Method and system for switching a teleconverter transmitter

Abstract

To provide a switching method of a teleconverter transmitter capable of switching an operation right in two teleconverter transmitters, while securing safety, without reducing cargo handling efficiency, in operation of a quay crane.SOLUTION: In the method for switching the operation right of two teleconverter transmitters 20,30 to a quay crane 10, each of the two teleconverter transmitters 20,30 is provided with an operation assist button 24,34. When the trolley 16 is moved from the operation right area on the teleconverter transmitter 20 side to the operation right area on the teleconverter transmitter 30 side at the boundary between the operation right areas determined for the teleconverter transmitters 2030 and, if the driving assist button 34 is in the ON state on the teleconverter transmitter 30 side, the trolley 16 moves to the teleconverter transmitter 30 side without stopping at the boundary, and the operation right receiving side and the operation right giving side are switched.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the operation of a quay crane by telecontrol, and more particularly to a telecontrol transmitter switching method and switching system suitable for operating a quay crane using separate transmitters on the sea side and the land side. [Background technology]

[0002] When cargo handling operations are performed between the ship side (sea side) and the quay side (land side) of a quay crane, the inside of the ship cannot be seen from the land side, and the situation on the quay cannot be seen from inside the ship, so it is common to place a telecontrol transmitter on each side, and use two telecontrol transmitters to perform cargo handling operations with one quay crane.Even if a telecontrol receiver is capable of receiving operation signals from multiple telecontrol transmitters, it will not accept simultaneous operation from multiple telecontrol transmitters, and basically only one telecontrol transmitter will have operating authority (emergency stops are accepted as an exception).

[0003] In such cases, control authority must be handed over somewhere on both the sea side and the land side, but if the location for handing over control authority is inappropriate, the worker without control authority may unintentionally end up under the suspended load, putting them in danger.

[0004] To avoid such a situation, Patent Document 1 discloses that the transfer of operating authority is to be made to the quay position. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a crane operation method in which, when handling cargo between the ground and roof of a building, the crane is automatically operated from the ground to the destination position.

[0005] However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the transfer of control authority is carried out at the quay position, it becomes necessary to temporarily stop the load at the control authority transfer position in order to ensure safety, which reduces loading and unloading efficiency.

[0006] On the other hand, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, if automatic operation is performed across the position where operating authority is transferred, there will be no decrease in loading and unloading efficiency, but as mentioned above, there will remain the risk that workers (including quay crane operators, etc.) may end up under the suspended load. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-29091 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-125979 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a telecontrol transmitter switching method and switching system that enables switching of operating rights between two telecontrol transmitters without reducing loading and unloading efficiency and while ensuring safety when separate telecontrol transmitters are provided on the sea side and land side in the operation of a quay crane. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The telecontrol transmitter switching method of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is a method for switching operating rights for a quay crane equipped with a telecontrol receiver, using two telecontrol transmitters, each of which has a defined area of ​​operating rights, and is characterized in that when a trolley is moved at the boundary between the operating rights areas defined for each telecontrol transmitter from the operating rights area of ​​a first telecontrol transmitter that transmits a command signal to lift a load to the operating rights area of ​​a second telecontrol transmitter that transmits a command signal to lower the load, if the auto-approach switch is ON in the second telecontrol transmitter, the trolley does not stop at the boundary and the operating rights are transferred to the second telecontrol transmitter side.

[0010] Furthermore, in the telecontrol transmitter switching method having the above-mentioned characteristics, it is preferable that the trolley is moved when the auto-approach switch in each telecontrol transmitter is in the ON state, and when the first telecontrol transmitter has the operating authority, feedback control is performed in which the determination of whether the auto-approach switch is ON or OFF is repeated until the trolley reaches the boundary position, and when the operating authority is transferred to the second telecontrol transmitter, feedback control is performed in which the determination of whether the auto-approach switch is ON or OFF is repeated until the trolley reaches the stop position. With such characteristics, the trolley movement by the auto-approach switch works as a fail-safe, and when the auto-approach switch is a button, the trolley stops when the button is released.

