crane

By stopping or reducing the speed of the crane's hanging portion near the target position, the crane enhances the accuracy of position measurements, addressing the issue of reduced precision due to motion-based measurements.

JP7665376B2Active Publication Date: 2025-04-21SUMITOMO HEAVY IND MATERIAL HANDLING SYST
View PDF 8 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021057270
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-03-30
Publication Date
2025-04-21
Estimated Expiration
2041-03-30

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The accuracy of position measurement in cranes is reduced due to measurements being taken while the crane is in motion, affecting the precision of positioning between the object and the hanging portion.

Method used

The crane is designed to move the hanging portion to a target position and then stop or reduce its speed to a slight speed, allowing the position measuring unit to accurately measure the target position without the interference of movement.

Benefits of technology

This approach significantly improves the accuracy of position measurement by the position measuring unit, ensuring precise positioning between the object and the hanging portion.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure 0007665376000001
    Figure 0007665376000001
  • Figure 0007665376000002
    Figure 0007665376000002
  • Figure 0007665376000003
    Figure 0007665376000003
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide a crane that can improve the accuracy of position measurement performed by a position measuring unit.SOLUTION: A traveling device 7 and a traversing device 8 move a hanging part 6 to a target position relative to a position where a coil C to be held is located or a position at which the held coil C is lowered. On the other hand, a position measuring unit 13 measures the target position in a state in which the hanging part 6 is stopped or in a state in which the moving speed of the hanging part 6 is very slow. Thus, when the hanging part 6 is stopped or the movement speed of the hanging part 6 is very slow, the position measuring unit 13 can make more accurate measurements than when measurements are made while moving.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a crane. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a crane that includes a suspending part that holds an object by suspending it, a moving part that moves the suspending part in a horizontal direction, and a position measuring part that measures the position (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When this crane moves to a target position for the coil to be held, the position measuring part measures the position while the crane is moving. The crane accurately reaches the target position based on the measurement results of the position measuring part. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-52019 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned crane, since the position measurement unit measures the position while the crane is traveling, the measurement accuracy may decrease. As a result, the position accuracy between the object and the hanging part, and the position accuracy between the placement position of the object and the hanging part may decrease.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has an object to provide a crane that can improve the accuracy of position measurement by a position measurement unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The crane of the present invention comprises a suspending part that holds an object by suspending it, a moving part that moves the suspending part horizontally, and a position measurement part that measures position, the moving part moves the suspending part to a target position relative to the position where the object to be held is located or the position where the held object is to be lowered, and the position measurement part measures the target position when the suspending part is stopped or when the suspending part is moving at a very slow speed.

[0007] According to this crane, the moving unit moves the suspending part to a target position relative to the position where the object to be held is located or the position where the held object is to be lowered. In contrast, the position measurement unit measures the target position when the suspending part is stopped or when the suspending part is moving at a very slow speed. In this way, when the suspending part is stopped or when the suspending part is moving at a very slow speed, the position measurement unit can perform more accurate measurements than when measuring while moving. As a result, the accuracy of position measurement by the position measurement unit can be improved.

[0008] The position measuring unit may be provided on a trolley that supports the hanging part. In this case, the position measuring unit can also measure the position of the hanging part. This makes it easier to align the target position with the position of the hanging part.

[0009] The position measurement unit may measure the target position and the position of the hanging part simultaneously, which makes it easier to align the target position and the position of the hanging part.

[0010] The position measurement unit may measure the target position when the suspending part is stationary. In this case, the measurement can be performed more accurately than when the position measurement unit measures when the suspending part is moving at a slow speed.

[0011] When the position measurement unit measures the target position, the moving unit may stop the movement of the hanging unit by setting the speed command to 0, or may move at a slow speed by reducing the speed command. In this case, the stopped or slow speed state can be achieved without using a brake.

[0012] When the position measurement unit measures the target position, the moving unit may stop the movement of the hanging part or move it slowly without using a mechanical brake. In this case, when fine-adjusting the position of the hanging part based on the measurement result of the position measurement unit, since there is no loss for releasing the brake, fine adjustment can be performed quickly.

