CRANE OPERATION SYSTEM AND CRANE OPERATION METHOD

Abstract

To provide a crane operation system and a crane operation method capable of improving a cargo handling efficiency of a crane repeating work for hoisting a cargo handling object and work of lowering the hoisted cargo handling object.SOLUTION: An operation system 10 of a crane 1 includes a girder 2, a trolley 3, a hoisting tool 4, a traveling device 6, a designation device designating a cargo handling position Ta for performing cargo handling work of a container C, and a control device performing the control of moving the hoisting tool 4 to the cargo handling position Ta designated by the designation device. The operation system includes a coordinate acquisition device 14 acquiring a position coordinate Pn of the trolley 3. The control device stores the position coordinate Pn acquired by the coordinate acquisition device 14 as a cargo handling position coordinate Qm when performing the cargo handling work of the container C first at the cargo handling position Ta and performs the control for moving the hoisting tool 4 to the stored cargo handling position coordinate Qm when the same cargo handling position Ta is designated again by the designation device after the cargo handling position coordinate Qm is stored.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a crane operation system and a crane operation method, and more particularly to a crane operation system and a crane operation method that move a hoisting tool to a designated loading position by traversing a trolley and traveling using a traveling device. [Background technology]

[0002] A crane has been proposed that captures the area below using an imaging device installed on the boom or hoisting equipment, displays the captured image on a display device, allows any point on the image to be designated as a target position, and moves the hoisting equipment to the designated target position (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-117353 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The crane described in Patent Document 1 is configured to calculate the target position by performing image processing on the image captured by an imaging device. The accuracy of position detection using this type of image processing is low. Therefore, when using this crane, the driver needs to correct the position when actually loading and unloading the cargo, which may reduce loading and unloading efficiency.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a crane operation system and a crane operation method that improves loading and unloading efficiency by moving a hoisting tool to a specified loading and unloading position with high precision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A crane operation system according to one embodiment of the present invention that achieves the above object includes a girder extending in one direction, a trolley that travels horizontally along the girder, a hoisting device that is suspended from the trolley and can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction and is connected to a load, and a traveling device that travels the crane in a direction perpendicular to the one direction. The hoisting tool of the crane having The loading and unloading position where loading and unloading operations are carried out Move to In the crane operation system, A designation device that designates the loading position, and a control device that controls the movement of the hoisting tool to the loading position designated by the designation device by the lateral movement of the trolley and the travelling device; A coordinate acquisition device for acquiring the position coordinates of the trolley or the hoisting device and, Equipped with The designation device has a display device that displays an area image including a cargo object image showing cargo objects present in a predetermined area, and an input device that performs an input to designate any part of the area image as a cargo handling position, The control device stores the position coordinates acquired by the coordinate acquisition device as loading position coordinates when a loading operation of connecting or disconnecting the lifting tool to the loading object is performed for the first time at the specified loading position. hand , The loading position coordinates are set as the set coordinates of the loading object image, and when the arbitrary point input by the input device is within the range of the loading object image and the set coordinates are set in the loading object image, the set coordinates set as the position coordinates of the loading position specified by the input device are identified and the hoist is moved to the identified set coordinates. When the arbitrary point is outside the range of the loading object image or when the arbitrary point is within the range of the loading object image and the set coordinates are not set in the loading object image, the coordinates of the arbitrary point are identified as the position coordinates of the loading position specified by the input device and the hoist is moved to the identified coordinates. The present invention is characterized by having the following configuration.

[0007] To achieve the above object, a crane operation method according to one aspect of the present invention is provided by a designated device. Carry out loading and unloading work on cargo itemsIn a method of operating a crane, when a loading position is designated, a control device moves a hoisting tool by traversing a trolley and traveling with a traveling device to a loading position designated by the designation device, when a loading operation of connecting or disconnecting the hoisting tool to a loading object is performed for the first time at the designated loading position, a coordinate acquisition device acquires position coordinates of the trolley or the hoisting tool, the control device stores the position coordinates as loading position coordinates, the loading position coordinates are set as setting coordinates of a loading object image showing a loading object present in a specified area included in an area image displayed on a display device possessed by the designation device, and an input device possessed by the designation device inputs an arbitrary point of the area image. When an input is made to specify a loading position, if the arbitrary location is within the range of the loading object image and the set coordinates have been set in the loading object image, the control device identifies the set coordinates that have been set as the position coordinates of the loading position specified by the input device, and moves the hoist to the identified set coordinates; if the arbitrary location is outside the range of the loading object image, or if the arbitrary location is within the range of the loading object image and the set coordinates have not been set in the loading object image, the control device identifies the coordinates of the arbitrary location as the position coordinates of the loading position specified by the input device, and moves the hoist to the identified coordinates. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, from the second time onwards, excluding the first time, the lifting tool is moved to the loading position coordinates when the loading work of the load is actually performed, thereby enabling highly accurate alignment between the loading position and the lifting tool. This is advantageous in shortening the time required for alignment to the loading position, and can improve loading efficiency. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of a crane operation system. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control device of FIG. 1; [Diagram 3]2 is a diagram showing an example of an area image and a cargo image displayed on the display device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating a crane showing steps for creating an area image. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating step S150 of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating a crane, showing steps for setting a set coordinate. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating a crane, showing steps for identifying position coordinates of a load location and moving a lifting tool. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram illustrating a modified example of an embodiment of a crane operation system. [Figure 9] 9 is a diagram showing an example of an area image and a cargo image displayed on the display device of FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the crane operation system and crane operation method of the present disclosure will be described. In the drawing, the X direction is the traverse direction of the trolley 3 that travels along the girder 2 of the crane 1, the Y direction is the horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction and the travel direction in which the crane 1 travels on the traveling device 6, and the Z direction is the vertical direction in which the hoist 4 rises and falls.