[0011] Furthermore, in the method for switching telecontrol transmitters having the above-described characteristics, it is preferable that the control right of the lifting jig be handed over to the PLC connected to the telecontrol receiver before the trolley reaches the boundary, and be handed over to the second telecontrol transmitter after the trolley crosses the boundary. By having such characteristics, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the function of the lifting jig is turned off when the control right is switched at the boundary position, making it impossible to maintain the suspended state of the load.

[0012] Further, the telecontrol transmitter switching system according to the present invention for achieving the above object is an operation authority switching system having a telecontrol receiver mounted on a quay crane, which receives a command signal from a telecontrol transmitter and outputs a control signal to the control system of the quay crane, and two telecontrol transmitters each having a defined area of ​​operation authority, wherein each of the two telecontrol transmitters is provided with an auto-approach switch, and the telecontrol receiver outputs a control signal for moving a trolley when the auto-approach switch in each telecontrol transmitter is in an ON state, and controls the first telecontrol transmitter to transmit a command signal for lifting a load. When the control authority is transferred to the second telecontrol transmitter that transmits the command signal to unload the load, feedback control is performed to repeatedly determine whether the auto-approach switch is ON or OFF until the trolley reaches the boundary position, and when the control authority is transferred to the second telecontrol transmitter that transmits the command signal to unload the load, feedback control is performed to repeatedly determine whether the auto-approach switch is ON or OFF until the trolley reaches the stopping position, and when the auto-approach switches in both telecontrol transmitters are ON at the boundary of the control authority area defined for each telecontrol transmitter, control is performed to prevent the trolley from stopping at the boundary.

[0013] In addition, in a telecontrol transmitter switching system having the above-mentioned characteristics, a PLC is connected to the telecontrol receiver, and control of the lifting jig is preferably transferred from the first telecontrol transmitter to the PLC before the trolley reaches the boundary, and then transferred to the second telecontrol transmitter after the trolley crosses the boundary. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the telecontrol transmitter switching method and switching system having the above-mentioned characteristics, when a quay crane is operated with separate telecontrol transmitters on the sea side and the land side, it is possible to switch the operating authority between the two telecontrol transmitters without reducing cargo handling efficiency and while ensuring safety. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a cargo handling work site using a quay crane to which a tele-control transmitter switching method according to an embodiment is applied; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a schematic configuration of a teleconverter transmitter. [Figure 3] This is a control flow diagram for when using the driving assist button when moving the trolley from the land side to the sea side and switching operating rights. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The following describes in detail embodiments of the tele-control transmitter switching method and switching system of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments shown below are some of the preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention, and even if some of the methods are modified, they can be considered as part of the present invention as long as the effects of the methods are achieved.

[0017] [composition] The method of switching the telecontrol transmitter according to this embodiment is carried out by attaching a telecontrol receiver (not shown) to a crane (hereinafter simply referred to as quay crane 10) provided on a quay 100 as shown in FIG. 1, and transmitting command signals from telecontrol transmitters 20 and 30 to this telecontrol receiver.

[0018] The quay crane 10 comprises at least legs 12 equipped with wheels that can run on rails (not shown) installed on the quay 100, a boom 14 supported by the legs 12, and a trolley 16 that can move laterally along the boom 14. The trolley 16 is equipped with a lifting jig 18 such as a hook, spreader, or lifting magnet, and loading and unloading work is carried out by lifting and moving a load (not shown) via the lifting jig 18.

[0019] The telecontrol receiver is an element that receives command signals from the telecontrol transmitters 20, 30, which will be described in detail later, and outputs control signals to the control system of the quay crane 10. By attaching a telecontrol receiver with such functions to the quay crane 10, it becomes possible to carry out cargo handling operations by remote control from the telecontrol transmitters 20, 30.

