Cranes and their controls

Abstract

The invention relates to a crane, in particular a revolving tower crane (1), comprising a crane boom (3) from which a sling (6) connected to a load hook (7) leads, and a load hook positioning device (8) for determining the position of the load hook, wherein the load hook positioning device (8) comprises at least three electromagnetic radio modules (9) which exchange radio signals with one another, and an electronic evaluation device, wherein at least one radio module is mounted on the load hook and at least two other radio modules are mounted spaced apart from one another on the crane structure and / or in the vicinity of the crane, and the electronic evaluation device is used to evaluate the radio signals and to determine the position of the load hook based on the radio signals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a crane, for example a revolving tower crane, having a crane boom from which a sling connected to the load hook leads and a load hook positioning device for determining the load hook position. The invention also relates to a method and a device for controlling such a crane, wherein the load hook position of a load hook connected to the sling is sensed by the load hook positioning device. Background Art

[0002] A swivel tower crane can comprise an at least approximately horizontal, possibly also luffable crane boom, which is supported by a vertically extending tower and can be swiveled about a vertical longitudinal axis of the tower. In the case of a so-called top-swivel crane, the boom is swiveled relative to the tower, while in the case of a bottom-swivel crane, the entire tower and therefore the boom articulated therewith is swiveled. The distance of the load hook from the tower axis can be adjusted by a trolley movable along the boom, wherein a sling connected to the load hook runs on said trolley, or by luffing the boom.

[0003] For various reasons, it is desirable here to determine the exact position of the load hook as accurately as possible by means of a corresponding load hook positioning device. This is advantageous not only when the crane operator can no longer see the load hook, for example behind a wall, but also when the trolley position no longer completely coincides with the load hook position (i.e. no longer overlaps in the vertical direction) (it is understood that due to the descent depth of the load hook, the height positions of the load hook and the trolley are different). Such deviations of the load hook position from the trolley position may have various causes: for example, non-straight paths due to wind forces or harmonics or dynamic deflections of the sling (e.g. pendulum movements of the load or wind deflections). Depending on the task to be performed, it may be sufficient to determine the position of the load hook relative to the trolley or relative to the crane, for example in order to suppress pendulum movements, or an absolute load hook position in space may also be required, for example in order to realize automated operation during loading and unloading. In addition to using the load hook position signal for such control purposes, an increase in safety can also be achieved by determining the load hook position, since the load can be permanently monitored, wherein redundancy of the descent depth sensor can also be achieved if necessary.

[0004] Such auxiliary systems of cranes, such as sway damping, which work together with load hook position determination are known, for example, from DE 20 2008 018 260 U1 or DE 10 2009 032 270 A1 or from EP 16 28902 B1, DE 10 324 692 A1, EP 25 62 125 B1, US 2013 01 61279 A or US Pat. No. 5,526,946 B.

[0005] Furthermore, Liebherr also knows a sway damping system for offshore cranes called "Cycoptronic", which precalculates load movements and influences such as wind and initiates compensating movements on this basis, wherein the angle of the cable relative to the vertical and its changes are detected by a gyroscope in order to intervene in the control based on the gyroscope signal.

[0006] In principle, the load hook position can be monitored in various ways, wherein such a load hook position determination is disclosed in WO 91 / 146 44 A1, for example.

[0007] In this regard, optical detection of the position of the load hook is known in the prior art. For example, JP 9-142773 shows a crane with a downward-looking camera mounted on the tip of its boom, from which the cable is lowered, and the viewing direction of the camera is adjusted to follow the pendulum movement of the load hook, so that the crane operator can always see the load hook through the camera. DE 197 25 315 C2 describes a smelter crane with a trolley mechanism that can be moved relative to a support frame, from which the cable is lowered. A plurality of cameras are arranged on the support frame, whose field of view is large enough to be able to detect the crane hook in the case of different trolley mechanism positions. In this smelter crane, the position to be approached is relatively fixedly predefined, so that the amount of image data to be processed is still controllable. However, if such a system is used for a rotating tower crane, a large amount of data flow that is difficult to process will be generated.

