Semi-automatic hoisting control method and system for tower crane

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of tower crane control. Disclosed are a semi-automatic hoisting control method and system for a tower crane. The method comprises: a tower crane controller of an operating tower crane separately establishes pairing between the operating tower crane and a first remote controller and between the operating tower crane and a second remote controller; the first remote controller transmits a cargo lifting control signal so as to control the operating tower crane to hook and lift cargo at a sending point, or transmits a cargo hooking control signal so as to control the operating tower crane to hook the cargo, and then transmits a confirmation signal indicating allowable lifting, such that the tower crane controller controls the operating tower crane to lift the cargo; after the lifting is finished, the tower crane controller automatically controls the operating tower crane to perform unmanned driving between the sending point and a receiving point; and when the cargo arrives above the receiving point, the second remote controller transmits a cargo lowering control signal so as to control the operating tower crane to complete cargo lowering. Thus, the first remote controller, the second remote controller and the tower crane controller cooperate to control the operating tower crane to execute a hoisting and transporting task, thereby realizing unmanned driving of the operating tower crane and achieving high operation efficiency in the hoisting and transporting process.

Description

Tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control method and system

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202411379045.4, filed September 30, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of tower crane control, in particular to a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control method and a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system. BACKGROUND

[0004] Tower cranes (referred to as tower cranes) are commonly used hoisting tools on construction sites. In the traditional manual operation tower crane hoisting scheme, one tower crane operation requires one tower crane driver, one commander and one cable operator to complete the operation, and when operating at different levels, one tower crane driver, two commanders and two cable operators are required to complete the operation. This kind of manual operation tower crane scheme has the defects of high labor cost and low hoisting efficiency, and the tower crane driver is prone to safety accidents. To avoid personnel high-altitude operation, a hoisting scheme using a remote control device under the tower to operate the tower crane has also gradually appeared. At this time, the tower crane driver does not need to go up the tower, but the field of view under the tower is not as open as on the tower, and the operation efficiency is low. Therefore, how to realize the unmanned control of the tower crane is a technical difficulty to be overcome at present. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control method and a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system to overcome the low operation efficiency of the existing unmanned hoisting scheme using a remote control device to operate the tower crane on the ground.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the first aspect of the present application provides a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control method applied to a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system, the system comprising a first remote control device for delivering goods, a second remote control device for receiving goods and a tower crane controller of a working tower crane, and the method comprising:

[0007] The first remote control device and the second remote control device respectively initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane;

[0008] In response to the pairing request, the tower crane controller respectively establishes the pairing of the working tower crane with the first remote control device and the second remote control device;

[0009] The first remote controller sends a cargo hooking control signal to control the working tower crane to hook and lift the cargo at the delivery point; or, the first remote controller sends a cargo hooking control signal to control the working tower crane to hook and lift the cargo at the delivery point, and then sends a cargo hooking confirmation signal to enable the tower crane controller to control the working tower crane to hook and lift the cargo at the delivery point;

[0010] When the cargo is hooked, the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the pickup point based on the delivery point position information and the pickup point position information;

[0011] When the cargo reaches above the pickup point, the second remote controller sends a cargo unhooking control signal to control the working tower crane to unhook the cargo.

[0012] Optionally, the system further comprises a server, and the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, including:

[0013] The first remote controller sends a delivery signal including the delivery point position information to the server;

[0014] The second remote controller sends a pickup signal including the pickup point position information to the server;

[0015] The server dispatches the working tower crane based on the delivery point position information, the pickup point position information, and the tower crane position information in the tower crane group according to a preset tower crane dispatching rule;

[0016] The server sends the delivery signal to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane and initiates the pairing request with the working tower crane;

[0017] The server sends the pickup signal to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane and initiates the pairing request with the working tower crane.

[0018] Optionally, the first remote controller comprises a first positioning device, and the second remote controller comprises a second positioning device, the delivery point position information is generated by the first positioning device, and the pickup point position information is generated by the second positioning device; or, the delivery point position information and the pickup point position information are generated by a pre-input manner.

[0019] Optionally, the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the pickup point based on the delivery point position information and the pickup point position information, including:

[0020] Planning a driving path based on the delivery point position information, the pickup point position information, and pre-acquired obstacle information, and controlling the working tower crane to automatically run between the delivery point and the pickup point according to the planned driving path;

[0021] Or, the receiving server controls the tower crane to automatically run between the delivery point and the receiving point according to the driving path planned according to the delivery point location information, the receiving point location information and the pre-acquired obstacle information.

[0022] Optionally, the driving path is planned according to the delivery point location information, the receiving point location information and the pre-acquired obstacle information, and the planning includes:

[0023] The no-entry area is set according to the position and contour of the static obstacle in the working range of the tower crane.

[0024] The target range outside the no-entry area is taken as a constraint condition for planning the driving path, and the driving path is planned according to the delivery point location information and the receiving point location information.

[0025] Optionally, the target range outside the no-entry area is taken as a constraint condition for planning the driving path, and the driving path is planned according to the delivery point location information and the receiving point location information, and the planning includes:

[0026] The lifting height of the hook and the position and contour of the cargo are identified by the sensing device.

[0027] The target range outside the no-entry area is taken as a constraint condition for planning the driving path, and the driving path is planned according to the delivery point location information, the receiving point location information, the lifting height of the hook and the position and contour of the cargo.

