Crane Boom Position Overlay for Surrounding Visibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing surroundings display apparatuses for mobile cranes struggle to clearly depict the positional relationship between surrounding objects and the boom, making it difficult for operators to understand the boom's position relative to road surfaces and vehicles, especially when the boom leading end portion enters intersections or narrow spaces.

Innovation Solution

A surroundings display apparatus equipped with cameras at the boom's leading end portion, a control apparatus, and a monitor that overlays positional information of the boom, such as lines or silhouettes, onto images captured by the cameras, providing a clear view of the boom's position relative to surrounding objects and the vehicle body, and performs viewpoint conversions to enhance visibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If a camera is provided in the boom leading end portion to photograph sideways, then the operator can confirm the situation of crossing roads earlier, but the positional relationship between surrounding objects and the boom becomes difficult to understand

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime to confirm crossing road situationVSAvoidpositional relationship understanding
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary element - the boom position overlay graphic - that mediates between the camera image and the operator's understanding. This graphic overlay serves as a visual mediator that bridges the gap between the raw camera footage and the operator's cognitive understanding of boom position, allowing simultaneous achievement of early situation awareness and clear positional relationship comprehension

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a visual copy or representation of the boom's position and orientation by overlaying graphical elements (lines, shapes, or icons) that replicate the boom's spatial configuration onto the camera image. This visual copy allows the operator to understand the boom's position relative to surrounding objects without adding physical markers to the actual boom

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3345856B1Surrounding display device for traveling crane
Publication Date: 2020.03.04 TADANO LTD
  • EP3345856B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3345856B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3345856B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a surrounding display device for a traveling crane, whereby the positional relationship between surrounding objects and a boom can be easily understood. This surrounding display device (A) is for a traveling crane (100) equipped with a traveling vehicle body (101) and a boom (105), the surrounding display device (A) being equipped with: cameras (1L), (1R) provided to the leading end of the boom (105); a control device (2) connected to the cameras (1L), (1R); and a monitor (3) connected to the control device (2). The control device (2) superimposes the positional information of the boom (105) on the images photographed with the cameras (1L), (1R) and displays the result on the monitor (3). Thus, the positional relationship between surrounding objects and the boom (105) can be easily understood.