Method and apparatus for detecting the building status of a construction and / or material handling machine

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for detecting the building state of a construction and / or material handling machine (11), in particular a crane, and / or the position of individual building elements (12) of the construction and / or material handling machine, the device comprising an electronic identification element (1) mounted on a building element of the construction and / or material handling machine and an electronic evaluation device (23) for determining the building state and / or the position of the building element based on information received from the identification element. The identification element mounted on the building element is provided with an energy collection device for collecting electrical energy from environmental influences and an energy storage device (7) for storing the collected energy and supplying power to the identification element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a device for detecting the building state of a construction and / or material handling machine, in particular a crane, and / or the position of individual building elements of the construction and / or material handling machine, the construction and / or material handling machine comprising an electronic identification element mounted on a building element of the construction and / or material handling machine and an electronic evaluation device for determining the building state and / or the position of the building element based on information received from the identification element. The invention also relates to such a construction and / or material handling machine, in particular in the form of a crane. Background Art

[0002] Not only construction and / or material handling machines such as cranes (e.g. revolving tower cranes or telescopic cranes), but also mast cranes or offshore cranes such as ship cranes are often operated in different construction states, in which individual construction elements such as boom parts, ballast elements, guy cables or tower parts are installed or removed, additionally attached or installed at different locations. This influences the loads and thus the service life of the components on the one hand. On the other hand, the construction state also has a decisive influence on the permissible loads of the crane, which must be taken into account by selecting a corresponding load curve in the load monitoring device or by configuring the crane controller differently.

[0003] To date, main data of the relevant construction state, such as the overall length of the components, such as boom length, tower height and counter-jib length, or the number of installed ballast elements, have been entered manually into the controller, usually by the crane operator or rigger during the crane assembly process, so that the controller can select the relevant load curve semi-automatically.

[0004] However, it has also recently been proposed to automatically monitor the construction state of such construction and / or material handling machines by installing corresponding monitoring devices or suitable sensor systems on the machine in order to detect the set machine elements and / or the installation position of installed machine elements.

[0005] For example, EP 17 24 230 B1 shows a crawler crane or crawler excavator in which a ballast element that can be placed on the upper structure and a traction weight that can be fastened to the lower structure are each provided with an RFID tag. A reading device reads the information provided by the RFID tag and transmits it to a control device, which then sets the overload protection accordingly.

[0006] In a similar manner, DE 10 2012 025 111 A1 provides RFID transponders on the counterweight and the possibly mounted boom of a telescopic crane, wherein a control unit of the crane determines the construction state and calculates a load cutoff value based on the data transmitted by the RFID transponder.

[0007] Document DE 10 2014 018 063 A1 considers that determining the build state of a crane by means of such RFID tags is disadvantageous and would like to determine the build state of a crawler or mobile crane by means of a camera which should be able to optically detect characteristic build state parameters. For example, the number of cable wraps on the load hook or the number of ballast plates used on the superstructure should be determined by means of a camera.

[0008] Document EP 27 99 386 B1 proposes determining the number of ballast weight plates arranged on a crane by means of weight sensors which detect the load on the steel structure of the superstructure.

[0009] Furthermore, document WO 2017 / 162336 A1 describes a revolving tower crane on whose grid elements are mounted so-called RuBee tags which transmit in the low-frequency range and transmit identification data to a control device which determines the building status based on the received information. As an alternative to such LWID elements communicating in the low-frequency range, the corresponding data can also be transmitted to the control device via optical conductors, which, however, requires corresponding optical fiber cabling with coupling elements between the crane elements. In this case, the data transmission should take place via multi-hop transmission.

[0010] However, especially in the case of construction and / or material handling machines such as cranes, the energy supply required for data transmission to the identification element is not simple. On the one hand, the large boom lengths and tower heights or corresponding machine dimensions result in considerable distances between the information element mounted to the remote construction element and the machine controller, so that wireless energy transmission is not easy to achieve. Although it is known that RFID tags can not only transmit data via high-frequency radio waves from the RFID reading device, but also supply energy to the transponder. However, this is only possible to a limited range and is often affected by metal parts and the resulting coverings. Active RFID transponders that are powered by batteries or accumulators can alleviate the problem of effective distance, but on the other hand, the energy cannot be stored for a long enough time.