[0011] 1, the operation system 10 of the crane 1 of the embodiment is configured to control the movement of the hoisting tool 4 to a specified loading position Ta by the lateral movement of the trolley 3 and the travelling device 6. Hereinafter, in this disclosure, the movement of the hoisting tool 4 refers to the movement in the XY plane, and does not include the raising and lowering of the hoisting tool 4 in the Z direction.

[0012] The crane 1 travels in the Y direction across the X direction of a storage lane 7 in which containers C, which are cargo items, are stored, and is equipped with a girder 2, a trolley 3, a hoisting device 4, a leg structure 5, and a traveling device 6. The crane 1 moves the hoisting device 4 by the lateral movement of the trolley 3 in the X direction and the traveling device 6 by traveling in the Y direction, and performs loading and unloading of the container C by raising and lowering the hoisting device 4 in the Z direction and connecting or disconnecting the hoisting device 4 and the container C.

[0013] The girder 2 extends in the X direction, and supports the hoisting device 4 by suspending it with a wire via a trolley 3. The trolley 3 is configured to be able to move laterally in the X direction along the girder 2 by a traverse device (not shown). The hoisting device 4 is configured to be able to rise and fall in the Z direction by a lifting device around which a wire suspended from the trolley 3 is wound. The hoisting device 4 is connected to a container C to hoist the container C, and the lifted container C is lowered to the loading position and the connection with the container C is released. The leg structure 5 supports the girder 2 at its upper end, and a traveling device 6 is disposed at its lower end. The traveling devices 6 are disposed spaced apart in the X direction, and the crane 1 travels in the Y direction by rolling its tires.

[0014] The operation system 10 is a system that supports remote operation of the crane 1 from a remote location, and is equipped with a designation device consisting of a display device 11, an input device 12, and an imaging device 13, a coordinate acquisition device 14, and a control device consisting of a crane control device 15 and a remote operation control device 16.

[0015] The designation device is a device for designating a loading position Ta where the crane 1 performs loading and unloading work of the container C. The loading position Ta designated by the designation device is sent to the crane control device 15.

[0016] The display device 11 and the input device 12 are combined and integrated into a monitor with a touch panel, and are placed in a remote location. The display of the display device 11 is switched under the control of the remote operation control device 16. The display device 11 is a device that switches between displaying an area image 20 for designating a loading / unloading position Ta, and actual images of the hoisting tool 4 and container C and an image of a virtual operation device for remote operation by the driver.

[0017] The input device 12 is a device for inputting operation operations for the crane 1 from a remote location. The input device 12 is a device for inputting to designate any location of the area image 20 displayed on the display device 11 as the loading position Ta in relation to the movement operation of the hoisting tool 4. The input device 12 is also a device for inputting to a virtual operation device displayed on the display device 11 in relation to the lifting and lowering operation of the hoisting tool 4 and the operation of connecting it to the container C. Examples of detection methods for the input device 12 include a resistive film method, a capacitance method, an ultrasonic surface acoustic wave method, an infrared optical imaging method, and an electromagnetic induction method.

[0018] The imaging device 13 is installed on the trolley 3. The imaging device 13 captures an image 21, which is an image of the area below the trolley 3 in the Z direction. The captured image 21 may be a still image taken at a predetermined period or a video. The imaging device 13 only needs to be able to capture an image of the storage lane 7 in which the container C is stored and the transport chassis 8 traveling to the side of the storage lane 7 in the X direction, and the captured image 21 does not need to capture the hoisting device 4. If the hoisting device 4 is not captured in the image 21 captured by the imaging device 13, another imaging device is provided that captures an image in which the hoisting device 4 is captured.

[0019] The coordinate acquisition device 14 is installed on the trolley 3. The coordinate acquisition device 14 acquires the position coordinates Pn of the trolley 3 at a predetermined cycle. An example of the coordinate acquisition device 14 is an antenna of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The antenna of the global navigation satellite system measures absolute coordinates consisting of longitude, latitude, and altitude based on information such as time received from multiple artificial satellites at a predetermined cycle. Examples of methods for measuring absolute coordinates include single point positioning, relative positioning, DGPS (differential GPS) positioning, and RTK (real-time kinematic GPS) positioning. The antenna of the global navigation satellite system may be configured to acquire longitude and latitude as the position coordinates Pn of the trolley 3. In addition, a combination of a traverse encoder and a traveling encoder is also exemplified as the coordinate acquisition device 14. The traverse encoder is a device that measures the traverse distance of the trolley 3, and the traveling encoder is a device that measures the traveling distance by the traveling device 6. The position coordinates Pn of the trolley 3 are acquired by combining the measured values ​​of these devices.

