CRANE

Abstract

The invention relates to a crane, in particular a rotary tower crane, comprising a crane boom, from which a load hook can be raised and lowered via a hoist cable, and an electric power supply on the load hook and/or an optionally provided trolley which can be moved on the crane boom. According to the invention, the electric power is directly generated at the location where it is required, and in the process kinetic energy present at said location is converted into power. According to the invention, the electric power supply comprises a generator which is arranged on the load hook and/or on the trolley and which can be driven by a deflecting and/or running pulley and/or a cable running around the deflecting pulley.

Claims

1. A crane comprising: a crane boom from which a lifting hook is raisable and lowerable can be raised and lowered via a hoist rope; an electric power supply at the lifting hook or at a trolley travelable at the crane boom; a generator; a drive wheel; and wherein the drive wheel is in contact with and driven by a widened bearing flange or a widened rope flange of a deflection pulley around which the hoist rope is deflected.

2. The crane of claim 1, wherein a rotatory axis of the drive wheel is parallel to a rotatory axis of the deflection pulley.

3. The crane of claim 1, wherein an outer circumferential side of the drive wheel contacts a circumferential side of the widened bearing flange or the widened rope flange.

4. The crane of claim 3, wherein the drive wheel contacts an outer circumferential side of the widened rope flange.

5. The crane of claim 1, wherein the drive wheel is accommodated in a depression or a thinned annular roller zone adjacent to the widened bearing flange or the widened rope flange.

6. The crane of claim 1, wherein the deflection pulley has a ring gear or a friction track with which a drive wheel for driving the generator is in rolling engagement.

7. The crane of claim 6, wherein the ring gear or the friction track is provided at a widened bearing flange or at a widened rope flange of the deflection pulley.

8. The crane of claim 7, wherein the drive wheel and the deflection pulley comprise rotational axles that are at least approximately in parallel with one another, and wherein the drive wheel is arranged in a thinned annular roller zone between the widened bearing flange and the widened rope flange.

9. A crane comprising: a crane boom from which a lifting hook is raisable and lowerable can be raised and lowered via a hoist rope; an electric power supply at the lifting hook or at a trolley travelable at the crane boom; a deflection pulley; a drive wheel; and wherein the drive wheel is a rope contact wheel in contact with and driven by the hoist rope, wherein said rope contact wheel is pressed transversely to a longitudinal direction of the hoist rope, against the rope by a preload device, and is held in the longitudinal direction of the rope by an anchorage that is anchored to a load hook carrier or to the trolley.

10. The crane of claim 9, wherein the preload device includes at least one spring attached to a rotatory axis of the drive wheel, wherein the spring is connected to a second rope contact wheel running on a rope side opposite the rope side on which the drive wheel runs.

11. The crane of claim 9, wherein one of the preload device and the anchorage is anchored to a rotatory axis of the deflection pulley, wherein the other of said preload device and anchorage is anchored to a deflection pulley carrier.

12. The crane of claim 9, further comprising a generator drivable via the drive wheel.

13. The crane of claim 9, wherein the rope contact wheel is arranged at a circumference of the deflection pulley and is in contact with a rope section that runs around the deflection pulley.

14. The crane of claim 13, wherein the rope contact wheel is received in an interior of a pulley block carrier.

15. The crane of claim 9, wherein the rope contact wheel is in contact with a rope section that runs onto the deflection pulley or runs off from the deflection pulley.

16. The crane of claim 9, wherein the rope contact wheel is preloaded toward the hoist rope transversely to the longitudinal direction by a preload device and is held at a predetermined rope section by a wheel suspension.

17. A crane comprising: a crane boom from which a lifting hook is raisable and lowerable can be raised and lowered via a hoist rope; an electric power supply at the lifting hook or at a trolley travelable at the crane boom; a drive wheel; a deflection pulley is supported by a rotatory axle which rotates with the same speed as the deflection pulley and projects axially from the deflection pulley, wherein the drive wheel for driving a generator is in contact with and driven by a projecting portion of the rotatory axle; and wherein the electric power supply comprises a generator that is arranged at the lifting hook or at the trolley and that is drivable by the deflection pulley, by a roller, or by a rope running around the deflection pulley.