[0013] The moving unit may move the hanging part to the target position based on a pre-created map of the placement area in which the object is placed. In this case, the moving unit can move the hanging part to an approximate target position before the position measurement unit performs measurement. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a crane capable of improving the accuracy of position measurement by a position measurement unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a crane according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a crane according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a traveling device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the crane system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the coil yard. [Figure 6] 1 is a graph showing a transition of speed. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a process diagram showing the work process of the crane system. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart showing the processing contents when creating a 3D map. [Figure 9] 11 is a first half of a flowchart showing processing contents in a warehousing operation. [Figure 10] 11 is a flowchart showing the second half of the process in a warehousing operation. [Figure 11]11 is a first half of a flowchart showing the processing steps in an operation for rearranging coils in a coil yard. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a crane 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the crane 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the crane 1 is an overhead crane that moves while holding an object, for example, a coil C, which is a steel plate wound into a cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, the crane 1 can store and retrieve the coil C from the coil yard Y, and rearrange the coil C within the coil yard Y (see FIG. 5). Note that the crane 1 is not limited to an overhead crane, and may be a bridge crane, a double-link jib crane, or the like. The object is also not limited to a coil, and a slab, a bundled steel bar, or the like may be adopted.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the crane 1 includes a rail 2, a girder 3, a trolley 4, a suspension part 6, a traveling gear 7, a traverse gear 8, a hoisting gear 9, a turning gear 11, an opening and closing gear 12, a position measurement unit 13, a monitoring unit 14, and an electrical room 15.

[0018] The rail 2 is a member that guides the movement of the hanging part 6 in the running direction D1 via the girder 3 and the trolley 4. The rail 2 is a pair of guide members that are spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction D2 and extend parallel to the running direction D1. The rail 2 is fixed to the ceiling of the building of the coil yard Y. The girder 3 is a member that guides the movement of the hanging part 6 in the lateral direction D2 via the trolley 4. The girder 3 is a pair of guide members that are spaced apart from each other in the running direction D1 (see FIG. 2) and extend parallel to the lateral direction D2 so as to be spanned across the pair of rails 2. The girder 3 can travel in the running direction D1 along the rail 2 by the traveling device 7 described later. The trolley 4 suspends the hanging part 6 while being supported by the girder 3. The trolley 4 can travel in the lateral direction D2 along the girder 3 by the lateral travel device 8 described later.

[0019] The traveling device 7 is a device for traveling the girder 3 along the rail 2. The traveling device 7 has wheels 36 provided on both ends of the girder 3 in the lateral direction D2. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the wheels 36 are provided with a motor 37 that applies a driving force to the wheels 36 and a brake 38 that applies a braking force. The motor 37 is connected to an inverter 39. The inverter 39 sends a command signal to the motor 37 so that the girder 3 travels at a speed corresponding to a speed command signal. The brake 38 is connected to a brake control unit 40. When the brake control unit 40 sends a signal, the brake 38 is separated from the wheels 36. When the brake control unit 40 stops the signal, the brake 38 is pressed against the wheels 36 by the elastic force of a spring provided in the brake 38.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, the traverse device 8 is a device for traversing the trolley 4 along the girder 3. The traverse device 8 has wheels 45 provided on the trolley 4. The traverse device 8 also has a motor, brake, inverter, and brake control unit similar to those of the traveling device 7. The traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 form a moving part that moves the hanging part 6 in the horizontal direction.

[0021] The suspending part 6 holds the coil C, which is the object to be held, by suspending it. In this embodiment, the suspending part 6 has a pair of arm parts 31 and claw parts 32 provided on each arm part 31 (see FIG. 2). The suspending part 6 is suspended from the trolley 4 by a wire 33. The suspending part 6 is connected to a hoisting device 9 provided on the trolley 4 via the wire 33. Therefore, the hoisting device 9 can lift the suspending part 6 by winding up the wire 33. The arm part 31 is provided so as to sandwich the coil C from both ends. The pair of claw parts 32 are provided at the lower end of each arm part 31, respectively, in a state of extending so as to approach each other. The claw parts 32 can protrude from the arm part 31 when holding the coil C, and can retract into the arm part 31 to release the holding of the coil C.

