A tower crane Ethernet communication storage linkage control system and control method

Abstract

This invention discloses a tower crane Ethernet communication storage control system and method, including a data acquisition and control unit that communicates with multiple tower crane peripheral systems. The data acquisition and control unit connects to the tower crane peripheral systems via Ethernet communication. The data acquisition and control unit includes at least a controller and a storage device, an Ethernet communication device, and multiple expansion devices connected to the controller. The control process involves establishing an Ethernet communication connection between the controller and the tower crane peripheral systems via the Ethernet communication device. The controller controls the storage device to package the execution control commands and then send them to the tower crane peripheral systems. The storage device simultaneously records and stores the operational behaviors associated with the execution of all execution control commands, logical judgments, and trigger communication command messages. This invention can record the tower crane operator's operational behavior in real time, improving the digitalization and intelligence level of the control console and realizing data sharing for tower crane operation control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of tower crane control technology, and in particular to a tower crane Ethernet communication storage linkage control system and control method. Background Technology

[0002] Tower cranes (hereinafter referred to as tower cranes), as a type of three-degree-of-freedom transportation machinery, are widely used in construction, water conservancy, bridge, power station, port and other construction environments. The hoisting operation of tower cranes mainly relies on the control system of the control console. However, traditional control consoles are often connected to the tower crane control system through a large number of parallel lines. As a result, due to the large number of lines, the wiring is complicated, the connection is unidirectional, the fault diagnosis is difficult, and it is not conducive to installation, dismantling and maintenance. Moreover, it is not possible to network and communicate with multiple peripheral systems at the same time, which is not conducive to digital information sharing and is not convenient to expand into other systems. At the same time, traditional parallel control consoles lack local real-time recording of the tower crane operator's operation behavior, and other bus-type control consoles also lack communication message recording and storage functions, which is not conducive to the rapid investigation of operational safety accidents and the tracking of system faults. For example, a Chinese patent titled "A Tower Crane Control Platform and Tower Crane" with application number 201921854224.3 uses a CAN bus to replace the traditional parallel connection in the tower crane control system. This has advantages such as simple wiring, easy operation, installation and maintenance. However, it cannot solve the problems of simultaneous networking and communication with multiple peripheral systems, data sharing and bus communication message recording and storage, which is not conducive to system expansion and fault diagnosis.

[0003] While the aforementioned existing technologies can replace a large number of parallel lines of the control console with CAN bus, reducing wiring and avoiding installation and maintenance inconvenience caused by excessive wiring, the system can only be connected to the tower crane central control system and cannot be flexibly networked and expanded to connect to multiple systems, such as the tower crane safety monitoring system, which is beneficial for real-time monitoring of the tower crane control console's operation behavior, and the tower crane back-end management system, which enhances remote supervision capabilities. At the same time, this technology lacks the function of local real-time storage of operation behavior records and bus message storage functions of the tower crane control console, making it impossible to trace back violations of operation accidents, to troubleshoot accidents in a timely manner, and to track and troubleshoot system faults, resulting in low system maintenance capabilities. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a control system and method for tower crane Ethernet communication and recording storage. This invention can record the tower crane operator's actions in real time, which not only improves the digitalization and intelligence level of the control console and realizes data sharing for tower crane operation control, but also enables immediate troubleshooting of accidents and system fault tracking, while reducing system maintenance requirements. To achieve the above objectives, this invention employs the following technical effects:

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a control system for tower crane Ethernet communication and recording storage is provided. The control system includes a data acquisition and control unit that is communicatively connected to multiple tower crane peripheral systems. The data acquisition and control unit is connected to the tower crane peripheral systems via Ethernet communication. The data acquisition and control unit includes at least a controller and a storage device, an Ethernet communication device, and multiple expansion devices respectively connected to the controller. The controller has at least one bus interface and two expansion control interfaces. The expansion devices and the storage device are respectively connected to the controller via the expansion control interfaces. The bus interface of the controller establishes a communication connection with the tower crane peripheral systems via the Ethernet communication device. The controller is used to acquire execution control commands from the expansion control interfaces, perform logical judgment processing based on the execution control commands, and trigger communication messages on the bus interface. It establishes a communication connection with the tower crane peripheral systems based on the communication messages and links the storage device to record the operation behavior of logical judgment and triggering communication command messages.

[0006] In a further preferred embodiment of the above scheme, the extended device has multiple input devices and a web management interface. The web management interface is configured with multiple IP addresses and ports pre-connected to the tower crane peripheral systems. Each input device's corresponding IP address and port establishes a communication connection with the corresponding tower crane peripheral system through an Ethernet communication device, and the communication operation records between the input device and the tower crane peripheral system are recorded through a storage device.