[0008] Document WO 2005 / 082770 A1 also discloses a revolving tower crane, on whose trolley a camera looking downward is mounted in order to display a video image of the surroundings of the load hook to the crane operator, so that the crane operator can better identify obstacles in the direction of movement. The camera system is used to visualize obstacles or lowering or picking areas that the crane operator must control, but it cannot determine the position of the load hook relative to the crane or the absolute position in space.

[0009] However, it is difficult to determine the position of the load hook quickly and reliably enough with such camera systems, since the image evaluation system usually has to process a large amount of data and requires a certain amount of time for this in the case of limited computer power. In addition, in the case of large lowering depths, only a very small amount of the load hook can be seen from the crane boom, so document EP 29 31 649 B1 has already proposed to provide the observation camera with automatic zoom. However, environmental influences such as fog or smoke that affect visibility cannot be solved in this way.

[0010] Document DE 10 2006 001279 A proposes to mount a transmitting and receiving device on the trolley of a rotating tower crane, which transmits and receives signals with radio modules on the load hook and the boom, wherein the distance of the trolley from the tower and thus the outreach and the depth of descent of the load hook can be determined from the propagation time of the signal. In order to also determine the lateral deviation of the load hook relative to the trolley, an inclination sensor will be used to measure the deflection angle of the sling, which together with the descent depth corrects the overhang of the load or determines the deviation of the load hook relative to the trolley. Summary of the invention

[0011] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved crane and an improved method and device for controlling a crane which avoid the disadvantages of the prior art and further develop the prior art in an advantageous manner. In particular, a reliable and precise determination of the position of the load hook should be achieved as close to real time as possible and as unaffected as possible by adverse environmental conditions such as fog and smoke.

[0012] Therefore, it is proposed to install electromagnetic radio modules that communicate with each other at specific locations on the crane, which determine the position of the radio modules relative to each other and thus the load hook position based on the exchanged radio signals. According to the invention, the load hook positioning device has at least three electromagnetic radio modules that exchange radio signals with each other, at least one of which is attached to the load hook and at least two other radio modules are attached to the crane structure at a distance from each other, and the load hook positioning device also has an evaluation device for evaluating the radio signals and determining the load hook position based on the radio signals. In this case, the radio module on the load hook exchanges signals with each of the at least two other radio modules, wherein the evaluation device can determine the position of the load hook based on the radio signals between the radio module on the load hook and the at least two other radio modules. Such electromagnetic radio signals are not affected by smoke and can be quickly evaluated to achieve real-time position determination.

[0013] In principle, the radio modules can be attached to different locations of the crane structure, wherein a field-of-view arrangement simplifies the evaluation of the radio signals or the determination of the positions of the radio modules relative to one another. If the crane is equipped with a trolley that can be moved along the crane boom and from which the sling is led, in an advantageous development of the invention at least one radio module can be attached to the trolley in order to determine the position of the load hook relative to the trolley based on the radio signals exchanged between the radio module on the load hook and the radio module on the trolley.

[0014] Advantageously, a plurality of radio modules can be distributed on the trolley or arranged on the trolley at a distance from one another, which significantly facilitates the determination of the position of the load hook based on the exchanged radio signals. In particular, at least three radio modules can be arranged on the trolley at a distance from one another, wherein the at least three radio modules are advantageously not arranged in a straight line but at the corners of a triangle. In particular, the radio modules on the trolley can be arranged offset from one another not only in the longitudinal direction of the boom but also in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the boom, wherein the radio modules can be arranged in a common plane, in particular in an approximately horizontal plane, or also in a plurality of differently positioned planes. When the load hook is moved out of a position completely vertically below the trolley, for example by a pendulum movement transversely to the longitudinal direction of the boom or parallel thereto, the load hook position can be determined relatively easily based on the radio signals between the radio modules on the load hook and the trolley due to the distribution in the longitudinal direction of the boom and in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction. Such lateral deflections can occur when braking a swivel motion of a crane or a travel motion of a trolley, and in the presence of external influences such as wind.

[0015] If necessary, more than three radio modules can also be arranged on the trolley, for example at the corners of a rectangle that can extend in a horizontal plane.