[0011] Many construction elements, such as tower and boom parts of cranes or other mechanical, usually metallic, structural parts, are very durable components that are often used for many years. Furthermore, construction machine elements are often also stored in storage locations for longer periods of time, for example for winter storage, which further wears out the batteries of such transponder chips.

[0012] In addition to the power supply problem mentioned above, problems may also arise in information transmission, for example when there is mutual interference of radio signals due to a large number of RFID chips or when there is environmental interference. Especially for RFID tags mounted on steel components, it is often not easy to keep the communication stable. Summary of the invention

[0013] The object of the invention is to provide an improved method and an improved device for detecting the building state and / or the position of a building element and an improved construction and / or material handling machine of the type mentioned above, which method, device and machine avoid the disadvantages of the prior art and further develop the latter in an advantageous manner. In particular, a stable communication with the information element should be achieved even at greater distances due to greater boom or tower lengths, so that the building state or the position of a building element can be reliably determined and reliable operation should be ensured over a long service life of the machine.

[0014] In order to maintain a sufficient energy supply of an identification element mounted on a building element over a longer service life, allowing data transmission or communication over greater distances, it is proposed to repeatedly recharge the energy storage of the identification element by energy harvesting. According to the invention, the identification element mounted on the building element is provided with an energy harvesting device for harvesting electrical energy from environmental influences and with an energy storage for storing the harvested energy and supplying the identification element with power. The building element on which the identification element is mounted, as well as the identification element itself, is exposed during its service life to various environmental influences, such as mechanical stresses, solar radiation and daylight exposure, temperature loads or thermal differences, which allows the energy storage of the identification element to be repeatedly recharged with energy.

[0015] In an improved example of the present invention, in order to make the most of each energy collection opportunity, the energy collection device may include a plurality of energy collection modules that operate differently. Through such a plurality of energy collection modules that operate in different ways, different environmental influences may be utilized, or energy in the form of voltage or current may be obtained from different environmental influences. Different energy collection devices may store energy collected simultaneously or sequentially in a common energy storage device.

[0016] In particular, at least one of the identification elements mounted on the construction element of the machine can be provided with at least one thermoelectric energy harvesting module, which can convert the heat load and / or thermal gradient on the construction element and / or the identification element into electrical energy. In particular, the identification element can be provided with a Peltier element, which is mounted to component parts with different (especially opposite) surfaces regularly or at least occasionally at different temperatures. An electric current can be generated by applying a temperature difference on both sides of the Peltier element, which is sometimes also referred to as the Seebeck effect. In particular, the Peltier element can be connected to a generally warm environmental element on the one hand and to a generally cold environmental element on the other hand through a highly thermally conductive material such as a thermally conductive paste. These warm or cold environmental elements can form the direct environment of the identification element or a part thereof. For example, this can be a part of a steel structural beam on the one hand and an electronic component of the identification element on the other hand.

[0017] As an alternative or in addition to such a thermoelectric energy harvesting module, the identification element can also be powered by an electromechanical energy harvesting module. Such an electromechanical energy harvesting module can, for example, comprise at least one piezoelectric element which can convert elastic deformation into electrical energy. Advantageously, such a piezoelectric element can be mounted on or connected to a portion of the respective building element on which the identification element is mounted, which portion is regularly subjected to high mechanical stress or tension and thus shows elastic deformation. This can, for example, be a truss arm The longitudinal or transverse chord of the building element or another highly stressed part of the building element. For example, it is useful to mount such a piezoelectric element on a boom part and / or a tower part of a crane on which a corresponding identification element is mounted.

[0018] As an alternative or in addition to such piezoelectric elements, which already respond to slight deformations, electromechanical transducers can also detect the adjustment movements of the building element that occur during mechanical operation and convert them into electrical energy. This can be, for example, a dynamo or generator mounted on a pivot bearing or cable pulley.

[0019] As an alternative or in addition to such an electromechanical energy harvesting module, a photovoltaic energy harvesting module can also be provided, which can convert incident light, such as solar radiation, into electrical energy. Such a photovoltaic energy harvesting module can be mounted directly on the identification element, but can also be mounted at a certain distance relative to the building element in order to power the energy storage of the identification element.