[0028] Optionally, when the tower crane is controlled by the tower crane controller to run unmanned between the delivery point and the receiving point, the sensing device is used for real-time obstacle avoidance.

[0029] Optionally, the real-time obstacle avoidance by the sensing device includes:

[0030] The presence of an obstacle in the current path is identified, and the lifting height of the hook, the position and contour of the cargo are identified.

[0031] If there is an obstacle in the current path, the driving path of the tower crane is adjusted according to the position and contour of the obstacle, the lifting height of the hook, the position and contour of the cargo, so as to avoid the obstacle.

[0032] The second aspect of the present application provides a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system, which includes:

[0033] The first remote controller for shipping is configured to initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, after establishing pairing with the working tower crane, send a cargo hooking control signal to control the working tower crane to load and hook the cargo at the shipping point; or configured to initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, after establishing pairing with the working tower crane, send a cargo loading control signal to control the working tower crane to load the cargo at the shipping point, and then send a confirmation signal to the tower crane controller that the cargo can be hooked;

[0034] The second remote controller for receiving goods is configured to initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, after establishing pairing with the working tower crane, when the cargo arrives above the receiving point, send a cargo unhooking control signal to control the working tower crane to complete the cargo unhooking;

[0035] The tower crane controller of the working tower crane is configured to establish pairing of the working tower crane with the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively in response to the pairing request, and after the cargo hooking is completed and before the cargo arrives above the receiving point, automatically control the working tower crane to drive between the shipping point and the receiving point according to the shipping point location information and the receiving point location information; or configured to establish pairing of the working tower crane with the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively in response to the pairing request, and after receiving the confirmation signal, control the working tower crane to hook the cargo at the shipping point, and after the cargo hooking is completed and before the cargo arrives above the receiving point, automatically control the working tower crane to drive between the shipping point and the receiving point according to the shipping point location information and the receiving point location information.

[0036] Optionally, the system further comprises:

[0037] The server is configured to receive the shipping signal sent by the first remote controller and the receiving signal sent by the second remote controller, the shipping signal includes the shipping point location information, and the receiving signal includes the receiving point location information; and based on the shipping point location information, the receiving point location information and the tower location information in the tower group of the construction site, dispatch the working tower crane according to the preset tower dispatching rule; and send the shipping signal to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane to initiate a pairing request for pairing the first remote controller with the working tower crane; and send the receiving signal to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane to initiate a pairing request for pairing the second remote controller with the working tower crane.

[0038] In the technical solution, the first remote controller, the second remote controller and the tower crane controller of the working tower crane cooperate with each other to control the working tower crane to perform the hoisting task, and unmanned driving of the working tower crane in the whole cargo hoisting process is realized. In the first case, the tower crane control right in the cargo loading and hooking process is controlled by the first remote controller, the tower crane control right in the cargo hoisting process between the delivery point and the receiving point is controlled by the tower crane controller, and the tower crane control right in the cargo unhooking process is controlled by the second remote controller. In the second case, the first remote controller only controls the cargo loading at the delivery point, that is, the tower crane control right in the cargo loading process is controlled by the first remote controller, the tower crane control right in the cargo hoisting process between the delivery point and the receiving point is controlled by the tower crane controller, and the tower crane control right in the cargo unhooking process is controlled by the second remote controller. Through the takeover and release of the tower crane control right, the dependence on the ground remote controller or the tower crane controller with high computing power is avoided, and the tower crane controller completes the control in the cargo hoisting process between the delivery point and the receiving point with the assistance of various sensing devices on the working tower crane, which is more efficient than the control by the ground remote controller, and in addition, the delivery and the receiving are controlled by one remote controller respectively, which is more convenient.

[0039] Therefore, the technical solution realizes efficient and convenient unmanned driving control of the working tower crane.

[0040] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail in the following specific implementation part. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0041] The accompanying drawings are used to provide further understanding of the embodiments of the present application, and constitute a part of the specification, and are used to explain the embodiments of the present application together with the following specific implementation, but do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present application. In the drawings:

[0042] Fig. 1 schematically shows a first flow chart of a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Fig. 2 schematically shows a second flow chart of a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Fig. 3 schematically shows a first constituent block diagram of a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Fig. 4 schematically shows a second constituent block diagram of a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Fig. 5 schematically shows a first schematic diagram of indirect pairing between a first remote controller, a second remote controller and a working tower crane according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Fig. 6 schematically shows a second kind of diagram of the first remote controller and the second remote controller indirectly pairing with the working tower crane using the server according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Fig. 7 schematically shows a diagram of the first remote controller and the second remote controller directly controlling the working tower crane according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Fig. 8 schematically shows a flowchart of the working tower crane completing a semi-automatic hoisting task. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely used to explain and illustrate the embodiments of the present application and should not be used to limit the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0051] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present application involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, motion condition, etc. between components in a certain posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the certain posture changes, the directional indications also change accordingly.

[0052] In addition, if the embodiments of the present application involve descriptions such as "first", "second", etc., the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for description purposes and should not be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features limited by "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the fact that a person of ordinary skill in the art can implement it, and when the combination of technical solutions contradicts each other or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that the combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by the present application.

