Method for monitoring an electrical power consumption of a crane

Abstract

The invention relates to a monitoring method initially configured for monitoring and evaluating the electrical power consumption of the electrical equipment of a crane (1) over a given time period. The electrical equipment includes: actuation equipment contributing to at least one movement of the crane, and auxiliary equipment not participating in a movement of the crane but responsible for power-consuming functions. Once the time period has ended, the monitoring method is configured to determine whether, during the time period, the crane consumed excessive power. This excessive consumption is deduced by comparing the power supplied (PI) to the crane by at least one power source (2) with the electrical power consumed by the actuation equipment and the auxiliary equipment.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The invention relates to a monitoring method for cranes.

[0002] It relates more specifically to a monitoring process to control over a given time period the electrical power consumption of all the electrical equipment of a crane in order to optimize its use and ensure that it consumes as little energy as possible.

[0003] The invention finds a favorite, and not limiting, application for all types of cranes, for example: tower cranes, distributing jib cranes, luffing jib cranes, telescopic jib cranes, mobile cranes, port cranes. [State of the art]

[0004] Today, companies must positively comply with new regulations to initiate their ecological transition and put into practice behaviors in favor of sustainable development, with the aim of providing a comprehensive and lasting solution to the major environmental challenges of this century, particularly in the areas of reducing energy consumption and polluting emissions.

[0005] As is well known, when used on a construction site, a crane is powered by one or more electrical sources (for example: the electrical grid, a generator, a battery, etc.) for the purpose of: to operate mainly electrical equipment that it includes, called actuation equipment, in order to implement a movement of a moving element of the crane to move it (i.e., a translational movement) or for the movement of a load (for example: a lifting, distribution, orientation or hoisting movement), to heat or air condition the crane operator's cab or the electrical cabinet, etc.

[0006] Due to certain practices and usage habits, cranes generally consume far more electrical power than they need for their assigned tasks on the construction site, namely load handling. This is because some of the crane's electrical components may be powered while performing a task, even though they are not directly or indirectly involved in that task.

[0007] For example, while powering the actuation equipment that moves a crane component is essential for its operation, powering the electrical equipment—known as auxiliary equipment—used to heat the crane operator's cab is unnecessary, especially if the cab temperature is already comfortable enough for the operator. Similarly, auxiliary equipment may be powered for extended periods when it is not required. For instance, if the construction site is experiencing low outside temperatures, it is not necessarily useful to power the auxiliary heating equipment all night long to ensure the operator's comfort when they arrive for work in the morning, but only for a few hours before their arrival.

[0008] Thus, a portion of the electrical power supplied to the crane is consumed unnecessarily and wasted, significantly reducing the crane's energy efficiency. Sometimes, the wasted electrical power can be equivalent to the useful electrical power (i.e., a crane energy efficiency of 50%); the useful electrical power corresponds to the total actuation power resulting from the actuating of the various drive components involved in the crane's movements.

[0009] This decrease in energy efficiency is becoming problematic in light of current environmental challenges, particularly in terms of climate change. Therefore, crane manufacturers, in order to adopt an eco-responsible approach, must offer solutions to improve the energy efficiency of their cranes.

[0010] Known solutions, such as those in documents CN216997307U and CN215208123U, aim to determine the energy efficiency of the crane but only in the context of the execution of precise maneuvers (in this case, for both documents, the maneuver of lifting a load when the crane is in operation).

[0011] Thus, these solutions do not propose to determine the electrical power consumption for all the electrical equipment of the crane, and to accurately determine its energy efficiency during its deployment and use on the construction site.

[0012] Document FR3120618A1 discloses the preamble of claim 1. [Summary of the invention]

[0013] In order to address the problems outlined above, the invention proposes a monitoring method for tracking, over a period of time, the electrical power consumption of the electrical equipment of a crane, which crane is powered by a supply of power provided by at least one power source, and which electrical equipment includes: actuation equipment, in which each actuation equipment includes at least one motor controlled by a variable speed drive and coupled to at least one moving element of the crane to actuate, in an active state, a movement of said at least one moving element, otherwise it is in an inactive state; and accessory equipment which is not actuation equipment, in other words equipment which does not participate in the movement of a moving element of the crane, and in which each accessory equipment performs a power-consuming function which is its own when it is in an active state, otherwise it is in an inactive state; said monitoring process being implemented by a control system connected to the speed drives of the actuation equipment and connected to the accessory equipment to switch them from the inactive state to the active state and vice versa; said control system containing at least one memory and one processor defined by a cycle time, and implementing at least, for each cycle time included in the time period: a determination of the state of each accessory equipment to determine whether it is in the active state or in the inactive state, and deducing an accessory power consumed in the cycle time by said accessory equipment when it is in the active state, on the basis of an electrical consumption model associated with said accessory equipment which is contained in the control system;monitoring of each actuation equipment including receiving, from the corresponding variable speed drive, the actuation power consumed during the cycle time by said actuation equipment when it is in the active state.

[0014] Advantageously, the monitoring method of the invention positively addresses the problem of knowledge of the power consumed by all the equipment of the crane by allowing, over a period of time (which may correspond for example to a day, a week, a month, or even a year): to monitor the electrical power consumption of a crane, more precisely of its electrical equipment, in comparison with the power supplied by at least one power source (for example: the electrical network, a generator, a rechargeable power source such as a battery).

[0015] The power consumed by the electrical equipment is determined by the crane's control system.

[0016] A distinction is made among electrical equipment between: those called actuation equipment which contribute to the movement of moving parts of the crane for its assembly, its movement, or to allow the crane to move a load (the crane being said to be in service, or in operation); and those called accessories which do not contribute to the movement of moving parts of the crane, but still perform a power-consuming function, for example to heat or cool the crane operator's cab.

[0017] A non-exhaustive list of actuation equipment and accessory equipment is provided below.

