Control device and control method

Abstract

To provide a crane control device capable of reducing standby time while allowing a crane to perform high-priority work.SOLUTION: A control device acquires a status signal indicating the state of the garbage in the pit and hopper, and based on the operation of the second crane and the status signal, refers to a table in which the operations to be performed by the first crane associated with operations of the second crane that may interfere with the first crane for which the operation is to be determined, and are arranged in order of priority according to the state of the garbage in the pit and hopper, selects the operation to be performed by the first crane in order of highest priority, determines whether the selected operation will interfere with the second crane, and if there is no interference, determines that operation as the operation of the first crane.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device and a control method for a crane. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a crane operation control device that creates a schedule for multiple cranes on the same rail, based on the transport command data of each crane, to minimize crane standby time while ensuring non-interference between the cranes. If this technology is applied to the control of multiple cranes that feed waste into incinerators at a waste treatment plant, it is possible to improve the crane utilization rate by minimizing standby time. However, if the sole focus is on minimizing crane standby time, there is a risk that prioritized work will be postponed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-282968 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To provide a method for controlling a crane, capable of reducing the standby time of a crane while making the crane perform work having the highest possible priority.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a control device and a control method that can solve the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The control device disclosed herein is a control device that controls multiple cranes for dumping garbage stored in a pit into the hopper of an incinerator, and includes: a table that lists the operations to be performed by the first crane in order of priority according to the state of the garbage in the pit and the hopper, in correspondence with the operation of a second crane that may interfere with the first crane for which the operation is to be determined; an acquisition unit that acquires a status signal indicating the state of the garbage in the pit and the hopper; and an operation determination unit that refers to the table based on the operation of the second crane and the status signal, selects the operation to be performed by the first crane in order of priority, determines whether the selected operation will interfere with the second crane, and if there is no interference, determines the selected operation as the operation of the first crane.

[0007] The control method disclosed herein is a control method for multiple cranes that dump garbage stored in a pit into the hopper of an incinerator, which acquires status signals indicating the state of the garbage in the pit and the hopper, and, based on the status signals and the operation of a second crane that may interfere with the first crane whose operation is to be determined, associates the operation to be performed by the first crane with the operation of the second crane, refers to a table arranged in order of priority according to the state of the garbage in the pit and the hopper, selects the operation to be performed by the first crane in order of highest priority, determines whether the selected operation will interfere with the second crane, and if there is no interference, determines that operation as the operation of the first crane. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the control device and control method of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the standby time of the crane while having the crane perform work with the highest possible priority. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a waste treatment plant according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation determination table according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a first diagram illustrating an example of a crane operation according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a second diagram illustrating an example of a crane operation according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a third diagram illustrating an example of a crane operation according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a fourth diagram illustrating an example of a crane operation according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for determining a crane operation according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a method for controlling a crane in a waste treatment plant according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. (composition) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a waste treatment plant according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a waste treatment plant 100 includes a crane system 1, a pit 2, a hopper 3, and a control device 10. Waste transported to the waste treatment plant 100 is dumped into the pit 2, where it is stored. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the pit 2 as viewed from above. The crane system 1 is equipped with cranes C1 and C2, which perform operations such as stirring and transporting the waste. The cranes C1 and C2 are movably disposed on rails R1 and R2, and crane C1 cannot overtake crane C2 and move to the right of the page, or crane C2 cannot move to the left of crane C1. Various operations of the crane system 1 are controlled by a control device 10. The control device 10 can move the cranes C1 and C2 left and right, up and down, and forward and backward on the page, and perform the following various operations. Cranes C1 and C2 include buckets for grabbing garbage, and use the buckets to pick up and drop garbage from pit 2, stirring the garbage and homogenizing its quality and condition. Once the garbage is in a state suitable for incineration, cranes C1 and C2 use their buckets to grab the garbage and transport it to hoppers 3a and 3b, where it is dumped. Hoppers 3a and 3b temporarily store the garbage that has been dumped in and then supply it to an incinerator (not shown).