18. The crane of claim 17, wherein a diameter of the drive wheel is smaller than a diameter of the projecting portion.

19. A crane comprising: a crane boom from which a lifting hook is raisable and lowerable can be raised and lowered via a hoist rope; and an electric power supply at the lifting hook or at a trolley travelable at the crane boom; a drive wheel; a deflection pulley; and wherein the electric power supply has a generator that is arranged at the lifting hook or at the trolley, wherein the generator is drivable by a deflection pulley, by a roller, or by a rope running around the deflection pulley, wherein the generator is integrated into two roller bearing rings rotatably supporting the deflection pulley, wherein one of the roller bearing rings is provided with an indication coil and wherein the other roller bearing ring is formed as a magnetic rotor.

20. The crane of claim 19, wherein the generator is fully accommodated within an annular space between the two roller bearing rings.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The invention will be explained in more detail in the following with respect to preferred embodiments and to associated drawings. There are shown in the drawings:

[0033] FIG. 1: a schematic side view of a crane that is configured as a revolving tower crane in accordance with an embodiment of the invention and has a boom along which a trolley is travelable from which a lifting hook can be lowered via a hoist rope;

[0034] FIG. 2: a sectional, perspective representation of the boom of the crane of FIG. 1 at which a trolley is shown from which the hoist rope with the lifting hook lashed thereto runs off;

[0035] FIG. 3: a schematic sectional view of the lifting hook of the crane of the preceding Figures with the deflection pulley that is lashed thereto and that is provided with a ring gear via which the deflection pulley drives a generator that is fastened to the housing of the deflection pulley;

[0036] FIG. 4: a schematic sectional view of the lifting hook and of the deflection pulley lashed thereto similar to FIG. 3, with the generator again being driven by a ring gear at the deflection pulley, but in comparison with FIG. 3 not being arranged at the bearing flange of the deflection pulley, but rather at the flange of the deflection pulley at the outer circumferential side in which the rope pulley is worked;

[0037] FIG. 5: a schematic sectional view of the lifting hook and of the deflection pulley arranged thereat, with the generator in this embodiment being integrated into the roller bearing via which the deflection pulley is rotatably supported at the roller axle;

[0038] FIG. 6: a schematic sectional view of the lifting hook and of the deflection pulley connected thereto, with the deflection pulley being rotationally fixedly connected to a roller axle that co-rotates with the deflection pulley and drives the generator via a spur gear section in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention;

[0039] FIG. 7: a lateral plan view of the lifting hook and the deflection pulley connected thereto, with the generator being driven via a rope contact wheel that is arranged at the circumferential side at the deflection pulley and rolls off on the rope that is led around the deflection pulley in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention;

[0040] FIG. 8: a lateral plan view of the lifting hook and the deflection pulley connected thereto, with the generator being driven by a rope contact roller that rolls off on the rope section that runs on the deflection pulley or runs off from the deflection pulley, with different suspension devices or preloading devices being shown by means of which the rope contact wheel is pressed toward the rope;

[0041] FIG. 9: a lateral plan view of the lifting hook and the deflection pulley connected thereto from the preceding Figures, with two rope contact wheels for driving the generator rolling off, on the one hand, on the rope section running in and, on the other hand, rolling off on the rope section running out and being tensioned against one another to be pressed toward the rope section; and

[0042] FIG. 10: a lateral plan view of the lifting hook and the deflection pulley similar to the preceding Figures, with a drive wheel for driving the generator running off on the outer circumferential side of the deflection pulley in a region in which the rope does not contact the deflection pulley.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] As FIG. 1 shows, the crane 1 can be configured as a revolving tower crane and can comprise a tower 2 that bears a projecting boom 3. The crane can be a top-slewer with which the boom 3 is rotatable relative to the tower 2 or the lower end of the tower 2 can be seated on a slewing platform that is rotatable about an upright axis and that is supported on an undercarriage that can be formed as a truck or that is travelable in a different manner, but can optionally also form a rigid, non-travelable support base.