[0020] The control device is composed of a crane control device 15 and a remote operation control device 16, and controls the display of the display device 11 and the driving of each device of the crane 1 in response to the input of the input device 12. The crane control device 15 is installed on the crane 1 and controls the movement of the hoisting tool 4 to a specified loading position Ta. The crane control device 15 also controls the raising and lowering of the hoisting tool 4 and the coupling of the hoisting tool 4 and the container C based on the operation of a virtual operation device, controls the traverse of the trolley 3 and the traveling device 6 to travel the crane 1 based on the operation of a virtual operation device. The remote operation control device 16 is installed in a remote location and controls the display of the area image 20 on the display device 11 and the transmission of the position coordinates of the loading position Ta specified by the input device 12 to the crane control device 15. The crane control device 15 and the remote operation control device 16 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2, each of the crane control device 15 and the remote operation control device 16 is hardware that includes a central processing unit (CPU) that performs various types of information processing, an internal storage device that can read and write programs used for the various types of information processing and information processing results, and various interfaces. The crane control device 15 is electrically connected to each of the traverse device (not shown) of the trolley 3, the lifting device (not shown) of the hoisting device 4, and the traveling device 6. The crane control device 15 is also electrically connected to the imaging device 13 and the coordinate acquisition device 14, and transmits the images and values ​​acquired by them to the remote operation control device 16. The remote operation control device 16 is electrically connected to the display device 11 and the input device 12.

[0022] The crane control device 15 has a crane control unit 30 as a functional element. The remote operation control device 16 has an image creation unit 31, a coordinate setting unit 32, a display control unit 33, and a control command unit 34 as functional elements. Each functional element is stored as a program in the internal storage device of each control device, and is read out by the central processing unit and executed as appropriate. In addition to programs, each functional element may also be an electric circuit that functions independently. Each functional element may be configured with a programmable logic controller (PLC), and each control device may be a collection of multiple PLCs.

[0023] The crane control unit 30 is a functional element that receives a command signal generated by the control command unit 34 based on the input of the input device 12, and controls the traverse device of the trolley 3, the lifting device of the hoist 4, and the traveling device 6 based on the received command signal. Specifically, when the loading position Ta is input by the input device 12 and the position coordinates of the loading position Ta are received from the control command unit 34 as a command signal, the crane control unit 30 controls the traverse device of the trolley 3 and the traveling device 6 to move the hoist 4 to the received position coordinates. In addition, when the operation of a virtual operation device is input by the input device 12 and the crane control unit 30 receives a command signal corresponding to the operation from the control command unit 34, the crane control unit 30 controls the traverse device of the trolley 3, the lifting device of the hoist 4, and the traveling device 6 according to the received command signal.

[0024] The image creation unit 31 is a functional element that receives the captured images 21 captured by the imaging device 13 and creates the area image 20. The image creation unit 31 performs the steps of joining together the captured images 21, identifying an object image 22 in the captured images 21, and calculating the center coordinates Om of the identified object image 22 and setting the calculated center coordinates Om as the set coordinates.

[0025] The coordinate setting unit 32 is a functional element that receives the position coordinate Pn acquired by the coordinate acquisition device 14 and a signal indicating completion of the work of connecting or disconnecting the hoisting device 4 and the container C performed by the crane control unit 30, and sets the loading position coordinate Qm to the set coordinates of the loading item image 22.

[0026] The display control unit 33 is a functional element that controls displaying, on the display device 11, the area image 20 in a state in which the coordinates have been set by the coordinate setting unit 32 in the area image 20 created by the image creation unit 31.

[0027] The control command unit 34 is a functional element that generates a command signal according to an input from the input device 12 and transmits the generated command signal to the crane control unit 30. The command signal is a signal including the position coordinates of the loading position Ta when the loading position Ta is designated by the input device 12, and is a signal according to the operation when an operation of a virtual operating device is input by the input device 12.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3, a storage yard is set as a predetermined area in the area image 20. In this disclosure, the storage yard is an area where a crane 1 performs loading and unloading work on a container C, and is made up of a plurality of storage lanes 7 lined up. The area image 20 is an image of a plan view of the storage yard. The area image 20 is made up of a plurality of captured images 21, and includes a loaded object image 22, a pointer image 23, and an undrawn image 24. The position coordinates on the area image 20 are linked to the position coordinates of the storage yard.

[0029] The captured image 21 is an image captured by the imaging device 13 while the hoist 4 is moving to the designated loading position Ta. The captured image 21 has position information of an image coordinate system centered on the optical axis of the imaging device 13. A plurality of captured images 21 are continuously joined together in a unified coordinate system to form a region image 20.