[0011] More specifically, waste delivered by transport vehicles is dumped into area 2c of pit 2 and then transported to area 2a or area 2b by cranes C1 and C2. Doors 4a to 4d are installed on the wall near area 2c, and waste can only be dumped from transport vehicles into area 2c when doors 4a to 4d are open. Areas 2a and 2b alternate roles, for example, on a given day. For example, on one day, area 2a serves as the source of waste to be dumped into hoppers 3a and 3b, while area 2b receives waste dumped from transport vehicles. The next day, waste dumped into area 2c is transported to area 2a, and waste is dumped from area 2b into hoppers 3a and 3b. When dumping waste into hoppers 3a and 3b, to prevent interference between cranes C1 and C2, crane C1 dumps waste into hopper 3a, and crane C2 dumps waste into hopper 3b. Interference between cranes C1 and C2 is determined by the horizontal distance between them on the paper. The horizontal direction on the paper is defined as rows, and the vertical direction is defined as columns. For example, if pit 2 is divided into 8 rows (A through H) and 14 columns (1 through 14), cranes C1 and C2 can approach each other until the distance between the rows is two columns. If they get any closer, it is determined that interference will occur. The control device 10 controls cranes C1 and C2 so that the distance between cranes C1 and C2 is at least two columns. Each area of pit 2 divided into 8 rows and 14 columns is called a cell. For example, the cell in row A and column 1 is referred to as cell (A, 1). In the example pit 2 shown in Figure 1, area 2a is a 5-cell x 5-cell area spanning rows A through E and columns 9 through 13, and area 2b is a 5-cell x 5-cell area spanning rows A through E and columns 3 through 7. However, these are merely examples, and the positions and extents of areas 2a and 2b can be freely set by the user. Next, the main operations of the cranes C1 and C2 will be described.

[0012] (Input) Hoppers 3a and 3b are equipped with sensors that measure the height of the garbage, which indicates the amount of garbage stored in the hopper. When the garbage height falls below a certain level, there will be an insufficient amount of garbage to supply to the incinerator (not shown). This level is called Level 1. Level 1 indicates a state in which garbage must be dumped. For example, when the garbage height in hopper 3a reaches Level 1, the control device 10 controls crane C1 to dump garbage from pit 2 into hopper 3a. The same is true for hopper 3b. When the garbage height in the hopper reaches a certain level or above, it is no longer necessary to dump any more garbage. This height is called Level 3. Level 3 indicates a state in which garbage dumping is no longer necessary. For example, when the garbage height in hoppers 3a and 3b reaches Level 3, the control device 10 will not dump garbage into hoppers 3a and 3b. When the garbage height in the hopper falls below a predetermined height that is higher than Level 1 but lower than Level 3, garbage can be dumped. This height is called Level 2. Level 2 indicates a state in which garbage can be dumped. For example, when the garbage height in hopper 3a reaches Level 2, the control device 10 may dump garbage into hopper 3a if there are no other operations with a higher priority. Which cell in area 2a, etc., to dump garbage into hopper 3a, etc. is selected from among cells whose overall evaluation score, calculated and managed for each cell, is higher than a predetermined threshold, based on factors such as the absence of interference, the shortest time required for dumping, and the highest overall evaluation score, and the garbage from the selected cell is dumped into hopper 3a, etc.

[0013] (Acceptance) The height of the waste in each cell of the pit 2 is managed. For example, a sensor for measuring the height of the waste in each cell may be installed on the walls, ceiling, or space above the pit 2, and the height may be measured by this sensor. Alternatively, the height may be estimated based on the amount of waste transported by the cranes C1 and C2. If the height of the waste in area 2c (or the height of the waste in row H of area 2c) exceeds a predetermined threshold, it must be quickly moved to another location within the pit 2, as this will affect the disposal of waste from the transport vehicle. For example, if the height of the waste in cell (H, 8) exceeds the threshold and area 2b is designated as a destination for waste disposed of by the transport vehicle, the control device 10 moves crane C1 or crane C2 to cell (H, 8) to transport the waste from cell (H, 8) to area 2 (provided that doors 4a-4d are closed). This operation is called "receiving." Note that acceptance is not performed when doors 4a-4d are open and trash can be dropped in. Therefore, acceptance is performed only when the trash height is equal to or greater than a threshold and doors 4a-4d are closed. For example, when accepting trash, the control device 10 calculates the average trash height for each column in area 2b from the trash height in each cell in area 2b, selects the column with the lowest average trash height, and evenly drops the trash transported from cell (H, 8) onto the entire selected column. The trash height in each cell after the trash has been dropped is determined and managed by measurement or calculation. An overall evaluation score representing the state of trash agitation in each cell after the trash has been dropped is calculated, and the overall evaluation score is managed for each cell. Any method can be used to calculate the overall evaluation score. For example, the calculation may be performed using a formula in which the more times the trash is agitated, the higher the overall evaluation score.

