile electronic module (5) is integrated, in particular woven and/or sewn, in an article of clothing, in particular in a glove (12), and/or is a fixed component of said article of clothing.

14. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the input means of the at least one electronic module (5) have a piezo element integrated in an article of clothing.

15. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the input means of the at least one electronic module (5) comprise an accelerometer and/or a spatial angle sensor and are configured to generate control commands in dependence on designated accelerations and/or spatial orientations, in particular by a designated acceleration in a designated spatial orientation in the sense of a gesture control.

16. A construction machine in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein the input means of the at least one electronic module (5) comprise a lifting/lowering module for generating a control command for lifting the functional element, in particular the crane hook, on a detection of an upwardly directed motion of the accelerometer and/or of the orientation sensor that reaches and/or exceeds a predefined acceleration and/or speed and for generating a control command for lowering the functional element on a detection of a downwardly directed motion that reaches and/or exceeds a predefined acceleration and/or speed.

17. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein electronic modules (5) associated with different operating parameters and/or different control functions are integrated in different functional parts (6) and/or different sections of a functional part (6) that can be worn in accordance with their intended purpose at different limbs of the machine operator such that a first operating parameter and/or a first control function can be monitored and/or controlled at a first limb and a second operating parameter and/or a second control function can be monitored and/or controlled at a second limb.

18. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one electronic module (5) is integrated in smart glasses (13).

19. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one electronic module (5) is integrated in a wristwatch (14).

20. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one electronic module (5) is integrated in a projection wristband.

21. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one electronic module (5) is integrated in a tablet that can be worn at the wrist by means of a wristband and/or a bangle.

22. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one electronic module (5) comprises a head up display.

23. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the head up display is associated with smart glasses (13) and/or with a contact lens.

24. A construction machine in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one electronic module (5) has display means for displaying control data and/or operating parameters, with the display means comprising an optical display device and/or an acoustic display device and/or a vibration display device, in particular a piezo element integrated in an article of clothing.

Description

[0054] The invention will be explained in more detail in the following with respect to a preferred embodiment and to an associated drawing. There are shown in the drawing:

[0055] FIG. 1: a schematic representation of a construction machine in the form of a revolving tower crane whose lifting hook forms a functional element of the construction machine;

[0056] FIG. 2: a schematic representation of a travel control module that can be docked to the lifting hook of the crane of FIG. 1 to be directed or to a component received therein;

[0057] FIG. 3: a schematic representation of a mobile electronic module in the form of a smart watch linked to the control device of the crane;

[0058] FIG. 4: a schematic representation of a mobile electronic module in the form of a tablet attached to the wrist linked to the control device of the crane;

[0059] FIG. 5: a schematic representation of a mobile electronic module in the form of a projection wristband that can project an image onto the lower arm and that is linked to the control device of the crane;

[0060] FIG. 6: a schematic representation of a mobile electronic module in the form of a head up display linked to the control device of the crane;

[0061] FIG. 7: a schematic representation of a mobile electronic module in the form of smart glasses linked to the control device of the crane;

[0062] FIG. 8: a schematic representation of a mobile electronic module in the form of a contact lens configured as a head up display linked to the control device of the crane;

[0063] FIG. 9: a schematic representation of the manual directing of a concrete skip taken up at the lifting hook of the crane of FIG. 1 by means of gloves in which sensors are integrated; and

[0064] FIG. 10: a schematic representation of different electronic modules in the form of wearables by means of which different options of the crane of FIG. 1 can be controlled and/or monitored.

[0065] As FIG. 1 shows, the construction machine 2 can be configured as a crane, for example as a revolving tower crane, a harbor crane, or as an offshore crane. The revolving tower crane shown in FIG. 1 can, for example, have a tower 201 in a manner known per se that carries a boom 202 that is balanced by a counter-boom 203 at which a counter-weight 204 is provided. Said boom 202 can be rotated by a slewing gear together with the counter-boom 203 about an upright axis of rotation 205 that can be coaxial to the tower axis. A trolley 206 can be traveled at the boom 202 by a trolley drive, with a hoist rope 207 to which a lifting hook 208 is fastened running off from the trolley 206.

[0066] As FIG. 1 likewise shows, the construction machinery 2 can here have an electronic control device 3 that can, for example, comprise a control processor arranged at the construction machine itself. Said control device 3 can here control different adjustment members, hydraulic circuits, electric motors, drive apparatus, and other pieces of working equipment at the respective construction machine. In the crane shown, they can, for example, be its lifting mechanism, its slewing gear, its trolley drive, its boom/luffing drivewhere presentor the like.

[0067] Said electronic control device 3 can here communicate with an end device 4 that can be arranged at the control station or in the operator's cab and can, for example, have the form of a tablet with a touchscreen and/or joysticks so that, on the one hand, different information can be displayed by the control processor 3 at the end device 4 and conversely control commands can be input via the end device 4 into the control device 3.