[0016] In an advantageous development of the invention, at least one radio module can also be fixedly mounted on the boom, for example at the end or exactly in the middle of the crane boom. Advantageously, a plurality of radio modules can also be fixedly attached to the crane boom, in particular one radio module is respectively mounted on opposite ends of the boom, wherein the ends can be, on the one hand, a cantilevered boom tip and, on the other hand, an articulation of the boom, by means of which the boom can be articulated in a pitching manner to a tower or to a superstructure of a telescopic crane. By means of the radio modules at the ends of the crane boom and optionally in the middle of the crane boom, the position of the trolley can be determined in a simple manner based on the radio signals exchanged between the trolley-radio module and the boom-radio module, and / or the position of the load hook relative to the longitudinal axis of the boom and thus also the pendulum deflection relative to the trolley can be determined in a simple manner based on the radio signals exchanged between the boom-radio module and the trolley-radio module.

[0017] In a refinement of the invention, one or more further radio modules can also be attached to other locations of the crane structure, as an alternative or in addition to the radio module, for example on the tower of a rotating tower crane or at another location on the construction site spaced apart from the crane or on another crane.

[0018] By exchanging radio signals between the radio module on the load hook and each or at least some of the other radio modules on the crane structure, not only the distance of the load hook from the boom or trolley in terms of the descent depth can be determined, but also the horizontal lateral offset of the load hook relative to the drop point of the cable on the boom or trolley and / or the horizontal deflection of the load hook relative to the boom and thus the position of the load hook relative to the crane structure (including the horizontal relative position) can be determined, in particular even when the cable swings together with the load hook or deflects due to wind, or the boom and / or the tower deforms under load.

[0019] Advantageously, the radio modules are distributed so that they are in visual contact with each other, at least without the outline of building edges or similar objects between the load hook and the crane structure.

[0020] In order to be able to supply the radio modules with power, electrical energy stores, for example in the form of batteries or rechargeable batteries, can be assigned to the radio modules, each radio module being individually assigned its own energy store or a group of radio modules being assigned a common energy store.

[0021] As an alternative or in addition to such a battery or accumulator, the radio module on the load hook can also be assigned at least a generator, which provides electrical energy and can be driven by the rotational movement of the deflection roller, via which the sling is deflected. The current provided by the generator can be supplied directly to the radio module, but can also be advantageously stored in the accumulator. By means of such a generator, which can be driven by the deflection roller, it is possible to avoid a power line connected to the load hook and still ensure a continuous energy supply.

[0022] If necessary, the radio module on the trolley and / or the boom can also be assigned one or more generators and possibly connected to a rechargeable battery, wherein the generators on the trolley and / or the boom can also advantageously be driven by the rotational movement of a deflection wheel, via which the sling and / or trolley cable is deflected.

[0023] In principle, the evaluation of the radio signals exchanged between the radio modules can be carried out in different ways and may also include different, multiple evaluation methods in order to redundantly determine the position of the radio modules relative to one another and thus the position of the load hook or to form an average from a plurality of specific position values.

[0024] In particular, the positioning device can include a propagation time determination device to determine the propagation time of the radio signals between the radio modules. The distance between the radio modules, in particular the change in distance between two radio modules, can be determined from the propagation time of the radio signals, since such a change is accompanied by a change in the transmission time.

[0025] Here, the propagation time of the signal can again be determined in various ways. For example, the propagation time determination device can include a time difference of arrival (TDOA) module and / or a time of arrival (TOA) module, by means of which the difference in arrival times or the arrival time itself, at which a radio signal sent by one radio module is received by another radio module, can be determined. In particular, the TDOA module can measure the propagation time difference of the time stamps of the radio signals, for example from the load hook radio module to various other radio modules on the crane structure (e.g. the trolley and / or the boom). The evaluation device can calculate the location or position of the load hook radio module based on the propagation time difference.

[0026] In contrast, the TOA module can work with absolute time, where the distance can be determined based on the time delay between sending on one radio module and receiving on the other radio module. For example, one radio module can send a timestamp and the reception time can be determined on the other radio module, from which the absolute radio propagation time can then be calculated.