[0014] (stirring) The waste stored in areas 2a and 2b is agitated to ensure that each cell is equally suitable for combustion. Agitation is performed, for example, by using cranes C1 and C2 to pick up waste from a cell and drop it into the same cell, or by transporting it to another cell and dropping it there. The overall evaluation score of the cell is updated each time agitation is performed. Agitation is performed first for cells with a low overall evaluation score, and is not performed for cells whose overall evaluation score is above a predetermined threshold, indicating that the waste is ready to be dumped into hoppers 3a and 3b. Furthermore, compared to the above-mentioned dumping and receiving, agitation is often considered a relatively low-priority operation. When no dumping or receiving is required, the control device 10 searches areas 2a and 2b for cells whose overall evaluation score is below the threshold and performs agitation.

[0015] The control device 10 includes a signal acquisition unit 11, an operation determination unit 12, a control unit 13, and a memory unit 14. The signal acquisition unit 11 acquires signals including the trash heights in the hoppers 3a and 3b, the trash height in the area 2c, and the trash heights in each cell of the pit 2. The signal acquisition unit 11 constantly receives signals including the latest trash heights and records the trash height information included in the received signals in the memory unit 14. The operation determination unit 12 determines the operation (e.g., "feed," "receive," or "mix") to be assigned to each of the cranes C1 and C2. The operation determination unit 12 determines the highest-priority operation among the operations that can be performed without interference between the cranes C1 and C2. The operation determination unit 12 also calculates the overall evaluation score for each cell using a predetermined method and records the calculation results in the memory unit 14. The control unit 13 controls the cranes C1 and C2 based on the operation determined by the operation determination unit 12. The memory unit 14 stores information acquired by the signal acquisition unit 11 (the garbage height in the hopper, the garbage height in each cell), the overall evaluation score of each cell, and an "operation decision table" that takes into account the priority of operations and interference with other cranes, as described below.

[0016] FIG. 2 shows an example of the operation determination table. The operation determination unit 12 determines the operations of cranes C1 and C2 by referring to the operation determination table 200. As shown in the figure, the operation determination table 200 has the following fields: "item number," "other crane operation," "priority of target crane operation," and "condition." The other crane is a crane that may interfere with the target crane whose operation is being determined (referred to as the target crane). When determining the operation of crane C1, the other crane is crane C2, and when determining the operation of crane C2, the other crane is crane C1. The condition is a condition for determining the operation of the target crane. For example, when determining the operation of crane C1, if crane C2 is performing a loading operation, the operations of items 1 to 5, i.e., loading (integrated), loading (split), receiving (integrated), receiving (split), and mixing, are candidate operations to be assigned to crane C1. The priorities of the operations of items 1 to 5 are the numerical values set in the column to the left of "priority of target crane operation." In this example, loading (integrated) has the highest priority, and mixing has the lowest priority. However, if the conditions set in the "Conditions" are not met, the operation will not be selected as the operation for crane C1, no matter how high its priority. For example, if the current waste level in hopper 3a is Level 3, items 1 and 2 (loading (consistent) and loading (split)) are excluded from the list of operations to be assigned to crane C1. If the conditions in items 3 to 5 are met, operations 3 to 5 are considered for assignment to crane C1 in order of priority. Specifically, the consideration here refers to whether or not the operation will interfere with crane C2. The interference between cranes C1 and C2 will be explained with reference to FIG. 3. For example, assume that crane C2 is performing an operation to load waste from cell (A, 9) into hopper 3b. If the waste level in hopper 3a is Level 3, the waste level in cell (H, 9) is equal to or greater than a threshold, and doors 4a to 4d are closed, the operation determination unit 12 refers to the operation determination table 200 and attempts to assign the receiving operation to crane C1. However, when crane C1 is moved to cell (H, 9), the distance between crane C2 and crane C1, which are in the same 9th row, becomes less than two rows, causing interference.In this case, the operation decision unit 12 does not select acceptance (consistency) of item 3 or acceptance (division) of item 4, and if there is a cell whose overall evaluation score is less than the threshold, it decides to mix the cell as the operation of the crane C1. (If there is no such cell, the crane C1 does not operate.)