[0053] Fig. 1 schematically shows a first kind of flowchart of a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Fig. 1, the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control method provided by the embodiments of the present application is applied to a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system, the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system includes a first remote controller for shipping, a second remote controller for receiving goods and a tower crane controller of a working tower crane, and the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control method includes the following steps:

[0054] Step 100, the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane.

[0055] Step 102, in response to the pairing request of the working tower crane, the tower crane controller respectively establishes the pairing of the working tower crane and the first remote controller and the second remote controller.

[0056] Step 104, the first remote controller sends a cargo hooking control signal to control the working tower crane to load and hook the cargo at the delivery point; or the first remote controller sends a cargo loading control signal to control the working tower crane to load the cargo at the delivery point, and then sends a confirmation signal that the cargo can be hooked to the tower crane controller, so that the tower crane controller controls the working tower crane to hook the cargo at the delivery point.

[0057] Step 106, after the cargo is hooked, the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the pickup point according to the position information of the delivery point and the position information of the pickup point.

[0058] Step 108, when the cargo reaches above the pickup point, the second remote controller sends a cargo unhooking control signal to control the working tower crane to complete the unhooking of the cargo.

[0059] It should be understood that in step 104, the working tower crane serves as an actuator, the working tower crane is electrically connected with the tower crane controller taking the working tower crane as an actuator, the tower crane controller is electrically connected with a communication module for establishing a communication connection with the outside, the cargo hooking control signal or the cargo loading control signal sent by the first remote controller reaches the working tower crane through the communication module and the tower crane controller, and the working tower crane performs relevant actions according to the cargo hooking control signal or the cargo loading control signal to complete the hooking or loading of the cargo at the delivery point. In step 108, the cargo unhooking control signal sent by the second remote controller reaches the working tower crane through the communication module and the tower crane controller, and the working tower crane performs relevant actions according to the cargo unhooking control signal to complete the unhooking of the cargo at the pickup point.

[0060] In the above embodiment, to control the working tower crane to perform a complete lifting task, the first remote controller, the second remote controller and the tower crane controller of the working tower crane jointly participate in the control process. In a comparative embodiment, the working tower crane is operated by the remote controller under the tower to complete the entire cargo lifting process, and the control of the working tower crane is only controlled by one remote controller, which requires higher computing power of the remote controller, and in the long-distance cargo lifting process, the work efficiency is low due to the limited field of view under the tower. In another comparative embodiment, the working tower crane is controlled by the tower crane controller to complete the entire cargo lifting process, and the control of the working tower crane is only controlled by one tower crane controller. It is known that the tower crane controller usually lifts the cargo from the delivery point to the collection point based on the pre-input delivery point position information and collection point position information, and with the assistance of various sensing devices on the working tower crane. The working tower crane cannot be accurately positioned at the delivery point during the cargo hooking stage, and cannot be accurately positioned at the collection point during the cargo unhooking stage. In addition, the control of the working tower crane is only controlled by the tower crane controller, which requires higher computing power of the tower crane controller. Compared with the above two comparative embodiments, in the above embodiment of the present application, the first remote controller, the second remote controller and the tower crane controller are combined to enable the working tower crane to perform a semi-automatic lifting task, that is, after the tower crane controller controls the working tower crane to reach above the delivery point, the first remote controller is manually controlled to enable the working tower crane hook to be accurately positioned at the delivery point, and to complete the control of the cargo loading and hooking process, or the first remote controller is manually controlled to complete the cargo loading process and send a confirmation signal to the tower crane controller that the cargo can be hooked after the cargo is loaded on the hook, so that the tower crane controller completes the control of the cargo hooking process. After the cargo is hooked, the tower crane controller controls the tower crane control right of the working tower crane in the air running stage, and the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to be unmanned between the delivery point and the collection point. After the cargo reaches above the collection point, the second remote controller takes over the tower crane control right, and the second remote controller is manually controlled to enable the working tower crane hook to be accurately positioned at the collection point, and to complete the control of the cargo unhooking process, overcoming the various defects of the above comparative embodiments, thereby realizing more accurate and efficient unmanned control of the working tower crane. At the same time, in the above embodiment of the present application, when the tower crane control right in the cargo loading process is controlled by the first remote controller and the tower crane control right in the cargo hooking process is controlled by the tower crane controller, the manual control action is reduced, the labor cost is saved, and the difficulty of manual control by the operator is reduced.

[0061] FIG. 2 schematically shows a second flowchart of a tower crane semi-automatic lifting control method according to an embodiment of the present application. The tower crane semi-automatic lifting control system applied by the tower crane semi-automatic lifting control method further includes a server. As shown in FIG. 2, step 100, the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0062] The first remote controller sends a delivery signal including the delivery point location information to the server;

[0063] The second remote controller sends a pick-up signal including the pick-up point location information to the server;

[0064] The server dispatches a working tower crane according to a preset tower crane dispatching rule based on the delivery point location information, the pick-up point location information and tower crane location information in the tower crane group at the construction site;

[0065] The server sends the delivery signal to a tower crane controller of the working tower crane and initiates a pairing request with the working tower crane;

[0066] The server sends the pick-up signal to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane and initiates the pairing request with the working tower crane.

[0067] It should be understood that the server also initiates a dispairing request of the first remote controller, the second remote controller and the working tower crane.