[0020] Alternatively or additionally, the identification element may further include an energy harvesting module for obtaining electrical energy from near field communication applied to the identification element. In particular, an inductive energy harvesting module may be provided.

[0021] The electrical energy obtained by the energy collection device can be stored in a common energy storage device, or it can also be stored in multiple independent energy storage devices. In this regard, an energy control and / or management device can be provided, which controls and / or manages the storage of energy in at least one energy storage device and / or the extraction of energy from at least one energy storage device. Such a power management device can be connected to at least one energy storage device on the one hand, and to multiple energy collection devices that may be different on the other hand, in order to control the storage of the collected energy in the energy storage device. On the other hand, the power management device can also be connected to an electrical device, such as a transmission device for sending information, in order to provide the energy provided by the energy storage device to the electrical device and / or control the power supply of the electrical device.

[0022] In order to save energy or consume as little energy as possible, the energy control and / or management device can, for example, supply power to an electrical device such as a transmission device only within a predetermined time window and / or specified functional requirements, wherein the time and / or functional window can be determined, for example, according to the function assigned to the identification element, or can be determined according to a stored logic, which can be stored, for example, in the form of software, for example, in the identification element itself. Alternatively or in addition, the energy control and / or management device can also start the energy supply according to an external signal received at the identification element, for example according to an information retrieval signal from another identification element or another control device or a remote site.

[0023] As energy storage, different storage modules such as capacitors or batteries can be provided, wherein a mixture comprising at least one capacitor and at least one battery can also be provided. In this case, the energy control and / or management device can decide, for example, based on the amount and / or duration of energy collection, in which energy storage the energy provided by the energy collection device is currently stored. For example, a lower voltage, for example from a Peltier element, and / or a voltage provided over a longer period of time can be supplied to the battery, while a short-term and / or higher voltage, for example from a piezoelectric element, can be input to the capacitor.

[0024] Alternatively or additionally, compensation can also be provided between a plurality of energy stores, for example so that the short-term energy stored in the capacitor is partially stored in the battery by means of the compensation.

[0025] In order to be able to transmit information efficiently, the identification elements can each comprise a communication device, preferably in the form of a transmitting / receiving device with at least one antenna device, in order to be able to transmit or receive information or signals wirelessly via the antenna device.

[0026] In order to be able to communicate with the various remote stations with lower energy consumption, different antenna arrangements can advantageously be provided on the respective identification elements.

[0027] In order to transmit the corresponding information or the corresponding signal in an energy-efficient manner, the transmission control device may select, according to the corresponding information to be transmitted, through which antenna device the corresponding signal is to be transmitted.

[0028] In an improved example of the invention, the antenna device may include a multi-frequency antenna on at least one identification element, preferably on all identification elements, which can transmit and / or receive signals of different frequencies or frequency ranges. For example, the multi-frequency antenna can be designed to simultaneously transmit and / or receive signals of different frequency ranges, wherein such a multi-frequency antenna can be designed, for example, in the form of a Lakhovsky antenna. Alternatively or in addition, the multi-frequency antenna can also be designed only to selectively transmit in one or another frequency band.

[0029] Advantageously, a frequency control device can be assigned to the antenna device, which frequency control device is responsible for determining or selecting the frequency for data communication in order to subsequently transmit and / or receive via the multi-frequency antenna in the desired frequency band.

[0030] Alternatively or in addition, the antenna device can have a directional antenna, for example in the form of a directional radio antenna (Richtfunkantenne) and / or a phased array antenna (Phased-Array-Antenne), that is, in the form of a directional phased array antenna, which achieves focusing of the radiated energy by arranging and interconnecting individual radiators.

[0031] Alternatively or additionally, the antenna device can also have a near-field antenna for near-field communication, for example in the form of a near-field radio antenna. Via such a near-field antenna, the information element can communicate, for example transmit information or receive signals, in particular with other information elements mounted on the respective machine and / or other remote stations on or near the machine.

[0032] Alternatively or additionally, the antenna device may also have a positioning antenna in order to receive signals from a position positioning system, for example signals from a navigation satellite.