[0017] The terms "integrated" and "divided" refer to whether the operations are performed in a continuous manner or in separate operations. Figure 4 shows an example of an integrated input (integrated) operation. For ease of explanation, in Figure 4, region 2a is the range from rows A to E and columns 7 to 13, and region 2b is the range from rows A to E and columns 3 to 5. Region 2a is the region where input occurs, and region 2b is the region where input occurs. Assume that crane C2 is performing an input operation to transport waste from cell (H, 2) to column 4. In this case, the movement range of crane C2 is from column 2 to column 4. Meanwhile, if the waste height in hopper 3a is level 1 and there is a cell (E, 7) with the highest overall evaluation score that does not interfere with crane C2, the operation determination unit 12 refers to the operation determination table 200 and first selects the integrated input (integrated) operation of item 6 from items 6-12 as the operation to be assigned to crane C1, and then considers whether there is any interference with crane C2. Assume that crane C1 is currently located in cell (B, 12). In order to dump the waste from cell (E, 7) into hopper 3a, crane C1 must move from row 12 to row 7, grab the waste from cell (E, 7), and transport it to hopper 3a. However, crane C1's movement range during this process is from row 7 to row 12, and even when it gets closest to crane C2, it is still more than two rows away from crane C2. Therefore, operation determination unit 12 determines to assign operation number 6, which has the highest priority, to crane C1. Control unit 13 performs a series of operations, from moving crane C1 from cell (B, 12) to cell (E, 7), picking up the waste in cell (E, 7), transporting it to hopper 3a, and dumping the grabbed waste into hopper 3a. This is dumping (integrated). The same applies to receiving (integrated). For example, in this example, crane C2 moves from cell (A, 4) to cell (H, 2), grabs the waste, then transports it to cell (E, 4), and drops it evenly as it moves from cell (E, 4) to cell (A, 4). This operation is called receiving (consistent).

[0018] Next, the receiving (division) process will be described with reference to FIG. 5. Now, assume that crane C1 is in the process of throwing waste, and the operation determination unit 12 is determining the operation of crane C2. Specifically, assume that crane C1 moves from cell (B, 12) to cell (E, 7), grabs the waste in cell (E, 7), throws it into hopper 3a, and then returns to the original cell (B, 12). In this case, the operation determination unit 12 again determines the operation of crane C2 by referring to the operation determination table 200 in FIG. 2. In this example, the other crane is crane C1. Because crane C1 is in the throwing operation, the operation determination unit 12 determines the operation of crane C2 according to the priority order from items 1 to 5. Now, assume that hopper 3b is at level 3. Also, assume that the waste height in cell (H, 2) is above a threshold, doors 4a to 4d are closed, area 2a is the waste receiving area, and the average waste height in column 9 is relatively lower than the other columns. The operation determination unit 12 then selects item 3, "receiving (continuous)," which receives the waste from cell (H, 2) into column 9, as a candidate operation for crane 2 and determines whether interference will occur. As shown in FIG. 5, if crane 2 performs the above receiving operation, it will interfere with crane 1 when transporting the waste from cell (H, 2) to column 9 and when dropping the waste at column 9. Therefore, the operation determination unit 12 abandons item 3, "receiving (continuous)," and determines whether interference will occur in the case of item 4, "receiving (split)," which has the next highest priority. Here, "split" refers to the first half of the operation, whether in the case of receiving or throwing, moving from the current position to the cell position where the waste is to be picked up by that cell, and the second half of the operation, transporting the picked-up waste to the destination and performing the intended operation (e.g., dropping it into hopper 3a or scattering it in the receiving column). Interference is prevented by providing a waiting period between the first and second halves of the operation. In the example of Figure 5, crane C2 is moved from cell (A, 4) to cell (H, 2) and is made to wait with the waste picked up from cell (H, 2) (first half). When crane C1 dumps the waste into hopper 3a and returns to cell (B, 12), even if crane 2C is moved to row 9, there will be no interference because the distance between crane C1 and crane 2C can be separated by two rows. Therefore, the operation determination unit 12 determines that the operation of crane C2 is to accept (split).More specifically, the operation determination unit 12 determines that the operation of crane C2 is to move from cell (A, 4) to cell (H, 2) and wait while picking up the garbage, and that after crane C1 returns to cell (B, 12), it will perform the latter operation of transporting the picked-up garbage to row 4 and scattering it.