[0027] Sometimes referred to as a TOF module, a time-of-flight sensor can determine the propagation time of a radio signal from one radio module to another.

[0028] As an alternative or in addition to determining the propagation time, the corresponding angle at which a radio module receives a radio signal from another radio module can also be determined. The corresponding angle determination device for determining the angle of the radio signal can, for example, include a phase shift module, which can determine the phase shift of the useful signal (Nutzsignale) or the radio signal received at different radio modules. Alternatively or in addition, the attenuation determination module can determine the attenuation caused by the directional characteristics in the antenna of the radio signal receiver and thereby determine the angle of the radio signal.

[0029] The evaluation device can calculate the position of the radio modules relative to one another and thus the load hook position based on the specific radio signal angles that can be determined at the different radio modules. In particular, the evaluation device can trigonometrically evaluate the radio signal angles in order to calculate the position, in particular the load hook position, in conjunction with the known installation positions of the radio modules.

[0030] In an improved example of the invention, the radio module can be designed as a mobile communication module that works according to known mobile communication standards (e.g. 4G or 5G). The position determination of the radio module on the load hook or the radio module on the crane structure can be additionally improved by such mobile communication signals or can also be performed exclusively using them.

[0031] In principle, the evaluation device, preferably including the propagation time determination device and / or the angle determination device, can be arranged at different locations of the crane, for example being implemented and integrated in a crane controller which also performs other crane control tasks (e.g. movement control or load limitation). Alternatively, however, the evaluation device can also be integrated in particular into one of the radio modules or form a common component together with one of the radio modules or be combined in a common electronic component. Thus, additional data transmission paths and the delays associated therewith are saved. The evaluation of the radio signal takes place immediately at the location where the radio signal is received.

[0032] In an advantageous development of the invention, the positioning device can utilize not only the radio signals and their evaluation, but also other sensor signals. In particular, at least one sensor device can be provided at least on the load hook, by means of which position data and / or alignment data and / or acceleration data can be determined, which data can be evaluated by the positioning device or its evaluation device and used to determine the position of the load hook.

[0033] For example, an inertial measurement device can be attached to the load hook, which in particular can include acceleration and rotational speed sensor components to provide acceleration and rotational speed signals. Such an inertial measurement device is sometimes also called an inertial measurement unit (IMU: Inertial-Messeinrichtung) and can measure the acceleration acting on the load hook as well as the rotational speed occurring.

[0034] Advantageously, the acceleration and / or rotational speed measured by the sensor device or generally the measured position data and / or alignment data and / or acceleration data can be transmitted as part of the transmission radio signal from the radio module on the load hook itself to the other radio modules. Alternatively, however, a separate transmission module is also possible in order to transmit the sensor data to the evaluation device of the positioning device.

[0035] Advantageously, the evaluation device can be designed such that the radio signal of the electromagnetic radio module is evaluated and used in the above-described manner for determining the position of the load hook and the position data and / or alignment data and / or acceleration data of the sensor device, in particular the acceleration measured by the sensor device, are used to determine the position. The simultaneous use of the radio signal or variables derived therefrom (e.g. propagation time) or the radio signal and the sensor signal (e.g. acceleration and rotation speed) can be achieved, for example, by suitable filtering means. For example, the evaluation device can include a Kalman filter to combine and match different signal sets. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The invention will be explained in more detail below based on preferred exemplary embodiments and the associated drawings.

[0037] Figure 1 A side view of a crane in the form of a revolving tower crane according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention is shown, on the boom of which a movable trolley is arranged, from which trolley a sling connected to a load hook leads.

[0038] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 Schematic side view of a crane showing the arrangement of radio modules on the crane load hook, trolley and boom.