[0020] The telecontrol transmitters 20, 30 are elements for remotely operating the quay crane 10 to perform cargo handling operations, and are responsible for outputting (transmitting) command signals to the telecontrol receiver. As shown in detail in Fig. 2, the telecontrol transmitters 20, 30 according to this embodiment are equipped with operation switches 22, 32 (including buttons and sticks) of the normal operation system as well as auto-approach switches (including buttons, etc.: hereinafter referred to as driving assist buttons 24, 34).

[0021] The operation assist buttons 24, 34 are switches that, while they are turned on (while the button is pressed), output a command signal that causes the trolley 16 of the quay crane 10 to move laterally in the approach direction and, as necessary, the quay crane 10 to travel along a track and hoist or lower the suspended load along a predetermined safe track. Here, the approach direction refers to the direction of movement from the location where the load (suspended load) is hoisted to the location where the load is unloaded. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the approach direction when the load is hoisted on the land side (quay 100 side) is the direction indicated by arrow A, i.e., from the land side to the sea side (ship 110 side). On the other hand, when the load is hoisted on the sea side, the approach direction is the direction indicated by arrow B, i.e., the direction from the sea side to the land side.

[0022] In this way, the operation assist buttons 24, 34 can simultaneously execute multiple operations, such as hoisting and lowering (main hoisting) of a load, traverse operation, and traveling operation, with a single operation of the button. Note that the command signal from the operation assist buttons 24, 34 is solely a signal for assisting operation, and therefore, if another operation command signal is input, the input operation command signal takes priority. For example, even if the operation assist button 24 is pressed on the telecontrol transmitter 20 that has the operating authority for the quay crane 10, if an operation for performing a lifting / lowering operation is performed, the command signal for the lifting / lowering operation takes priority and is transmitted to the telecontrol receiver, and the control operation caused by the operation assist buttons 24, 34 is stopped. Furthermore, in normal traverse operation, when the operating authority is transferred from the telecontrol transmitter 20 that has the operating authority to the telecontrol transmitter 30 that does not have the operating authority, the command signal is temporarily stopped and the traverse operation is also stopped. In contrast, when the driving assist buttons 24, 34 are pressed on both the telecontrol transmitter 20 with the operating authority and the telecontrol transmitter 30 without the operating authority, the command signal does not stop when the operating authority is transferred, and the traversing operation continues.

[0023] In this embodiment, telecontrol transmitters 20, 30 are arranged on the land side and the sea side, respectively, and an operation authority area is defined for each telecontrol transmitter 20, 30. The boundary (hereinafter simply referred to as the boundary) between the operation authority areas of the two telecontrol transmitters 20, 30 is defined as the edge of the quay 100 (the boundary between the land side and the sea side). Therefore, when the trolley 16 crosses this boundary, the operation authority of the quay crane 10 passes back and forth, and the output of a command signal from the telecontrol transmitter 20 (30) that does not have the operation authority is not output (nullified) as a control signal even if it is input to the telecontrol receiver. However, for emergency signals such as an emergency stop signal, the command signals from each telecontrol transmitter 20, 30 are configured to function effectively.

[0024] With this configuration, on the land side, an operator of the telecontrol transmitter 20 can carry out cargo handling work while visually checking the situation on the quay 100. Also, on the sea side, an operator of the telecontrol transmitter 30 can carry out cargo handling work while visually checking the situation inside the cargo hold of the ship 110.

[0025] [Telecon transmitter switching] Next, referring to Figure 3, the operation of switching the operating authority when using the driving assist buttons 24, 34 on the two tele-control transmitters 20, 30 will be described. As an example, Figure 3 shows a control flow for switching the operating authority when moving the trolley 16 from the land side to the sea side. In the following explanation, the driving assist operation when using the driving assist buttons 24, 34 will only refer to the traverse movement of the trolley 16, thereby simplifying the explanation of the operation of switching the operating authority.