[0030] The cargo image 22 shows an image of a container C present in the captured image 21. The cargo image 22 is identified by applying image processing to the captured image 21. Examples of image processing include pattern recognition, differential image calculation, and template matching for the purpose of identifying the container C. In addition, examples of image processing include image processing such as noise removal and edge emphasis, and image correction such as contrast correction and color correction in order to improve the identification accuracy. It should be noted that the cargo image 22 also includes an image of a container C placed on a transport chassis 8 present in the captured image 21.

[0031] The pointer image 23 is an image that indicates an arbitrary position designated as the loading position Ta by the input device 12. Examples of the pointer image 23 include a triangular shape, an arrow shape, and a hand shape with a second finger extended.

[0032] The undrawn image 24 shows a portion of the regional image 20 where the captured image 21 does not exist. The captured image 21 is an image captured by the imaging device 13 while the suspender 4 is moving, and is not captured in a region where the suspender 4 is not moving. The undrawn image 24 shows a region where the suspender 4 is not moving.

[0033] The set coordinates are the position coordinates of the specified cargo object image 22, and are a two-dimensional coordinate system consisting of X and Y coordinates. Either the cargo handling position coordinate Qm or the center coordinate Om is set as the set coordinate. The set coordinate is set to the coordinate with the higher priority, and the priority of the cargo handling position coordinate Qm is higher than the priority of the center coordinate Om. The set coordinates are not set in locations where the cargo object image 22 is not specified.

[0034] The loading position coordinate Qm is the position coordinate Pn acquired by the coordinate acquisition device 14 when loading and unloading work of connecting or disconnecting the hoisting tool 4 to the container C is performed for the first time at the specified loading and unloading position Ta. In this disclosure, the first time loading and unloading work of connecting or disconnecting the hoisting tool 4 to the container C is performed varies for each crane 1 and for each work day. The first time loading and unloading work of connecting or disconnecting the hoisting tool 4 to the container C is when, on a certain work day, the crane 1 lifts the container C with the hoisting tool 4 at the specified loading and unloading position Ta, or when the lifted container C is lowered.

[0035] The center coordinate Om indicates the center position of the cargo image 22 in a planar view based on the shape information of the cargo image 22. Since the container C forms a rectangle in a planar view, the center coordinate Om indicates the center position of the rectangle.

[0036] As illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7, the method of operating the crane 1 includes a process in which the image creation unit 31 creates an area image 20 and displays the created area image 20 on the display device 11 (Figs. 4 and 5), a process in which the coordinate setting unit 32 sets the loading position coordinate Qm to the set coordinate (Fig. 6), and a process in which the control command unit 34 transmits a command signal and the crane control unit 30 moves the hoist 4 based on the command signal (Fig. 7). Of the respective processes, the display process and the setting process are repeated at predetermined intervals. The process of moving the hoist 4 is started when an input is made by the input device 12 and ends when the movement of the hoist 4 is completed. The predetermined period refers to the period in which the imaging device 13 captures the captured image 21 and the period in which the coordinate acquisition device 14 acquires the position coordinate Pn. The progress of one period in the flow diagram is indicated by "return."

[0037] As illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the process of creating the area image 20 starts when the operation of the crane 1 is started, and continues until the operation of the crane 1 is finished. When the operation of the crane 1 is started, the imaging device 13 captures the captured image 21 (S110). Next, the image creation unit 31 performs image processing on the captured image 21 sent from the imaging device 13 to identify the cargo image 22 in the captured image 21 (S120). Next, the image creation unit 31 calculates the center coordinate Om of the identified cargo image 22 (S130). In the cargo image 22 of the container C stored in the storage lane 7, the center coordinate Om of the cargo image 22 is calculated by image feature extraction of the image processing. Also, in the cargo image 22 showing the container C loaded on the transport chassis 8, the container C is identified by image recognition, and the center coordinate Om of the image portion of the identified container C is calculated by image feature extraction. Next, the center coordinate Om calculated by the image creation unit 31 is set as the set coordinate of the cargo object image 22 (S140).

[0038] Next, the image creation unit 31 updates the area image 20 (S150). Specifically, the image creation unit 31 replaces a part of the stored area image 20 with the captured image 21 created in the above steps S110 to S140, and compares the part with the captured image 21 to be replaced to identify the changed parts of the image (S151). In this step S151, the number j of changed parts and their positions are identified. Next, the image creation unit 31 checks whether the cargo image 22 exists in all of the identified changed parts and updates the set coordinates accordingly (S152). The image creation unit 31 determines whether the cargo image 22 that existed in the stored area image 20 does not exist in the captured image 21 (S153), and erases the set coordinates when it is determined that the cargo image 22 does not exist (S153: YES), and erases the set coordinates (S154). Next, the image creation unit 31 determines whether or not the captured image 21 contains a cargo image 22 that is not in the area image 20 stored therein (S155), and if it is determined that the cargo image 22 is present (S155: YES), the image creation unit 31 sets the set coordinates of the cargo image 22 to the center coordinates Om (S156). Next, the image creation unit 31 determines whether or not the captured image 21 contains a cargo image 22 that was present in the area image 20 stored therein (S157). Next, if it is determined that the cargo image 22 is present (S157: YES), the image creation unit 31 determines whether or not the cargo handling position coordinates Qm are set to the set coordinates of the cargo image 22 that it has determined to be present (S158). If the cargo handling position coordinates Qm are not set to the cargo image 22 that it has determined to be present (S158: NO), the image creation unit 31 sets the set coordinates of the cargo image 22 to the center coordinates Om (S156). If the cargo handling position coordinates Qm are set in the cargo handling image 22 determined to be present (S158: YES), the image creation unit 31 sets the set coordinates of the cargo handling image 22 to the cargo handling position coordinates Qm (S159). The above steps S153 to S159 are performed for all of the identified change locations.