[0022] The arm portion 31 is provided on both ends of the opening and closing device 12, and is opened and closed by driving the opening and closing device 12. The suspending portion 6 is connected to the wire 33 via the swivel device 11. Therefore, the suspending portion 6 can be swiveled around the wire 33. When the suspending portion 6 holds the coil C, the hoisting device 9 and the swivel device 11 move the suspending portion 6 to lower the claw portion 32 to the position of the through hole of the coil C. In this state, the opening and closing device 12 closes the arm portion 31 to insert the claw portion 32 into the through hole of the coil C. In this state, the suspending portion 6 is wound up by the hoisting device 9 via the wire 33. This allows the suspending portion 6 to hold the coil C.

[0023] The position measurement unit 13 is a device that measures the positions of various objects in the coil yard Y. The position measurement unit 13 is not particularly limited as long as it is a device capable of measurement, and is, for example, composed of a 3D LIDAR. Alternatively, the position measurement unit 13 may be composed of an image recognition camera, a 2D LIDAR, or the like. The position measurement unit 13 is provided on the trolley 4 in a state facing downward from the trolley 4. In Figs. 1 and 2, the measurement range DE of the position measurement unit 13 is shown by a hatched area range. The measurement range DE of the position measurement unit 13 includes both the coil C and the hanging part 6. Therefore, when the coil C is held by the hanging part 6, the position measurement unit 13 can simultaneously measure the position of the coil C and the position of the hanging part 6. In addition, when the held coil C is lowered, the position measurement unit 13 can simultaneously measure the position at which the coil C is lowered and the position of the hanging part 6. The position measurement unit 13 can also measure the position of the coil yard Y and the skid 80 (see Figs. 1 and 2) present on the trailer T. The skid 80 is a member that prevents the coil C from rolling when the coil C is placed on the floor surface. This allows the position of the skid 80 to be reflected when creating a 3D map.

[0024] When viewed from the running direction D1, the center line CL2 of the position measurement unit 13 is located at a position shifted in the lateral direction D2 from the center line CL1 of the hanging part 6 (see FIG. 1). When viewed from the lateral direction D2, the center line CL2 of the position measurement unit 13 is located at the same position as the center line CL1 of the hanging part 6. As a result, when aligning the coil C and the hanging part 6, only the amount of deviation in the lateral direction D2 needs to be taken into consideration.

[0025] The monitoring unit 14 is a device for monitoring the situation around the crane 1. The monitoring unit 14 is composed of a remote monitoring camera and the like. The monitoring unit 14 is provided on the trolley 4. The electrical room 15 houses various electrical devices for operating the crane 1. In the electrical room 15, inverters for the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8, a brake control unit, an on-machine control panel 41 described below, a coil position recognition device 42, a wireless communication device 43, and the like are arranged.

[0026] Next, the system configuration of the entire crane system 100 that controls the crane 1 as described above will be described. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the crane system 100. As shown in Fig. 4, the crane system 100 comprises a crane 1 and a ground operation room 50 that operates the crane 1. The ground operation room 50 comprises a ground operation panel 51, an inventory management computer 52, a host system PC 53, and a remote monitoring monitor 54. The ground operation room 50 is provided at a position away from the crane 1, and at a predetermined position in the building of the coil yard Y.

[0027] The ground operation panel 51 is a device that transmits various information for operating the crane 1 to the crane 1. The ground operation panel 51 transmits information to the crane 1 via a wireless communication unit 56. The inventory control computer 52 is a device that performs calculations for inventory control of the coils C in the coil yard Y. For example, the inventory control computer 52 calculates an optimal transport route based on a coil transport instruction from the upper system PC 53. The upper system PC 53 is a device that issues coil transport instructions such as supplying coils according to the operating status of the factory. The remote monitoring monitor 54 is a device that monitors the situation around the crane 1 by displaying an image captured by the monitoring unit 14.

[0028] The crane 1 includes an on-board control panel 41, a coil position recognition device 42, and a wireless communication device 43. The on-board control panel 41 outputs various information required for operating the crane 1 to each device in the crane 1. The on-board control panel 41 outputs command signals to the traveling gear 7, the traverse gear 8, the hoisting gear 9, the slewing gear 11, and the opening and closing gear 12 so as to perform desired operations. The coil position recognition device 42 is a device for recognizing the position of the coil C based on the measurement results by the position measurement unit 13. The coil position recognition device 42 outputs the recognized position of the coil C to the on-board control panel 41. The wireless communication device 43 is a device for transmitting and receiving information to and from the ground operation room 50 via wireless communication.

