A crane performance calculation and control system, a crane and a control method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of hoisting performance calculation and control system, crane and control method, including cloud server, wireless communication network terminal and control device;The cloud server realizes real-time performance calculation using cloud computing mode;The wireless communication network terminal carries out high-speed data transmission;The control device includes control unit, storage unit, network communication unit, display unit.The application effectively solves the problem of real-time calculation of hoisting performance due to the hardware condition limitation of crane on-board control system.Especially, it solves the problem of needing a large amount of data operation and real-time updating of performance parameters for asymmetric working conditions and other conditions.And under the premise of basically not increasing hardware cost, the application boundary of hoisting performance is expanded, and the hoisting capacity of the crane is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of crane performance calculation and control systems, and in particular to a crane performance calculation and control system, a crane, and a control method. Background Technology

[0002] Cranes are commonly used production equipment in engineering construction. Their lifting performance tables provide the maximum weight that a crane can safely lift under various working conditions. Currently, existing lifting performance tables are pre-calculated and stored in the crane control system's storage unit. However, for performance parameters requiring extensive calculations and real-time updates, such as in asymmetrical working conditions, the aforementioned method of pre-calculating and storing lifting performance tables for all working conditions is no longer suitable. Storage unit capacity limitations prevent sufficient space for data storage, and the performance of the control system's computing unit also restricts the realization of complex, high-performance real-time calculations.

[0003] Cloud computing is a supercomputing model based on the Internet, enabling users to obtain enormous network computing power with minimal investment. Key technologies in cloud computing include virtual machine technology, data storage technology, data management technology, and distributed programming and computing. 5G communication is characterized by high speed, low latency, and massive connectivity, with user speeds reaching up to 1Gbps and latency as low as 1ms. Ultra-reliable low-latency communication primarily targets the needs of vertical industry applications with extremely high requirements for latency and reliability, such as industrial control, telemedicine, and autonomous driving.

[0004] Existing lifting performance tables are all calculated based on the symmetrical support conditions of outriggers in half-extension or full-extension mode. The pre-calculated performance tables are stored in the storage unit of the crane control system. The on-board control unit then uses parameters such as boom length and radius to look up and interpolate the table to determine the rated lifting capacity for the current working condition.

[0005] For example, Chinese patent CN114275679A describes a control method, controller, control device, and control method for lifting equipment. The control method includes: determining a first support state of a first side outrigger assembly; determining a second support state of a second side outrigger assembly; and determining at least one slewing area of ​​the superstructure and the rated lifting capacity within that slewing area based on the first and second support states. This patent embodiment is simple, requires low computational power from the control device, facilitates rapid determination of at least one slewing area of ​​the lifting boom and the rated lifting capacity within that slewing area, and reduces product costs. This allows the lifting equipment to fully utilize its lifting performance while effectively avoiding the risk of tipping over.

[0006] Chinese patent CN111960279A describes a control method, device, crane, processor, and storage medium for a crane. The control method includes: generating first and second operating conditions based on externally input operating condition demand information and a crane's lifting capacity table set, wherein the lifting capacity table set includes lifting capacity tables for multiple outriggers of the crane with arbitrary length combinations; controlling each outrigger to extend to support the crane based on the first operating condition information; and controlling the crane's operation based on the second operating condition information and externally input control information. This invention allows operation with outriggers extended at different lengths, improving the crane's operational performance and site adaptability.

[0007] Chinese Patent CN110929356A, concerning a method for calculating lifting performance, a lifting controller, and a crane, relates to the field of cranes. It aims to alleviate the problem of limited lifting capacity in existing cranes. In this embodiment, the 360° rotation area is divided into at least two unit areas, and the lifting performance of each unit area is adjusted and controlled separately. This facilitates lifting from advantageous positions, helping to improve lifting performance and the amount of weight that can be lifted.

[0008] Chinese Patent CN113353820A, concerning a method for generating crane performance tables, addresses the problem of existing cranes not fully utilizing their anti-tipping capabilities. When all four outriggers are fully extended, the optimal lifting load corresponding to the first boom working angle and boom length when the boom slewing angle rotates 360 degrees is obtained based on the boom length and the first boom working radius. When the optimal lifting load and boom length are constant, if the projection of the boom slewing angle lies within a small area, the first and second overturning moments are determined sequentially based on the lifting load moment, the superstructure self-weight moment, and the chassis self-weight moment. The second boom working radius corresponding to the first overturning line and the third boom working radius corresponding to the second overturning line are then determined. The minimum value between the second and third boom working radii is determined as the optimal boom working radius corresponding to the current boom slewing angle.