[0039] Next, the area image 20 created by the image creation unit 31 is sent to the display control unit 33, and the display control unit 33 displays the area image 20 on the display device 11 (S160). Through the above-mentioned process of creating the area image 20, the multiple captured images 21 captured by the imaging device 13 are continuously connected together in a unified coordinate system, and the cargo object image 22 indicating the container C present in the captured images 21 is identified by image processing, and the area image 20 with the set coordinates set for the identified cargo object image 22 is displayed on the display device 11.

[0040] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the process of setting the set coordinates begins when the operation of the crane 1 is started, and the coordinate setting unit 32 starts monitoring the control of the crane control unit 30, and is repeated until the operation of the crane 1 is completed. When the control monitoring starts, the coordinate setting unit 32 judges whether the movement of the hoist 4 is completed and the hoist 4 has arrived at the designated loading position Ta (S210). When it is judged that the hoist 4 has arrived at the loading position Ta (S210: YES), the coordinate setting unit 32 judges whether the loading operation of connecting or disconnecting the hoist 4 and the container C has been completed (S220). Next, the coordinate acquisition device 14 acquires the position coordinate Pn (S230). Note that the position coordinate Pn acquired by the coordinate acquisition device 14 is preferably the position where the loading operation of connecting or disconnecting the hoist 4 and the container C has been completed, and is preferably acquired at a timing between the completion of the loading operation and before the traverse of the trolley 3 or the traveling device 6 starts traveling. Next, the coordinate setting unit 32 sets the position coordinate Pn acquired at that timing as the loading position coordinate Qm, and sets the loading position coordinate Qm to the set coordinate of the cargo object image 22 (S240). Through the above process of setting the set coordinate, the set coordinate of the cargo object image 22 is set to the loading position coordinate Qm when the loading operation of the container C is actually performed.

[0041] 7, in the process of moving the hoisting tool 4, when the operation of the crane 1 is started, the control command unit 34 starts monitoring the input of the input device 12. When the input monitoring starts, the control command unit 34 determines whether or not a loading position Ta has been specified by the input device 12 at any point in the area image 20 displayed on the display device 11 (S310).

[0042] When it is determined that the loading position Ta has been specified at an arbitrary location (S310: YES), the control command unit 34 determines whether or not the arbitrary location is within the range of the loading object image 22 (S320). When it is determined that the arbitrary location is within the range of the loading object image 22 (S320: YES), the control command unit 34 determines whether or not set coordinates have been set for the loading object image 22 (S330). When it is determined that set coordinates have been set (S330: YES), the control command unit 34 specifies the set coordinates as the position coordinates of the loading position Ta (S340).

[0043] If it is determined that any location is outside the range of the cargo handling image 22 (S320: NO), or if it is determined that no set coordinates have been set (S330: NO), the control command unit 34 identifies the coordinates of the any location as the position coordinates of the cargo handling position Ta (S350).

[0044] Next, the control command unit 34 transmits a command signal including the identified position coordinates to the crane control unit 30 (S360). Next, the crane control unit 30, which has received the transmitted command signal, moves the hoisting tool 4 to the position coordinates included in the command signal (S370). When the movement of the hoisting tool 4 is completed, this process ends. Through the above process of moving the hoisting tool 4, the hoisting tool 4 is moved to the loading position Ta specified by the input device 12. Note that if it is determined that the loading position Ta has not been specified (S310: NO), this is the case when the virtual operating device displayed on the display device 11 has been operated, and a command signal based on that operation is generated and transmitted to the crane control unit 30.

[0045] When the operation system 10 of the present disclosure performs the first loading operation of the loading object at the loading position Ta designated by the designation device, the position coordinate Pn acquired by the coordinate acquisition device 14 is stored as the loading position coordinate Qm. Then, when the same loading position Ta is designated again by the designation device after the loading position coordinate Qm is stored, the operation system 10 moves the hoist 4 to the stored loading position coordinate Qm. In this way, the operation system 10 enables highly accurate alignment to the designated loading position Ta by moving the hoist 4 to the loading position coordinate Qm when the loading operation of the container C was actually performed from the second time onwards, except for the first time. This is advantageous in shortening the time required for alignment to the loading position Ta, and can improve loading efficiency.

