Anti-collision device for construction machinery and procedure for operating several construction machines

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating various construction machines, particularly cranes, whose movements are monitored to detect imminent collisions by means of an anti-collision device. In this method, ultra-wideband transmitter / receiver devices mounted on the construction machines exchange ultra-wideband signals, and the propagation times of these signals between the machines are determined, thus enabling the detection of imminent collisions.

Description

Anti-collision device for construction machinery and procedure for operating several construction machines The present invention relates to a method for operating various construction machines, particularly cranes, whose movements are monitored for imminent collisions by means of an anti-collision device. The invention also relates to an anti-collision device for monitoring and preventing imminent collisions between two construction machines. Construction sites regularly use several pieces of construction machinery simultaneously, including often multiple cranes. Their typically circular working areas partially overlap, which may be due to the site's spatial constraints, but is also necessary to achieve the most complete coverage possible despite the circular working zones. To prevent collisions between cranes, especially between their booms, in the area of ​​partial overlap, cranes are usually equipped with anti-collision devices. These devices monitor crane movements and intervene in the work area at risk of collision—that is, the aforementioned overlap zone—to slow or stop movements, or at least issue a warning signal if a collision is imminent. Similar collision problems can also occur with other construction machinery on the site, for example, with a cable excavator, which, with its boom and suspended bucket, typically swings back and forth in a circular sector and occasionally moves around the site to change the excavation location. Depending on the construction site, collisions with other construction machinery such as pipelayers, wheel loaders, bulldozers, or concrete pump booms may also be imminent.These anti-collision devices can determine the crane's position and movement using a suitable sensor system. For example, a rotary encoder in the slewing mechanism might determine the boom's orientation around the vertical axis of rotation, a tilt sensor might determine the boom's tilt position, or a trolley sensor might determine the trolley's position on the boom and thus the hoist cable's reach. By defining collision zones, the anti-collision device, based on the crane's position detected by the sensors, can detect when the crane is moving into the aforementioned overlap zone, which carries a risk of collision with another crane. On the other hand, the anti-collision devices of cranes or construction machinery can also communicate with each other, so that one anti-collision device knows if the other crane or construction machinery is also moving in the overlapping zone or heading towards it. To do this, the anti-collision devices transmit the position and / or status data of "their" construction machinery, determined by sensors or other means, to the anti-collision device of the "other" construction machinery. This allows the anti-collision device of one construction machinery to take into account the position and / or status data of the other construction machinery when deciding whether to intervene in the crane's control and influence its movement, in particular to stop it, or at least issue a warning signal. Such an anti-collision device is described, for example, in document DE 2441785 A1, which, in order to detect the distances of the crane booms of several cranes from each other, represents these crane boom distances as vectors and determines the distance between the boom tips or horizontally projected boom fragments from the difference of the vectors between each other. Document EP 1894882 B1 also describes an anti-collision device for cranes, which determines movement vectors in a similar way, but does not determine them as a real value, but estimates them prospectively, in order to intervene early in movements prone to collisions. The configuration of anti-collision devices on such cranes and similar construction equipment is still relatively complex and prone to errors if not handled with due care. Typically, the distance between cranes—more precisely, the separation of their centers, for example, at the tips of the jib towers of slewing cranes—is determined using laser measuring devices. Additionally, the orientation of the cranes relative to each other, particularly the orientation of their jibs, must be determined. This is usually done manually by manually moving the cranes to a specific relative position and recording the corresponding readings from the anti-collision system's sensor.Overall, this results in a considerable installation effort, and safety-relevant errors may occur if measurements or manual orientation determination are not carried out carefully by an experienced operator. To simplify the measurement, document DE 102018129227 A1 proposes to automatically provide the anti-collision device with the position and orientation of the crane using satellite navigation and an additional angle sensor system, in order to avoid manual measurements as much as possible. Document DE 102018100133 A1 also describes an anti-collision device for cranes which, in the event of an imminent collision, establishes a remote control connection to "wake up" an out-of-service