[0068] Said control device 3 of the crane 1 can in particular be configured to control said drive apparatus of the lifting gear, of the trolley, and of the slewing gear even when the lifting hook 208 and/or a component such as the concrete skip 50 shown, for example, in FIG. 9 taken up thereat is manually manipulated by a machine operator, i.e. is pressed or pulled and/or rotated in one direction or if this is attempted to enable a manual fine direction of the lifting hook position and thus of the concrete skip position, for example on concreting.

[0069] For this purpose, the crane 1 can have a detection device 60 that detects an oblique pull of the hoist rope 207 and/or deflections of the lifting hook 208 with respect to a vertical line 61 that passes through the suspension point of the lifting hook 208, i.e. the trolley 206.

[0070] The determination means 62 of the detection device 60 provided for this purpose can, for example, work optically to determine said deflection. A camera 63 or another imaging sensor system can in particular be attached to the trolley 206 that looks perpendicularly downwardly from the trolley 206 so that, with a non-deflected lifting hook 208, its image reproduction is at the center of the image provided by the camera 63. If, however, the lifting hook 208 is deflected with respect to the vertical line 61, for example by a manual pressing or pulling at the lifting hook 208 or at the concrete skip 50 shown in FIG. 9, the image reproduction of the lifting hook 208 migrates out of the center of the camera image, which can be determined by an image evaluation device 64.

[0071] Depending on the detected deflection with respect to the vertical line 61, in particular while taking account of the direction and magnitude of the deflection, the control device 3 can control the slewing gear drive and the trolley drive to bring the trolley 206 more or less exactly above the lifting hook 208 again, i.e. the control device 3 controls the drive apparatus of the crane 1 such that the oblique pull or the detected deflection is compensated as much as possible. An intuitive simple directing and fine setting of the position of the lifting hook and of a load taken up thereat can hereby be achieved.

[0072] Alternatively or additionally, said detection device 60 can also comprise a travel control module 65 that can be configured as mobile and that can be configured as dockable at the lifting hook 208 and/or at a load lashed thereto. As FIG. 2 shows, such a travel control module 65 can, for example, comprise a handle 66 that can preferably be releasably fastened via suitable holding means 67 to the load take-up means 208 and/or to a component connected thereto in an articulated manner such as the concrete skip 50 of FIG. 9. Said holding means 67 can, for example, comprise magnetic holders, suction cups, latching holders, bayonet socket holders, or similar.

[0073] Force and/or torque sensors 68 and optionally, with a possible movable support or design of the handle 66, also motion sensors can be associated with said handle 66 by means of which forces and/or torques and/or motions exerted on the handle 66 can be detected. The sensor system associated with the handle 66 is here advantageously configured such that the forces and/or torques and/or motions can be detected with respect to their effective direction and/or their magnitude by amount.

[0074] The control device 3 can control the drive devices of the crane 1 using the manipulation forces and/or manipulation torques and/or manipulation motions that are exerted on the handle 66 and that are detected by the detection device 60 such that the detected manual manipulations are converted into motorized crane positioning motions, as was explained in more detail in the introduction.

[0075] Alternatively or additionally to said handle 66, the travel control module 65 can also comprise other operating elements 69, for example a tiltable and/or rotatable joystick, a touchscreen on which swiping motions and/or the pressing of displayed motion symbols such as arrows and the like are detected and/or sliding switches and/or push buttons and/or rocker levers and similar. As initially explained, the actuation axes of the at least one operating element 69 are linked to the motion axes of the crane 1 to enable an intuitive operation of the crane, for example such that upwardly directed manual operating motions travel the crane hook upwardly, manipulation actions directed to the left travel the crane hook to the left, etc.

[0076] If the travel control module 65 is releasably docked to the crane hook 208 and/or to the component attached thereto, it can be ensured by the configuration of the docking means or of the aforesaid holding means 67 and/or by predefining a docking position, for example by corresponding markings, that the travel control module 65 is docked in the correct orientation.

[0077] To be able to control and/or monitor at least one operating parameter of the construction machine, said control device 3 can furthermore comprise mobile electronic modules 5 in the form of so-called wearables that are integrated in functional parts or wearable parts or clothing parts 6 that are worn on the body in accordance with their intended purpose and are held on their own on the body in accordance with their intended purpose without any active holding or balancing. Said functional parts can here be an article of clothing 7 such as a jacket 8 or a pair of pants 9 that are matched in shape to the body and that remain on the body in a self-supporting manner by their shape matching, cf. FIG. 10. In a manner known per se, aids such as belts, suspenders, zippers, and the like can be used.

[0078] Alternatively or additionally, the parts of clothing in which an electronic module 5 is integrated can also comprise a head covering 10 such as a headband, a cap, or a helmet and/or can also have shoes 11, optionally also in the form of boots, and/or gloves 12.

[0079] As FIG. 9 shows, such gloves 12 having electronic modules 5 integrated therein can, for example, be used in a similar manner as described above to direct or finely adjust the position of the lifting hook 208 of the crane 1 or of a concrete skip 50 fastened thereto. Such gloves 12 can, for example, comprise pressure-sensitive and/or direction-sensitive sensors 70 that can be integrated in fingertips and/or in the palm of the respective glove 12.