[0018] An actuation device (respectively an accessory device) is said to be active when it contributes to the movement of the at least moving element to which it is associated (respectively when it implements the power-consuming function which is its responsibility); the actuation device (respectively the accessory device) is said to be inactive otherwise.

[0019] The control system comprises at least one memory and one processor defined by a cycle time; this cycle time being an intrinsic property of the control system's processor, it represents the time required to repeat a given operation and is related to the processor's calculation speed. More precisely, it is this processor that implements the monitoring process by executing a program containing a list of instructions related to it.

[0020] In the context of implementing the monitoring process, the time period is considered to be segmented according to the processor cycle time. In other words, the time period consists of a plurality of time intervals that are equal to the cycle time. Therefore, it is said that the time period is composed of a plurality of cycle times.

[0021] During the cycle times segmenting the time period, the control system is aware of the state of the electrical equipment, that is, whether it is active or inactive.

[0022] In the case of active actuation equipment, the control system knows the power consumed by the actuation equipment during the cycle time by receiving a measurement of said power. This measurement is taken by a variable frequency drive (VFD) integrated into the actuation equipment and connected to the control system. VFDs include energy consumption meters. The power consumed by the actuation equipment is called the actuation power.

[0023] In the case of active auxiliary equipment, the control system determines the power consumed by that auxiliary equipment during the cycle time by calculating it from a mathematical model corresponding to an electrical consumption model of the auxiliary equipment, which is contained within the control system. The power consumed by the auxiliary equipment is called the auxiliary power.

[0024] Advantageously, using power consumption models eliminates the need to install measuring devices on the crane to measure auxiliary power, as these devices would require a power supply to perform measurements. Consequently, using power consumption models reduces the crane's energy consumption. Power consumption models also reduce the cost of purchasing measuring devices.

[0025] According to one feature of the invention, the control system implements at least a posteriori the temporal period: a calculation, for each of the accessory equipment, of a cumulative accessory power consumed over the time period by said accessory equipment, by summing the accessory powers consumed during the cycle times when it was in the active state; a calculation, for each of the actuation equipment, of a cumulative actuation power consumed over the time period by said actuation equipment, by summing the actuation powers consumed during the cycle times when it was in the active state; a deduction of a total accessory power corresponding to the sum of the cumulative accessory powers consumed over the time period by all the accessory equipment; a deduction of a total actuation power corresponding to the sum of the cumulative actuation powers consumed over the time period by all the actuation equipment;a comparison between the supply power, the total accessory power and the total actuation power. ;

[0026] Advantageously, the monitoring process allows an operator to know the total power consumed by each piece of electrical equipment during the past time period. This total power is called cumulative actuation power when the electrical equipment is an actuation device, and cumulative accessory power when the electrical equipment is an accessory device.

[0027] Also, the monitoring process allows an operator to know what the shares of the total actuation power (i.e. the useful power) and the total accessory power are in the electrical energy consumption of the crane (in other words, the supply power).

[0028] Thus, the operator is able to conclude whether, during the time period, the crane consumed excess power (i.e., when the total accessory power is greater than the useful power in the electrical energy consumption of the crane), and to determine the origins of this excess (i.e., to identify the electrical equipment that consumed excessive power).

[0029] The invention again addresses the problems raised previously by allowing the operator to accurately determine the energy efficiency of a crane during a time period during which said crane can be deployed and / or used on a construction site, which energy efficiency is equal, as specified below, to the total actuation power divided by the supply power.

[0030] According to one feature of the invention, after the time period, the control system constitutes a set of power data comprising at least: the cumulative accessory powers of all accessory equipment during the time period, the cumulative actuation powers of all actuation equipment during the time period, the total accessory power, the total actuation power, and the supply power; which set of power data is time-stamped over the time period and then recorded in the memory of the control system.

[0031] In other words, the powers calculated by the control system and listed above are grouped by it into a set of power data which it timestamps and stores in its memory.

[0032] Advantageously, the power data sets are therefore classified temporally according to the time period (day, week, month, or even year) during which they were calculated. The calculated power values ​​are thus not lost once the monitoring process is complete, and an operator can consult them later to analyze the crane's energy performance.

[0033] Also, it is planned that the control system's memory can store power data sets from several time periods, allowing the operator to observe / analyze an evolution of the crane's energy behavior over a long time period, which could, for example, correspond to several successive time periods, and potentially identify energy consumption anomalies (the crane may have consumed more power over a given time period compared to others).

[0034] According to one feature of the invention, the power data set is exportable from the control system to a digital twin of the crane modeled in a remote computer infrastructure, the power data set being put into a data format compatible with the digital twin in order to be used by it.

[0035] Advantageously, using a digital twin that utilizes at least one set of power data allows an operator to reproduce the crane's deployment and / or usage context over at least one time period. Thus, if excessive power consumption is observed during at least one time period describing a given application context on a construction site, the operator can use the digital twin to develop scenarios in which the crane's power consumption is optimized for that at least one time period. These scenarios can then be used / exploited by being directly reproduced on the construction site should the application context be encountered again, thereby improving the crane's energy consumption management.Optimizing power consumption can result, for example, from reduced activity of auxiliary equipment, better use of the crane when it is in service or working (optimization of crane movements), etc.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the invention, the control system calculates, after the time period, an energy efficiency which is equal to the total actuation power divided by the supply power.

[0037] According to one embodiment of the invention, the power data set also includes energy efficiency.

[0038] According to one feature of the invention, the control system determines, at each cycle time included in the time period, and as a function of at least one electrical equipment among the actuation equipment and accessory equipment in the active state, at least one state of the crane among at least one out-of-service state in which all the actuation elements are in the inactive state, and at least one in-service state in which at least one of the actuation elements is in the active state.

[0039] In other words, during each cycle time, the control system is able to determine whether the crane is in an out-of-service state or in an in-service state.