crane parked in the collision zone from an active crane and move it out of the collision zone. A collision avoidance device for a slewing tower crane is also known from CN 114368698 A, in which several ultra-wideband identifiers are arranged along the boom, the distance to other ultra-wideband identifiers on another crane being determined by the signal intensity. CN 114368698 A discloses the preamble to claims 1 and 7. Another collision avoidance device for construction machinery is known from US 2015 / 0161872 A1. Based on this, the present invention aims to create an improved anti-collision device, an improved operating procedure for various construction machines, and an improved construction machine that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and enhances it. Specifically, it seeks to create an anti-collision device that is easy to configure and retrofit to existing construction machines, reliably prevents or warns of imminent collisions, and can also accommodate machines only temporarily involved in the construction process. According to the invention, this objective is achieved by means of a process according to claim 1, an anti-collision device according to claim 7, and a construction machine according to claim 11. Preferred configurations of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims. In other words, the invention proposes to have construction machines exchange ultra-wideband signals with each other and to determine imminent collisions based on the transit times of these signals. According to the invention, ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices are installed on several construction machines. These devices exchange ultra-wideband signals, the transit times of the signals are measured, and imminent collisions are determined based on these transit times. By using ultra-wideband transmitters and receivers, existing construction machines can be easily retrofitted without requiring laborious training on specialized anti-collision systems. Based on the transit time of the ultra-wideband signals exchanged between the construction machines, the distance between them and a dangerous proximity can be determined. This allows the anti-collision device to modify, in particular slow down or stop, the movement of at least one machine, or at least emit a warning signal to alert the operator to the impending collision. Using ultra-wideband signals, several different types of construction machines can communicate reliably with each other, without interference affecting the reliable detection of collisions. Furthermore, no special coordination measures are required to synchronize the machines and operate the anti-collision system. Ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices can utilize ultra-wideband signals across a broad frequency range with a bandwidth of, for example, at least 500 MHz or at least 20% of the average of the lower and upper frequency limits of the frequency band used. Advantageously, ultra-wideband signals can also have a bandwidth of at least 25% or at least 30% of the center frequency. If the center frequency, i.e., the average of the lower and upper bandwidth limits, is, for example, 2 GHz, the bandwidth can be 500 MHz or more. In an improvement of the invention, ultra-wideband signals can in principle have a bandwidth of 100 MHz to 10 GHz or 500 MHz to 5 GHz or, for example, 800 MHz to 1.2 GHz. The center frequency of ultra-wideband signals can be advantageously chosen in the range of 1 GHz to 20 GHz, for example, from 2 GHz to 10 GHz or between 3 GHz and 10 GHz. Ultra-wideband signals of this bandwidth and center frequency ranges achieve stable communication and allow for reliable transit time determination. In an improvement of the invention, in each of the at least two construction machines, three ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices may be provided, and the position and / or proximity of the construction machines in relation to each other can be determined by trilateration from the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals. Advantageously, these three ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices can be arranged in a plane that is at least approximately horizontal or horizontal, enabling the determination of approximations of relevant parts of the construction machine in a horizontal or horizontal direction. In this respect, the three ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices form a triangle with one point at the tip of the crane boom and extending at least approximately parallel to the boom's longitudinal axis and in a horizontal plane. If the construction equipment consists of, for example, two or more cranes, two ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices may be mounted on the boom, for instance, at the boom tip and the boom articulation point on the tower or at the end of a counterjib. A third ultra-wideband transmission / reception device may be positioned transversely with respect to a connecting line between the two aforementioned transmission / reception devices, either horizontally or horizontally. For example, a transverse boom or support may be mounted on the crane boom or tower, projecting transversely, which keeps the third ultra-wideband transmission / reception device at the same height as the other two transmission / reception devices and separated transversely from this connecting line. In such cases, the anti-collision device can also use the angle or orientation signal from a orientation sensor, which indicates the orientation of the respective construction machine. For example, in the case of a