[0068] In the present application, the preset tower crane dispatching rule includes at least one of the closest distance and the least number of obstacles.

[0069] Exemplarily, in a specific embodiment, the server dispatches the working tower crane according to the preset tower crane dispatching rule based on the delivery point location information, the pick-up point location information and the tower crane location information in the tower crane group at the construction site, specifically including the following steps:

[0070] determining a tower crane whose operation range can cover the delivery point and the pick-up point at the same time according to the delivery point location information, the pick-up point location information and the tower crane location information in the tower crane group at the construction site;

[0071] if the tower crane covering the delivery point and the pick-up point at the same time is one, dispatching the tower crane as the working tower crane;

[0072] if the tower crane covering the delivery point and the pick-up point at the same time is multiple, determining a tower crane in an idle state according to working state information of the multiple tower cranes;

[0073] if the tower crane in the idle state is one, dispatching the tower crane as the working tower crane;

[0074] if the tower crane in the idle state is multiple, determining a tower crane with the shortest total spatial distance to the delivery point and the pick-up point among the multiple tower cranes in the idle state according to the delivery point location information, the pick-up point location information and the tower crane location information in the tower crane group at the construction site;

[0075] if the tower crane with the shortest total spatial distance to the delivery point and the pick-up point is one, dispatching the tower crane as the working tower crane;

[0076] If the tower crane with the least obstacles in the total spatial distance from the delivery point and the receiving point is one, the tower crane is dispatched as the working tower crane;

[0077] If the tower crane with the least obstacles in the total spatial distance from the delivery point and the receiving point is one, the tower crane is dispatched as the working tower crane;

[0078] If the tower crane with the least obstacles in the total spatial distance from the delivery point and the receiving point is one, the tower crane is dispatched as the working tower crane.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the server dispatches the tower crane according to the preset dispatching rule and controls the pairing process of the first remote controller and the second remote controller with the working tower crane, so as to control the cargo hoisting process of the tower group. In a comparative embodiment, the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, which specifically includes the following steps: the first remote controller sends a delivery signal including delivery point location information to the server; the second remote controller sends a receiving signal including receiving point location information to the server; the server dispatches the working tower crane according to the preset dispatching rule based on the delivery point location information, the receiving point location information and the tower crane location information in the tower group; the server sends the dispatching result to the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively; the first remote controller obtains the working tower crane information from the dispatching result and initiates a pairing request with the tower crane controller; the second remote controller obtains the working tower crane information from the dispatching result and initiates a pairing request with the tower crane controller. In the above comparative embodiment, the tower crane controller directly receives the pairing request initiated by the first remote controller and the second remote controller. Different from the above comparative embodiment, in the present application, the server controls the pairing process of the first remote controller with the working tower crane and the pairing process of the second remote controller with the working tower crane, that is, the server assumes the role of intermediary decoupling between the working tower crane and the first remote controller and the role of intermediary decoupling between the working tower crane and the second remote controller, and the pairing control performed by the tower crane controller of each working tower crane in the comparative embodiment is uniformly decoupled to the server, and the server relays signals in the pairing process. This kind of centralized pairing control has the following advantages: 1) when the number of tower cranes in the tower group is large, the pairing request is initiated by the server, the interaction of the pairing process is more concise, and the pairing efficiency is improved; 2) the server masters the pairing state of each working tower crane with the first remote controller and the second remote controller, and through the mastery of the global pairing state, the tower group management function is easily expanded.

[0080] It needs to be understood that in step 106, the delivery point position information and the receiving point position information can be generated by pre-inputting, that is, the delivery point position information and the receiving point position information are pre-inputted into at least one of the first remote controller, the second remote controller, the server and the tower crane controller, and through information interaction inside the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system, the first remote controller, the second remote controller, the server and the tower crane controller all learn the delivery point position information and the receiving point position information. The delivery point position information and the receiving point position information can also be generated by a positioning device inside the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system.

[0081] For example, the position of the delivery point can be positioned by using an external positioning device, and the positioned delivery point position data is pre-inputted into the first remote controller through an interactive interface or a communication interface, and the first remote controller generates the delivery point position information based on the delivery point position data. The position of the receiving point can be positioned by using an external positioning device, and the positioned receiving point position data is pre-inputted into the second remote controller through an interactive interface or a communication interface, and the second remote controller generates the receiving point position information based on the receiving point position data.

[0082] In a preferred embodiment, the delivery point position information is generated by a first positioning device inside the first remote controller, and the receiving point position information is generated by a second positioning device inside the second remote controller. The delivery point position is positioned by the first positioning device built in the first remote controller, and the receiving point position is positioned by the second positioning device built in the second remote controller, so that real-time delivery point position information and receiving point position information can be generated. The accurate and real-time positioning of the delivery point position and the receiving point position can improve the precision of the unmanned control of the working tower crane.

[0083] The first positioning device and the second positioning device can be GPS positioning devices that can achieve accurate positioning. Preferably, the first positioning device and the second positioning device are both RTK positioning devices, which have higher positioning accuracy than GPS positioning devices.