[0019] The same applies to the input (split) operation. Let's assume that a situation arises in which interference with crane C2 can be avoided by splitting the input operation of crane C1 in Figure 5. In this case, crane C1 moves from cell (B, 12) to cell (E, 7), picks up the waste, waits, and then, once there is no longer any interference with crane C2, moves from cell (E, 7) to hopper 3a and throws the waste into hopper 3a. Splitting the operation increases the total work time, but compared to waiting until there is no interference and then performing the same operation in one go, performing part of the operation in advance reduces the wait time and allows the receiving and input operations to be completed more quickly. Furthermore, if interference can be avoided by waiting during the first half of the operation rather than performing other lower-priority tasks to avoid interference, the higher-priority tasks can be performed first.

[0020] When disposing of waste, the operation determination unit 12 determines the cell from which waste is to be disposed so that the quality of the waste disposed of in the incineration furnace (not shown) is uniform. The operation determination unit 12 determines the cell from which waste is disposed so that the next layer of waste is not removed until all of the waste in the waste-grabbing area (area 2a or area 2b, which are alternated daily, for example) has been removed. An example of a method for disposing of waste is shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6(a) is a side view of cells (A,9) to (A,13) in area 2a. For example, as shown, cells (A,9) to (A,13) are configured in three layers in the height direction, with the top layer being the first layer, the bottom layer being the second layer, and so on. As the waste accumulates, the properties of the waste vary from layer to layer. Disposing of waste layer by layer homogenizes the waste supplied to the incinerator, stabilizing the combustion of the waste in the incinerator. The operation determination unit 12 selects, for example, the first layer of cell (A, 13) ("(A, 13)-1") as the deposit source based on the overall evaluation score (FIG. 6(b)). Even if the second layer of cell (A, 13) ("(A, 13)-2") has a higher overall evaluation score than the other cells on the first layer, the operation determination unit 12 selects the next deposit source from the first layer of cells (A, 9) to (A, 12) as shown in FIG. 6(c). When all the waste on the first layer has been deposited as shown in FIG. 6(d), the operation determination unit 12 selects, for example, the cell with the highest overall evaluation score from the second layer and determines to deposit the waste from the selected cell into the hopper 3a, etc. Note that the operation determination unit 12 calculates the layer of each cell from the information on the waste height of each cell acquired by the signal acquisition unit 11.

[0021] (operation) Next, the operation of the control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a crane operation determination process according to an embodiment. The memory unit 14 stores the operation determination table 200 and the overall evaluation score for each cell in the pit 2. The signal acquisition unit 11 acquires information on the garbage heights in the hoppers 3a and 3b and the garbage heights in each cell in the pit 2 at predetermined time intervals. The crane for which the operation is to be determined is designated as crane C1, and the other crane is designated as crane C2. The operation determination unit 12 checks the operation of crane C2 (step S1). For example, the operation determination unit 12 reads from the memory unit 14 the operation of crane C2 that it determined one control step ago. Next, the operation determination unit 12 checks the state of garbage in the pit 2 and the hoppers 3a and 3b (step S2). For example, the operation determination unit 12 reads from the memory unit 14 the latest information on the garbage heights in the hoppers 3a and 3b and the garbage height in area 2c acquired by the signal acquisition unit 11. The operation determination unit 12 also reads from the memory unit 14 the overall evaluation score for each cell in the pit 2. This information indicating the state of the garbage is used when referencing the operation determination table 200. Next, the operation determination unit 12 refers to the operation determination table 200 and selects one candidate operation for the crane C1 in order of priority (step S3). For example, if the operation of the crane C2 is to dump, the garbage height in the hopper 3a is level 2, the garbage height in any cell in the area 2c is equal to or greater than a threshold and the doors 4a to 4d are closed, and the overall evaluation score of any cell in the areas 2a and 2b is less than a threshold, items 1 to 5 in FIG. 2 become candidate operations to be assigned to the crane C1. The operation determination unit 12 selects item 1, which has the highest priority, as the dump (consistent) among these. Next, the operation determination unit 12 determines whether the selected operation interferes with the dump operation of the crane 2 (step S4). For example, the operation determination unit 12 selects all cells in the area 2a or 2b from which the garbage is dumped that have an overall evaluation score equal to or greater than a threshold, and calculates the movement range for each cell when dumping garbage from the selected cell into the hopper 3a. The operation determination unit 12 compares the movement range of crane 1 with the movement range of crane 2, calculates whether the distance between the rows when crane 1 and crane 2 are closest to each other is less than two rows, and determines that interference will occur if the distance is less than two rows, and determines that no interference will occur if the distance is two rows or more.For example, the operation decision unit 12 may make a similar judgment for all cells whose overall evaluation score is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and may determine that there will be interference if there are less than two rows for all cells, and may determine that there will be no interference if there is even one cell with two or more rows, and in the next step S6, may assign the crane 1 to dump garbage from that cell into the hopper 3a.