[0046] In the operation system 10, the designation device has a display device 11 and an input device 12, and the remote operation control device 16 determines whether the loading position Ta input by the input device 12 is within the range of the loading object image 22 of the area image 20 displayed on the display device 11, and whether the set coordinates are set in the loading object image 22. In this way, the operation system 10 can specify either the set coordinates set in the loading object image 22 or the coordinates of an arbitrary location as the position coordinates of the loading position Ta, and move the hoist 4 to the specified position coordinates. This makes it possible to roughly align the container C to a location where no loading operation is being performed, or to a container C mounted on a transport chassis 8 and whose position coordinates are difficult to specify, thereby simplifying the operation of the crane 1. Even if the loading position Ta is specified on a non-drawn image 24 where the hoist 4 is not being moved, the coordinates of an arbitrary location are similarly specified as the position coordinates, and the hoist 4 can be moved within the range of the non-drawn image 24.

[0047] The operation system 10 is configured to calculate a center coordinate Om indicating the center position of the cargo object image 22 in a planar view based on the shape information of the cargo object image 22, and set the calculated center coordinate Om as the set coordinate for the cargo object image 22 in the area image 20 whose cargo object position coordinate Qm is not set as the set coordinate. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of rough alignment for a location where a container C is stored but no cargo handling work is being performed there, or for a container C mounted on a transport chassis 8 and whose position coordinate is difficult to specify.

[0048] In the operation system 10, the designation device has an imaging device 13, and the display device 11 displays an area image 20 in which captured images 21 captured by the imaging device 13 are continuously joined together in a unified coordinate system. The operation system 10 also identifies an object image 22 in the area image 20, and sets set coordinates for the identified object image 22. In this way, the operation system 10 makes it possible to visually input the designation of the loading position Ta. This avoids the complexity of operating the crane 1, and enables even an inexperienced driver to perform loading and unloading work with high accuracy.

[0049] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the operation system 10 and the operation method of the crane 1 of the present disclosure are not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.

[0050] The operation system 10 can be applied to a crane that handles cargo objects other than the container C, and can be applied to any crane that handles cargo objects that can be stacked vertically, such as the container C. Examples of such cargo objects include steel pieces (slabs, blooms, billets, etc.) other than the container C of this embodiment. The operation system 10 can also be applied to a crane other than the crane 1 that handles the container C across the storage lane 7 in the X direction, and examples of such cranes include a crane that handles the container C from a ship docked at a quay and a crane that handles steel pieces. The configuration of the crane 1 may also be, for example, a configuration in which the traveling device 6 has wheels that roll on the lane, or a configuration without a leg structure such as a so-called overhead crane, and is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment.

[0051] As illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, the operation system 10 of the present disclosure is applied to a crane 30 that loads and unloads containers C onto a ship 9 that is docked at a quay. The crane 30 loads and unloads containers C at a different location from the crane 1 described above, but the structure is the same, so the same members and devices are given the same reference numerals. Note that the girder 2 of the crane 30 is structured to protrude in the X direction from the leg structure 5 relative to the girder 2 of the crane 1, but it extends in the X direction and is treated as the same member as the girder 2 of the crane 1.

[0052] In the area image 20 of the operation system 10 of the crane 30, the ship 9 and the quay where the transport chassis 8 is parked are set as the predetermined area. The ship 9 has a cell structure made up of cell guides erected in the Z direction at the four corner positions of the container C. The area image 20 is a planar image of the ship 9 and the quay.

[0053] Depending on the shape and docking position of the ship 9, the storage position of the container C may differ significantly from the storage yard, making it difficult to predict. According to the operation system 10 of the present disclosure, from the second time onwards, excluding the first time, the hoisting tool 4 is moved to the loading position coordinate Qm when the loading and unloading work of the container C is actually performed, thereby enabling highly accurate alignment to the specified loading and unloading position Ta. This is advantageous in shortening the time required to align to the loading and unloading position Ta, even if the storage position changes for each docked ship 9, and can improve loading and unloading efficiency.

[0054] The designation device of the operation system 10 need only be capable of designating the loading / unloading position Ta, and need not be limited to the configuration of this embodiment. The operation system 10 of this embodiment is a system applied to remote operation of the crane 1 by an operator, and in the case where the operation system 10 is a system for automatically driving the crane 1, the designation device may be a host system that manages the containers C. The host system designates the loading / unloading position Ta with the X-direction division of the storage lane 7 as a bay, the Y-direction division as a row, and the Z-direction division as a tier. Designation of the loading / unloading position Ta by the host system is also advantageous in improving loading / unloading efficiency by moving the hoist 4 to the loading / unloading position coordinate Qm from the second time onwards, except for the first time, as in this embodiment.