crane, the slewing position signal from a slewing mechanism encoder or sensor can be considered. This signal indicates the slewing position of the mechanism by which the crane can be rotated around a vertical axis. Using this angle or orientation signal, the anti-collision device can determine, in particular, the direction in which the crane's slewing mechanism is pointing or the orientation of the boom or other component of the construction machine relevant to a collision with one or more other construction machines. When using an angle or orientation signal of this type, it may be sufficient to place only two ultra-wideband transceivers on the construction machine. The anti-collision device can determine the position of the construction machines relative to each other and / or their approach to one another by means of bilateration, based on the determined transit times of the ultra-wideband signals exchanged between the two ultra-wideband transceivers per construction machine. This angle and / or orientation signal can also be used to eliminate ambiguities in determining the position through bilateration or to unambiguously determine positions and approaches. Advantageously, even with only two ultra-wideband transceivers, these two transceivers can be mounted on the construction machine in a horizontal or at least approximately horizontal plane. For example, if the construction machine is a crane, the two ultra-wideband transceivers can be positioned on opposite ends of the boom. In an improvement of the invention, the evaluation of the ultra-wideband signals or of the measured or otherwise determined transit times of the exchanged ultra-wideband signals can be carried out by means of a respective anti-collision device in a respective construction machine, in particular in a respective crane, the anti-collision device being, for example, a module of the crane control or the construction machine control and being implemented by means of a software module in a computer unit. Alternatively or additionally, the anti-collision device may also include a central evaluation device. This device receives the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals exchanged between the transmitting / receiving devices of the construction machines and / or the distances derived from these signals. This central evaluation device may be located, for example, on a construction machine acting as a master or as part of a site management computer. This central evaluation device can perform a collision check and, if necessary, transmit a collision warning to the affected construction machines. The machine's control system can then react to the collision warning from the central evaluation device in a predetermined manner, for example, by slowing down, modifying, or stopping the approach movement. The invention is explained in more detail below by means of preferred embodiments and associated drawings. The drawings show: Figure 1: A side view of two construction machines in the form of rotating tower cranes, whose working areas overlap, with three ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices provided on each crane. Figure 2: A plan view of the two cranes in Figure 1, showing the arrangement of the ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices along the crane booms and on a transverse boom projecting from them, as well as trilateration by means of ultra-wideband-based distance measurements. Figure 3: A side view of two cranes, which have an overlapping working area and in each case are equipped with only two ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices as well as an additional slewing position sensor system to determine collision-relevant approaches by means of bilateration through ultra-wideband-based distance measurements between the transmit and receive devices, and, in addition, with the help of an orientation signal from the orientation sensor system, and Figure 4: A plan view of the two cranes in Figure 3, illustrating the arrangement of the two ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices along the crane booms and the resolution of the ambiguity of position determination by means of the angle or direction of rotation signal. As the figures show, the anti-collision device 1 can monitor several construction machines, for example in the form of cranes 2, 3, and prevent collisions. These cranes 2, 3 can be configured, for example, as rotating tower cranes, each comprising a boom 4, which can be arranged horizontally and supported on a tower 5. However, the cranes 2, 3 can also be configured as other types of cranes, such as a quick-assembly folding crane or a telescopic boom crane. As is already known, the two cranes 2, 3 can be rotated in each case around a vertical axis by means of a slewing mechanism 5, so that their booms 4 can cover in each case a circular or annular working area, these working areas of the cranes 2, 3 being able to overlap in a collision zone, see figure 2 and figure 4. Although the booms 4 can be arranged at a different height, a corresponding collision zone can result due to the lifting cables that come out of the booms 4, which carry the load hook and can, for example, come out of a sliding carriage 6 that can move along the respective boom 4. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the anti-collision device 1 of each crane 2, 3 may feature several ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices and ultra-wideband receive devices. These ultra-wideband transmit and receive devices may be configured and arranged separately, although this is not mandatory. Alternatively, these ultra-wideband transmit and receive devices may be grouped into an ultra-wideband module or component, for example, integrated into a common operational structure with an ultra-wideband antenna device, with the antenna unit, for example, being able to switch regularly between transmit and receive modes. