Crane Boom and Winch Control for Constant Hook Height

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cranes face challenges in manipulating the boom and wire rope operations simultaneously, leading to complex and unsafe maneuvers that can result in collisions with structures.

Innovation Solution

A crane equipped with a winding manipulation tool and a switch that allows for controlled luffing and extension operations of the boom, maintaining a predetermined suspension length or height of the hook, enabling simultaneous vertical raising or lowering operations without horizontal movement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If the boom is luffed up and extended at the same time as unwinding the wire rope, then the hook can be raised to greater heights, but the manipulation becomes complicated and difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehook heightVSAvoidmanipulation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple control functions into a single winding manipulation tool. When the switch is in the first position, the tool simultaneously controls winch unwinding and boom luffing/extension operations, allowing the operator to raise the hook to greater heights while simplifying the manipulation to a single control input rather than coordinating multiple independent operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Length of moving object

If the boom is luffed up and extended at the same time as unwinding the wire rope, then the hook can be raised higher, but the hook or load may collide with the side surface of a building

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehook heightVSAvoidcollision risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates sensors that detect the position of the hook and load, providing feedback to the control unit. The control unit processes this information and automatically adjusts the boom luffing/extension and wire rope unwinding operations to maintain safe clearance from buildings, preventing collisions while still achieving the desired hook height.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If multiple operations are performed simultaneously, then productivity increases, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring operational states increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveraising operation speedVSAvoidoperational state monitoring
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit serves as an intermediary that receives a single operator input and automatically coordinates multiple operational parameters. It manages the complex interactions between winch unwinding rate and boom luffing/extension rates, maintaining proper suspension length and preventing collisions without requiring the operator to directly monitor or measure multiple simultaneous operational states.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4219382B1crane
Publication Date: 2025.11.05 TADANO LTD
  • EP4219382B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4219382B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4219382B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention is directed to a crane (1) provided with a boom (7), a wire rope (8), a winch (9), and a hook (10), the boom (7) being capable of being luffed up and down, extended, and retracted, the wire rope (8) being configured to hang from the boom (7), the winch (9) being configured to wind or unwind the wire rope (8), the hook (10) being configured to be raised or lowered by the wire rope (8) wound or unwound. The crane (1) further comprises a winding manipulation tool (24) that allows giving an instruction on an operating state of the winch (9) and a switch that allows instructing that a lifting height of the hook (10) be kept, wherein, when the winding manipulation tool (24) is manipulated in one direction while the switch is in an "ON" state, the boom (7) is luffed up and extended to change a posture of the boom (7) while the wire rope (8) is unwound such that the lifting height of the hook (10) is kept, and, when the winding manipulation tool (24) is manipulated in an other direction while the switch is in the "ON" state, the boom (7) is luffed down and retracted to change the posture of the boom (7) while the wire rope (8) is wound such that the lifting height of the hook (10) is kept.