JP2019123594A - Crane operation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a crane operation system capable of placing an object accurately and safely even at a blind spot. A crane operation system according to the present embodiment can be installed at a tip of a crane that lifts and moves a load, and includes a positioning device that measures the position of the tip of the crane. The unmanned aerial vehicle navigates according to the position of the tip of the crane measured by the positioning device. The first camera is installed in the unmanned aerial vehicle and images the lower part of the luggage. The monitor displays an image captured by the first camera. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present embodiment relates to a crane operation system.

  When lifting and moving an object using a crane, the operator operates the crane in the operation room of the crane. For this reason, when moving an object to a blind spot invisible to the operator, it is necessary to send a signal at a position where the guider can see from the operator and the blind spot in addition to the operator.

  However, even if there is a signal from the guider, it is difficult for the operator himself to fully grasp the blind spot. In this case, it is difficult for the operator to place an object accurately and safely because visual space recognition can not be performed.

JP, 2016-013890, A JP, 2015-139158, A

  To provide a crane operation system capable of placing an object accurately and safely even at a blind spot.

  The crane operation system according to the present embodiment can be installed at the tip of a crane that lifts and moves a load, and includes a positioning device that measures the position of the tip of the crane. The unmanned aerial vehicle navigates according to the position of the tip of the crane measured by the positioning device. The first camera is provided on the unmanned aerial vehicle and images the lower side of the package. The monitor displays an image captured by the first camera.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The conceptual diagram which shows the structural example of the crane operation system 1 by 1st Embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The block diagram which shows the structural example of the crane operation system 1 by 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the crane operation system 1 by 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment does not limit the present invention. The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the proportions of parts are not necessarily the same as the real ones. In the specification and the drawings, the same components as those described above with reference to the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description will be appropriately omitted.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a conceptual view showing a configuration example of a crane operation system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the crane operation system 1 according to the first embodiment.

  The crane operation system 1 is a system attached to a crane mechanism that lifts and moves a load, and can be attached to a crane mechanism arranged on a crane car, a crane ship or the like, for example. A crane truck 100 is shown as an example in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  The crane truck 100 includes a crane 110, an operation room 120, a controller 125, a hook 130, and a cable 135. The crane 110 is capable of extending, retracting, tilting or tilting (up and down) movement of the arm-like jib. The hook 130 is hung from the tip E1 of the crane 110 by a cable 135 and can attach a load. The hook 130 can move the load vertically upward or downward by winding or unwinding the cable 135. The cable 135 is mounted on the tip end portion E1 of the crane 110, and is provided so as to be able to be wound up or unwound on a reel (not shown). The winding of the cable 135 moves the hook 130 upward, and the unwinding of the cable 135 moves the hook 130 downward. The controller 125 controls the crane 110 and the hook 130. The operator can move the position of the crane 110 and / or the hook 130 by operating the controller 125 in the operation room 120. Thereby, the mobile crane 100 can move the load attached to the hook 130 to any position within the reach of the crane 110 or the hook 130.

  The crane operation system 1 includes a GPS receiver 10, a drone 20, a camera 30, and a monitor 40. The GPS receiver 10 as a positioning device can be installed at the tip E1 of the crane 110, and receives radio waves from GPS satellites to specify its own position. Since the GPS receiver 10 is fixedly disposed at the tip E1 of the crane 110, the position of the GPS receiver 10 is substantially equal to the position of the tip E1 of the crane 110. That is, the GPS receiver 10 may be said to measure the position of the tip end portion E1 of the crane 110.