[0033] As an alternative or in addition to the GPS positioning device, the corresponding information element can also have a positioning device for position determination which operates in a different manner. For example, the positioning device can include a mobile radio device with a position determination function in order to determine, for example, in which mobile radio unit the information element is respectively located and / or to determine at which point or in which area between a plurality of mobile radio masts the corresponding information element is located when receiving a plurality of mobile radio signals. Such mobile radio positioning methods, which for example include a triangulation determination function, are known per se and can be used to determine the exact position of the mobile radio device arranged on the information element from the known positions of a plurality of radio unit masts or antennas and the strength and / or direction of the corresponding signals.

[0034] Alternatively or additionally, the locating device can also have a position determination device for determining the position relative to other information elements, wherein such a position determination can be performed, for example, by a propagation time measuring device which can measure the signal propagation time between the information elements.

[0035] In order to save energy during data communication and not to have unnecessarily long transmission distances and thus no need for transmission power, in an advantageous development of the invention at least some of the information elements can communicate with one another in series or can be connected in series so that information is transmitted between the information elements in the form of an information chain. In particular, the information elements can form a daisy chain system, which transmits information in series from information element to information element and from information element to the above-mentioned evaluation device or to another external data processing device, wherein such an external data processing device can be arranged on the construction and / or material handling machine or separately therefrom.

[0036] Advantageously, the information element can be constructed such that the information and / or signals to be transmitted can be connected in series with one another and / or the data packets to be transmitted can be dynamically adapted. For example, an information element which has to transmit its own information as well as additional "foreign" information from adjacent information elements can only transmit data packets containing its own information as well as the foreign information. For example, if the reception time of a signal is to be reported back to a first identification element and a second identification element, the second identification element can transmit its reception time and its identification information to the first information element, which then proceeds to transmit a data packet which contains, on the one hand, the identification code and the reception time of the second element, and also the reception time and the identification code of the first element.

[0037] The dynamic telegram adaptation and the daisy-chaining of the information to be transmitted make it possible to determine the sequence of the individual components and identification elements.

[0038] Advantageously, all information or data of an identification element or a subgroup of identification elements can be collected in a superordinate system, such as a machine control system or a cloud.

[0039] However, the above-mentioned evaluation device, which can be implemented in a superordinate system such as a machine control system or in the cloud, can also be designed separately therefrom and / or can be assigned to one of the identification elements in order to determine the construction state of the construction and / or material handling machine or the position of the identification element and the construction element identified therewith. This enables the tracking of the complete life cycle of the construction element. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The invention will be explained in more detail below based on preferred exemplary embodiments and related drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 A diagram of a construction and material handling machine in the form of two rotating tower cranes is shown, whose construction elements, including tower and boom elements and ballast elements, are each provided with identification elements, wherein communication paths between the identification elements and to a positioning system, a mobile radio system and the cloud are shown.

[0042] Figure 2 The detail diagram shows Figure 1 A diagram of one of the identified elements showing the energy harvesting module, energy storage and energy management device of the identified element.

[0043] Figure 3 Shown is the installation Figure 1 A diagram of identification elements on one of the boom members of a rotating tower crane and their mutual communication, illustrating a daisy chain system formed by the identification elements.

[0044] Figure 4 Shows Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a diagram of a construction and material handling machine in which a building element is deposited and retrieved at a storage location, wherein the transmission of information between an identification element mounted on the building element and a registration station of the storage location is shown.

[0045] Figure 5 A diagram showing a building element with an identification element mounted thereon stored in a storage location, wherein reading of the information of the identification element by a handheld transmitter or receiver is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] like Figure 1As shown, the construction and / or material handling machine 11 can be designed as a crane (e.g. in the form of a rotating tower crane) and can include a plurality of building elements 12, from which the construction and / or material handling machine 11 can be constructed. In general, the building elements 12 can be variably arranged and / or installed in different positions, so that the machine can be operated in different configurations depending on the presence, number and installation position of the building elements 12.

[0047] Such building elements 12 can in particular be mechanical structural components, such as steel components, cables, ballast weights, etc. In the case of a crane, the building elements 12 can, for example, comprise boom and / or tower components, from which the boom or tower of the crane can be assembled. Depending on the type of crane, they can, for example, be lattice beams. Telescopic panels or tower sections or boom sections.