[0026] First, the telecontrol transmitter (first telecontrol transmitter) 20, which has the operation authority in the land-side operation authority area, sends a command signal to lift the load to the telecontrol receiver, and then the driving assist button 24 is pressed to output a command signal to move the trolley 16 in the approach direction (in this case, from the land side to the sea side) (S10). When the trolley 16 starts moving, the telecontrol receiver determines whether the driving assist button 24 is pressed, that is, whether it is continuously receiving a command signal related to driving assist from the telecontrol transmitter 20 (S20). If the determination result shows that the command signal related to driving assist is continuously received, the movement of the trolley 16 from the land side to the sea side continues (S30). On the other hand, if it is determined in S20 that the command signal related to driving assist has not been received, the traverse of the trolley 16 stops (S25).

[0027] If traversal is continued in S30, a determination is made as to whether the trolley 16 has reached the boundary position of the operation authority area (S40). If the result of the determination in S40 is that the trolley 16 has not reached the boundary position of the operation authority area, the process returns to S20, and an ON / OFF determination is made regarding the driving assist. On the other hand, if the telecontrol receiver determines that the trolley 16 has reached the boundary position of the operation authority area, a determination is made in the telecontrol transmitter (second telecontrol transmitter) 30 on the side to which the operating authority is being transferred as to whether the driving assist button 34 has been pressed, i.e., whether a command signal regarding the driving assist has been received (S50).

[0028] If it is determined in S50 that the driving assist button 34 is pressed on the telecontrol transmitter 30 of the side to which the operating right is being handed over, the trolley 16 will not stop at the boundary position, but will continue to travel sideways from the sea side to the other side (S60).On the other hand, if it is determined in S50 that the driving assist button 34 is not pressed on the telecontrol transmitter 30, the trolley 16 will stop at the boundary position (S55).

[0029] If the lateral movement of the trolley 16 continues in S60, a determination is made as to whether or not the trolley 16 has reached the stop position at the tip of the boom 14 (S70). If the determination result shows that the trolley 16 has reached the stop position, the lateral movement of the trolley 16 is stopped (S80). On the other hand, if it is determined that the trolley 16 has not reached the stop position, the process returns to S50, and an ON / OFF determination is made regarding the driving assistance. After the trolley 16 has reached the stop position, a command signal to unload the load is output from the telecontrol transmitter 30 to the telecontrol receiver, thereby completing the unloading.

[0030] In the above explanation, we have explained the movement of the trolley 16 across the boundary from the land-side control authority area to the sea-side control authority area, but the basic control flow remains the same even when moving the trolley 16 from the sea-side control authority area to the land-side control authority area. In such a case, the first telecontrol transmitter becomes the telecontrol transmitter 30, and the second telecontrol transmitter becomes the telecontrol transmitter 20.

[0031] [effect] By using the above-described method and system, the control authority can be switched between the telecontrol transmitter 20, which has the control authority area on the land side, and the telecontrol transmitter 30, which has the control authority area on the sea side, without stopping the trolley 16 at the boundary position of the control authority area, thereby avoiding a decrease in cargo handling efficiency. Furthermore, in order to move the trolley 16 traversely (moving) without stopping it at the boundary position, the operation assist button 34 on the telecontrol transmitter (e.g., telecontrol transmitter 30) on the side that will take over the control authority must be pressed, which requires a conscious operation by the operator on the side that will take over the control authority. This prevents workers, including the operator, from unintentionally getting under the suspended load, ensuring safety.

[0032] [Application form] In the above embodiment, only the switching (transfer) of the control authority between the telecontrol transmitter 20 having the control authority area on the land side and the telecontrol transmitter 30 having the control authority area on the sea side has been described. Therefore, if a boundary position of the control authority exists between the lifting of the load and the unloading of the load, all signals except for the command signals related to the driving assistance are reset at the boundary position (switching position) of the control authority, and the operation mode of the telecontrol transmitter on the transfer side (telecontrol transmitter 30 in the above embodiment) will be dependent.

[0033] In such cases, if the lifting jig is a lifting magnet, the magnetic force for lifting may be cut off at the boundary position, causing the load to fall. Therefore, if it is necessary to maintain the status of the load, it is a good idea to use the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) function connected to the telecon receiver.