[0044] The boom 3 can be tensioned via a guying, with the guying optionally being able to be adjustable to be able to luff the boom 3 up and down.

[0045] The crane 1 can also be formed as a fast-erecting crane whose tower 2 can be able to be telescoped and whose boom 3 can be able to be folded together and/or telescoped so that the tower and the boom can be folded to form a transport package able to be transported by road.

[0046] As FIG. 1 shows, a trolley 5 can be supported in a longitudinally travelable manner at the boom 3, said trolley 5 being able to be traveled to and fro by means of a trolley cable 8. An inner trolley cable 8 leads from the trolley via a deflection pulley at the inner end section of the boom 3 close to the tower to a trolley winch 9, while an outer trolley cable 8a leads from the trolley 7 via a deflection pulley at the outer end section of the boom 3 to said trolley winch 9.

[0047] As FIG. 2 shows, said trolley 5 is longitudinally travelably guided and supported via rollers 10 at the boom 3, with said boom 3, for example, having tracks for said rollers 10 at its lower webs.

[0048] As FIG. 2 further shows, deflection pulleys 11 can be provided at the trolley 5 about which a hoist rope 12 is deflected to which a lifting hook 7 is lashed. Said hoist rope 12 can here, for example, be lashed to the boom tip and can be wound onto a hoist rope winch at the inner end of the boom 3 or at the counterboom to be able to lower and raise up the hoist rope 12 from the trolley 5.

[0049] The hoist rope 12 here runs at the hook side about a deflection pulley 13 that is rotatably fastened to a pulley block carrier 14 that carries said lifting hook 7.

[0050] As FIGS. 3 to 10 show, a generator 15 can be arranged at said lifting hook 7 or at the pulley block carrier 14 connected thereto to be able to generate electric power at the lifting hook 7, with said generator 15 advantageously being able to be driven by the deflection pulley 13, by the hoist rope 6 deflected about the deflection pulley 13, or by a roller bearing rotatably supporting the deflection pulley 13, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0051] To balance any possible imbalance, a counterweight can be attached on the side of the hook block disposed opposite the generator.

[0052] In a corresponding manner, such a generator 15 can also be provided at the trolley 5, with this generator 15 at the trolley side being able to be driven in an analog manner by one of the deflection pulleys 11 provided there, by one of the rollers 10, or by a roller bearing by means of which the deflection pulley 11 or the roller 10 is rotatably supported at the frame of the trolley 5. Only the drive mechanism at the deflection pulley 13 at the lifting hook 7, at the roller bearing provided there and at the hoist rope 6 deflected there will be explained in the following. It is, however, understood that the drive mechanism at the trolley side can be formed in a very analogous corresponding manner at said deflection pulley there, at said roller bearing there, or at said deflected hoist rope or at the trolley cable running past there.

[0053] As FIG. 3 shows, the deflection pulley 13 about which the hoist rope 6 at the lifting hook 7 is deflected can comprise a roller body 16 that is rotatably supported via one or more roller bearings 17 at a roller axle 18 that is fastened to the pulley block carrier 14. The rotational axle 19 of the deflection pulley 13 extends here substantially perpendicular to the plane spanned by the hoist rope 12 and thus substantially horizontally. A widened or thickened bearing flange 19 of said roller body 12 can here be seated on said roller bearing 17, with generally, however, a different kind of bearing also being conceivable, for example a plain bearing or a rotatably supported axle.

[0054] On the other hand, said roller body 16 comprises at the outer margin a thickened rope flange 20 in which a rope groove is outwardly openly worked in which the deflected rope runs. An annular, thinner intermediate zone of the roller body 16 is provided between said bearing flange 19 and the likewise widened or thickened rope flange 20, cf. FIG. 3.