[0084] For example, the first positioning device inside the first remote controller is a first RTK positioning device. To generate the delivery point location information, the operator holding the first remote controller moves to the delivery point, the first RTK positioning device sends a location positioning request to the RTK base station deployed on the construction site or to the RTK public service base station, and analyzes the response signal returned by the RTK base station deployed on the construction site or the RTK public service base station, thereby generating the delivery point location information, and then sending out the delivery point location information. In one specific application of the present application, at the delivery point, the operator presses the "delivery" button on the first remote controller, that is, sends out the delivery signal including the delivery point location information. The second positioning device inside the second remote controller is a second RTK positioning device. Similarly, to generate the pick-up point location information, the operator holding the second remote controller moves to the pick-up point, the second RTK positioning device sends a location positioning request to the RTK base station deployed on the construction site or to the RTK public service base station, and analyzes the response signal returned by the RTK base station deployed on the construction site or the RTK public service base station, thereby generating the pick-up point location information, and then sending out the pick-up point location information. In one specific application of the present application, at the pick-up point, the operator presses the "pick-up" button on the second remote controller, that is, sends out the pick-up signal including the pick-up point location information.

[0085] In one specific embodiment, in step 106, the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to travel between the delivery point and the pick-up point without human intervention according to the delivery point location information and the pick-up point location information, specifically including the following steps:

[0086] The tower crane controller determines the next location point to which the goods will travel according to the delivery point location information, the pick-up point location information, and the real-time obstacle information returned by the sensing device, so that the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to travel between the delivery point and the location point without human intervention;

[0087] After the goods arrive at the next location point, the tower crane controller determines the next location point to which the goods will travel according to the current location point location information of the goods, the pick-up point location information, and the real-time obstacle information returned by the sensing device, so that the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to travel between the current location point and the determined next location point without human intervention;

[0088] Repeat the above step until the goods arrive above the pick-up point.

[0089] In another specific embodiment, in step 106, the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to travel between the delivery point and the pick-up point without human intervention according to the delivery point location information and the pick-up point location information, specifically including the following steps:

[0090] The tower crane controller plans a driving path according to the delivery point position information, the pickup point position information and the pre-acquired obstacle information, and controls the working tower crane to automatically run between the delivery point and the pickup point according to the planned driving path.

[0091] In another specific embodiment, in step 106, the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the pickup point without a driver according to the delivery point position information and the pickup point position information, specifically including the following steps:

[0092] The tower crane controller receives the driving path planned by the server according to the delivery point position information, the pickup point position information and the pre-acquired obstacle information, and controls the working tower crane to automatically run between the delivery point and the pickup point according to the driving path.

[0093] It should be understood that, as in the above embodiment, various path planning algorithms can be used when planning the driving path, and the present application does not make a detailed description of these path planning algorithms.

[0094] Illustratively, the driving path is planned according to the delivery point position information, the pickup point position information and the pre-acquired obstacle information, specifically including the following steps:

[0095] The no-entry area is set according to the position and contour of the static obstacle in the working range of the working tower crane;

[0096] The target range outside the set no-entry area is used as a constraint condition when planning the driving path, and the driving path is planned according to the delivery point position information and the pickup point position information.

[0097] For example, when the driving path is planned by the tower crane controller, a polygon area is set as the no-entry area according to the contour and position of the static obstacle, and the contour and position of the static obstacle are input into the tower crane controller in a manual input manner or an automatic calibration manner. The static obstacle in the working range of the working tower crane can include one or more of a tree, a telegraph pole, a building and a signal tower. The automatic calibration manner can be: scanning the working range of the working tower crane by a laser radar or other sensing device, identifying the static obstacle and its position and contour, and transmitting the position and contour information of the static obstacle to the tower crane controller by the laser radar or other sensing device.

[0098] As in the above embodiment, by delimiting the space area defined by the position and contour of the static obstacle in the working range of the working tower crane in the no-entry area, the driving path is planned to avoid the no-entry area, thereby avoiding the collision between the working tower crane and the static obstacle when the working tower crane drives without a driver, and further improving the safety of the automatic operation of the working tower crane in the air.

[0099] On the basis of the above examples, in one specific embodiment, the tower crane controller controls the working tower crane to drive unmanned between the delivery point and the collection point, and also performs real-time obstacle avoidance through the sensing device. Through real-time obstacle avoidance, the working tower crane avoids collision with obstacles appearing in the path during unmanned driving, thereby improving the safety of automatic operation of the working tower crane in the air and avoiding accidents. For example, the sensing device can be a laser radar or the like.

[0100] By combining the spatial area exclusion with real-time obstacle avoidance, the working tower crane avoids both static obstacles and obstacles appearing during travel when automatically operating in the air, thereby enhancing the safety of automatic operation of the working tower crane in the air.

[0101] As a preferred, when performing real-time obstacle avoidance, the sensing device not only identifies the obstacles, but also identifies the lifting height of the hook, the position and contour of the cargo. When avoiding obstacles, the driving path of the working tower crane is adjusted in combination with the position and contour of the obstacles, the lifting height of the hook, the position and contour of the cargo, so that the adjusted driving path can more accurately avoid obstacles, thereby improving the safety of automatic operation of the working tower crane in the air. Specifically, the real-time obstacle avoidance performed by the sensing device includes the following steps:

[0102] identifying whether there are obstacles in the current path and identifying the lifting height of the hook, the position and contour of the cargo;

[0103] If there are obstacles in the current path, the driving path of the working tower crane is adjusted according to the position and contour of the obstacles, the lifting height of the hook, the position and contour of the cargo, to avoid the obstacles.