[0009] The traditional lifting performance calculation methods mentioned in the aforementioned patents only consider the performance under symmetrical support conditions with outriggers partially or fully extended, failing to fully utilize the crane's performance under asymmetrical support conditions with outriggers of arbitrary lengths. Furthermore, while a method for calculating overturning performance based on the slewing zone and outrigger length is proposed for calculating asymmetrical outrigger performance, it does not consider the difficulty of storing and looking up the resulting massive performance tables under current technological conditions. For problems requiring extensive data processing and real-time performance parameter updates, such as asymmetrical conditions, real-time calculation can be used, but this necessitates a high-performance electrical control unit with advanced computing capabilities, leading to a significant increase in product costs under current hardware conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Purpose of the invention: In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a lifting performance calculation and control system, a crane and a control method, which can effectively perform real-time calculation for problems such as asymmetric working conditions that require a large amount of data calculation and real-time updating of performance parameters.

[0011] Technical solution: To achieve the above objectives, the present invention may adopt the following technical solution: a lifting performance calculation and control system, including a cloud server, a wireless communication network terminal, and a control device;

[0012] The cloud server uses cloud computing to achieve real-time performance calculations.

[0013] The wireless communication network terminal performs high-speed data transmission;

[0014] The control device includes a control unit, a storage unit, a network communication unit, and a display unit.

[0015] Furthermore, the control unit, as the main node of the vehicle control system, has Ethernet and CAN network communication ports, and is responsible for the vehicle's motion control, sensor signal parsing and conversion, performance parameter processing, and data interaction with the display unit.

[0016] Furthermore, the storage unit is used to store control parameters and lifting performance parameters.

[0017] Furthermore, the network communication unit has wireless communication ports such as 5G ports and Ethernet communication ports, enabling high-speed communication between the vehicle control system and the cloud server.

[0018] Furthermore, the display unit is a key component of the human-computer interaction system, displaying the working status parameters of the lifting unit and performing control functions.

[0019] Furthermore, the cloud server pre-deploys computing software with corresponding algorithms, including but not limited to computing software for lifting performance under asymmetric working conditions.

[0020] The present invention also discloses a crane including the above-mentioned lifting performance calculation and control system, which is one of a truck crane, an all-terrain crane, a crawler crane, and an engineering lifting machinery device.

[0021] The present invention also discloses a control method for the above-mentioned crane, comprising the following implementation steps:

[0022] 1) The crane operator’s display or mobile terminal such as a mobile phone with relevant application software sends a request command for crane performance cloud computing. The control unit sends the request command to the cloud server through the network communication unit. After receiving the command, the cloud server gives a response command on whether to enter the computing mode and sends it to the control system.

[0023] 2) If the control system does not receive a response instruction from the cloud within the specified time or receives an instruction to refuse entry into the computing mode, the control system will terminate the request and return to the original working mode.

[0024] 3) When the control system receives the instruction to enter the calculation mode, the control system will enter the cloud-based crane performance receiving mode and send relevant working condition information such as the boom length, outrigger length, boom angle, slewing angle, and multiplier of the current crane to the cloud server via wireless network; the cloud server runs the crane performance calculation program according to the instruction, calculates the corresponding rated lifting capacity and other performance parameters in real time based on the received working condition parameters, and sends the calculation results to the control system in real time.

[0025] 4) When a network disconnection or failure occurs, the control system automatically enters the safety emergency working mode, and the operator performs the lifting unit operation in the safe direction; the cloud server will terminate the operation of the lifting performance calculation program and enter the standby initialization state.

[0026] 5) To ensure the correct execution of the crane's safety emergency mode, the cloud-based crane performance calculation software utilizes the advantages of high-speed computing to generate crane performance data for all slewing areas and working radius under the current boom length condition. This data is then sent to the vehicle control system and cached in the storage unit, allowing the vehicle control system to still use these performance parameters even in offline network mode. When the crane performance cloud computing mode is re-entered, and changes in boom length and other working parameters are detected, the cloud server will issue a command to clear the cached data and update it with the current working performance data.