[0080] If surfaces of the component to be traveled and/or of the load take-up means are touched by the gloves 12, the direction in which the gloves 12 press, pull or rotate at the component or load take-up means can be detected by means of said sensors 70 to then carry out corresponding travel motions via the control device 3 of the crane 1. Position markings can here, for example, be attached to the component to be traveled that predefine the contact or gripping position of the gloves 12 so that the control device 3 is awarefrom the component alignment at the crane hook 208of the direction in which the gloves 12 and their sensors 70 work.

[0081] Alternatively or additionally, different functions can also be associated with the different sensors 70 of the gloves 12, for example such that the function Horizontal travel from right to left is associated with a palm sensor of the right glove whereas the function Vertical travel is associated with the palm sensor of the left glove. To be able to control a travel perpendicular to the contact planethat is perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of FIG. 9the finger sensor of the left glove can, for example, signal an approach to the operator and a finger sensor of the right glove can signal a traveling away. Other assignments of the sensors are naturally possible.

[0082] Alternatively or additionally, the gloves 12 can also have accelerometers and/or gyroscope elements by means of which hand motions and their directions can be detected. A gesture control is hereby made possible, for example such that an upward waving by the glove is converted into a raising of the lifting hook.

[0083] To implement such a gesture control, the aforesaid detection device 60 can also have a camera or an imaging sensor system or another optical detection device by means of which hand motions or other limb motions of a machine operator can in particular be detected directly in the proximity of the lifting hook 208. Such a camera can be arranged at a different position, for example at the tower 201 and/or at the boom 202 and/or at the lifting hook 208 and/or at an aerial drone and/or at the previously named travel control module 65 that can be docked to the component to be directed. An image processing can evaluate the detected motions of the machine operator from which the control device 3 can give travel commands to the crane 1. The image evaluation device can here in particular be configured such that the hand signs defined in DIN 33409 can be detected or can be determined in the image provided by the camera. Such hand signs defined in said DIN standard include, for example, the raising of the right arm to indicate that hand signs will subsequently be given or the laterally horizontal extending of both arms that is interpreted as a stop signal for stopping the crane motions and/or for ending a motion routine or a slight waving up and down of the palm with a horizontally extended lower arm to indicate the initiation of a slow downward motion.

[0084] Alternatively or additionally to such articles of clothing, an electronic module can also be integrated in a personal accessory that is worn on the body in accordance with its intended purpose and that can satisfy an ornamental function and/or further additional functions such as a vision aid and the like. As FIG. 3 or FIG. 7 shows, such a personal accessory can be a pair of smart glasses 13, a watch 14, a finger ring, a bracelet, or a belt and the like in which an electronic module 5 is integrated for controlling and/or monitoring the construction machine 2.

[0085] FIG. 3 here shows a watch 14 in the form of a smart watch that has a display on which different information relating to the construction machine operation can be displayed. Said smart watches can optionally also have a touchscreen by means of which control commands can be input to the control device of the construction machine.

[0086] As FIG. 4 shows, the mobile electronic module 5 can also be a tablet that can be fastened to a wrist by means of a wristband-like or bangle-like holding device and that can here also itself have a curved display that can otherwise, however, work in the manner of a conventional tablet, that is, can also generate control commands by means of a touchscreen function.

[0087] FIG. 5 shows a mobile electronic module 5 in the form of a projection wristband that can project an image onto a lower arm. A detection function can also be provided here that can detect a fingertip or similar in the region of the projected image to input control commands.

[0088] As FIG. 6 shows, the smart glasses 13 that are shown in FIG. 7 can, for example, also work in the manner of a head up display in which supplementary information can be overlaid into a transparent panel or into a lens or into a transparent plastic body, whereby an augmented reality can be generated.

[0089] As FIG. 8 shows, such a mobile electronic module 5 that is configured and works in the manner of a head up display can also be configured as a contact lens.

[0090] As previously explained, said electronic modules 5 can here be associated with different operating parameters and/or control functions of a construction machine 2 so that different operating parameters can be monitored and/or controlled at different limbs. For example, the lifting mechanism of the crane can be controlled and/or monitored by an electronic module 5 in the right glove 12, whereas, for example, the trolley of the crane 2 can be controlled or monitored by an electronic module 5 in the left glove.

[0091] The electronic modules 5 configured as mobile and/or in the form of wearables can advantageously wirelessly communicate with the respective construction machine 2. This can take place, for example, via Bluetooth, with here the control device 3 being able to have a Bluetooth adapter 7 at the lifting hook pulley of the construction machine 2, for example, via which the respective electronic module 5 can be linked to the control device 3. In an analog manner, the respective electronic module 5 likewise comprises a Bluetooth transmission and/or reception device.

[0092] The data communication between the electronic modules 5 and the control processor 3 of the construction machine 2 is here advantageously bidirectional so that both monitored operating parameters can be displayed at the electronic module 5 and control commands can be input at the electronic module 5.

[0093] The electronic modules 5 can here have input means configured in the initially described manner for inputting control commands and can have display means for displaying control data and/or monitored operating parameters such as likewise initially described.