[0104] FIG. 3 schematically shows a first constituent block diagram of a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system provided by the embodiment of the present application includes a first remote controller for delivery, a second remote controller for collection, and a tower crane controller of a working tower crane, wherein:

[0105] The first remote controller is configured to initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, and after establishing pairing with the working tower crane, send a cargo hooking control signal to control the working tower crane to load and hook the cargo at the delivery point; or is configured to initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, and after establishing pairing with the working tower crane, send a cargo loading control signal to control the working tower crane to load the cargo at the delivery point, and then send a confirmation signal that the cargo can be hooked to the tower crane controller;

[0106] The second remote controller is configured to initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, and after establishing pairing with the working tower crane, send a cargo unhooking control signal to control the working tower crane to complete unhooking of the cargo when the cargo reaches above the collection point;

[0107] The tower crane controller is configured to, in response to the pairing request initiated by the first remote controller and the pairing request initiated by the second remote controller with the working tower crane, respectively establish the pairing of the working tower crane with the first remote controller and the second remote controller, and automatically control the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the pickup point without a driver according to the delivery point location information and the pickup point location information before the cargo is hooked and before the cargo reaches above the pickup point; or the tower crane controller is configured to, in response to the pairing request initiated by the first remote controller and the pairing request initiated by the second remote controller with the working tower crane, respectively establish the pairing of the working tower crane with the first remote controller and the second remote controller, and control the working tower crane to hook the cargo at the delivery point after receiving the confirmation signal that the cargo can be hooked sent by the first remote controller, and automatically control the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the pickup point without a driver according to the delivery point location information and the pickup point location information before the cargo is hooked and before the cargo reaches above the pickup point.

[0108] It is known that the tower crane controller usually communicates with the outside through the tower crane communication module electrically connected thereto, and the first remote controller and the second remote controller are internally provided with a remote communication module. For example, the tower crane controller and the tower crane communication module can be arranged on the working tower crane, and the edge device located on the working tower crane is composed of the tower crane controller and the communication module. The tower crane communication module and the remote communication module can be a wireless communication module, for example, a 4G communication module, a 5G communication module, a Lora communication module, etc., wherein the frequency of the Lora communication module can be 433 MHz, etc.

[0109] FIG. 4 schematically shows a second constituent block diagram of the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system provided by the embodiment of the present application further comprises a server, the server is configured to receive the delivery signal sent by the first remote controller and the pickup signal sent by the second remote controller, the delivery signal comprises the delivery point location information, and the pickup signal comprises the pickup point location information; and dispatch the working tower crane according to the preset tower dispatching rule based on the delivery point location information, the pickup point location information and the tower location information in the tower group on the construction site; and send the delivery signal to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane to initiate a pairing request for pairing the first remote controller with the working tower crane; and send the pickup signal to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane to initiate a pairing request for pairing the second remote controller with the working tower crane.

[0110] In one specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the server is a cloud server, the cloud server acts as an intermediary decoupling role, and the first remote controller and the second remote controller indirectly pair with the working tower crane through the cloud server. As shown in FIG. 7, after the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively establish pairing with the working tower crane, the first remote controller directly controls the working tower crane to complete the cargo hooking process, and the second remote controller directly controls the working tower crane to complete the cargo unhooking process. For example, in FIG. 5, the edge device located on the working tower crane, which is composed of a tower crane controller and a communication module, is respectively wirelessly connected in communication with the cloud server, the first remote controller and the second remote controller. The first remote controller and the second remote controller are respectively wirelessly connected in communication with the cloud server. The wireless communication mode is 4G / 5G communication.

[0111] In one specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the server is a local server. For example, in FIG. 6, the edge device located on the working tower crane, which is composed of a tower crane controller and a communication module, is respectively wirelessly connected in communication with the local server, the first remote controller and the second remote controller. The first remote controller and the second remote controller are respectively wirelessly connected in communication with the local server. The wireless communication mode is Lora communication.

[0112] In one specific embodiment, the tower crane controller is connected with a first local communication module and a first remote communication module, the first remote controller is built-in with a second local communication module and a second remote communication module, the second remote controller is built-in with a third local communication module and a third remote communication module, and the server includes a cloud server and a local server. The first local communication module is used to be respectively connected in communication with the second local communication module, the third local communication module and the local server, and the second local communication module and the third local communication module are further used to be respectively connected in communication with the local server. The first remote communication module is used to be respectively connected in communication with the second remote communication module, the third remote communication module and the cloud server, and the second remote communication module and the third remote communication module are further used to be respectively connected in communication with the cloud server.

[0113] For example, the first local communication module, the second local communication module, the third local communication module, the local server all support Lora communication mode, and the first remote communication module, the second remote communication module, the third remote communication module and the cloud server all support 4G / 5G communication mode.

[0114] As in the above embodiment, each component in the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system supports local and remote dual-mode communication. When the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system is applied in the construction site, the communication mode of each component in the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system can be flexibly selected according to the situation of the construction site, thereby improving the application range and reliability of the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system.

[0115] In one embodiment, the delivery point location information and the receiving point location information are generated by pre-input.

[0116] In one embodiment, the first remote controller comprises a first positioning device, and the second remote controller comprises a second positioning device, the delivery point location information is generated by the first positioning device, and the receiving point location information is generated by the second positioning device.