[0029] Next, the operation of the crane 1 will be described. The traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 move the suspending part 6 to a target position relative to the position where the coil C to be held is located or the position where the held coil C is to be lowered, based on a command signal from the on-board control panel 41. At this time, the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 move the suspending part 6 to the target position based on a 3D map created in advance of the coil yard Y (placement area) where the coil C is located. That is, the on-board control panel 41 refers to the 3D map created in advance and calculates where the coil C to be held is located in the coil yard Y, or where the held coil C is to be placed in the coil yard Y. Then, the on-board control panel 41 outputs a command signal to the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 to move to the target position calculated based on the 3D map. The 3D map is created by the crane 1 moving through the entire coil yard Y while performing measurements with the position measurement unit 13, thereby grasping the position of each coil C in the coil yard Y (see FIG. 5, for example). The 3D map is generated, for example, before the start of work in the coil yard Y for the day, or after the work is completed. In this way, the 3D map is updated periodically.

[0030] When the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 arrive at the target position based on the 3D map (when they reach a position just before arriving), they stop the movement of the suspended part 6 or put the suspended part 6 in a slow speed state. Here, "stopped" means that the speed is 0. Also, a slow speed state means that the suspended part 6 moves at a speed of 0% to 10% when the rated speed is 100%.

[0031] The position measurement unit 13 measures the target position when the suspending part 6 is stopped or when the suspending part 6 is moving at a very slow speed. That is, when the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 arrive at the target position based on the 3D map, a horizontal positional deviation may occur between the actual position of the suspending part 6 and the coil presence position where the coil C to be transported actually exists or the landing position where the held coil C is to be landed (the target position for landing of the coil C). Therefore, by measuring the actual suspending part 6 and the target position, the coil C can be held (landed) in a state where the deviation is eliminated. Measuring the target position means that the position measurement unit 13 measures from above the space where the coil C to be transported exists or the held coil C is to be landed. When the coil C exists at the target position, the position measurement unit 13 acquires information such as the outer diameter and width of the coil C, and the coil position recognition device 42 calculates the center position of the coil C based on the information. When the coil C is not present at the target position, the position measurement unit 13 acquires the shape of the mounting table on which the coil C is placed, and the coil position recognition device 42 calculates the center position of the mounting table based on the shape. The mounting table is, for example, a skid 80 (see Figs. 1 and 2), and is provided at all addresses on the trailer T and in the coil yard Y. Note that the target position is not particularly limited to a specific location as long as the coil presence position where the coil C is present and the landing position where the coil C is to land can be grasped. For example, the coil position recognition device 42 may treat the center position of the coil C and the center position of the mounting table as the target position, but may also treat a point, line, two-dimensional area, three-dimensional area, etc. calculated based on these center positions as the target position.

[0032] In addition, when there is a deviation between the actual center position of the suspending part 6 in the horizontal direction and the center position of the coil C to be transported, the on-machine control panel 41 controls to fine-adjust the position of the suspending part 6 so as to eliminate the deviation between the center position of the suspending part 6 and the center position of the coil C. In the case where there is a deviation between the actual center position of the suspending part 6 in the horizontal direction and the center position of the mounting table on which the coil C is to be landed, the on-machine control panel 41 controls to fine-adjust the position of the suspending part 6 so as to eliminate the deviation between the center position of the suspending part 6 and the center position of the mounting table. In this way, the on-machine control panel 41 controls the traveling device 7, the traverse device 8, the turning device 11, and the opening and closing device 12 to reach the target position based on the 3D map, and after the suspending part 6 stops or moves at a slow speed, fine-adjusting the suspending part 6 may be referred to as target position complement. However, the control content for eliminating the deviation between the suspending part 6 and the coil C and the deviation between the suspending part 6 and the mounting table is not particularly limited, and any control method may be appropriately adopted.

[0033] When the position measurement unit 13 measures the target position with the suspending part 6 stopped, the traveling device 7 and traversing device 8 stop the movement of the suspending part 6 by setting the speed command to 0. Also, when the position measurement unit 13 measures the target position with the suspending part 6 moving at a very slow speed, the speed command is reduced to put the suspending part 6 in a very slow speed state. At this time, the traveling device 7 and traversing device 8 stop the movement of the suspending part 6 or set the movement speed to a very slow speed without using a mechanical brake (brake 38 in Figure 3).