[0039] Figure 3 A plan view of the crane of the preceding figures is shown, illustrating the lateral deflection of the load hook relative to the trolley and the distribution of the radio modules on the load hook and the trolley. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the crane can be designed, for example, as an up-swivel tower crane 1, whose vertically extending tower 2 carries a boom 3 and possibly a counter-arm. The boom 3 can be rotated relative to the tower 2 about a vertical tower longitudinal axis 4 and in an at least approximately horizontal position. Alternatively, in the case of a down-swivel crane, the tower 2 can also be rotated together with the boom 3 relative to the crane base. In addition, the boom 3 can also be pitched up and down about a horizontal transverse axis.

[0041] The trolley 5 is movably suspended on the boom 3, so that the trolley 5 can be moved substantially over the entire length of the boom 3 in order to be able to vary the outreach of the load hook 7. The load hook 7 is fastened to a cable 6, which runs on the trolley 5 in order to be able to lower and raise the load hook 7. In this case, a load pulley 13 with one or more deflection wheels can be arranged on the load hook 7 in a known manner, via which the cable 6 is deflected or clamped to the load hook 7.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, the load hook positioning device 8 comprises a plurality of electromagnetic radio modules 9 which exchange electromagnetic radio signals with one another and can be designed, for example, as mobile radio modules in accordance with the 5G standard.

[0043] Here, at least one radio module 9 is attached to the load hook 7, for example centrally on the upper side of the deflection pulley. Advantageously, at least three other radio modules 9 are arranged on the trolley 5, wherein the radio modules 9 on the trolley 5 can be positioned offset from one another in the longitudinal direction of the boom and in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the boom, in particular at the corners of an approximately equilateral triangle arranged in a horizontal plane. In other words, the radio modules 9 on the trolley 5 can be arranged at the same height and can be arranged offset longitudinally and transversely relative to the longitudinal axis of the boom.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, a further radio module 9 may be attached to the end of the crane boom 3 .

[0045] like Figure 2 and 3 As shown by the arrows in , the radio modules 9 exchange radio signals alternately with each other. Alternatively or additionally, a cable for transmitting signals can also be arranged.

[0046] The load hook positioning device 8 comprises an evaluation device 10 which can be designed in the form of an electronic computing unit, for example having a microprocessor and a program memory in which an evaluation algorithm or evaluation software can be stored.

[0047] The electronic evaluation device 10 can be arranged on one of the radio modules 9 , for example on a radio module 9 attached to the boom 3 around the tower 2 , but optionally also as part of the crane controller.

[0048] In this case, the electronic evaluation device 10 advantageously comprises a propagation time determination device 11 which can be processed by a microprocessor as a software module and can determine the propagation time of the signals between the radio modules 9 .

[0049] As described above, the propagation time determination device 11 may comprise a TDOA module 12, a TOA module 13 and / or a TOF module 14 in order to determine the signal propagation time based on the difference in arrival time and / or the absolute arrival time and / or the transmission time and thereby calculate the distance between the radio modules 9. The TDOA, TOA or TOF modules 12, 13, 14 can also be processed in the form of software modules by a microprocessor of the electronic evaluation device. The electronic evaluation device 10 calculates the distance between the radio modules based on the signal propagation time and thereby calculates the position of the radio module 9 attached to the load hook 7 relative to the trolley 5 and / or the boom 3.

[0050] Furthermore, the electronic evaluation device 10 may also include an angle determination device 15, by means of which the angles between the radio modules 9 can be calculated, in particular by means of a phase shift of the radio signals at the individual radio modules 9 and / or by means of an attenuation in the antenna of the radio module 9 caused by a directional characteristic. The angle determination device 15 may include correspondingly designed phase shift and / or attenuation modules 16 and 17, which can determine the phase shift and attenuation. The phase shift and attenuation modules 16 and 17 may also be designed in the form of software modules that can be executed by a processor of the electronic evaluation device 10.

[0051] From the measured or determined phase shift and / or attenuation, the angle determination device 15 can calculate the angle of the radio signal and thus the angle between the radio modules 9. The electronic evaluation device 10 can calculate the position of the radio module 9 on the load hook and thus the load hook position from the radio signal angle determined in this way using trigonometric methods.

