Height-Based Human Detection for Crane Safety Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crane apparatuses risk overlooking humans in the attention area, leading to potential safety hazards during operations, and automatic safety processing may incorrectly halt operations due to wider target areas or insufficient consideration of human presence near working surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A crane apparatus equipped with sensors and a controller to determine the suspended-load height and set a determination area based on this height, using image data to automatically perform safety processing and ensure appropriate operation near working surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the target area for determining human presence is set wider to improve safety coverage, then the safety monitoring capability is improved, but the crane apparatus stops during work unnecessarily due to false detection
Solution Approach 1:
The determination area is made dynamically adjustable based on the suspended-load height. When the suspended load is at a high position, the determination area is set wider to cover the assumed range where human presence would cause safety hazards. When the suspended load is at a low position, the determination area is narrowed to avoid false detection. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by adapting the monitoring scope to the actual safety requirements at different operational phases.
2Measurement precision
If automatic safety processing is implemented to eliminate operator oversight, then the safety detection accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases due to additional sensors and control logic
Solution Approach 1:
The crane apparatus performs self-monitoring for human presence in the determination area using integrated sensors and automatic safety processing. The system automatically detects humans, determines whether they are in the attention area, and executes safety actions without operator intervention. This eliminates operator oversight while managing complexity through automated self-service functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The surveillance camera and sensor system serve multiple functions: capturing work area images for operator monitoring, detecting human presence for safety processing, and providing data for determination area management. This multi-functionality improves safety detection accuracy while minimizing additional system complexity by reusing existing components.
3Measurement precision
If the determination area is adjusted to match the assumed safety hazard range, then the accuracy of safety determination is improved, but the device complexity increases due to height-based area calculation
Solution Approach 1:
The determination area management system dynamically adjusts the monitoring area based on the suspended-load height. The control unit calculates the appropriate determination area corresponding to the assumed range where human presence would cause safety hazards at each height level. This dynamic adjustment improves safety determination accuracy by matching the monitoring scope to actual safety requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of the determination area (its size and position) based on the suspended-load height parameter. As the height changes, the determination area is automatically adjusted to reflect the changing safety hazard range. This parameter-based control achieves accurate safety determination while managing complexity through systematic parameter relationships.
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem] To provide a crane apparatus automatically performing an appropriate safety processing and having good usability. [Solutions] A control program implemented on a controller of a crane apparatus obtains a lifting height L2 measured by a sensor and a payout length L1 that is a distance from a boom tip end portion to a suspended load (S12). The control program calculates a suspended-load height H that is a distance from a surveillance-target surface to the suspended load based on the lifting height L2 and the payout length L1 (S13). The control program sets a determination area based on the lifting height L2 and the suspended-load height H (S14). The control program generates determination image data for determining whether a human is captured, based on the set determination area and the surveillance image data. When obtaining a determination result indicating that a human is captured in a determination image indicated by the determination image data (S18 and S19: Yes), the control program stops driving of a winch or the like (S23).