[0055] In addition, in the case where the operation system 10 is a system for remotely operating the crane 1, the designation device may be capable of visually designating the loading position Ta, and may not be limited to the configuration of this embodiment. The designation device may have a surveying device for surveying spatial information of a part of a predetermined area, instead of the imaging device 13. Examples of the surveying device include a two-dimensional laser scanner and a three-dimensional laser scanner. In this case, the remote operation control device 16 draws the part of the storage yard surveyed by the surveying device as an area image 20 based on a plurality of pieces of spatial position information surveyed by the surveying device while the hoist 4 is moving to the designated loading position Ta. Next, the remote operation control device 16 may be configured to specify the shape of the container C present in the area image 20, draw the specified shape of the container C as a cargo object image 22 in the area image 20, and control the display device 11 to display the area image 20 in a state in which the set coordinates are set in the drawn cargo object image 22. In this way, the area image 20 does not have to be an actual image, and may be a modeled image.

[0056] The area image 20 may depict images other than the cargo image 22, the pointer image 23, and the blank image 24. For example, an image showing the position of the crane 1 may be drawn based on the position coordinates Pn of the trolley 3 acquired by the coordinate position acquisition device 14. Also, if the position of the transport chassis 8 can be identified, an image showing the transport chassis 8 may be drawn.

[0057] The input device 12 of the designation device is not limited to a touch panel, but may be any device (pointing device) that points to and selects any location on the area image 20 displayed on the display device 11. For example, a mouse is exemplified as the input device 12. The input device 12 may also be a keyboard that allows an address to be input so that a higher-level system can designate an address, or a device that recognizes voice and converts it into a character string.

[0058] The display device 11 and the input device 12 of the designated device are not limited to a monitor with a touch panel installed at a remote location, and may be replaced by, for example, a portable device that the driver can carry with him. Also, an operation device operated by the driver may be provided separately from the input device 12.

[0059] Since the position of the imaging device 13 of the designated device in the Z direction is substantially fixed, it is desirable to install it on the trolley 3, but it may be installed on the suspender 4. If the imaging device 13 is installed on the suspender 4, it is possible to unify the coordinate system of each captured image 21 by taking into account the position coordinate of the suspender 4 in the Z direction when creating the area image 20.

[0060] When a plurality of cranes 1 perform the loading and unloading work of containers C in a storage yard, the area image 20 may be created by connecting the captured images 21 captured by the imaging devices 13 installed on each crane 1 as a unified coordinate system. In this case, the loading and unloading position coordinates Qm set in the loading and unloading object image 22 may use the position coordinates Pn acquired by the coordinate acquisition device 14 installed on each crane 1. However, the position coordinates at the same loading and unloading position Ta may differ for each crane 1 due to distortion of the structure or deterioration of the device over time. In addition, the inclination of the road surface of the storage yard may change. For this reason, it is desirable to share the area image 20 with each crane 1 and set the set coordinates for each crane 1. For the same reason, when the same crane 1 performs the loading and unloading work of containers C across days, it is desirable to reset the set coordinates for each work day or for each specified work schedule. In addition, if the position coordinates do not differ, it is not necessary to reset the set coordinates.

[0061] The control device does not have to be divided into the crane control device 15 and the remote operation control device 16, and may be a single control device having these functional elements. In addition, when the position coordinate Pn acquired by the coordinate acquisition device 14 when the container C is unloaded at the designated unloading position Ta is different from the set unloading position coordinate Qm, the control device may store the acquired position coordinate Pn as a new unloading position coordinate Qm and set the newly stored unloading position coordinate Qm to the set coordinate of the unloaded object image 22. This makes it possible to reset the unloading position coordinate Qm according to the change in the condition even if the structure of the crane 1 is distorted, the device deteriorates with age, or the road surface of the storage yard changes, and it becomes possible to suppress the deterioration of the positioning accuracy.

[0062] When the central coordinates Om or the coordinates of an arbitrary location are specified as the position coordinates of the loading position Ta, the position coordinates may be corrected to coordinates shifted from the central coordinates Om or the coordinates of the arbitrary location, or an alignment area based on those coordinates may be set. For example, when the loading position Ta is specified, the path along which the hoist 4 is moved to the loading position Ta may be predicted, and the hoist 4 may be set to the coordinates just before it reaches the central coordinates Om or the coordinates of the arbitrary location. The central coordinates Om and the coordinates of the arbitrary location are rough coordinate specifications, and when the crane 1 stops traveling or the trolley 3 stops traversing in accordance with the central coordinates Om or the coordinates of the arbitrary location, it may pass the position where the loading operation of the container C is actually performed. At this time, it is necessary to run the crane 1 again by the traveling device 6 or to traverse the trolley 3 again for alignment. In this way, moving the position of the hoist 4 again for alignment may not only increase the time required for alignment, but also increase the swing of the hoist 4. Therefore, when specifying rough coordinates, it is advantageous for positioning to set the coordinates closer than the specified coordinates.