[0052] Furthermore, a sensor device 18 for measuring position values ​​and / or alignment values ​​and / or acceleration values ​​of the load hook 7 is provided on the load hook 9, wherein such a sensor device 18 can in particular measure accelerations and rotational speeds occurring on the load hook 7. For this purpose, the sensor device 18 can in particular comprise an inertial measuring device mounted on the load hook 7, which can transmit its measurement signals preferably wirelessly to the electronic evaluation device 10 of the load hook positioning device 8.

[0053] For example, according to a method known per se from DE 10 2007 039 408 A1, the electronic evaluation device 10 can calculate the load hook position based on the acceleration and rotational speed provided by the sensor device 18. In order to increase the detection accuracy, the result of this calculation based on acceleration and rotational speed can advantageously be combined with the result of the position determination of the radio signal (e.g., propagation time measurement) in the electronic evaluation device 10 or in one of the radio modules 9, which can be realized, for example, by means of a Kalman filter.

Claims

1. A crane having a crane boom (3) from which a sling (6) connected to a load hook (7) is led, and a load hook positioning device (8) for determining the position of the load hook, wherein: The load hook positioning device (8) comprises at least three electromagnetic radio modules (9) which exchange radio signals with each other, of which at least one electromagnetic radio module (9) is attached to the load hook (7) and at least two other electromagnetic radio modules (9) are attached to the structure of the crane and / or around the crane at a distance from each other, Characterized in that the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7) exchanges signals with each of the at least two other electromagnetic radio modules (9) and has an electronic evaluation device (10) for determining the position of the load hook (7) based on the radio signals between the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7) and the at least two other electromagnetic radio modules (9), A sensor device (18) for determining alignment data and acceleration data is provided on the load hook (7), and the electronic evaluation device (10) is designed to calculate the load hook position of the load hook (7) based on the alignment data and acceleration data detected by the sensor device (18).

2. The crane according to claim 1, wherein: A trolley (5) is mounted in a movable manner along the crane boom (3) and the sling (6) leads out of the trolley (5), wherein at least one electromagnetic radio module (9) is attached to the trolley (5).

3. The crane according to claim 2, wherein: At least three electromagnetic radio modules (9) are attached to the trolley (5) and arranged at the corners of a triangle in a vertical plane view of the trolley (5), wherein each of the at least three electromagnetic radio modules (9) on the trolley (5) exchanges signals with at least the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7), and the electronic evaluation device (10) is designed to determine the position of the load hook (7) relative to the trolley (5) based on the signals between the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7) and the at least three electromagnetic radio modules (9) on the trolley (5), the determined position including the horizontal offset of the load hook (7) relative to the trolley (5).

4. A crane according to any preceding claim, wherein: At least one radio module is attached to the crane boom (3) and at least one electromagnetic radio module (9) is attached to a trolley / trolley (5) that can move on the crane boom (3), wherein the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7) exchanges signals with the radio module on the crane boom (3) and with the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the trolley (5), and the electronic evaluation device (10) is designed to determine the position of the load hook (7) relative to the crane boom based on the signals between the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7) and the electromagnetic radio modules (9) on the crane boom (3) and the trolley (5), the determined position including any horizontal deviation of the load hook (7) relative to the trolley (5) caused by the swinging.

5. The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: A plurality of electromagnetic radio modules (9) are attached to the crane boom (3) at a distance from one another, wherein the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7) exchanges signals with each of the at least two radio modules (9) on the crane boom (3), and the electronic evaluation device (10) is designed to determine the position of the load hook (7) relative to the crane boom (3) based on the signals between the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7) and the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the crane boom (3).

6. The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The electromagnetic radio module (9) is powered by an energy storage device.

7. The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: A generator is arranged at least on the load hook (7), and the generator can be rotationally driven by a cable deflection wheel to supply power to the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7).

8. The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The electronic evaluation device (10) comprises a propagation time determination device (11) for determining the signal propagation time between the electromagnetic radio modules (9) and determining the distance between the electromagnetic radio modules based on the signal propagation time.

9. The crane according to claim 8, wherein: The propagation time determination device (11) comprises a TDOA module (12) for determining the time difference of the arrival time of a radio signal from one electromagnetic radio module (9) to other electromagnetic radio modules (9), and for determining the signal propagation time between the electromagnetic radio modules (9).