[0022] If there is no interference (step S4; none), the operation determination unit 12 determines the operation selected in step S3 as the operation of the crane 1 (step S6). For example, the operation determination unit 12 determines the cell from which the garbage is to be thrown and the operation "throw (consistent)". The operation determination unit 12 instructs the control unit 13 on the determined operation (step S7). The control unit 13 controls the crane C1 based on the determined operation.

[0023] If interference occurs (step S4; Yes), the operation determination unit 12 determines whether all candidate operations have been selected (whether all candidate operations have been selected in step S3) (step S5). If all operations have been selected (step S5; Yes), the operation determination unit 12 determines not to operate the crane C1. In this case, the flowchart in FIG. 7 ends.

[0024] If all items have not been selected (step S5; No), the operation determination unit 12 repeats the process from step S3. For example, the operation determination unit 12 selects "put in (split)" with the next highest priority (step S3), divides the put in into a first half operation and a second half operation, and determines whether interference with crane C2 can be avoided by having crane C1 wait without moving after the first half operation is completed (step S4). Thereafter, in a similar manner, the operation determination unit 12 determines whether operations up to item number 6 are possible in order of priority, and if an operation that does not interfere with crane C2 is found, it decides to operate crane C1 with that operation (step S6). Specifically, if interference can be avoided by putting in (split), the operation determination unit 12 assigns putting in (split) as the operation of crane 1. If interference cannot be avoided, the operation determination unit 12 determines whether interference occurs with receiving (consistent), and if there is no interference, assigns receiving (consistent) as the operation of crane 1. If there is interference, the operation determination unit 12 determines whether or not there is interference with acceptance (division), and if there is no interference, assigns acceptance (division) as the operation of the crane 1. If the interference cannot be avoided even with acceptance (division), the operation determination unit 12 determines whether or not there is interference with stirring, and if there is no interference, assigns stirring as the operation of the crane 1, and if there is interference, determines "no operation."

[0025] (effect) As described above, according to this embodiment, candidate operations to be performed by the target crane, which are indicated by the state of garbage in the pit 2 and hoppers 3a and 3b, are identified, and the candidate operations are prioritized by referring to an operation determination table 200, which associates the candidate operations with the operations of other cranes and sets the operations to be performed by the target crane, which is the object of the operation determination, in order of priority. Then, whether or not there is interference with other cranes is determined in order of priority, and if there is no interference, that operation is assigned to the target crane. As a result, among the operations that can avoid interference with other cranes, a high-priority operation is assigned to the target crane. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the crane's standby time while having the crane perform the highest priority work possible.

[0026] Also, for example, in the example of FIG. 3, if hopper 3a is at level 2, the trash height in cell (H, 9) is above a threshold, and doors 4a-4d are closed, crane C1 would conventionally be assigned a high-priority operation to receive trash from cell (H, 9). However, because this would interfere with the loading of crane C2, the crane must wait until crane C2 has finished loading. In contrast, in this embodiment, when another crane is loading, if the trash height in hopper 3a or the like is at level 2, the target crane is set to load trash (items 1-2 in FIG. 2). As a result, whereas crane C1 would conventionally be kept on standby, crane C1 can now be used to load trash from cell (A, 12) into hopper 3a. Considering the condition of the pit and hoppers, the priority of dumping garbage into hopper 3a, which has a garbage height of Level 2, may not necessarily be higher than accepting garbage from area 2c, where the garbage height has exceeded the threshold. However, dumping garbage into hopper 3a reduces the standby time of crane C1 and improves its operating rate. Furthermore, by taking this opportunity to dump garbage into hopper 3a, future garbage dumping operations can be carried out in advance during this free time. By reducing future garbage dumping operations, we can expect to improve work efficiency in the long term.