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices 7 are distributed along the booms 4, for example, in the area of ​​a boom tip and in the area of ​​an articulated connection from the boom to the tower. In addition to two ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices 7 positioned separately on the boom 4, cranes 2 and 3 each have at least one additional ultra-wideband transmit / receive device 7, which may be positioned at the same height as the other two transmit / receive devices 7 and separated transversely from a connecting line between the two aforementioned transmit / receive devices 7 on the boom 4, for example, by a transverse boom 8 which may be positioned on the tower or on the boom 4 itself and projecting horizontally from it.Regardless of the actual clamping or mounting, it may be advantageous for the three ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices 7 of each crane 2, 3 to be arranged in a horizontal plane and / or form a triangle, see Figures 1 and 2. The ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices 7 communicate with each other and exchange ultra-wideband signals, so that the distances of the transmit / receive devices 7 and thus the separation of the cranes 2, 3 and in particular the separation of their booms 4 from each other can be determined from the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals. In this respect, the ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices 7, which are arranged on the same crane 2 or 3, can also communicate with each other, so that transit times can serve as reference values, reflecting the known distances between the transmit / receive devices 7 on the same crane. From the ultra-wideband signals exchanged between cranes 2 and 3 and their transit times, the anti-collision device 1 can determine the position of cranes 2 and 3, and in particular the position of their booms 4 relative to each other. Specifically, the anti-collision device 1 can also determine the approaches of cranes 2 and 3, particularly their booms 4, to each other, or, more generally, the relative movements between the relevant components of cranes 2 and 3. The anti-collision device 1 may comprise a central computer 9, which, for example, may be provided in one of the cranes acting as the master in this case, for example, integrated into its crane control system. However, alternatively or additionally, a central computer 9 independent of the cranes 2, 3 or the construction machinery may also be used. Transit times or distances determined from these times between the ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices 7 or the cranes 2, 3 or the booms 4 may be transmitted to this central computer, so that the independent central computer 9, which may, for example, be integrated into or connected to a site management computer, can determine the movements of the machinery that pose a collision risk and transmit a corresponding warning signal to the construction machinery or the rigging 2, 3. The anti-collision device 1, in particular its central computer 9, can be configured to determine the relative positions of the cranes 2, 3, in particular their booms 4, or the ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices 7 placed on them, by trilateration using transit times and to determine by variations in relative positions the approaches that pose a risk of collision. As shown in Figure 2, trilateration can be performed by means of the ultra-wideband transceiver 7, which protrudes laterally transversely from the boom 4 or is positioned laterally next to the tower. The circles drawn in Figure 2 represent ultra-wideband-based distance measurements. The position of the ultra-wideband transceiver 7 in the boom tip area of ​​the other crane can be uniquely determined by the two rear ultra-wideband transceiver 7s, positioned in the boom pivot point area and separated transversely from each other. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, it may also be sufficient to place in each case only two ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices 7 on the two cranes 2, 3 or the corresponding construction machines, with the transmission / reception devices 7 being placed, for example, in the area of ​​the boom tip and in the area of ​​the boom articulation point 4, see Figure 3. With only two ultra-wideband transceiver devices 7, the relative position of the ultra-wideband transceiver device 7 located at the boom tip of the other crane can only be determined ambiguously. This ambiguity arises because the boom tip of the other crane 3 could be to the right or left of the boom 4 of the first crane 2 (see Figure 4) and still be equidistant from either of the two ultra-wideband transceiver devices 7 of that first crane 2. To resolve this ambiguity, the anti-collision device 1 can use an angle or orientation signal, indicating the angular position or orientation of the two cranes 2 and 3 relative to each other.For example, the anti-collision device 1 can take into account two angle signals indicating the rotation position of the two cranes 2, 3 and thereby characterize the relative angular position of the two cranes 2, 3 in relation to each other. These angle signals can come, for example, from encoders or sensors that indicate in each case the position of the slewing mechanism of the two cranes.