[0040] As previously stated, the crane is considered to be in an out-of-service state when no actuation element is active. However, in an out-of-service state, auxiliary equipment may or may not be in operation. The out-of-service state can correspond to a period during which the crane is inactive, for example: when it is in deep sleep; when no actuation equipment is active and the operator's cab is preheated or air-conditioned; etc.

[0041] A crane is considered to be in a service state when at least one actuating element is in an active state to contribute to the movement of a moving part. In other words, in a service state, the crane may: be being deployed on a worksite; or be operated by a crane operator for the purpose of being moved or moving a load.

[0042] According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one state of the crane corresponds to the operating state for a given cycle time; the control system associates, for each of the actuation devices, a movement chosen from at least the following: a distribution movement associated with a distribution device among the actuation devices during which a load is distributed along a crane boom, a lifting movement associated with a lifting device among the actuation devices during which a load is lifted, a slewing movement associated with a slewing device among the actuation devices during which a boom is slewed, a translational movement associated with a translational device among the actuation devices during which a crane is translated, a luffing movement associated with a luffing device among the actuation devices during which a luffing boom is raised, or an assembly movement during which the crane is assembled,which assembly movement is associated with an assembly piece of equipment from among the actuation equipment and chosen at least from: a folding / unfolding piece of equipment for folding / unfolding a mast and boom, a levelling piece of equipment for leveling the crane on the ground, a slewing piece of equipment for orienting a crane base, a jib piece of equipment for actuation of an assembly jib.

[0043] According to one embodiment of the invention, when at least one state of the crane corresponds to the out-of-service state for a given cycle time, the control system associates, for each of the accessory equipment, the power-consuming function chosen from at least the following: a heating function associated with a heating unit among the accessory equipment to heat a crane operator's cab, and an air conditioning function associated with an air conditioning unit among the accessory equipment to air condition a crane operator's cab.

[0044] In other words, depending on the actuation equipment and / or accessory equipment in active state during a cycle time, the control system is able to determine which movement implements the crane and / or which power-consuming function is currently active.

[0045] Advantageously, during a cycle time, the control system is able to associate power consumption (actuating power or auxiliary power) with: a crane state (in service or out of service); as well as with a crane movement or an energy-consuming function. Thus, subsequently, when analyzing the power data set, the operator is able to deduce, for the given time period, the power consumed to implement a specific movement or energy-consuming function.

[0046] Also, if several actuation equipment (respectively several accessory equipment) contribute during a time period to a movement of a moving element (respectively to an energy-consuming function), the operator can know, at the end of the time period, the power consumed by each of them to implement said movement (respectively said energy-consuming function).

[0047] Advantageously, the monitoring process therefore makes it possible to process and classify the cumulative power consumed by the electrical equipment of a crane temporally (i.e. according to the time period), according to the state of the crane, and the movement or energy-consuming function implemented; something that a measurement system external to the crane would be unable to do without integrating intelligence.

[0048] According to one embodiment of the invention, the electrical consumption model of each of the accessory devices contains at least the following, in order to calculate the accessory power: the cycle time, a supply voltage to power said accessory equipment when in the active state, a current consumption current of the accessory equipment.

[0049] In other words, the accessory power of an accessory equipment during a cycle time is calculated from: the cycle time; the supply voltage required to power the accessory equipment; and the current consumed by the accessory equipment during the cycle time, which is considered to be uniform.

[0050] According to one embodiment of the invention, the cycle time is equal to 50 milliseconds, plus or minus 20%.

[0051] According to one embodiment of the invention, the control system generates, after the time period, an analysis report containing at least the power data set of the time period.

[0052] Advantageously, the analysis report includes all the powers calculated during the time period (cumulative accessory powers of all accessory equipment, cumulative actuation powers of all actuation equipment, total accessory power, total actuation power, supply power) to allow the user to analyze the energy behavior of the crane during the time period.

[0053] It is conceivable that the analysis report will contain the energy efficiency calculated by the control system for the time period.

[0054] It is also conceivable that the analysis report will contain power data sets from several time periods.

[0055] It is then conceivable that the analysis report will contain a classification of the cumulative power of the crane's electrical equipment according to: time periods; the state of the crane; and the movement or energy-consuming function implemented.

[0056] Finally, in connection with the previous point, it is possible that the analysis report will contain one or more graphical representations showing a distribution of the power supply as a function of: of the state of the crane, the movement or energy-consuming function implemented, the actuation equipment and accessory equipment (i.e., according to the actuation powers, the cumulative actuation powers, the accessory powers, the cumulative accessory powers), and the total actuation power and the total accessory power.

[0057] In one possibility, the power supply is measured by a global electricity meter in connection with the control system.

[0058] In other words, the plan is to measure the power supply, using the overall electricity meter (such as a meter supplied by an electricity provider), which can be positioned upstream of at least one power source or at the crane input, and the control system retrieves this power supply measurement. [Brief description of the figures]

[0059] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, of a non-limiting example of implementation, made with reference to the accompanying figures in which: [ Fig 1 ] is an illustration of an application context in which the method of the invention is implemented, which notably shows a crane deployed on a construction site, a power supply providing the crane with power, and a global electricity meter measuring said power supply; Fig 2] is a schematic illustration of a crane comprising at least one control system installed in an operator's cab, electrical equipment including actuation equipment contributing to the implementation of crane movements, and accessory equipment not participating in a crane movement but performing a power-consuming function such as heating or air conditioning the crane operator's cab; Fig 3 ] is a diagram illustrating the operation of the monitoring method of the invention, which evaluates, over a given time period, the power consumed by the various electrical components of the crane, in order to determine whether the crane has consumed excessive power relative to the power supplied to it; Fig 4] shows examples, within the framework of an embodiment of the invention, of graphical representations showing a distribution, for a given time period, of the supply power: (a) as a function of the power consumed by all the actuation equipment and the power consumed by all the accessory equipment, respectively called total actuation power and total accessory power, or (b) as a function of the actuation equipment and the accessory equipment, or (c) as a function of the movements and the power-consuming functions implemented. [Detailed description of one or more embodiments of the invention]

[0060] The invention relates to a monitoring method 100 for evaluating, over a given time period T (for example: a day, a week, a month...), the power consumed by all the equipment of a crane 1 deployed and operating on a construction site; this with the aim of subsequently analyzing this power consumption to determine whether the crane 1 has consumed excessive power according to its use during the time period T and, if so, to arrive at solutions to optimize its power consumption during its future uses.