[0007] In a further preferred embodiment of the above scheme, the storage device is provided with a free area, a logic judgment area, an operation record area, and a data aggregation area; the free area is used to independently store the execution control instructions temporarily executed and the communication messages temporarily triggered; the logic judgment area is used to acquire all execution control instructions and communication messages temporarily executed for tower crane linkage, and to judge the tower crane linkage process; the data aggregation area is used to aggregate all execution control instructions temporarily executed for tower crane linkage, and to package and send the execution control instructions to the tower crane peripheral system accordingly; the operation record area is used to record and store any kind of operation behavior when executing tower crane linkage.

[0008] In a further preferred embodiment of the above scheme, a time recording area is also provided in the storage device. The time recording area is used to store and record all temporarily executed execution control instructions, temporarily triggered communication messages, and execution operation behaviors.

[0009] In a further preferred embodiment of the above scheme, a preset time timing unit is divided within the time recording area, and the time timing unit is used to preset the time interval for saving any kind of operation.

[0010] In a further preferred embodiment of the above scheme, the communication message includes header length, source message address, destination message address, instruction address, communication data length, and communication data identifier.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a linkage control method for tower crane Ethernet communication and record storage, the linkage control method comprising the following steps:

[0012] Step 1: When the expansion device triggers the start of any expansion control interface and sends a communication message to the controller, it triggers the bus interface on the controller and starts the establishment of an Ethernet communication connection between the controller and the tower crane peripheral system through the Ethernet communication device.

[0013] Step 2: The extended device sends an execution control command through the corresponding extended control interface, and the controller obtains the execution control command from the corresponding extended control interface;

[0014] Step 3: The controller performs logical judgment processing on the executed control command to determine whether to establish communication with the tower crane's peripheral system. If Ethernet communication is established, the controller controls the storage device to package the executed control command accordingly and then sends it to the tower crane's peripheral system.

[0015] Step 4: The tower crane peripheral system starts up and establishes a communication connection. At the same time, the tower crane peripheral system sends communication messages and start reply signals to the controller below to prompt or control the extended device to operate. The storage device simultaneously records and stores the operation behaviors associated with the execution of all execution control commands, logical judgments and trigger communication instruction messages.

[0016] In a further preferred embodiment of the above scheme, the controller performs logical judgment processing on the executed control commands, including executing tower crane start, emergency stop, bypass, slow positioning, frequency converter reset, slewing brake, hoisting, luffing, slewing handle master command return to zero and gear position judgment, and packages the logical control signal content with the corresponding message and sends it to the tower crane peripheral system.

[0017] In summary, the present invention adopts the above technical solution, and the present invention has the following technical effects:

[0018] This invention simplifies wiring to tower crane peripheral systems, facilitates network access, and enables a control system that records tower crane operator behavior in real time. It improves the digitalization and intelligence of the control system, achieves data sharing for tower crane operation control, allows for immediate troubleshooting and system fault tracking, reduces system maintenance requirements, and enhances safety supervision capabilities. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the control principle of a control system for tower crane Ethernet communication and recording storage linkage table according to the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the control panel of a tower crane Ethernet communication and recording storage linkage control system according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 The control flowchart of a tower crane Ethernet communication and recording storage linkage control method according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments. However, it should be noted that many details listed in the specification are merely to provide the reader with a thorough understanding of one or more aspects of the present invention, and these aspects of the invention can be implemented even without these specific details.

[0023] Combination Figure 1 As shown, according to the present invention, a control system for tower crane Ethernet communication and recording storage includes a data acquisition and control unit that is communicatively connected to multiple tower crane peripheral systems. The data acquisition and control unit is connected to the tower crane peripheral systems via Ethernet communication. The data acquisition and control unit includes at least a controller and a storage device, an Ethernet communication device, and multiple expansion devices respectively connected to the controller. The controller has at least one bus interface and two expansion control interfaces. The expansion devices and the storage device are respectively connected to the controller via the expansion control interfaces. The bus interface of the controller establishes a communication connection with the tower crane peripheral systems via the Ethernet communication device. The controller is used to acquire execution control commands from the expansion control interfaces and perform logical operations based on the execution control commands. The system processes and judges logical judgments, and triggers communication messages on the bus interface. Based on the communication messages, it establishes a communication connection with the tower crane's peripheral system and links the storage device to record the logical judgments and trigger communication command messages. The linkage trigger command executed by the tower crane's peripheral system sends the communication message to the controller through the Ethernet communication device. The controller obtains the communication message according to the linkage protocol on the bus interface, initiates the establishment of a communication connection between the tower crane's peripheral system and the controller, and the storage device records the controller's operation of the communication message. This simplifies the wiring to the tower crane's peripheral system, facilitates network access, and enables the linkage control system to record the tower crane operator's operation behavior in real time, improving the digitalization and intelligence level of the linkage control system and strengthening safety supervision capabilities.