[0063] The undrawn image 24 is an image showing a portion of the area image 20 where the captured image 21 does not exist. However, if the cargo objects are arranged in a matrix like the container C as in this embodiment, the corresponding portion may be extracted and displayed from a design drawing or storage plan drawing of the storage yard in the upper system. Such a design drawing or plan drawing includes an image similar to the cargo object image 22, and the cargo object image 22 can be drawn based on the image. When the corresponding portion of such a design drawing or plan drawing is displayed in the undrawn image 24, the target storage position coordinates of the container C in the design drawing or plan drawing may be set as the set coordinates. In this way, by displaying the corresponding design drawing or plan drawing as the undrawn image 24 and setting the target storage position coordinates to an image similar to the cargo object image 22 drawn therein, it is advantageous to improve the accuracy of rough alignment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1. Crane 2 digits 3 Trolley 4 Hanging equipment 6 Running gear 10. Driving System 11 Display device 12 Input Devices 13 Imaging device 14 Coordinate acquisition device 15 Crane control device 16 Remote operation control device

Claims

1. A crane operation system that moves the hoisting device of a crane having a girder extending in one direction, a trolley that travels laterally along the girder, a hoisting device that is suspended from the trolley and can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction and is connected to a load, and a traveling device that travels the crane in a direction perpendicular to the one direction to a loading position where a loading operation of the load is performed, A designation device that designates the loading position, a control device that controls the movement of the hoisting tool to the loading position designated by the designation device by the lateral movement of the trolley and the travel device, and a coordinate acquisition device that acquires the position coordinates of the trolley or the hoisting tool, The designation device has a display device that displays an area image including a cargo object image showing cargo objects present in a predetermined area, and an input device that performs an input to designate any part of the area image as a cargo handling position, When a loading operation of connecting or disconnecting the lifting tool to the loading object is performed for the first time at the specified loading position, the control device stores the position coordinates acquired by the coordinate acquisition device as loading position coordinates, and sets the loading position coordinates as the setting coordinates of the loading object image, When the arbitrary point input by the input device is within the range of the cargo image and the set coordinates are set in the cargo image, the set coordinates are identified as the position coordinates of the cargo position specified by the input device, and the hoist is moved to the identified set coordinates; A crane operation system characterized in that, when the arbitrary location is outside the range of the cargo handling image, or when it is within the range of the cargo handling image and the set coordinates are not set in the cargo handling image, the coordinates of the arbitrary location are identified as the position coordinates of the cargo handling position specified by the input device, and the hoisting device is controlled to move to the identified coordinates.

2. the designation device has an imaging device that is installed on the trolley or the hoisting tool and captures an image of a portion of the area, 2. The crane operation system according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to continuously connect, in a unified coordinate system, a plurality of images captured by the imaging device while the hoisting tool is being moved to a loading position specified by the input device, identify the loaded object image showing the loaded object present in the captured images by image processing of the captured images, and control the display device to display the area image with the set coordinates set for the identified loaded object image.

3. the designation device has a surveying device that is installed on the trolley or the hoisting tool and that measures spatial position information of a portion of the area, The crane operation system of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to control the display device to draw the portion of the area surveyed by the surveying device as the area image based on multiple spatial position information surveyed by the surveying device while the hoisting device is moving to the loading position specified by the input device, identify the shape of the loading item present in the drawn area image, draw the identified shape of the loading item in the area image as the loading item image, and display the area image on the display device with the setting coordinates set in the drawn loading item image.

4. The control device is configured to calculate center coordinates indicating the center position of the identified cargo object image in a planar view based on shape information of the identified cargo object image, and set the calculated center coordinates as the set coordinates of the cargo object image in the area image for which the cargo object position coordinates are not set as the set coordinates of the cargo object image.

5. 2. The crane operation system according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to display on the display device a design drawing or storage plan drawing of the storage yard in which the cargo is stored as a blank image showing the area in which the hoisting device is not moving, to set an image similar to the cargo image on the design drawing or storage plan drawing as the cargo image, and to set the target storage position coordinates on the design drawing or storage plan drawing as the position coordinates of the cargo image.

6. A method for operating a crane in which, when a loading position for loading an object is designated by a designation device, a control device moves a hoisting tool to the loading position designated by the designation device by traversing a trolley and traveling with a traveling device, comprising: When a loading operation of connecting or disconnecting the hoist to the cargo is performed for the first time at the specified loading position, the coordinate acquisition device acquires the position coordinates of the trolley or the hoist, the control device stores the position coordinates as loading position coordinates, and the loading position coordinates are set as the set coordinates of a loading object image showing the loading object present in a specified area included in an area image displayed on a display device of the designation device, When an input is made to designate an arbitrary portion of the area image as a loading position by an input device of the designation device, When the arbitrary location is within the range of the cargo image and the set coordinates are set in the cargo image, the control device identifies the set coordinates that are set as the position coordinates of the cargo position specified by the input device, and moves the hoist to the identified set coordinates; A method of operating a crane, characterized in that when the arbitrary location is outside the range of the cargo handling image, or when it is within the range of the cargo handling image and the set coordinates are not set for that cargo handling image, the control device identifies the coordinates of the arbitrary location as the position coordinates of the cargo handling position specified by the input device, and moves the hoisting device to the identified coordinates.

Images