[0034] Taking the maintenance of the magnetic force of the lift-magnet as an example, the PLC can be controlled to execute the following process. That is, when loading work is performed from the land side to the sea side (ship 110 side), the telecontrol transmitter on the side transferring the control right to the lift-magnet (in this case, telecontrol transmitter 20 with the control right area on the land side) uses a command signal to set the excitation force of the lift-magnet to its maximum value as a trigger to transfer control of the lift-magnet to the PLC connected to the telecontrol receiver side, thereby maintaining the maximum excitation state. In this control state, when the telecontrol transmitter on the side transferring the control right (in this case, telecontrol transmitter 30 with the control right area on the sea side) outputs a command signal to reduce the excitation force of the lift-magnet from its maximum value when unloading, this triggers the transfer of control of the lift-magnet from the PLC to the telecontrol transmitter 30, and a command to reduce the excitation force is executed.

[0035] By performing such control, it becomes possible to avoid situations where the excitation force decreases or becomes zero at the boundary position, causing the load to fall. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10... Quay crane, 12... Leg, 14... Boom, 16... Trolley, 18... Lifting jig, 20, 30... Telecontrol transmitter, 22, 32... Operation switch, 24, 34... Driving assist button, 100... Quay, 110... Ship.

Claims

1. A method for switching the operation right of a quay crane equipped with a telecontrol receiver by using two telecontrol transmitters, each of which has a defined area of ​​operation right, comprising the steps of: Each of the two telecon transmitters is provided with an auto approach switch, A telecontrol transmitter switching method characterized in that, when moving a trolley from an operation authority area of ​​a first telecontrol transmitter that transmits a command signal to lift a load to an operation authority area of ​​a second telecontrol transmitter that transmits a command signal to lower the load at the boundary of the operation authority areas defined for each telecontrol transmitter, if the auto-approach switch is in the ON state in the second telecontrol transmitter, the trolley does not stop at the boundary and the operation authority moves to the second telecontrol transmitter side.

2. When the auto-approach switch in each of the telecontrol transmitters is in the ON state, the trolley is moved, and when the first telecontrol transmitter has the operating authority, feedback control is performed in which the determination of whether the auto-approach switch is ON or OFF is repeated until the trolley reaches the boundary position. A tele-control transmitter switching method as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the operating authority is transferred to the second tele-control transmitter, feedback control is performed in which a determination is made as to whether the auto-approach switch is ON or OFF repeatedly until the trolley reaches a stopped position.

3. Control of the lifting jig is transferred to a PLC connected to the telecontrol receiver before the trolley reaches the boundary, 3. The method for switching between tele-control transmitters according to claim 1, wherein the trolley is handed over to the second tele-control transmitter after crossing the boundary.

4. An operation right switching system comprising: a telecontrol receiver mounted on a quay crane, which receives a command signal from a telecontrol transmitter and outputs a control signal to a control system of the quay crane; and two telecontrol transmitters, each having a defined area over which it has operation rights, Each of the two telecon transmitters is provided with an auto approach switch, The telecontrol receiver outputs a control signal to move the trolley when the auto-approach switch in each telecontrol transmitter is in the ON state, and when the first telecontrol transmitter that transmits a command signal to lift the load has the operating authority, it performs feedback control in which it is repeatedly determined whether the auto-approach switch is ON or OFF until the trolley reaches the boundary position, When the control authority is transferred to the second telecontrol transmitter that transmits the command signal to unload the load, feedback control is performed in which the determination of whether the auto approach switch is ON or OFF is repeated until the trolley reaches the stop position, A telecontrol transmitter switching system characterized by performing control so as not to stop the trolley at the boundary between the operating authority areas defined for each telecontrol transmitter when the auto approach switches in both telecontrol transmitters are in the ON state.

5. A PLC is connected to the telecontrol receiver, The control of the lifting jig is transferred from the first telecontrol transmitter to the PLC before the trolley reaches the boundary; 5. The tele-control transmitter switching system according to claim 4, wherein control is performed to hand over to the second tele-control transmitter after the trolley has crossed the boundary.

Images