[0024] In this invention, such as Figure 1As shown, the tower crane peripheral system is a third-party access system, mainly including the tower crane control system, tower crane safety monitoring system, and tower crane back-end management system. It establishes a digital connection with the control system of the control console via Ethernet communication. The extended device has multiple input devices and at least one web management interface. Multiple IP addresses and ports for pre-connecting to the tower crane peripheral systems are set on the web management interface. Each input device's corresponding IP address and port establishes a communication connection with the corresponding tower crane peripheral system via Ethernet communication equipment, and the communication operation records between the input device and the tower crane peripheral system are recorded through a storage device. The web interface sets the IP addresses and ports of multiple tower crane peripheral systems to be connected. After the settings are completed, the control console system will automatically network and communicate with each tower crane peripheral system to achieve data sharing, such as connecting to the tower crane safety monitoring system and the tower crane back-end management system, thereby improving the monitoring range of the tower crane safety monitoring system and enhancing the remote monitoring capabilities of supervisors. For example, Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the controller's extended control interface is equipped with various types of expansion devices, including various input / output devices (input / output units). These input / output devices are primarily responsible for providing operational input signals and alarm indication output signals to the controller. The input / output signals include: brake failure indicator light and buzzer output; communication indicator light output; 100% torque alarm indicator light and buzzer output; 90% torque warning indicator light and buzzer output; inverter fault indicator light output; inverter reset button input; slewing brake indicator light output; slewing brake button input; bypass button input; phase sequence indicator light output; test light button input; 100% weight alarm indicator light and buzzer output; 90% weight warning indicator light and buzzer output; slow positioning indicator light output; slow positioning button switch input; test light button input; start indicator light output; start button input; emergency stop button input; slewing master control handle input; luffing master control handle input; and hoisting master control handle input. The controller is primarily responsible for receiving control signals from the Ethernet communication device and outputting them to electrical components such as indicator lights and buzzers, as well as sending operational input signals from push-button switches and master handles to the Ethernet communication unit. The Ethernet communication device, acting as the communication hub, facilitates communication and networking with the tower crane's peripheral systems. It transmits communication control signals from the peripheral systems to the data acquisition and control unit and vice versa, digitizing the input and output switch signals of the entire control panel, simplifying parallel wiring, and enabling digital sharing. The storage device is mainly responsible for recording the operation trigger signals of the input and output units and the communication messages from the Ethernet communication device, facilitating accident tracking and rapid troubleshooting of system faults. This invention employs Ethernet communication control, solving the problems of complex wiring and difficulties in installation and maintenance associated with traditional tower crane parallel wiring. It also addresses the challenge of traditional communication buses being unable to simultaneously network and communicate with multiple peripheral systems, enabling data sharing, enhancing digitization capabilities, and providing a built-in storage device (or storage unit) that can record the tower crane operator's actions and communication messages in real time, resolving the inability to trace violations and troubleshoot accidents immediately.

[0025] In this invention, the storage device includes a free area, a logic judgment area, an operation record area, and a data collection area. The free area is used to independently store the execution control instructions and communication messages that are temporarily executed. Data from the extended control interface or bus interface is first stored in the free area. The logic judgment area is used to acquire all execution control instructions and communication messages that are temporarily executed for tower crane linkage, parse them according to the execution control instructions and communication messages, and perform logical judgments on the tower crane linkage process. The logical judgment processing includes executing tower crane start, emergency stop, bypass, slow positioning, and change. The system includes functions for frequency converter reset, slewing brake, hoisting, luffing, slewing handle master command return to zero, and gear position determination. It packages the logic control signal content with the corresponding messages and sends them to the tower crane's peripheral system. The data aggregation area is used to collect all temporary tower crane linkage execution control commands and packages them accordingly before sending them to the tower crane's peripheral system. The operation record area is used to record and store any operation behavior during tower crane linkage. Each operation is recorded according to operation type identifier, fault type, fault quantity, and operation time, and allocated to a dedicated storage area in the storage device, enabling the tower crane management center to quickly reconstruct the cause of the accident operation.