[0061] The monitoring procedure is applicable to all types of crane 1: tower cranes, distribution jib cranes, luffing jib cranes, telescopic jib cranes, mobile cranes, port cranes.

[0062] In the following description, crane 1 is considered to be a distributing jib crane.

[0063] With reference to Figures 1 and 2 The crane 1 comprises at least one mast 102 and a rotating assembly that rotates about a vertical extension axis, formed by a boom 16 and a counter-jib 17 that are substantially aligned, and optionally a jib bracket (or jib post) with tie rods. A counterweight 171 is carried by the counter-jib 17 to counterbalance the weight of a load that is lifted and / or moved by the crane 1.

[0064] The load is attached by means of a raised hook 191 located at the end of a pulley 192, which moves vertically in the direction of the boom 16 or down according to the winding or unwinding of a lifting cable 19.

[0065] The lifting cable 19 is suspended from a distribution trolley 18 which moves in translation on a track provided along the boom 16.

[0066] Crane 1 also includes a pilot's cabin 101 in which the crane operator sits and in which there is a control system 15 from which the crane operator operates the crane 1.

[0067] The control system 15 includes at least one memory 152, a processor 151 defined by a cycle time tc, and a program 153 containing a list of instructions to launch and execute the monitoring process 100.

[0068] By definition, a crane also includes a plurality of electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14, which include, but are not limited to: a lifting winch 12; a distribution winch 11; a heating unit 13 and an air conditioning unit 14, both installed in the cab 101. These four electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 are considered subsequently to explain the operating principle of the monitoring process 100. As just indicated, they constitute only a part of the electrical equipment that the crane 1 may actually include.

[0069] The implementation of monitoring procedure 100 relies in part on a categorization of electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 according to their role / function. Electrical equipment referred to as actuation equipment 12, 13 is thus distinguished from that referred to as accessory equipment 13, 14.

[0070] The actuation equipment 11, 12 are electrical devices comprising at least one motor controlled by a variable speed drive 111, 121, and coupled to at least one moving element 18, 19 of the crane to implement, when in an active state A11, A12, a displacement of said at least one moving element 18, 19, resulting in a movement Mvt11, Mvt12. The variable speed drives 111, 121 controlling the motors of the actuation equipment 11, 12 are connected to the control system 15.

[0071] With reference to the Figure 2 Crane 1 includes the following actuation equipment: a distribution equipment 11, i.e. the distribution winch, which is coupled at least to a moving element 18, i.e. the distribution trolley 18, to implement a distribution movement Mvt11 during which the distribution trolley is mobile in translation from the front to the rear of the boom 16, and vice versa; a lifting equipment 12, i.e. the lifting winch, which is coupled at least to a moving element 19, i.e. the lifting cable, to implement a lifting movement Mvt12 during which the lifting winch winds or unwinds the lifting cable 19, in order to move the pulley 192 vertically in the direction of the boom 16 or the ground to lift or lower a load.

[0072] Not illustrated in the Figure 2 and not considered in the rest of the description, can also be cited as actuation equipment: a slewing device, for example an electric slewing motor, associated with a slewing ring to implement a slewing movement during which the boom 16, or more generally the rotating assembly of the crane 1, sweeps a circular area around the slewing axis, which circular area corresponds to the working area of ​​the crane; a translation device designed to implement a translation maneuver of the crane 1, which can, for example, be mounted on rails if it is intended to move within the construction site;The assembly equipment designed to implement a crane assembly movement, for example, but not limited to: a folding / unfolding device for folding / unfolding the mast 102 and a boom 16, a leveling device for leveling the crane 1 on the ground, a slewing device for orienting a base of the crane 1, a jib device for actuation of an assembly jib, etc. This assembly equipment can be selected, for example, but not limited to, electric motors or hydraulic power units.

[0073] In the case of luffing jib cranes, the operating equipment mentioned previously does not include distribution equipment, as these cranes do not have a distribution trolley. Indeed, for this type of crane, the jib is lowered and raised angularly by means of at least one lifting cable. Thus, the load is lifted according to the jib's angle of inclination and therefore the winding or unwinding of the lifting cable. However, the operating equipment of a luffing jib crane does include lifting equipment (such as a lifting winch) designed to raise the luffing jib by winding and unwinding the lifting cable.

[0074] Accessory equipment 13, 14 are electrical devices that do not participate in the movement of a moving element 18, 19 of the crane 1, but which perform a power-consuming function F13, F14 specific to them when they are in an active state A13, A14. With reference to the Figure 2 The illustrated accessory equipment corresponds to the heating equipment 13, which provides a heating function F13 to heat the cabin 101, and to the air conditioning equipment 14, which provides an air conditioning function F14 to cool the cabin 101.

[0075] The actuation equipment 11, 12 and accessories 13, 14, when they do not respectively implement a movement Mvt11, Mvt12 and a consuming function F13, F14, are said to be in the inactive state NA11, NA12, NA13, NA14.

[0076] The transitions of electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 from the active state A11, A12, A13, A14 to the inactive state NA11, NA12, NA13, NA14, and vice versa, are managed from and by the control system 15.