[0055] To drive the generator 15, a ring gear 21 with which a drive wheel 22 can be in rolling engagement can advantageously be provided at the roller body 16. Said ring gear 21 can here advantageously be provided at said bearing flange 19, for example in the form of an outer toothed arrangement.

[0056] As FIG. 4 shows, said ring gear 21 can, however, also be arranged at the rope flange 20, for example in the form of an inner toothed arrangement in the manner of an annulus gear.

[0057] Instead of a ring gear and a drive pinion meshing therewith, a friction track can, however, also be provided at the roller body 16 that can be formed analogously to the ring gear 21 at the bearing flange 19 and/or at the rope flange 20, for example in the form of an outer circumferential ring or an inner circumferential ring. When a friction track is provided, said drive wheel 22 can be a friction wheel.

[0058] As FIGS. 3 and 4 show, the drive wheel 22 can advantageously be arranged between the bearing and rope flanges 19, 20, in particular in the region of the thinned, annular connection section of the roller body 16, with the drive wheel 22 being able to be arranged at least partially within the width of the bearing flange 19 and/or of the rope flange 20 and being able to overlap—viewed in the radial direction toward the rotational axle of the deflection pulley 13—with said bearing flange 19 and/or rope flange 20. The drive wheel 22 can advantageously be completely received in the plate-shaped annular depression that is provided between the bearing flange 19 and the rope flange 20, cf. FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0059] Said drive wheel 22 can advantageously have a rotational axle 23 that can extend substantially in parallel with the rotational axle of the deflection pulley 13, with the rotational axle 23 of the drive wheel 22 being able to be spaced apart from the rotational axle of the deflection pulley 13.

[0060] As FIG. 3 shows, said drive wheel 22 can rotationally drive the generator axle or the rotor of the generator 15, with the generator axle being able to be directly connected to the drive wheel 22. Alternatively, a transmission section 24 can also be provided between the drive wheel 22 and the generator axle and can be formed as a spur gear section or as a planetary transmission section, but also as a bevel gear section or another transmission section or combinations thereof. The drive wheel 22 and/or the generator shaft 25 and/or the optionally interposed transmission section 24 can advantageously be supported at or fastened to the pulley block carrier 14, with being able to surround the coils and/or the magnet and/or the other functional components of the generator 15 at the generator housing 26. Said generator housing 26 can, for example, be attached to and/or formed by a pulley block housing, for example.

[0061] As FIG. 3 shows, the electric power provided by the generator 15 can be fed via power electronics and/or feed electronics S into an energy store such as a secondary cell or also a capacitor that serves as a buffer and from where the electric energy is then forwarded to a consumer V that can, for example, be a sensor, an actuator, a communication module, or a processor. A gripping harness attached to the lifting hook 7 and, for example, comprising a magnet or the like can be supplied, with other consumers, however, also being able to be considered such as already initially explained.

[0062] A position sensor can, for example, be provided at the lifting hook and can determine the position of the lifting hook relative to the crane structure and/or relative to objects to be acquired and is supplied with power from the generator 15. Alternatively or additionally, such a sensor can also be a motion sensor or an acceleration sensor to determine movements and/or accelerations of the lifting hook. A gyroscopic sensor can be provided, for example. In general, however, other sensors such as weighing or weight sensors can also be used and can be supplied with power from the generator.

[0063] A communication module can advantageously be connected to the respective sensor to transmit, preferably wirelessly, the sensor signal to a control device. The communication device can here advantageously comprise a radio module to transmit the sensor signal by radio.

[0064] Optionally, the electric power provided by the generator 15 can, however, also be provided to the consumer V without buffering in an energy store A.

[0065] The generator 15 can be formed as a DC power generator or also as an AC power generator.

[0066] As FIG. 5 shows, the generator 15 can also be directly integrated in the roller bearing 17 via which the deflection pulley 13—optionally also the roller 10 of the trolley 5 or the deflection pulley 13 provided there—is rotatably supported. For example, one of the roller bearing rings of the roller bearing 17 can be provided with an induction coil, while the other roller bearing ring can be provided with a magnetic rotor or a magnetic coil or can be formed as a magnetic rotor. The generator coil in which the power is generated can here advantageously be connected to the fixed position roller bearing ring, while the rotor is connected to the roller bearing ring that co-rotates with the roller.