[0026] In this invention, a time recording area is also provided within the storage device. This time recording area stores and records all temporarily executed execution control commands, temporarily triggered communication messages, and executed operation behaviors. Pre-set time timing units are divided within the time recording area, and these units are used to preset the time interval for saving any type of operation behavior. When the control panel system successfully establishes a connection with the tower crane's peripheral system, the storage device immediately records the behavior upon triggering an operation, along with the corresponding operation communication command message. The storage device has a cyclic storage structure, and according to the preset rules of the time timing units, it can retain valid data for one week, one month, or two months. This recording can be used to reconstruct on-site accidents, such as recording a tower crane operator entering a dangerous area at high speed.

[0027] In this invention, the communication message includes a header length, a source message address, a destination message address, an instruction address, a communication data length, and a communication data identifier. The communication message is in byte stream format. The header length is the first two bytes of the message, serving as a frame header to distinguish the beginning of each message. The source and destination message addresses can be fixed bytes. The instruction address is used to store instruction codes, such as start instructions, emergency stop instructions, slewing braking instructions, slow positioning instructions, inverter reset instructions, gear instructions, heartbeat instructions, etc. The communication data length is the length of the message data. The communication data identifier is the start identifier for each message data segment. The specific length of the communication data is matched to the instruction code length and is mainly used to describe the control content, such as specific gear data. During communication, both parties only need to strictly follow the above format for byte parsing to parse out different instruction commands and execute the corresponding operations, thereby enabling the bus interface to record operational behavior according to the linkage protocol.

[0028] According to another aspect of the invention, in combination Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the present invention provides a linkage control method for tower crane Ethernet communication and record storage, the linkage control method comprising the following steps:

[0029] Step 1: When the expansion device triggers the start of any expansion control interface and sends a communication message to the controller, it triggers the bus interface on the controller and starts the establishment of an Ethernet communication connection between the controller and the tower crane peripheral system through the Ethernet communication device.

[0030] Step 2: The extended device sends an execution control command through the corresponding extended control interface. The controller obtains the execution control command from the corresponding extended control interface. The controller performs logical judgment processing on the execution control command to determine whether to establish communication with the tower crane peripheral system. If Ethernet communication is established, the controller controls the storage device to package the execution control command accordingly, and then sends the packaged execution control command to the tower crane peripheral system.

[0031] Step 3: The tower crane peripheral system starts up and establishes a communication connection, enabling the tower crane peripheral system to execute linkage triggering commands. The tower crane peripheral system simultaneously sends communication messages and start reply signals to the controller below to prompt or control the extended equipment to operate. The storage device simultaneously records and stores the operation behaviors associated with the execution of all execution control commands, logical judgments, and trigger communication command messages. The controller performs logical judgment processing on the execution control commands, including executing tower crane start, emergency stop, bypass, slow positioning, inverter reset, slewing brake, hoisting, luffing, slewing handle master command zeroing, and gear position judgment, and packages the logical control signal content with the corresponding message and sends it to the tower crane peripheral system.

[0032] Combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the logical judgments in this invention address the tower crane start-up logic, emergency stop logic, bypass logic, slow positioning logic, inverter reset logic, slewing brake logic, hoisting logic, luffing logic, slewing handle master command zeroing logic, and gear logic. Tower crane start-up requires the slewing, luffing, and hoisting handles to be master commanded to zero, and the emergency stop button must not be pressed before a start signal is sent to the Ethernet communication device. The Ethernet communication device packages the corresponding message based on the control signal content and sends it to the tower crane's peripheral system. Input signals from the tower crane's peripheral system are also sent to the controller via the Ethernet communication device, and the controller outputs them to the corresponding indicator lights or buzzers on the input / output unit. The operational actions and communication messages are recorded in real-time by the storage unit, allowing for the reconstruction of the operation or accident scene based on the real-time records. When the control console and tower crane control system establish a heartbeat communication connection upon power-up, the communication indicator light on the panel illuminates green. When communication is disconnected, the indicator light goes out. At this time, return the slewing, luffing, and hoisting levers to their zero positions. Release the emergency stop button and press the start button to send an Ethernet start message to the tower crane control system. Upon successful start, the tower crane control system sends a start reply signal to the Ethernet communication device of the control console to notify the input / output unit, which then illuminates the start indicator light. After startup, if the control console does not receive communication signals from the tower crane control system indicating inverter failure, slewing brake failure, or phase sequence error, the control console can operate the slewing, luffing, and hoisting levers. The data acquisition and control unit collects the control operation behavior and notifies the Ethernet communication device to send control messages to the tower crane control system, controlling the tower crane's movement. Each operation triggered is recorded in real-time by the storage device, along with related communication messages, enhancing the digitalization and intelligence of the control console and achieving data sharing for tower crane operation control.