[0077] Crane 1 is said to be in service state OP1 when at least one actuation equipment 11, 12 is in active state A11, A12; this is independent of the state of accessory equipment 13, 14. In other words, in service state OP1, crane 1 can: be being deployed on a construction site; or be operated by a crane operator in order to be moved or to move a load.

[0078] Otherwise, the crane is said to be in a non-operating state NOP1 when all the actuation equipment 12, 13 are in the inactive state NA11, NA12, whether the auxiliary equipment 13, 14 are in the active state A13, A14 or inactive state NA13, NA14. Thus, the non-operating state NOP1 can correspond to a time during which the crane 1 is inactive, for example: when it is in deep sleep (all the electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 are in the inactive state NA11, NA12, NA13, NA14); when the actuation equipment 11, 12 are inactive but the operator's cab 101 is preheated or air-conditioned (meaning that the heating equipment 13 or the air-conditioning equipment 14 is performing its energy-consuming function F13, F14); etc.

[0079] During the time period T, in order to power its electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 in the active state A11, A12, A13, A14, receives a supply power PI from at least one power source 2, the at least one power source 2 being able to correspond non-exhaustively to: the electrical network, a generator set, a rechargeable power source such as a battery.

[0080] The supply power PI is measured by at least one global electricity meter 3 in communication (via a wired or wireless link) with the control system 15. The global electricity meter 3 can, according to different embodiments of the invention, be positioned upstream of at least one power supply source 2, or at the input of the crane 1. Thus, the control system 15 retrieves the measurement of the supply power PI from the global electricity meter 3.

[0081] In addition to the categorization of electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14, the monitoring method 100 relies on segmenting the time period T according to the cycle time tc of the processor 151. In one embodiment of the invention, the cycle time tc is equal to 50 milliseconds, plus or minus 20%. Thus, the duration of the time period T is equal to a plurality of cycle times tc1, tcn occurring one after the other, the plurality of cycle times comprising at least a first cycle time tc1 and a last cycle time tcn.

[0082] A diagram illustrating the operation of the monitoring process 100 is presented. Figure 3 which begins to execute following a launch E0. The time period T is considered to begin temporally following the implementation of the launch E0.

[0083] For each of the cycle times tc1, tcn constituting the time period T, the monitoring process 100 will implement, for example in parallel as illustrated Figure 3 : A determination E1 of the state A13, NA13, A14, NA14 of each of the accessory equipment 13, 14. In the case where the accessory equipment 13, 14 is in the active state A13, A14, the monitoring process 100 (more precisely, the control system 15) will calculate an accessory power Pa13-1, Pa13-n, Pa14-1, Pa14-n consumed by the accessory equipment 13, 14 during the cycle time tc1, tcn. This calculation is detailed later in the text.In the case where the accessory equipment 13, 14 is in the active state NA13, NA14 during the cycle time tc1, tcn, the monitoring process 100 concludes that the accessory equipment 13, 14 does not consume any accessory power Pa13-1, Pa13-n, Pa14-1, Pa14-n (in other words, the power consumption is zero); an E2 monitoring of each actuation 11, 12 during which, when the actuation equipment 11, 12 is in the active state A11, A12 during the cycle time tc1, tcn, the control system 15 receives, from the speed variator 111, 121 associated with the actuation equipment 11, 12, a measurement corresponding to the actuation power Pm11-1, Pm11-n, Pm12-1, Pm12-n consumed by the actuation equipment 11, 12 during the cycle time tc1, tcn.The variable speed drives 111, 121 are capable of transmitting the actuation power Pm11-1, Pm11-n, Pm12-1, Pm12-n to the control system 15 because they include energy consumption meters. When the actuation equipment 11, 12 is in the inactive state NA11, NA12 during the cycle time tc1, tcn, its power consumption is zero.

[0084] The auxiliary power Pa13-1, Pa13-n, Pa14-1, Pa14-n consumed by the auxiliary equipment 13, 14 are calculated from mathematical models called power consumption models M13, M14 contained in the control system 15, more specifically in program 153. The power consumption models M13, M14 each contain at least: the value of the cycle time tc (for example, as indicated above, equal to 50 ms), which also corresponds to the values ​​of the set of cycle times tc1, tcn of the time period); a supply voltage U13, U14 necessary to power the accessory equipment 13, 14 when it is in the active state A13, A14; a consumption current I13, I14 of the accessory equipment 13, 14.

[0085] The auxiliary powers Pa13-1, Pa13-n, Pa14-1, Pa14-n of the auxiliary equipment 13, 14 during a cycle time tc1, tcn are then calculated according to the following equations: PA 13 − 1 , Pa 13 − n = tc ∗ U 13 ∗ I 13 PA 14 − 1 , Pa 14 − n = tc ∗ U 14 ∗ I 14

[0086] Using the M13 and M14 power consumption models to determine the auxiliary power Pa13-1, Pa13-n, Pa14-1, and Pa14-n of the auxiliary equipment 13 and 14 eliminates the need to install measuring devices on crane 1 to measure this power, devices which would themselves require power to perform the measurements. Consequently, using the M13 and M14 power consumption models reduces the energy consumption of crane 1. These power consumption models also reduce the costs associated with purchasing measuring devices.