[0034] Specifically, the on-machine control panel 41 sets a target position to which the suspending part 6 is to be moved based on the 3D map, and sets the movement amount and movement speed of the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 so that the suspending part 6 can move to the target position. When heading toward the target position, the on-machine control panel 41 issues a speed command to move at a normal speed (see, for example, A in FIG. 6). When the suspending part 6 approaches the target position, the on-machine control panel 41 issues a speed command to decelerate (see B in FIG. 6), and issues a speed command to move at a slow speed (see C in FIG. 6). When the target position is reached, the on-machine control panel 41 sets the speed command to 0 (see D in FIG. 6). The position measurement unit 13 detects the position in either state C or D in FIG. 6. Note that when the position measurement unit 13 measures the position in state D, the state may be changed directly from state B to state D without providing the region C. At this time, the on-machine control panel 41 controls the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 to decelerate only by reducing the speed command, and controls so that the brakes are not applied to both the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8. As a result, when the suspension part 6 is stopped or moving slowly for measurement by the position measurement unit 13, the brakes are not applied to both the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8.

[0035] Next, the operation process of the crane system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a process diagram showing the operation process of the crane system 100. First, the crane system 100 creates a 3D map of the coil yard Y (step S10). Next, when the trailer T loaded with the coil C arrives at the trailer parking area TE (see FIG. 5), the crane system performs a storage operation to store the coil C from the trailer T to the coil yard Y (step S20). After storing the coil C, the crane system 100 performs a rearrangement operation of the coil C in the coil yard Y as necessary (step S30). Next, the crane system 100 performs an unloading operation to take out the coil C to be unloaded from the coil yard Y and load it onto the trailer T (step S40).

[0036] Next, the process contents when creating a 3D map will be described with reference to Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 8, when the flow of creating a 3D map starts, the crane system 100 executes a start process (step S110). In step S110, a push operation to start automatic operation is performed on the ground operation panel 51, and the on-machine control panel 41 judges whether or not a transport command has been received from the ground operation panel 51. When the on-machine control panel 41 receives the transport command, it starts automatic operation. In addition, the on-machine control panel 41 judges whether the height of the hanging part 6 is high enough to create a 3D map, and if it is low, it controls the hoisting device 9 to hoist the hanging part 6.

[0037] Next, the crane system 100 moves the suspended part 6 to an initial position for creating a 3D map (step S120). In step S120, the on-board control panel 41 sets target values ​​for each of the traveling gear 7, traverse gear 8, slewing gear 11, and opening / closing gear 12 to values ​​corresponding to the initial positions, and repeats each operation until the target value is reached. When each device reaches the target value, the on-board control panel 41 transmits to the ground operation panel 51 a message indicating that the movement to the initial position has been completed.

[0038] Next, the crane system 100 starts creating a 3D map by measuring the coil yard Y with the position measurement unit 13, and moves the suspending unit 6 (step S130). In step S130, the on-machine control panel 41 moves the suspending unit 6 along a path required for creating a 3D map to reach the target position. The path is set to pass through all the addresses of the coil yard Y, and the position measurement unit 13 performs measurements at each address similar to the measurement of the target position described above. The coil position recognition device 42 may calculate the center position of the coil C or the center position of the skid 80 at each address. The on-machine control panel 41 repeats the operations of the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 until the target position is reached. In this manner, spatial information of each address of the coil yard Y is acquired.

[0039] Next, the crane system 100 checks whether the 3D map is complete (step S140). In step S140, the on-board control panel 41 judges whether there is a problem with the 3D map. If the measurement results of all the addresses have not been acquired, the process returns to step S120, and the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 are operated to return to the initial position again. If it is judged in step S140 that there is no problem with the 3D data, the crane system 100 transmits a completion notice to the ground operation panel 51 and performs a process to end the 3D map creation (step S150). In step S150, the on-board control panel 41 judges whether to end the automatic operation. If the automatic operation stop push operation is performed on the on-board control panel 41, the on-board control panel 41 ends the automatic operation. With the above, the flow of 3D map creation shown in FIG. 8 is completed.