[0033] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method of a tower crane Ethernet communication storage linkage tower control system, the linkage tower control system comprising a collection control unit in communication connection with a plurality of tower crane peripheral systems, characterized in that: The acquisition control unit is connected with the tower crane peripheral system through Ethernet communication, and the acquisition control unit comprises a controller and a storage device, an Ethernet communication device and a plurality of extension devices connected with the controller respectively. The controller is provided with at least one bus interface and two extension control interfaces. The extension devices and the storage device are connected with the controller through the extension control interfaces respectively. The bus interface of the controller is connected with the tower crane peripheral system through the Ethernet communication device. The controller is used for acquiring the execution control instructions on the extension control interfaces, performing logical judgment processing according to the execution control instructions, and operating the communication messages on the bus interface. The communication messages are used for establishing communication connection with the tower crane peripheral system, and the storage device is used for recording and storing the operation behaviors associated with the execution control instructions, the logical judgment and the triggered communication instruction messages. The storage device is provided with an idle area, a logical judgment area, an operation recording area and a data collection area. The idle area is used for independently storing the temporarily executed execution control instructions and the temporarily triggered communication messages. The logical judgment area is used for acquiring all the execution control instructions and the communication messages for temporarily executing the tower crane linkage and performing logical judgment on the tower crane linkage process. The data collection area is used for collecting all the execution control instructions for temporarily executing the tower crane linkage and sending the execution control instructions to the tower crane peripheral system through corresponding packaging. The operation recording area is used for recording and storing any operation behavior during the execution of the tower crane linkage. Each operation is recorded according to the operation type identifier, the fault type, the fault number and the operation time, and is distributed in the dedicated storage area of the storage device, so that the tower crane management center can quickly restore the accident operation reason. Step 1: When the extension device triggers to start any one extension control interface and sends a communication message to the controller, the bus interface on the controller is triggered, and the Ethernet communication connection between the controller and the tower crane peripheral system through the Ethernet communication device is started. Step 2: The extension device sends an execution control instruction through the corresponding extension control interface, and the controller acquires the execution control instruction on the corresponding extension control interface. Step 3: The controller performs logical judgment processing on the execution control instruction to determine whether to establish communication with the tower crane peripheral system. If the Ethernet communication is completed, the controller controls the storage device to package the execution control instruction, and then sends it to the tower crane peripheral system. The logical judgment processing includes tower crane start, emergency stop, bypass, slow positioning, frequency converter reset, rotation braking, lifting, amplitude, rotation handle master order reset and gear judgment, and the logical control signal content and the corresponding message are packaged and sent to the tower crane peripheral system. Step 4: The tower crane peripheral system starts and establishes communication connection. The tower crane peripheral system sends communication messages and start reply signals to the controller at the same time to prompt or control the extension device to operate. The storage device simultaneously records and stores the operation behaviors associated with the execution of all the execution control instructions, the logical judgment and the triggered communication instruction messages.

2. The control method of the tower crane Ethernet communication storage linkage tower control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The extension device has a plurality of input devices and a web management interface, IP addresses and ports of a plurality of pre-connected tower crane peripheral systems are set in the web management interface, an IP address and a port corresponding to each input device respectively establish a communication connection with a corresponding tower crane peripheral system through an Ethernet communication device, and a communication operation record of the input device and the tower crane peripheral system is recorded through a storage device.

3. The control method of the tower crane Ethernet communication storage linkage tower control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A time recording area is further arranged in the storage device, and the time recording area is used to store records of all temporary execution of the execution control instruction, temporarily triggered communication messages, and execution operation behaviors.

4. The control method of the tower crane Ethernet communication storage linkage tower control system according to claim 3, characterized in that: A time timing unit is separately arranged in the time recording area, and the time timing unit is used to prestore a time interval of any operation behavior.

5. The control method of claim 3, wherein the control method comprises the steps of: receiving the Ethernet communication signal from the tower crane; and transmitting the Ethernet communication signal to the storage linkage crane control system. The communication message includes a header length, a source message address, a target message address, an instruction address, a communication data length, and a communication data identifier.

6. The control method of the tower crane Ethernet communication storage linkage tower control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Logical judgment processing of the controller on the execution control instruction includes execution of a tower crane start, an emergency stop, a bypass, a slow positioning, a frequency converter reset, a rotation braking, a lifting, a variable amplitude, a rotation handle master order reset, and a gear judgment, and a logical control signal content and a corresponding message are packaged and sent to the tower crane peripheral system.

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