[0027] Although the above embodiment illustrates a configuration in which there are two cranes, the number of cranes may be three or more. In this case, for example, the configuration may be such that a combination of the operations of two cranes other than those targeted for operation determination is registered in the other crane operation column of the operation determination table 200.

[0028] 8 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control device. The computer 900 includes a CPU 901, a main storage device 902, an auxiliary storage device 903, an input / output interface 904, and a communication interface 905. The above-described control device 10 is implemented in the computer 900. The above-described functions are stored in the auxiliary storage device 903 in the form of a program. The CPU 901 reads the program from the auxiliary storage device 903, loads it into the main storage device 902, and executes the above-described processing in accordance with the program. The CPU 901 also allocates a storage area in the main storage device 902 in accordance with the program. The CPU 901 also allocates a storage area in the auxiliary storage device 903 for storing data being processed in accordance with the program.

[0029] Alternatively, a program for implementing all or part of the functions of the control device 10 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may be loaded into a computer system and executed to perform processing by each functional unit. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, if a WWW system is used, the term "computer system" also includes a homepage provision environment (or display environment). Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as CDs, DVDs, and USBs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. Furthermore, if the program is distributed to the computer 900 via a communication line, the computer 900 that receives the program may load the program into the main storage device 902 and execute the above-described processing. Furthermore, the program may be for implementing part of the above-described functions, or may be capable of implementing the above-described functions in combination with a program already stored in the computer system.

[0030] As described above, several embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described, but all of these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0031] <Additional Notes> The crane control device and control method described in the embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0032] (1) The control device according to the first aspect is a control device for controlling a plurality of cranes that dump garbage stored in a pit into the hopper of an incinerator, and includes: a table that lists the operations to be performed by the first crane in order of priority according to the state of the garbage in the pit and the hopper, in correspondence with the operations of a second crane that may interfere with the first crane for which the operation is to be determined; an acquisition unit that acquires a status signal indicating the state of the garbage in the pit and the hopper; and an operation determination unit that refers to the table based on the operation of the second crane and the status signal, selects the operation to be performed by the first crane in order of priority, determines whether the selected operation will interfere with the second crane, and if there is no interference, determines that operation as the operation of the first crane. This allows the crane to perform work with the highest possible priority, while reducing the standby time of the crane.

[0033] (2) A control device according to a second aspect is the control device of (1), wherein the operation determination unit, if the selected operation interferes with the second crane, selects from the table the operation with the next highest priority after the selected operation, determines whether the selected operation interferes with the second crane, and if there is no interference, determines the selected operation as the operation of the first crane, and if there is interference, selects from the table the operation with the next highest priority. This process is repeated until an operation of the first crane that does not interfere with the second crane is found. This allows the crane to perform work with the highest possible priority while avoiding interference with other cranes.

[0034] (3) A control device according to a third aspect is a control device according to (1) to (2), wherein the operation determination unit, when the selected operation interferes with the second crane, divides the selected operation into a first half of the operation up to grabbing the garbage and a second half of the operation up to transporting the grabbed garbage to a destination and performing the intended operation, and after performing the first half of the operation, determines whether interference with the second crane can be avoided by having the first crane wait at that location, and if avoidance is possible, decides to divide the selected operation into the first half of the operation and the second half of the operation and execute them. The division reduces the waiting time of the crane compared to waiting for a continuous operation.

[0035] (4) A control device according to a fourth aspect is the control device of (3), wherein, when the interference with the second crane cannot be avoided even when the selected operation is divided into the first half operation and the second half operation, the operation determination unit selects from the table the operation having the next highest priority after the selected operation, and determines whether the selected operation will interfere with the second crane. This allows the crane to perform work with the highest possible priority while avoiding interference with other cranes.