[0027] 6) The crane operator’s display or mobile terminal such as a mobile phone with relevant application software sends a request to exit the crane performance cloud computing. The vehicle control unit sends the request to the cloud server through the network communication unit. After receiving the instruction, the cloud server will stop running the crane performance calculation program and enter the standby initialization state. The control system returns to the normal working condition mode.

[0028] 7) To ensure the correctness of data transmission, the control system automatically verifies the lifting performance data. Only when the verification is passed can the crane be used. If the data verification fails, the display unit will issue a prompt, and the control system will restrict the crane's movement in dangerous directions.

[0029] Beneficial effects: This invention has the following advantages:

[0030] 1) Effectively solves the problem of real-time calculation of lifting performance limited by the hardware conditions of the crane's on-board control system. In particular, it solves the problem of needing to perform a large amount of data calculation and update performance parameters in real time for conditions such as asymmetric operation.

[0031] 2) Without significantly increasing hardware costs, the application boundaries of lifting performance have been expanded, and the lifting capacity of the crane has been improved. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the system structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the implementation process of the control method in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Example 1:

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention discloses a lifting performance calculation and control system, including a cloud server 1, a wireless communication network terminal 2, and a control device; the cloud server 1 uses cloud computing to realize real-time performance calculation; the wireless communication network terminal 2 performs high-speed data transmission.

[0036] The control device includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a network communication unit 33, and a display unit 34.

[0037] The control unit 31, as the main node of the vehicle control system, has Ethernet and CAN network communication ports and is responsible for the vehicle's motion control, sensor signal parsing and conversion, performance parameter processing, and data interaction with the display unit. The storage unit 32 is used to store control parameters and lifting performance parameters. The network communication unit 33 has wireless communication ports such as 5G ports and Ethernet communication ports to realize high-speed communication between the vehicle control system and the cloud server. The display unit 34 is a major component of the human-machine interaction system, displaying the working status parameters of the lifting unit and performing control function operations. The cloud server 1 pre-deploys calculation software with corresponding algorithms, including but not limited to calculation software for lifting performance under asymmetric working conditions.

[0038] Please refer to the following for details. Figure 2 As shown, the present invention also discloses a control method for a crane including the above-mentioned lifting performance calculation and control system, specifically including the following implementation steps:

[0039] 1) The crane operator’s display or mobile terminal such as a mobile phone with relevant application software sends a request command for crane performance cloud computing. The control unit sends the request command to the cloud server through the network communication unit. After receiving the command, the cloud server gives a response command on whether to enter the computing mode and sends it to the control system.

[0040] 2) If the control system does not receive a response instruction from the cloud within the specified time or receives an instruction to refuse entry into the computing mode, the control system will terminate the request and return to the original working mode.

[0041] 3) When the control system receives the instruction to enter the calculation mode, the control system will enter the cloud-based crane performance receiving mode and send relevant working condition information such as the boom length, outrigger length, boom angle, slewing angle, and multiplier of the current crane to the cloud server via wireless network; the cloud server runs the crane performance calculation program according to the instruction, calculates the corresponding rated lifting capacity and other performance parameters in real time based on the received working condition parameters, and sends the calculation results to the control system in real time.

[0042] 4) When a network disconnection or failure occurs, the control system automatically enters the safety emergency working mode, and the operator performs the lifting unit operation in the safe direction; the cloud server will terminate the operation of the lifting performance calculation program and enter the standby initialization state.

[0043] 5) To ensure the correct execution of the crane's safety emergency mode, the cloud-based crane performance calculation software utilizes the advantages of high-speed computing to generate crane performance data for all slewing areas and working radius under the current boom length condition. This data is then sent to the vehicle control system and cached in the storage unit, allowing the vehicle control system to still use these performance parameters even in offline network mode. When the crane performance cloud computing mode is re-entered, and changes in boom length and other working parameters are detected, the cloud server will issue a command to clear the cached data and update it with the current working performance data.