[0040] Next, referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the process contents of the warehousing operation when the coil C is warehousing from the trailer T to the coil yard Y will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, the crane system 100 executes a start process (step S210). In step S210, the same process as in step S110 is performed. Next, the crane system 100 moves the hanging part 6 to the trailer T (step S220). In step S220, the on-board control panel 41 sets the position of the coil C to be transported placed on the trailer T stopped in a predetermined trailer stopping area TE as the target position. When multiple coils C are mounted on the trailer T, the information on the placement position of the coil C to be transported on the trailer T may be obtained from the upper system PC53. The on-board control panel 41 moves the hanging part 6 by repeating the operations of the traveling device 7, the traverse device 8, the swivel device 11, and the opening and closing device 12 until the target value corresponding to the target position is reached. When each device reaches the target value, the on-board control panel 41 transmits a message to the ground operation panel 51 indicating that movement to the target position has been completed.

[0041] Here, when the suspending part 6 reaches the target position of the trailer T (or reaches just before the target position), the crane system 100 performs a process of stopping the suspending part 6 (step S230). In step S230, the on-machine control panel 41 stops the suspending part 6 by sending a signal with a speed command of 0 to the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8. When the suspending part 6 stops, the position measurement unit 13 performs position measurement of the coil on the trailer T and obtains the amount of deviation between the center position of the coil C of the actual transport target in the horizontal direction and the position of the suspending part 6 (step S240). The crane system 100 judges whether or not there is a problem with the position measurement of the coil C by referring to the coil position measurement result (step S250). If it is determined in step S250 that there is a problem with the position measurement of the coil C, the automatic operation is stopped (step S260). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S250 that there is no problem with the position measurement of the coil C, the crane system 100 performs target position complementation (step 270). In step 270, the crane system 100 fine-tunes the position of the suspending part 6 so as to eliminate the deviation between the suspending part 6 obtained in step 240 and the central position of the coil C to be transported, and determines whether or not the target position complement has been completed. When the target position complement is completed, the central position in the horizontal direction of the coil C to be transported and the suspending part 6 coincide. If it is determined in step S270 that the target position complement has not been completed, the process returns to step S220, and the traveling device 7 and traverse device 8 operate to slightly move the suspending part 6 so that the central position in the horizontal direction of the coil C to be transported and the position of the suspending part 6 coincide.

[0042] When it is determined in step S270 that the target position complement is completed, the crane system 100 executes a process of holding the coil C on the trailer T (step S280). In step S280, the on-machine control panel 41 controls the hoisting device 9 to lower the suspending part 6. The on-machine control panel 41 also determines whether or not the suspending part 6 has been run over. If it is determined that the suspending part 6 has run over, the automatic operation is stopped. Next, the on-machine control panel 41 aligns the claw part 32 of the suspending part 6 with the position of the through hole of the coil C to be held. If the center is found, the suspending part 6 extends the claw part 32 to make it possible to insert the suspending part 6 into the through hole of the coil C. Then, the on-machine control panel 41 controls the opening and closing device 12 to perform an operation of closing the arm part 31. When the on-machine control panel 41 detects that the suspending part 6 has gripped the coil C, it controls the hoisting device 9 to hoist the suspending part 6 together with the coil C and raises it to the conveying height position.

[0043] 10, next, the crane system 100 receives destination information of the coil C from the upper system PC53, and determines the destination by setting it as a target position, and also collates the target position with the 3D map (step S310). In step S310, if another coil already exists on the 3D map at the target landing position of the held coil C in the coil yard Y, the automatic operation ends.

[0044] Next, the crane system 100 moves the suspending part 6 holding the coil C to the target position set in step S310 (step S320). In step S320, the on-machine control panel 41 sets target values ​​corresponding to the target positions for each of the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8, and repeats each operation until the target values ​​are reached. Next, when the suspending part 6 reaches the target position of the coil yard Y (or when it reaches just before the target position), the crane system 100 performs a process to stop the suspending part 6 (step S330). In step S330, the same process as in step S230 is performed. When the suspending part 6 stops, the position measurement unit 13 measures the landing position where the held coil C is to land from above, and the coil position recognition device 42 calculates the center position of the skid 80 from the measurement result (step S340). The crane system 100 determines whether or not the target position complementation for finely adjusting the position of the suspending part 6 to eliminate the deviation between the suspending part 6 and the center position of the skid 80 has been completed (step S350). If the coil shape is detected by the measurement of the position measurement unit 13 and it is determined that another coil C is stored at the landing position, a process for stopping the automatic operation is performed.