10. The crane according to claim 8, wherein: The propagation time determination device (11) comprises a TOA (13) or a TOF module (14) for determining the absolute arrival time of a radio signal from one electromagnetic radio module (9) to the other electromagnetic radio modules (9), and determining the distance between the electromagnetic radio modules (9) based on the absolute arrival time or the transmission time.

11. The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The electronic evaluation device (10) comprises an angle determination device (15) for determining the angle between the electromagnetic radio modules (9) and trigonometrically determines the position of the electromagnetic radio modules relative to one another based on the determined angle.

12. The crane according to claim 11, wherein: The angle determination device (15) comprises a phase shift module (16) for determining the phase shift of the radio signals at different electromagnetic radio modules (9) and determining the angle between the electromagnetic radio modules (9) based on the determined phase shift.

13. The crane according to claim 11, wherein: The angle determination device (15) comprises an attenuation module (17) for determining the attenuation of the antenna of the electromagnetic radio module (9) caused by the directional characteristics and determining the angle between the electromagnetic radio modules based on the determined attenuation.

14. The crane according to claim 1, wherein: The sensor device (18) comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU) having acceleration and / or rotational speed sensor components for providing acceleration and / or rotational speed signals, wherein the electronic evaluation device (10) comprises a determination component for determining and / or estimating the inclination of the load hook (7) based on the acceleration and / or rotational speed signals of the inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a second determination component for determining the deflection of the sling (6) and / or the load hook (7) relative to the vertical based on the determined inclination of the load hook (7) and the inertial acceleration of the load hook (7).

15. The crane according to claim 1 or 14, wherein: The electronic evaluation device (10) comprises a Kalman filter for combining the load hook position determined from the radio signal of the electromagnetic radio module (9) and the load hook position determined from the sensor signal of the sensor device (18).

16. The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The crane is a revolving tower crane (1).

17. The crane according to claim 5, wherein: At least one electromagnetic radio module (9) is attached to each end of the crane boom (3).

18. The crane according to claim 6, wherein: The electromagnetic radio module (9) is powered by a battery or a storage battery.

19. A method for controlling a crane having a crane boom (3), from which a sling (6) connected to a load hook (7) leads, the crane having a load hook positioning device (8) for determining a load hook position of the load hook (7), It is characterized in that exchanging radio signals from at least one electromagnetic radio module (9) attached to the load hook (7) with a plurality of electromagnetic radio modules (9) attached to the structure of the crane, and determining the position of the load hook (7) by means of an electronic evaluation device (10) from the radio signals exchanged between each of the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7) and at least two other electromagnetic radio modules (9) on the structure of the crane, A sensor device (18) for determining alignment data and acceleration data is provided on the load hook (7), and the electronic evaluation device (10) is designed to calculate the load hook position of the load hook (7) based on the alignment data and acceleration data detected by the sensor device (18).

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The electronic evaluation device determines the signal propagation time of the exchanged radio signals and / or the angle of the radio signals at the electromagnetic radio module, and calculates the load hook position based on the signal propagation time and / or the radio signal angle.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, wherein: A drive of the crane is controlled based on the determined load hook position.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The rotating mechanism and / or the lifting mechanism and / or the trolley are controlled based on the determined load hook position.

23. A device for controlling a crane having a crane boom (3), from which a sling (6) connected to a load hook (7) leads, the crane having a load hook positioning device (8) for determining the load hook position of the load hook (7), It is characterized in that The radio signals of at least one electromagnetic radio module (9) attached to the load hook (7) are exchanged with a plurality of electromagnetic radio modules (9) attached to the structure of the crane, and the electronic evaluation device (10) is arranged and designed to determine the position of the load hook (7) based on the radio signals exchanged between the electromagnetic radio module (9) on the load hook (7) and each of the at least two other electromagnetic radio modules (9) on the structure of the crane, A sensor device (18) for determining alignment data and acceleration data is provided on the load hook (7), and the electronic evaluation device (10) is designed to calculate the load hook position of the load hook (7) based on the alignment data and acceleration data detected by the sensor device (18).

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