[0048] The further construction elements 12 may comprise ballast weights, superstructure and / or substructure elements, guying elements or other components of the respective construction and / or material handling machine 11 .

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the electronic identification element 1 can be mounted, in particular rigidly fastened, to said construction element 12 , which can be achieved, for example, by gluing or in another way. Advantageously, at least one identification element 1 is assigned to each construction element 12 in an unchangeable manner.

[0050] The identification element 1 may be designed as an ID tag or a smart tag adhered to each construction element 12 .

[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, the identification element 1 may include electronic data processing and / or communication means to process and / or store and / or send and / or receive information. Advantageously, the identification element 1 may include data processing logic, for example in the form of hard wiring or in the form of a program stored in a program memory and processable by a microprocessor.

[0052] In order to achieve energy self-sufficiency for a long time even under unfavorable conditions, the identification element 1 comprises an energy harvesting device which can harvest energy from the environment of the identification element 1. The energy harvesting device can advantageously comprise a plurality of energy harvesting modules which operate in different ways in order to be able to convert various environmental influences into electrical energy.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, the energy harvesting device may advantageously include at least one thermoelectric energy harvesting module 8 or be designed in the form of a Peltier element, for example.

[0054] Such a thermoelectric energy harvesting module 8 can advantageously be connected to a generally warm ambient element on the one hand and to a generally cold ambient element on the other hand via a highly thermally conductive material, such as a thermally conductive paste 9. For example, one side of the Peltier element or thermoelectric energy harvesting module 8 can form part of a mounting surface of the identification element 1, which is connected to a corresponding building element 12, such as being engaged with a surface plane of a metal building element 12, such as being adhered thereto. If the building element 12 is a metal component, it is subject to greater temperature fluctuations, such as high temperatures under sunlight, or low temperatures at night or in cold outside temperatures.

[0055] The other surface of the thermoelectric energy collection module 8 (particularly the opposite surface of the Peltier element) can be connected to the inner side of the electronic component 1 , particularly to its data processing and / or transmission device, for example, via the thermally conductive material 9 .

[0056] The temperature gradient applied to the two surfaces of the module 8 is converted by the module 8 into electrical energy.

[0057] As an alternative or in addition to such a thermoelectric energy module 8, the energy harvesting device 10 can advantageously also include at least one electromechanical energy harvesting module 4, for example in the form of a piezoelectric element. Such an electromechanical energy harvesting module 4 can be integrated into the identification element 1 and / or connected to the environment module in order to participate in the deformation of the identification element 1 and / or the corresponding environment module or be deformed by such a deformation. Figure 2 As shown, for example, an electromechanical energy harvesting module 4 can be mounted to a connection surface of the identification element 1, which is planarly connected to the corresponding building element 12. Alternatively or additionally, another electromechanical energy harvesting module 4 can be integrated into the housing and / or the interior of the identification element 1 so that a corresponding deformation occurs when the element 1 is deformed and / or stretched. The mechanical deformation is converted into electrical energy.

[0058] Alternatively or additionally, at least one photovoltaic energy collection module 5 may be provided, which may be mounted on the outer side or outer shell of the identification element 1 to collect ambient light, in particular solar radiation or sunlight, falling on the identification element 1. The module 5 converts the collected light into electrical energy.

[0059] Alternatively or additionally, the identification element 1 may also include an inductive energy harvesting module 3 , for example in the form of a coil, to convert communication signals or communication waves such as near field communication signals or radio signals acting on the identification element 1 from the environment into energy.

[0060] Advantageously, the different energy collection modules of the energy collection device 10 are connected via an energy control and / or management device 6 to at least one energy storage device 7, in which the electrical energy collected by the modules can be stored. The energy control and / or management device 6 can limit the energy storage, for example, when a plurality of energy collection modules provide more energy than can be stored in the energy storage device 7. Alternatively or in addition, the energy control and / or management device can distribute the electrical energy provided by the energy collection device 10 to the different energy storage devices 7, which can be controlled in the above-described manner, for example, depending on the amount of energy collected and / or the desired duration.

[0061] The energy control and / or management device 6 can also be connected in the opposite manner to the electrical consumers of the identification element 1 in order to control their energy supply and / or energy extraction from the energy store 7 .