[0045] Next, the crane system 100 lands the coil C on the coil yard Y (step S360). In step S360, the on-machine control panel 41 controls the hoisting device 9 to wind down the suspending part 6. The on-machine control panel 41 also determines whether or not the suspending part 6 has run-up using a limit switch, a load meter, or the like provided on the claw part 32. If it is determined that the run-up has occurred, the automatic operation is stopped. The on-machine control panel 41 also determines whether or not the coil C has landed on the floor, and if it is determined that the coil C has not landed on the floor, the operation of winding down is repeated. If the coil C has landed on the floor, the on-machine control panel 41 controls the opening and closing device 12 to open the arm part 31. Then, the on-machine control panel 41 performs an operation of storing the claw part 32 of the suspending part 6 inside the arm part 31. When the claw portion 32 enters the arm portion 31, the on-machine control panel 41 controls the hoisting device 9 to hoist the suspending portion 6 and raise it to the transport height. Next, the crane system 100 performs an end process for the warehousing operation (step S370). In step S370, the same process as in step S150 is performed. With the above, the warehousing operation flow shown in Figures 9 and 10 is completed.

[0046] Next, referring to FIG. 11, the process of changing the position of the coil C in the coil yard Y will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the crane system 100 executes a start process (step S400). In step S400, the same process as in step S110 is performed. The crane system 100 determines the coil C to be changed and checks the target position against the 3D map (step S410). Next, the crane system 100 moves the suspending part 6 to the target coil C (step S420). In step S420, the on-board control panel 41 causes the traveling device 7, the traverse device 8, the swivel device 11, and the opening and closing device 12 to repeat each operation until the target value corresponding to the target position is reached. When each device reaches the target value, the on-board control panel 41 transmits to the ground operation panel 51 a message indicating that the movement to the target position is completed.

[0047] Here, when the suspending part 6 reaches the target position of the target coil C (or reaches just before the target position), the crane system 100 performs a process of stopping the suspending part 6 (step S430). In step S430, the same process as in step S230 is performed. When the suspending part 6 stops, the position measurement unit 13 performs position measurement of the target coil C and obtains the amount of deviation between the actual center position of the target coil C in the horizontal direction and the position of the suspending part 6 (step S440). The crane system 100 judges whether there is a problem with the position measurement of the coil by referring to the coil position measurement result (step S450). If it is determined in step S450 that there is a problem with the position measurement of the coil C, the automatic operation is stopped (step S460). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S450 that there is no problem with the position measurement of the coil C, the crane system 100 performs target position complementation (step S470). In step S470, the crane system 100 fine-tunes the position of the suspending part 6 so as to eliminate the deviation between the suspending part 6 obtained in step S440 and the central position of the coil C to be transported, and determines whether or not the target position complement has been completed. When the target position complement is completed, the central position of the coil C to be transported in the horizontal direction and the suspending part 6 coincide. If it is determined in step S470 that the target position complement has not been completed, the process returns to step S420, and the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 operate to slightly move the suspending part 6 so that the central position of the coil C to be transported in the horizontal direction and the position of the suspending part 6 coincide.

[0048] When it is determined in step S470 that the target position complement is complete, the crane system 100 executes a process to hold the target coil C (step S480). In step S480, the same process as in step S280 is performed. Then, the crane system 100 transports the held coil C to the destination position in the coil yard Y. Note that the subsequent process is similar to the process shown in FIG.

[0049] For the unloading operation of holding the coil C in the coil yard Y and loading it onto the trailer T, when holding the coil C in the coil yard Y, a control process similar to that in FIG. 11 is executed. When loading the held coil C onto the trailer T, a control process similar to that in FIG. 10 is executed, except that the target position is the position of the trailer T instead of the landing position of the coil yard Y.