[0067] As FIG. 6 shows, the generator 15 can also be driven by the axle of the deflection pulley 13—or by the axle of the roller 10 or of the deflection pulley 11, with in this case the roller axle 18 being rotationally fixedly connected to the roller body 16 and co-rotating therewith. As FIG. 6 shows, the roller axle 18 can be rotatably supported at the pulley block carrier 14 via roller bearings 17.

[0068] The roller axle 18 driven by the roller body 16 can drive the generator shaft 15 or its rotor directly or via a transmission section 24, with said transmission section 24 being able to be a spur gear section, as FIG. 6 shows, but alternatively also being able to be formed as a planetary section or in another manner.

[0069] As FIGS. 7 to 9 illustrate, the drive wheel 22 that drives the generator directly or via a transmission section 24, can also be formed as a rope contact wheel that can roll off on the hoist rope 12—or optionally also on the trolley cable 8—to convert the rope movement into a rotary drive movement.

[0070] As FIG. 7 shows, such a drive wheel 22 formed as a rope contact wheel can advantageously be arranged at the circumference of the deflection pulley 13 and can be in contact with a rope section, or can roll off thereon, that is deflected by the deflection pulley 13.

[0071] To achieve sufficient friction force or to ensure a secure rolling off of the drive wheel 22 ono the rope, the drive wheel 22 formed as a rope contact wheel can be pressed or tensioned toward the rope via a preload device 27 to increase the pressing forces. Said preload device 27 can, for example, comprise a spring device that pulls the rope contact wheel toward the rope transversely to the longitudinal rope direction.

[0072] Said rope contact wheel can be held at its position via an anchorage 28, for example in the form of a rocker that can move transversely to the longitudinal rope direction. The anchorage 28 can form a wheel suspension at which the rope contact wheel Is rotatably supported and that holds the rope contact wheel at the intended position at the rope.

[0073] As FIG. 7 shows, the drive wheel 22 formed as a rope contact wheel can advantageously be arranged in the interior of the pulley block carrier 14, in particular in an annular zone between the deflection pulley 13 and the outer wall of the housing of the pulley block carrier 14.

[0074] As FIG. 8 shows, a drive wheel 22 formed as a rope contact wheel can, however, also be arranged outside the pulley block carrier 14 and can be connected to the rope section that runs onto the deflection pulley or runs off therefrom. As FIG. 8 shows, a single drive wheel 22 can here be preloaded toward the rope by a preload device 27 transversely to the longitudinal rope direction and can be held in position by a wheel suspension 28, with the preload device 27 and/or the suspension 28 being able to be supported at the pulley block carrier 14. When such a rope contact wheel is provided at the trolley 5, the preload device 27 and/or the wheel suspension 28 can be supported at the trolley or at its frame.

[0075] As the right hand side of FIG. 8 shows, the drive wheel 22 formed as a rope contact wheel can, however, also be held at the rope or tensioned toward the rope via further rope contact wheels, with a preload device 27, for example comprising a spring device, also being able to ensure the contact pressure of the drive wheel 22 toward the rope and a wheel suspension or an anchorage 28 being able to support the plurality of rope contact wheels at the pulley block carrier 14—or analogously at the frame of the trolley 5.

[0076] The shown rope contact wheels can, analogously to the previously described embodiments, drive the generator shaft or the rotor of the generator 15 directly or via a transmission section 24.

[0077] As FIG. 10 shows, the drive wheel 22 can also roll off on the outer circumference of the deflection pulley 13, for example in the rope groove provided there, with in this case the drive wheel 22 advantageously being able to be directly supported at the pulley block carrier 14, advantageously in a section between the rope section that runs off and the rope section that runs in and in which the deflection pulley 13 does not contact the rope.