Claims

1. A method for operating several construction machines, in particular cranes (2, 3), whose movements are monitored for imminent collisions by means of an anti-collision device (1), wherein ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices (7) placed on the various construction machines exchange ultra-wideband signals, characterized in that the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals between the construction machines are determined and imminent collisions are determined from the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals, wherein at least three ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices (7) are provided on each construction machine, which form a triangle in a horizontal plane with one point in the area of ​​a boom tip,and the positions and / or approaches of the construction machines relative to each other are determined by trilateration based on the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals exchanged between the ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices (7).

2. A method according to the preceding claim, wherein ultra-wideband signals with a bandwidth of more than 20%, 25%, or 35% of the average frequency are exchanged.

3. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein ultra-wideband signals with a bandwidth of more than 500 MHz or 1 GHz are exchanged.

4. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein ultra-wideband signals with an average frequency in the range of 500 MHz to 10 GHz, 1 GHz to 10 GHz, or 3 GHz to 8 GHz are exchanged.

5. A method according to any of the preceding claims,wherein the anti-collision device (1) emits a warning signal in the event of imminent collisions and / or intervenes in the control of at least one of the construction machines, in particular by modifying and / or braking and / or stopping its movement.

6. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals are determined by transit-time determination devices on the construction machines and the determined transit times and / or the distances of the construction machines derived therefrom are transmitted to a common central evaluation device (9), which, by means of the transmitted transit times and / or distances, determines imminent collisions and transmits collision warning signals to the affected construction machine.

7. An anti-collision device for monitoring and preventing imminent collisions between two construction machines,in particular in the form of cranes (2, 3), comprising several ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices (7) in each of the construction machines for exchanging ultra-wideband signals, characterized by a transit-time determination device for determining the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals exchanged between the construction machines, as well as a position and / or approach determination device for determining the position of the construction machines relative to each other and / or the approach of the construction machines to each other by means of the determined transit times of the ultra-wideband signals, wherein at least three ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices (7) are provided in each construction machine,The at least three ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices (7) form a triangle in a horizontal plane with one apex in the area of ​​a boom tip, and the position and / or approach determination device (11) is configured to determine the position and / or approach of the construction machines by means of trilateration based on the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals.

8. Anti-collision device according to the preceding claim, wherein two ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices (7) are arranged in the area of ​​a boom (4) of the construction machine and another ultra-wideband transmit / receive device (7) is located transversely away from the boom (4).

9. Anti-collision device according to the preceding claim, wherein one ultra-wideband transmit / receive device (7) is positioned in the area of ​​a boom tip.another ultra-wideband transmission / reception device (7) in the area of ​​a boom joint (4) and another ultra-wideband transmission / reception device (7) on a transverse boom (8) projecting transversely relative to the boom (4).

10. Anti-collision device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a central evaluation device (9) is provided for evaluating the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals, which is provided on one of the construction machines or separately from all the construction machines.

11. Construction machine, in particular a crane, comprising an anti-collision device for monitoring and preventing imminent collisions with another construction machine according to any of the preceding claims 7-10, wherein the anti-collision device (1) has several ultra-wideband transmission / reception devices (7),which are arranged separately from each other and intended to exchange ultra-wideband signals with ultra-wideband transmit / receive devices (7) on the other construction machine.

12. Construction machine according to the preceding claim, wherein the anti-collision device (1) comprises a transit-time determination device for determining the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals exchanged with the other construction machine and a position determination device (11) for determining the position relative to the other construction machine based on the transit times of the ultra-wideband signals.

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