[0087] With reference to the Figure 3 The monitoring process 100 comprises at least one set of steps EC1, EC2, ED1, ED2, Ecomp occurring after the time period T (for example, immediately after it has ended) and implemented by the control system 15. This set of steps EC1, EC2, ED1, ED2, Ecomp comprises: an EC1 calculation, for each of the accessory equipment 13, 14 of a cumulative accessory power PaT13, PaT14 which it consumed during the time period T, which is equal to a sum of the accessory powers Pa13-1, Pa14-1, Pa13-n, Pa14-n consumed in the cycle times tc1, tcn where it was in the active state A13, A14. Optionally, this cumulative accessory power PaT13, PaT14 may be equal to zero if throughout the time period T, the accessory equipment 13, 14 was in the inactive state NA13, NA14; an EC2 calculation, for each of the actuation equipment 11, 12 of a cumulative actuation power PmT11, PmT12 which it has consumed during the time period T, which is equal to a sum of the actuation powers Pm11-1, Pm11-1, Pm12-n, Pm12-n consumed in the cycle times tc1, tcn where it was in the active state A11, A12.Optionally, this cumulative actuation power PmT11, PmT12 may be equal to zero if throughout the time period T, the actuation equipment 11, 12 has been in the inactive state NA11, NA12; a deduction ED1 of a total accessory power TPA corresponding to the sum of the cumulative accessory powers PaT13, PaT14 consumed over the time period T by all the accessory equipment 13, 14; a deduction ED2 of a total actuation power TPM corresponding to the sum of the cumulative actuation powers PmT11, PmT12 consumed over the time period T by all the actuation equipment 11, 12; a comparison Ecomp between the supply power PI measured by the overall electricity meter 3, the total accessory power TPA and the total actuation power TPM.

[0088] In another embodiment of the invention, it is conceivable that the calculations EC1, EC2 are carried out in parallel and not successively, similarly for the deductions ED1, ED2.

[0089] In one embodiment of the invention, it is conceivable that before the launch E0 used to start the monitoring process 100 from the dedicated program 153 contained in the control system 15, an operator (for example the crane operator) enters in said program 153 the duration of the time period T. Thus, the steps EC1, EC2, ED1, ED2, Ecomp of the monitoring process 100 carried out after the time period T are implemented automatically by the control system 15 once the latter has ended.

[0090] In another embodiment of the invention, the time period ends following manual interaction by the operator with a menu / option offered by program 153. This interaction marks the termination by monitoring program 153 of the implementation of the determination E1 of the accessory powers Pa13-1, Pa13-n, Pa14-1, Pa14-n and the actuation powers Pm11-1, Pm11-n, Pm12-1, Pm12-n during several successive cycle times tc1, tcn. Following this manual termination, the steps EC1, EC2, ED1, ED2, Ecomp of the monitoring process are implemented by the control system 15.

[0091] By definition, the PI supply power is equal to the sum of the total accessory power TPA with the total actuation power TPM.

[0092] Thanks to the Ecomp comparison, an operator can determine whether, during the time period T, crane 1 consumed excess power. In a given context, this could be reflected by a total accessory power TPA exceeding the total actuation power TPM. Furthermore, knowing the cumulative accessory powers PaT13, PaT14 and the cumulative actuation powers PmT11, PmT12 allows the operator to identify the electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 responsible for this excessive power consumption.

[0093] Knowledge of the cumulative accessory power PaT13, PaT14 and the cumulative actuation power PmT11, PmT12 also allows the operator to determine whether, in a given application context, electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 has consumed power unnecessarily, even if the total accessory actuation power TPA is less than the total actuation power TPM. For example: the operation of heating equipment 13 when, without heating, the temperature inside the operator's cab 101 is already comfortable for the crane operator.

[0094] In order for the operator to draw conclusions about the operation of the electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 during the time period T, the monitoring method 100 includes the creation EB1 of a power data set pdata comprising at least: the cumulative accessory powers PaT13, PaT14 of all accessory equipment 13, 14 during the time period T, the cumulative actuation powers PmT11, PmT12 of all actuation equipment 11, 12 during the time period T, the total accessory power TPA, the total actuation power TPM, and the supply power PI.

[0095] The power data set pdata is time-stamped over the time period T (which can correspond to a day, a week, a month, a year, etc.) and then recorded in the memory 152 of the control system 15. Thus, an operator can use the control system to later consult the power data set pdata and thus analyze the energy behavior of the crane 1 during the time period T.

[0096] It is conceivable that the memory 152 of the control system 15 could be configured to store several sets of power data pdata, each corresponding to a distinct time period T. Thus, the operator can observe / analyze the evolution of the energy behavior of the crane 1 over a long period, which could, for example, correspond to several successive time periods T, and potentially identify energy consumption anomalies during this long period; the crane may have consumed more power over a given time period T compared to the others.

[0097] In one embodiment, analysis of the power dataset pdata is also possible from a remote IT infrastructure 4 that may be located on the construction site or, as illustrated Figure 1, be located at another geographical site. In one embodiment of the invention, it is conceivable that the control system 15 can communicate with the remote IT infrastructure 4 to send it the power data set pdata. In another embodiment, an operator may use a storage device, for example a USB key (USB for Universal Serial Bus), to retrieve the power data set pdata from the control system 15 and subsequently transfer it to the remote IT infrastructure 4.

[0098] In one embodiment of the invention, the remote computing infrastructure 4 is also provided to contain a digital twin M1 of the crane 1, enabling the simulation and reproduction of application contexts of cranes operating on construction sites. The advantage of such a digital twin M1 is its ability to reproduce the energy behavior of the crane 1 over a time period T during which excessive power consumption has been observed. To this end, in this embodiment, the power data set pdata is provided to be in a format compatible with the digital twin M1.Using the digital twin M1 and the power dataset pdata, an operator can simulate several power consumption scenarios for the specific application context of the construction site associated with this time period T, until optimal scenarios are reached in which the electrical consumption of the crane 1's electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, and 14 is optimized. Consequently, if this specific application context were to occur again on the construction site, the optimal scenarios would then allow for better energy management of the crane 1's electrical power consumption. Optimizing the power consumption of crane 1 can result, for example, from reduced activity of the auxiliary equipment 13 and 14, better utilization of crane 1 when it is in operation or working (optimization of the movements Mvt11 and Mvt12), etc.