[0050] Next, the action and effect of the crane 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0051] According to the crane 1 of this embodiment, the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 move the suspending part 6 to a target position relative to the position where the coil C to be held is located or the position where the held coil C is to be lowered. In response to this, the position measurement unit 13 measures the target position when the suspending part 6 is stopped or when the suspending part 6 is moving at a very slow speed. In this way, when the suspending part 6 is stopped or when the suspending part 6 is moving at a very slow speed, the position measurement unit 13 can perform more accurate measurements than when measuring while moving. As a result, the accuracy of the position measurement by the position measurement unit 13 can be improved.

[0052] The position measurement unit 13 may be provided on the trolley 4 supporting the suspending part 6. In this case, the position measurement unit 13 can also measure the position of the suspending part 6. In this case, alignment between the target position and the position of the suspending part 6 becomes easier.

[0053] The position measurement unit 13 may simultaneously measure the target position and the position of the hanging part 6. In this case, alignment between the target position and the position of the hanging part 6 can be easily performed.

[0054] The position measurement unit 13 may measure the target position when the suspending part 6 is stopped. In this case, the measurement can be performed more accurately than when the position measurement unit 13 measures when the suspending part 6 is moving at a slow speed.

[0055] When the position measurement unit 13 measures the target position, the traveling device 7 and the traversing device 8 may stop the movement of the hanging part 6 by setting the speed command to 0, or may reduce the speed command to move at a very slow speed. In this case, the stopped or very slow speed state can be achieved without using a mechanical brake.

[0056] When the position measuring unit 13 measures the target position, the traveling device 7 and the traversing device 8 may stop the movement of the suspending part 6 or slow down the movement speed without using mechanical brakes. In this case, when fine-adjusting the position of the suspending part 6 based on the measurement result of the position measuring unit 13, since there is no loss for releasing the brake, fine adjustment can be performed quickly.

[0057] The traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 may move the hanging part 6 to the target position based on a pre-created map of the coil yard Y where the coils C are arranged. In this case, the traveling device 7 and the traverse device 8 can move the hanging part 6 to an approximate target position before the position measurement unit 13 performs measurement.

[0058] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0059] For example, the configurations of the crane and crane system described above are merely examples, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0060] Although the position measurement unit is attached to the trolley in the above embodiment, the attachment position is not particularly limited, and the unit may be attached to a location other than the trolley. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1...crane, 4...trolley, 6...suspension part, 7...traveling device (moving part), 8...traversing device (moving part), 13...position measuring part.

Claims

1. A hanging part that holds an object by hanging it; A moving unit that moves the hanging part in a horizontal direction; A position measurement unit that measures a position, The moving unit has a traveling device and a traverse device, and moves the hanging unit to a target position relative to a position where the object to be held is located or a position where the held object is to be lowered, The position measurement unit measures the target position while the hanging part is stopped, The traveling device and the traverse device stop the movement of the hanging part without using a mechanical brake, A crane in which when the suspension part is stopped for measurement by the position measurement part, mechanical brakes are not activated in the traveling device and the traverse device.

2. The crane according to claim 1 , wherein the position measurement unit is provided on a trolley that supports the hanging portion.

3. The crane according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position measurement unit simultaneously measures the target position and the position of the hanging part.

4. The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the position measurement unit measures the target position, the movement unit stops the movement of the hanging unit by setting a speed command to 0.

5. The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the moving part moves the hanging part to the target position based on a pre-created map of a placement area in which the object is placed.

6. A crane as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein after measurement by the position measurement unit, the position of the hanging part is adjusted so as to eliminate any deviation between the position of the object and the position of the hanging part or between the target position and the position of the hanging part.

7. the object is a coil, acquiring a deviation between a center position of the coil and a position of the hanging part based on a measurement result of the position measurement unit; The crane according to claim 6, wherein the position of the hanging part is adjusted to eliminate a misalignment between a center position of the coil and a position of the hanging part.

8. calculating a center position of a skid that is a member for preventing the coil from rolling based on a measurement result of the position measurement unit; The crane of claim 7, wherein the position of the hanging part is adjusted to eliminate any misalignment between the hanging part and a center position of the skid.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Method of stacking coil in two stage by use of automatic crane

    JP1998067487A

  • Position detecting device

    JP2000065541A

  • Object position measuring device of container crane and automatic cargo handling device using this object position measuring device

    JP2006312521A

  • Crane control device

    JP2010280506A

  • Crane and control method for the same

    JP2016185844A