[0036] (5) A control device according to a fifth aspect is a control device according to (1) to (4), wherein the operation determination unit determines the operation of the first crane so that when the height of the garbage stored in the pit is divided into a predetermined number of layers, after all the garbage in a certain layer has been dumped into the hopper, the garbage in the layer one level below the layer into which the garbage has been dumped is dumped into the hopper. This allows the garbage fed into the hopper to be homogenized.

[0037] (6) The control method of the sixth aspect is a control method for a plurality of cranes that dump garbage stored in a pit into the hopper of an incinerator, which acquires a status signal indicating the state of the garbage in the pit and the hopper, and, based on the operation of a second crane that may interfere with the first crane whose operation is to be determined and the status signal, associates the operation to be performed by the first crane with the operation of the second crane, refers to a table in which the operations are arranged in order of priority according to the state of the garbage in the pit and the hopper, selects the operation to be performed by the first crane in order of highest priority, determines whether the selected operation will interfere with the second crane, and if there is no interference, determines that operation as the operation of the first crane.

[0038] (7) A program according to the seventh aspect causes a computer to execute a process for determining the operation of one of a plurality of cranes for dumping garbage stored in a pit into the hopper of an incinerator, by acquiring a status signal indicating the state of garbage in the pit and the hopper, and, based on the operation of a second crane that may interfere with the first crane for which the operation is to be determined and the status signal, associating the operation to be performed by the first crane with the operation of the second crane, referring to a table in which the operations are arranged in order of priority according to the state of the garbage in the pit and the hopper, selecting the operation to be performed by the first crane in order of highest priority, determining whether the selected operation will interfere with the second crane, and, if there is no interference, determining that operation as the operation of the first crane. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 10. Control device 11. Signal acquisition unit 12. Action decision unit 13 Control section 14...Storage section 900···Computer 901 CPU 902...Main memory 903...Auxiliary storage device 904 Input / Output Interface 905···Communication Interface

Claims

1. A control device for controlling a plurality of cranes for dumping waste stored in a pit into a hopper of an incinerator, a table in which the operations to be performed by the first crane are associated with the operations of a second crane that may interfere with the first crane for which the operation is to be determined, and the operations to be performed by the first crane are arranged in order of priority according to the state of the waste in the pit and the hopper; an acquisition unit that acquires a status signal indicating the status of the waste in the pit and the hopper; an operation determination unit that refers to the table based on the operation of the second crane and the status signal, selects an operation to be performed by the first crane in descending order of priority, determines whether the selected operation will interfere with the second crane, and if no interference will occur, determines the selected operation as the operation of the first crane; A control device comprising:

2. When the selected operation interferes with the second crane, the operation determination unit selects from the table an operation with the next highest priority after the selected operation, determines whether the selected operation interferes with the second crane, and when there is no interference, determines the selected operation as the operation of the first crane, and when there is interference, selects from the table the operation with the next highest priority, repeating this process until a selected operation that does not interfere with the second crane is found. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. When the selected operation interferes with the second crane, the operation determination unit selects a divided operation that divides the selected operation registered in the table into a first half operation of moving to a position to grab the garbage and grabbing the garbage, and a second half operation of transporting the grabbed garbage to a destination and performing the intended operation, and after performing the first half operation, determines whether interference with the second crane can be avoided by having the first crane wait at that location, and if interference can be avoided, determines the selected divided operation as the operation of the first crane. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. when interference with the second crane cannot be avoided even if the first crane is made to wait after the first half of the operation is performed, the operation determination unit selects from the table the operation having the next highest priority after the selected divided operation, and determines whether the selected operation will interfere with the second crane. The control device according to claim 3 .

5. A method for controlling a plurality of cranes that dump waste stored in a pit into a hopper of an incinerator, comprising: acquiring a status signal indicating the status of the waste in the pit and the hopper; Based on the operation of a second crane that may interfere with the first crane for which operation is to be determined and the status signal, the operation to be performed by the first crane is associated with the operation of the second crane, and the table is referenced, which is arranged in order of priority according to the state of the garbage in the pit and the hopper; Selecting the operation to be performed by the first crane in descending order of priority, determining whether the selected operation interferes with the second crane, and if no interference occurs, determining the operation as the operation of the first crane; Control method.

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