[0044] 6) The crane operator’s display or mobile terminal such as a mobile phone with relevant application software sends a request to exit the crane performance cloud computing. The vehicle control unit sends the request to the cloud server through the network communication unit. After receiving the instruction, the cloud server will stop running the crane performance calculation program and enter the standby initialization state. The control system returns to the normal working condition mode.

[0045] 7) To ensure the correctness of data transmission, the control system automatically verifies the lifting performance data. Only when the verification is passed can the crane be used. If the data verification fails, the display unit will issue a prompt, and the control system will restrict the crane's movement in dangerous directions.

[0046] This invention effectively solves the problem of real-time calculation of lifting performance limited by the hardware conditions of the crane's onboard control system. In particular, it addresses the issue of requiring extensive data processing and real-time updates of performance parameters for conditions such as asymmetric operation. Furthermore, it expands the application boundaries of lifting performance and improves the crane's lifting capacity without significantly increasing hardware costs.

Claims

1. A control method for a crane including a lifting performance calculation and control system, characterized in that: The control system includes a cloud server, a wireless communication network terminal, and a control device; the cloud server uses cloud computing to achieve real-time performance calculation; the wireless communication network terminal performs high-speed data transmission; the control device includes a control unit, a storage unit, a network communication unit, and a display unit; the control unit has Ethernet and CAN network communication ports, is responsible for the vehicle's motion control, sensor signal parsing and conversion, performance parameter processing, and data interaction with the display unit; The implementation steps of the control method are as follows: The crane operator's display or mobile terminal with relevant application software sends a request command for crane performance cloud computing. The control unit sends the request command to the cloud server through the network communication unit. After receiving the command, the cloud server gives a response command on whether to enter the computing mode and sends it to the control unit. If the control unit does not receive a response instruction from the cloud or receives an instruction to refuse entry into computing mode within the specified time, the control unit will terminate the request and return to the original working mode. Once the control unit receives the instruction to confirm entry into the calculation mode, the control unit will enter the cloud-based crane performance receiving mode and send the current crane boom length, outrigger length, boom angle, slewing angle, and other relevant operating conditions information to the cloud server via wireless network. The cloud server runs the lifting performance calculation program according to the instructions, calculates the corresponding rated lifting capacity performance parameters in real time based on the received working condition parameters, and sends the calculation results to the control unit in real time. When a network disconnection or failure occurs, the control unit automatically enters the safety emergency working mode, and the operator performs the lifting unit operation in a safe direction. The cloud server will terminate the crane performance calculation program and enter standby initialization mode; To ensure the correct execution of the crane's safety emergency mode, the cloud-based crane performance calculation software leverages its high-speed computing capabilities to generate crane performance data for all slewing areas and working radius under the current boom length condition. This data is then sent to the control unit and cached in the storage unit, allowing the control unit to still use these performance parameters even in offline network mode. When the crane re-enters the cloud computing crane performance mode, if changes to the boom length, outrigger length, boom angle, slewing angle, and magnification parameters are detected, the cloud server will issue a command to clear the cached data and update it with the current performance data. The crane operator's display or mobile terminal with relevant application software sends a request to exit the crane performance cloud computing. The control unit sends the request to the cloud server through the network communication unit. After receiving the instruction, the cloud server will stop running the crane performance calculation program and enter the standby initialization state. The control unit returns to the normal working mode. To ensure the accuracy of data transmission, the control unit automatically verifies the lifting performance data. Only when the verification is successful can the crane be used. If the data verification fails, the display unit will issue a prompt, and the control unit will restrict the crane's movement in dangerous directions.

2. The control method for a crane including a lifting performance calculation and control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The storage unit is used to store control parameters and lifting performance parameters.

3. The control method for a crane including a lifting performance calculation and control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The network communication unit has a wireless communication port and an Ethernet communication port, enabling high-speed communication between the control unit and the cloud server.

4. The control method for a crane including a lifting performance calculation and control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display unit displays the operating status parameters of the lifting unit and performs control functions.

5. The control method for a crane including a lifting performance calculation and control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cloud server pre-deploys computational software with corresponding algorithms, including computational software for lifting performance under asymmetric working conditions.

6. The control method for a crane including a lifting performance calculation and control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The crane is one of the following: truck crane, all-terrain crane, or crawler crane.

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