[0062] Such an electrical device may be, for example, a communication device 15 , which may include a data transmission device and / or a data reception device in order to transmit and / or receive information.

[0063] In order to be able to communicate with different remote sites, the communication device 15 may advantageously include different antenna devices 16. For example, the antenna device 16 may have a multi-frequency antenna and / or a directional antenna (e.g. in the form of a phased array antenna or a directional radio antenna) and / or a near field communication antenna and / or a mobile radio antenna and / or a GPS and / or tracking antenna for communicating with a navigation satellite or other positioning device.

[0064] like Figure 1 As shown, the identification elements 1 can advantageously communicate with each other or with one another, which can be done, for example, via a near field communication antenna of the communication device 15. Alternatively or in addition, the identification elements 1 or at least one identification element 1 can communicate with a mobile radio device and / or with a navigation satellite 17 or another positioning device, for example in the form of a mobile radio mast.

[0065] Alternatively or additionally, the communication device 15 of at least one identification element 1 may be designed to communicate with a cloud 18 , in which information or data of all identification elements 1 may be stored.

[0066] In an advantageous improvement example of the invention, it is also possible that it is not the identification element 1 itself, but an intermediate communication device (for example, a communication module of a machine controller such as a crane control device) that communicates with the navigation satellite 17 and / or the mobile radio device and / or the cloud 18 in order to forward or transmit data received from the identification element 1 to them, or conversely, to receive information from the device and forward it to the identification element 1 or transmit it in a processed form.

[0067] In order to save communication energy, the communication means 15 of at least one identification element 1 may include radio power control means 19 which increase or decrease or switch off the radio power according to the amount of radio power required. This may be controlled, for example, according to the distance to a neighboring identification element 1 or another remote station and / or according to the transmission function to be performed and / or according to the received information signal.

[0068] Advantageously, the radio power control device 19 is designed to transmit radio signals only in the environment required for the respective task. In particular, crossover between component groups can be avoided. In addition, transmission can be advantageously performed at the lowest possible power, thereby saving energy.

[0069] Alternatively or additionally, the communication device 15 may be designed to adapt the transmission frequency to the environment in order to establish a radio connection with different remote sites and to keep the communication stable.

[0070] In an advantageous development of the invention, a position determination device 20 is provided which can be integrated in one or each identification element 1 and / or can be arranged on an external data processing module of the construction and / or material handling machine 1 , such as a crane control.

[0071] By means of such a position determination device 20, the exact position of the respective identification element 1 and thus the position of the building element 12 identified thereby can be determined. Here, the position determination device 20 can be designed to work in different ways. For example, the position determination device 20 can perform a GPS positioning, for example by evaluating navigation satellite signals received in the respective identification element 1. Alternatively or in addition, the position determination device 20 can determine the position of the identification element 1 receiving the signal, for example by means of triangulation methods and / or by means of orientation technology from mobile radio signals received by a mobile radio device.

[0072] Alternatively or additionally, the position determination device 20 can also determine the position of the identification element 1 by measuring the propagation time of radio signals between the elements 1 .

[0073] In order to save energy, the identification element 1 is advantageously designed to send only the most necessary data (e.g., tags) within a predetermined period of time, so as to obtain the shortest possible transmission cycle and save energy. Advantageously, dynamic telegram adaptation is performed and / or the information is connected in series, for example, in a daisy chain structure.

[0074] like Figure 3 As shown, this interconnection of information also advantageously makes it possible to determine the sequence of the individual components and elements.

[0075] Advantageously, the query initiated by the first identification element can be passed on by the second identification element to the third identification element, to the nth identification element, wherein the reception time and / or the propagation time of the query signal and / or the reception confirmation signal, respectively, are determined and sent back (see Figure 3 ). The order and / or spacing of the elements 1 can be determined based on the signal propagation time and / or reception time and / or based on a dynamically combined data packet which can, for example, include the sum of the identification codes of the individual elements in a predetermined order.

[0076] like Figure 1 As shown, all information of the element 1 can advantageously be collected in a superordinate system, for example in a machine control (which can be a crane control) or in a data cloud.