[0117] On the basis of the above embodiment, the tower arm movement position of the working tower crane is further provided with a laser radar, a hoisting positioning device, a slewing positioning device and an amplitude positioning device, the laser radar can scan the hook and the cargo to locate the hook and the cargo. On the premise that the delivery point location, the receiving point location, the hook position and the contour, the cargo position and the contour, the tower arm hoisting position, the tower arm slewing position and the tower arm amplitude position are accurately positioned, the high-precision control of the working tower crane unmanned driving process by the tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system can be realized.

[0118] In one embodiment, the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the receiving point according to the delivery point location information and the receiving point location information, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0119] The tower crane controller plans a driving path according to the delivery point location information, the receiving point location information and the pre-acquired obstacle information, and controls the working tower crane to automatically run between the delivery point and the receiving point according to the planned driving path;

[0120] Or, the receiving server plans a driving path according to the delivery point location information, the receiving point location information and the pre-acquired obstacle information, and controls the working tower crane to automatically run between the delivery point and the receiving point according to the driving path.

[0121] In one embodiment, planning a driving path according to the delivery point location information, the receiving point location information and the pre-acquired obstacle information includes:

[0122] Setting a no-entry area according to the position and contour of the static obstacle in the working range of the working tower crane;

[0123] Taking the target range outside the set no-entry area as a constraint condition for driving path planning, planning a driving path according to the delivery point location information and the receiving point location information.

[0124] In one embodiment, taking the target range outside the set no-entry area as a constraint condition for driving path planning, planning a driving path according to the delivery point location information and the receiving point location information includes:

[0125] Identifying the hoisting height of the hook and the position and contour of the cargo by a sensing device;

[0126] The target range outside the set forbidden entry area is used as a constraint condition for planning the driving path, and the driving path is planned according to the delivery point position information, the pickup point position information, the hook lifting height, and the position and contour of the cargo.

[0127] In one specific embodiment, the tower crane controller controls the unmanned driving of the working tower crane between the delivery point and the pickup point, and real-time obstacle avoidance is performed by the sensing device.

[0128] In one specific embodiment, real-time obstacle avoidance by the sensing device includes:

[0129] identifying whether there is an obstacle in the current path and identifying the hook lifting height, the position and contour of the cargo;

[0130] If there is an obstacle in the current path, the driving path of the working tower crane is adjusted according to the position and contour of the obstacle, the hook lifting height, and the position and contour of the cargo to avoid the obstacle.

[0131] FIG. 8 schematically shows a work flow diagram for the working tower crane to complete a semi-automatic hoisting task, which mainly includes four stages: server dispatching and pairing, delivery point manual control for cargo hooking, working tower crane automatic operation in the air, and pickup point manual control for cargo unhooking, as follows:

[0132] Step A1, the first remote controller for delivery is located at the delivery point, and the operator sends a delivery signal to the server by pressing the “delivery” button on the first remote controller to call the hook. The second remote controller for pickup is located at the pickup point, and the operator sends a pickup signal to the server by pressing the “pickup” button on the second remote controller to call the hook.

[0133] Step A2, the server dispatches a working tower crane to the delivery point according to the preset tower dispatching rules;

[0134] Step A3, the first remote controller takes over the control of the tower crane, and after the cargo at the delivery point is loaded by the rigging, the first remote controller controls the working tower crane to hook the cargo at the delivery point;

[0135] Step A4, after the cargo is hooked, the first remote controller manually controls the working tower crane to hoist the cargo to a preset height and then releases the control of the tower crane;

[0136] Step A5, the tower crane controller takes over the control of the tower crane, the working tower crane drives along the planned driving path between the delivery point and the receiving point without human intervention, avoids the forbidden areas and obstacles in the path, and the geometric dimensions of each tower crane in the tower group are pre-input in the tower crane controller. If the sensor device scans an idle tower crane during the automatic operation of the working tower crane, the driving path is first adjusted to avoid the idle tower crane, and if it cannot be avoided by adjusting the driving path, the idle tower crane is manually adjusted to avoid collision.

[0137] Step A6, the goods arrive above the receiving point, the tower crane controller releases the control of the tower crane after handshake with the second remote controller.

[0138] Step A7, the second remote controller takes over the control of the tower crane and manually controls the working tower crane to drop the goods.

[0139] Step A8, the second remote controller releases the control of the tower crane after lifting the hook to the preset height.

[0140] Step A9, the tower crane controller takes over the control of the tower crane, and the hook runs to the designated area for standby.

[0141] In step A4, the first remote controller controls the working tower crane to lift the goods to the preset height and releases the control of the tower crane, which specifically includes the following contents:

[0142] Obtain the current lifting height of the goods and the current weight of the goods collected by the sensor device.

[0143] If the current lifting height of the goods reaches the preset height and the weight of the goods is in a stable state, the first remote controller releases the control of the tower crane.

[0144] It should be further noted that the terms "comprising", "containing" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or apparatus including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed or inherent to such a process, method, article or apparatus. Without more limitations, the element defined by the statement "comprising a" does not exclude the presence of another identical element in the process, method, article or apparatus including the element.