[0099] In one embodiment of the invention, as illustrated Figure 3 It is conceivable that the monitoring process 100 could include, alongside the Ecomp comparison, an optional EC3 calculation of the energy efficiency eta of crane 1, this energy efficiency eta being equal to the total actuation power TPM divided by the supply power PI. This energy efficiency eta could possibly be part of the power data contained in the power dataset pdata.

[0100] In one embodiment of the invention, the monitoring method 100, during each of the cycle times tc1, tcn of the time period T, is capable of determining a state S1-1, S1-n of the crane among the service state OP1 and the out-of-service state NOP1; this depending on whether the actuation equipment 11, 12 and the accessory equipment 13, 14 are in the active state A11, A12, A13, A14 or in the inactive state NA11, NA12, NA13, NA14. The states A11, A12, A13, A14, NA11, NA12, NA13, NA14 of the electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 also allow the monitoring process 100 to determine which movements Mvt11, Mvt12 and / or consuming functions F13, F14 are implemented during the cycle times tc1, tcn.

[0101] Thus, a posteriori, when analyzing the set of power data pdata, the operator is able to deduce, for the time period T, the power consumed to implement a given movement Mvt11, Mvt12 or a power-consuming function F13, F14.

[0102] Also, if several actuation equipment 11, 12 (respectively several accessory equipment 13, 14) contribute during a time period T to a movement Mvt11, Mvt12 of a moving element 18, 19 (respectively to a power-consuming function F13, F14), the operator can know, at the end of the time period T, the power consumed by each of them to implement said movement Mvt11, Mvt12 (respectively said power-consuming function F13, F14).

[0103] Advantageously, the monitoring process 100 allows the cumulative powers PmT11, PmT12, PaT13, PaT14 consumed by the electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 of the crane 1 during the time period T to be processed and classified as a function of: the state OP1, NOP1 of the crane 1, and the movement Mvt11, Mvt12 or the power-consuming function F13, F14 implemented; which an external measurement system to the crane 1 would be unable to do without integrating intelligence.

[0104] In one embodiment of the invention, in order to facilitate the analysis for the operator of the power consumption of the electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 during the time period T elapsed, the monitoring method 100 may include, after the time period T, in parallel with the constitution EB1 of the power data set pdata or following the latter, a generation EB2 of an analysis report rfile containing at least the power data set pdata of the time period T, which is contained in and can be consulted from the control system 15.

[0105] In one embodiment of the invention, the analysis report is transferable to one or more remote computer infrastructures 4.

[0106] Since the EB2 generation of the rfile analysis report is optional, it is possible that this could be associated with an option offered by program 153 to the operator. It is also possible that program 153 could offer to generate an rfile analysis report containing the power dataset pdata for the last completed time period T, as well as the power datasets pdata for previous time periods T.

[0107] In one embodiment of the invention, the analysis report rfile may contain a classification of the cumulative power PmT11, PmT12, PaT13, PaT14 of the electrical equipment 11, 12, 13, 14 as a function of: the time periods T; the state OP1, NOP1 of the crane 1; and the movements Mvt11, Mvt12 or the power-consuming functions F13, F14 implemented. It is also conceivable, with reference to the Figure 4that the analysis report rfile contains, for the time period T, one or more graphical representations showing a distribution of the PI supply power, for example, but not exhaustively, as a function of: of the OP1, NOP1 state of crane 1; of the total actuation power TPM and the total accessory power TPA ( Figure 4-a ) ; actuation equipment 11, 12 and accessory equipment 13, 14, i.e. according to the cumulative actuation powers PmT11, PmT12 and the cumulative accessory powers PaT13, PaT14 ( Figure 4-b ); movements Mvt11, Mvt12 and / or power-consuming functions F13, F14 implemented ( Figure 4-c ).

Claims

1. A monitoring method (100) for monitoring over a time period (T) an electric power consumption by electrical equipment (11, 12, 13, 14) of a crane (1), which crane being powered by a supply power (PI) provided by at least one power supply source (2), which electrical equipment (11, 12, 13, 14) comprising: - actuation equipment (11, 12), wherein each of the actuation equipment (11, 12) comprises at least one motor controlled by a variable-speed drive (111, 121) and coupled to at least one movable element (18, 19) of the crane (1) to actuate, in an active state (A11, A12), a displacement of said at least one movable element (18, 19), otherwise, it is in an inactive state (NA11, NA12); and - accessory equipment (13, 14) which are not actuation equipment (11, 12), in other words equipment that do not participate in the displacement of a movable element of the crane (1), and wherein each of the accessory equipment (13, 14) ensures a power consumer function (F13, F14) specific thereto when it is in an active state (A13, A14), otherwise, it is in an inactive state (NA13, NA14); said monitoring method (100) being implemented by a control-command system (15) connected to the variable-speed drive (111, 121) of the actuation equipment (11, 12= and connected to the accessory equipment (13, 14) to make them switch from the inactive state (NA11, NA12, NA13, NA14) into the active state (A11, A12, A13, A14) and vice versa; said control-command system (15) containing at least one memory (152) and one processor (151) defined by a cycle time (tc, tc1, tcn), and being characterized in that it implements, for each cycle time (tc, tc1, tcn) comprised within the time period (T), at least: - determining (E1) a state (A13, A14, NA13, NA14) of each accessory equipment (13, 14) to determine whether it is in the active state (A13, A14) or in the inactive state (NA13, NA14), and to deduce therefrom an accessory power (Pa13-1, Pa14-1, Pa13-n, Pa14-n) consumed over the cycle time (tc, tc1, tcn) by said accessory equipment (13, 14) when it is in the active state (A13, A14), on the basis of an electric consumption model (M13, M14) associated with said accessory equipment (13, 14) which is contained in the control-command system (15); - monitoring (E2) each actuation equipment (11, 12) comprising receiving, from the corresponding variable-speed drive (111, 121), an actuation power (Pm11-1, Pm12-1, Pm11-n, Pm12-n) consumed over the cycle time (tc, tc1, tcn) by said actuation equipment (11, 12) when it is in the active state (A11, A12).