[0077] Furthermore, when the building element 12 is not installed on the machine but is stored in a storage location, the identification element can also be used to determine the storage location of the corresponding building element 12. Figure 4 As shown, the position of the respective identification element 1 and the position of the building element 12 associated therewith can be determined, for example, in the manner described by mobile radio positioning and / or GPS satellite navigation positioning. Alternatively or additionally, the position determination device 20 can also evaluate a central radio station 21 of the warehouse, if necessary, for a finer evaluation by directional radio.

[0078] Alternatively or additionally, communication with a handheld transmitter 22 is also possible, by means of which the building elements 12 or the identification elements 1 mounted thereon can be scanned or located at the storage location of the building elements or identification elements (see Figure 5 ).

Claims

1. A method for detecting the assembly state and assembly position of structural elements of a construction and / or material handling machine (11), wherein: The construction and / or material handling machine (11) is assembled from a plurality of the structural elements, and the plurality of the structural elements can be variably arranged and / or installed at different positions of the construction and / or material handling machine (11), wherein information is transmitted from an electronic identification element (1) mounted on the structural element to an electronic evaluation device (23), and the assembly state and the assembly position of the structural element are determined by the electronic evaluation device based on the information received from the electronic identification element (1), wherein determining the assembly state of the structural element comprises determining by the electronic evaluation device the presence or absence of the structural element of the construction and / or material handling machine (11), and wherein determining the assembly position of the structural element comprises determining by the electronic evaluation device the assembly position of the structural element present in the construction and / or material handling machine (11); The electronic identification element (1) is powered by an energy collection device arranged on the corresponding electronic identification element (1), wherein the energy collection device converts environmental influences acting on the corresponding electronic identification element (1) into electrical energy, and Each electronic identification element (1) is provided with an energy storage device, in which the electrical energy generated by the energy collection device is stored, so that each electronic identification element (1) is powered self-sufficiently by its corresponding energy storage device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the electronic identification elements (1) is powered by a plurality of differently operated energy harvesting modules (3, 4, 5, 8), wherein the plurality of energy harvesting modules (3, 4, 5, 8) convert different environmental influences into electrical energy.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The electrical energy generated by the different energy collection modules (3, 4, 5, 8) is stored in a common energy storage device (7), and is supplied from the energy storage device (7) to an electrical device of the electronic identification element (1).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The construction and / or material handling machine is a crane.

5. A device for detecting the assembly state and assembly position of structural elements of a construction and / or material handling machine (11), wherein: The construction and / or material handling machine (11) is assembled from a plurality of the structural elements, and the plurality of the structural elements can be variably arranged and / or installed at different positions of the construction and / or material handling machine (11), and the device comprises: an electronic identification element (1) mounted on said structural element of said construction and / or material handling machine (11); and An electronic evaluation device (23) for determining the assembly state and the assembly position of the structural element based on information received from the electronic identification element (1), wherein the electronic evaluation device (23) is configured to determine the presence or absence of the structural element of the construction and / or material handling machine (11) and is configured to determine the assembly position of the structural element present in the construction and / or material handling machine (11), It is characterized in that the electronic identification elements (1) are respectively provided with an energy collection device for collecting electrical energy from environmental influences acting on the corresponding electronic identification element (1) and an energy storage device (7) for storing the collected energy and supplying it to an electrical device of the electronic identification element (1), so that each of the electronic identification elements (1) is powered self-sufficiently by its corresponding energy storage device.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein: The construction and / or material handling machine is a crane.

7. The device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The energy harvesting device comprises a plurality of differently operating energy harvesting modules (3, 4, 5, 8).

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The different energy collection modules are connected to a common energy storage device (7) and can supply power from the energy storage device to the electrical device of the electronic identification element (1).

9. The device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The energy harvesting device comprises at least one thermoelectric energy harvesting module (8) for converting a temperature difference into electrical energy.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The thermoelectric energy collection module (8) is a Peltier element.

11. The device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The energy harvesting device comprises at least one electromechanical energy harvesting module (4) for converting mechanical deformation and / or movement into electrical energy.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein The energy collection module (4) is a piezoelectric element.

13. The device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The energy collection device comprises at least one photovoltaic energy collection module (5) for converting ambient light into electrical energy.

14. The device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The energy harvesting device includes at least one photosensitive cell.

15. The device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The energy harvesting device comprises at least one inductive energy generator (3).

16. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The energy harvesting device is integrated into the electronic identification element (1).

17. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The energy collection device is arranged in a housing of the electronic identification component or on the housing of the electronic identification component.

18. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: At least one energy collection module (3, 4, 5, 8) forms a part of the mounting surface of the electronic identification element (1), and the electronic identification element is mounted on a corresponding structural element through the mounting surface.

19. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: An energy control and / or management device (6) is connected to the energy collection device and the energy storage device (7) and is configured to control energy storage in the energy storage device (7) and / or energy extraction from the energy storage device (7) according to at least one operating function and / or operating parameter of the electronic identification element (1).

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein: The energy control and / or management device (6) is configured to control and / or distribute energy storage from the energy collection device to the energy storage device (7) according to a desired duration and / or a desired amount of energy collection.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein: The energy control and / or management device (6) is constructed to control the energy supply from the energy storage device (7) to at least one electrical device of at least one of the electronic identification elements (1) according to the operating function of the electronic identification element (1) and / or according to an information signal received from the electronic identification element (1).

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein: The energy control and / or management device (6) is constructed to control the energy supply from the energy storage device (7) to at least one electrical device of at least one of the electronic identification elements (1) according to the operating function of the electronic identification element (1) and / or according to an information signal received from the electronic identification element (1).

23. The apparatus according to claim 21 or 22, wherein: The energy control and / or management device (6) is configured to supply power to the electrical device only when the functional logic of the electronic identification element (1) requires information transmission or has received an information request signal from the electronic identification element (1).

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein: The electrical device is a transmission device of the electronic identification element (1).

25. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The electronic identification elements (1) each comprise a communication device (15) comprising at least one antenna device (16).

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein: The communication device (15) is connected to a radio power control device (19) which is configured to increase or decrease the radio power of the communication device (15) according to the information to be transmitted and / or according to the remote site to which the information is to be transmitted.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein: The antenna arrangement (16) includes a plurality of antennas for communicating with different remote sites, the plurality of antennas being differently configured.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein: The antenna arrangement (16) includes a plurality of antennas for communicating with different remote sites, the plurality of antennas being differently configured.

29. Apparatus according to any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein The antenna device (16) comprises at least one multi-frequency antenna for transmitting and / or receiving in different frequency bands.

30. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The antenna device (16) comprises at least one directional antenna.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein: The directional antenna is in the form of a directional radio antenna or a phased array antenna.

32. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6, wherein: The antenna arrangement (16) comprises a near field antenna.

33. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The antenna device (16) comprises a satellite antenna for receiving signals from a navigation satellite.

34. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: A position determination device (20) is provided for determining the position of the electronic identification element (1).

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein: The position determination means (20) comprises satellite navigation means for evaluating satellite signals received at the electronic identification element (1).

36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein: The position determination device (20) comprises a mobile radio positioning device for evaluating mobile radio signals received at the electronic identification element (1) and determining the position of the electronic identification element (1) based on the received mobile radio signals.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein: The position determination device (20) comprises a mobile radio positioning device for evaluating mobile radio signals received at the electronic identification element (1) and determining the position of the electronic identification element (1) based on the received mobile radio signals.

38. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein: The position determination device (20) comprises a propagation time determination device for determining the position of the electronic identification element (1) based on the signal propagation time between the electronic identification elements (1).

39. Apparatus according to any one of claims 35 to 37, wherein: The position determination device (20) comprises a propagation time determination device for determining the position of the electronic identification element (1) based on the signal propagation time between the electronic identification elements (1).

40. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6, wherein: The electronic identification element (1) forms a serial transmission structure and is configured to transmit information received from an adjacent electronic identification element (1) to another adjacent electronic identification element (1), and in the process dynamically adapt the information block to be transmitted to the received information.

41. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6, wherein: At least one fixedly mounted transmitting and / or receiving device (21) is provided at the storage location for receiving information from the electronic identification element (1) located at the storage location.

42. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6, wherein: At least one mobile, manually movable transmitting and / or receiving device (22) is arranged at the storage location for receiving information from the electronic identification element (1) located at the storage location.

43. A construction and / or material handling machine equipped with an apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 42.

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