[0145] The above is only an embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for semi-automatic hoisting control of a tower crane, characterized in that, The application is applied to a tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system, the system comprises a first remote controller for delivery, a second remote controller for receiving goods and a tower crane controller of a working tower crane, and the method comprises: The first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane; In response to the pairing request, the tower crane controller respectively establishes the pairing of the working tower crane with the first remote controller and the second remote controller; The first remote controller sends a cargo hooking control signal to control the working tower crane to load and hook the cargo at the delivery point; or, the first remote controller sends a cargo loading control signal to control the working tower crane to load the cargo at the delivery point, and then sends a confirmation signal that the cargo can be hooked to enable the tower crane controller to control the working tower crane to hook the cargo at the delivery point; When the cargo hooking is completed, the tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the receiving point without a driver according to the delivery point position information and the receiving point position information; When the cargo reaches above the receiving point, the second remote controller sends a cargo unhooking control signal to control the working tower crane to complete the cargo unhooking.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The system further comprises a server, and the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, which comprises: The first remote controller sends a delivery signal comprising the delivery point position information to the server; The second remote controller sends a receiving signal comprising the receiving point position information to the server; The server dispatches the working tower crane according to a preset tower dispatching rule based on the delivery point position information, the receiving point position information and the tower position information of the tower group on the construction site; The server sends the delivery signal to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane and initiates the pairing request with the working tower crane; The server sends the receiving signal to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane and initiates the pairing request with the working tower crane.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first remote controller comprises a first positioning device, and the second remote controller comprises a second positioning device, the delivery point position information is generated by the first positioning device, and the receiving point position information is generated by the second positioning device; or, the delivery point position information and the receiving point position information are generated by a pre-input mode.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The tower crane controller automatically controls the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the receiving point without a driver according to the delivery point position information and the receiving point position information, which comprises: A driving path is planned according to the delivery point position information, the receiving point position information and pre-acquired obstacle information, and the working tower crane is controlled to automatically run between the delivery point and the receiving point according to the planned driving path; Or, the working tower crane is controlled to automatically run between the delivery point and the receiving point according to a driving path planned by the server according to the delivery point position information, the receiving point position information and pre-acquired obstacle information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The driving path is planned according to the delivery point position information, the receiving point position information and pre-acquired obstacle information, which comprises: A forbidden entry area is set according to the position and contour of the static obstacle within the working range of the tower crane; A target range outside the forbidden entry area is taken as a constraint condition for driving path planning, and a driving path is planned according to the delivery point position information and the receiving point position information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The target range outside the forbidden area is taken as a constraint condition for planning a driving path, and a driving path is planned according to the delivery point position information and the pickup point position information, comprising: The lifting height of the hook and the position and contour of the cargo are identified by the sensing device; The target range outside the forbidden area is taken as a constraint condition for planning a driving path, and a driving path is planned according to the delivery point position information, the pickup point position information, the lifting height of the hook and the position and contour of the cargo.

7. The method of any one of claims 1, 2, 5, 6, wherein, When the tower crane controller controls the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the pickup point without a driver, the sensing device is used for real-time obstacle avoidance.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The real-time obstacle avoidance by the sensing device comprises: identifying whether there is an obstacle in the current path and identifying the lifting height of the hook, the position and contour of the cargo; If there is an obstacle in the current path, the driving path of the working tower crane is adjusted according to the position and contour of the obstacle, the lifting height of the hook, the position and contour of the cargo, so as to avoid the obstacle.

9. A tower crane semi-automatic hoisting control system, characterized in that, Comprise: The first remote controller for delivery is configured to initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, and after pairing with the working tower crane, send a cargo hooking control signal to control the working tower crane to load and hook the cargo at the delivery point; or configured to initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, and after pairing with the working tower crane, send a cargo loading control signal to control the working tower crane to load the cargo at the delivery point, and then send a confirmation signal that the cargo can be hooked to the tower crane controller; The second remote controller for pickup is configured to initiate a pairing request with the working tower crane, and after pairing with the working tower crane, when the cargo reaches above the pickup point, send a cargo unhooking control signal to control the working tower crane to complete the unhooking of the cargo; The tower crane controller of the working tower crane is configured to, in response to the pairing request, establish pairing of the working tower crane with the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively, and after the cargo hooking is completed and before the cargo reaches above the pickup point, automatically control the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the pickup point without a driver according to the delivery point position information and the pickup point position information; or configured to, in response to the pairing request, establish pairing of the working tower crane with the first remote controller and the second remote controller respectively, and after receiving the confirmation signal, control the working tower crane to hook the cargo at the delivery point, and after the cargo hooking is completed and before the cargo reaches above the pickup point, automatically control the working tower crane to drive between the delivery point and the pickup point without a driver according to the delivery point position information and the pickup point position information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein, Also comprise: The server is configured to receive the delivery signal sent by the first remote controller and the pickup signal sent by the second remote controller, the delivery signal comprising the delivery point position information, and the pickup signal comprising the pickup point position information; And based on the delivery point position information, the pickup point position information and the tower crane position information in the tower crane group, a working tower crane is dispatched according to a preset tower crane dispatching rule; And the delivery signal is sent to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane to initiate a pairing request for pairing the first remote controller with the working tower crane; and the pickup signal is sent to the tower crane controller of the working tower crane to initiate a pairing request for pairing the second remote controller with the working tower crane.

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