2. The monitoring method (100) according to claim 1, wherein the control-command system (15) implements, subsequently to the time period (T), at least: - calculating (EC1), for each of the accessory equipment (13, 14), a cumulated accessory power (PaT13, PaT14) consumed over the time period (T) by said accessory equipment (13, 14), by summing up the accessory powers (Pa13-1, Pa14-1, Pa13-n, Pa14-n) consumed over the cycle times (tc, tc1, tcn) where it has been in the active state (A13, A14); - calculating (EC2), for each of the actuation equipment (11, 12), a cumulated actuation power (PmT11, PmT12) consumed over the time period (T) by said actuation equipment (11, 12), by summing up the actuation powers (Pm11-1, Pm12-1, Pm11-n, Pm12-n) consumed over the cycle times (tc, tc1, tcn) where it has been in the active state (A11, A12); - deducing (ED1) a total accessory power (TPA) corresponding to the sum of the cumulated accessory powers (PaT13, PaT14) consumed over the time period (T) by all of the accessory equipment (13, 14); - deducing (ED2) a total actuation power (TPM) corresponding to the sum of the cumulated actuation powers (PmT11, PmT12) consumed over the time period (T) by all of the actuation equipment (11, 12); - comparing (Ecomp) the supply power (PI), the total accessory power (TPA) and the total actuation power (TPM).

3. The monitoring method (100) according to claim 2, wherein, subsequently to the time period (T), the control-command system (15) constitutes a set of power data (pdata) comprising at least: - the cumulated accessory powers (PaT13, PaT14) of all of the accessory equipment (13, 14) over the time period (T), - the cumulated actuation powers (PmT11, PmT12) of all of the actuation equipment (11, 12) over the time period (T), - the total accessory power (TPA), - the total actuation power (TPM), and - the supply power (PI); which set of power data (pdata) is time-stamped over the time period (T) and then recorded in the memory (152) of the control-command system (15).

4. The monitoring method (100) according to claim 3, wherein the set of power data (pdata) can be exported from the control-command system (15) towards a digital twin (M1) of the crane (1) modeled in a remote computer infrastructure (4), the set of power data (pdata) being set in a data format compatible with the digital twin (M1) in order to be exploited by the latter.

5. The monitoring method (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control-command system (15) calculates, subsequently to the time period (T), an energy efficiency (eta) which is equal to the total actuation power (TPM) divided by the supply power (PI).

6. The monitoring method (100) according to claims 3 and 5, wherein the set of power data (pdata) also comprises the energy efficiency (eta).

7. The monitoring method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control-command system (15) determines, at each cycle time (tc, tc1, tcn) comprised within the time period (T), and according to a least one electrical equipment (11, 12, 13, 14) amongst the actuation equipment (11, 12) and the accessory equipment (13, 14) in the active state (A11, A12, A13, A14), at least one state (S1-1, S1-n) of the crane (1) amongst at least one off-service state (NOP1) in which all of the actuation elements (11, 12) are in the inactive state (NA11, NA12), and at least one on-service state (OP1) in which at least one of the actuation elements (11, 12) is in the active state (A11, A12).

8. The monitoring method (100) according to claim 7, wherein, when the at least one state (S1) of the crane (1) corresponds to the on-service state (OP1) for a given cycle time (tc, tc1, tcn), the control-command system (15) associates for each of the actuation equipment (11, 12) a movement (Mvt11, Mvt12) selected at least amongst: - a dispense movement (Mvt11) associated with a dispensing equipment (11) amongst the actuation equipment (11, 12) during which a maneuver of dispensing a load along a jib (16) of the crane (1) is performed, - a hoist movement (Mvt12) associated with a hoisting equipment (12) amongst the actuation equipment (11, 12) during which a maneuver of hoisting a load is performed, - a steer movement associated with a steering equipment amongst the actuation equipment (11, 12) during which a maneuver of steering a jib (16) is performed, - a translational movement associated with a translation equipment amongst the actuation equipment (11, 12) during which a maneuver of translating the crane (1) is performed, - a lift movement associated with a lifting equipment amongst the actuation equipment (11, 12) during which a maneuver of lifting a lifting jib is performed, or - a mount movement during which mounting of the crane (1) is performed, which mount movement is associated with a mounting equipment amongst the actuation equipment (11, 12) and selected at least amongst: a folding / unfolding equipment for folding / unfolding a mast (102) and a jib (16), an anchoring equipment for anchoring the crane (1) to the ground, a steering equipment for steering a base of the crane (1), a post equipment for actuating a mounting post.

9. The monitoring method (100) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, when the at least one state (S1) of the crane (1) corresponds to the off-service state (NOP1) for a given cycle time (tc, tc1, tcn), the control-command system (15) associates for each of the accessory equipment (13, 14) the consumer function (F13, F14) selected at least from amongst: - a heating function (F13) associated with a heating equipment (13) amongst the accessory equipment (13, 14) for heating an operator cabin (101) of the crane (1), and - an air-conditioning function (F14) associated with an air-conditioning equipment (14) amongst the accessory equipment (13, 14) for conditioning an operator cabin (101) of the crane (1).

10. The monitoring method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electric consumption model (M13, M14) of each of the accessory equipment (13, 14) contains, in order to calculate the accessory power (Pa13-1, Pa14-1, Pa13-n, Pa14-n), at least: - the cycle time (tc, tc1, tcn), - a power supply voltage (U13, U14) for powering said accessory equipment (13, 14) when in the active state (A13, A14), - a consumption current (113, 114) of the accessory equipment (13, 14).

11. The monitoring method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cycle time (tc, tc1, tcn) is equal to 50 milliseconds, within a 20% margin.

12. The monitoring method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the supply power (PI) is measured by a general electrical meter (3) connected to the control-command system (15).

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