  The drone 20 as an unmanned aerial vehicle navigates according to the position of the tip E1 of the crane 110 measured by the GPS receiver 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the drone 20 navigates from the GPS receiver 10 in a direction D1 to maintain a distance DT. The relative direction D1 of the drone 20 with respect to the GPS receiver 10 and the relative distance DT between the GPS receiver 10 and the drone 20 can be set arbitrarily. The operator presets the GPS receiver 10 or the drone 20 so as not to impede the operation of the crane 110 and to navigate near the tip E1. For example, the drone 20 may be set to travel approximately horizontally from the predetermined position of the GPS receiver 10 and at a distance of 1 to 3 meters from the GPS receiver 10. Thereby, when the crane 110 is at rest, the drone 20 travels in a relatively stationary state at a predetermined distance D from the tip E1 in the predetermined direction D1 with respect to the tip E1. Further, even when the crane 110 operates, the drone 20 travels in the vicinity of the tip E1 following the movement of the tip E1 while maintaining substantially the same position with respect to the tip E1. That is, the drone 20 is set so that the relative position to the crane 110 is substantially unchanged. Of course, the relative position of the drone 20 to the crane 110 may be set to change. For example, the distance DT may be increased as the position of the tip E1 of the crane 110 is higher, and the distance DT may be reduced as the position of the tip E1 is lower. As a result, when the position of the tip E1 is high, the drone 20 is prevented from contacting the crane 110, and when the position of the tip E1 is low, the drone 20 approaches the storage area of the load and the camera 30 The location can be imaged in detail.

  The setting of the GPS receiver 10 or the drone 20 may set the GPS receiver 10 or the drone 20 directly. Alternatively, the setting of the GPS receiver 10 or the drone 20 may be performed using a remote controller 50 wirelessly connected to the GPS receiver 10 and / or the drone 20. In this case, the operator can remotely set the GPS receiver 10 and / or the drone 20 by operating the remote controller 50 while staying in the operation room 120. The change of the setting may be during the navigation of the drone 20. For example, if it is desired to change the relative position of the drone 20 to the GPS receiver 10 during operation of the crane 110, the operator can adjust the relative position of the drone 20 using the remote controller 50. In this case, the crane operation system 1 further includes a remote controller 50.

  The camera (first camera) 30 is mounted on the drone 20, and is arranged to image the lower part of the luggage lifted by the crane 110. As the crane 110 lowers the load, the camera 30 can capture an image of where the load is to be lowered. Since the drone 20 travels by a predetermined distance in the predetermined direction with respect to the tip E1, the camera 30 continuously follows the movement of the crane 110, under the load moving according to the movement of the crane 110. Take an image.

  The camera 30 may be connected to the remote controller 50 in a wirelessly communicable manner. In this case, for example, the remote controller 50 may adjust the imaging direction or the focal position of the camera 30. Thereby, the operator can adjust the imaging position and the focus by the camera 30 without changing the relative position of the drone 20 with respect to the GPS receiver 10.

  The monitor 40 is provided in the operation room 120 of the crane 100 and is connected to the camera 30 so as to be capable of wireless communication. The monitor 40 is connected to, for example, the camera 30 via WiFi. Thus, the image captured by the camera 30 can be displayed on the monitor 40. The monitor 40 may be, for example, a touch panel display. In the monitor 40, the position of the drone 20 with respect to the GPS receiver 10 may be settable. The monitor 40 may indicate the relative position of the drone 20 with respect to the GPS receiver 10. The operator of the crane 110 can operate the crane 110 while confirming the lower condition of the load being lifted by the crane 110 by referring to the image of the monitor 40 and the relative position of the drone 20.

  Thus, for example, when moving the load 300 in the vicinity of the crane 100 to the opposite side of the wall 200, the operator lifts the load while visually checking it directly, and then moves it to the opposite side of the wall 200 Take down your luggage. At this time, the area opposite to the wall 200 for the operator is a dead area D. Therefore, the operator can not directly view the opposite side of the wall 200 from the operation room 120. The wall 200 may be, for example, a sound insulation wall or a dustproof wall provided around the construction site.

  However, in the crane operation system 1 according to the present embodiment, the drone 20 moves following the tip E1 of the crane 110, and the camera 30 captures an image of the lower part of the luggage 300. That is, the camera 30 captures a blind spot area D below the luggage 300 and causes the monitor 40 to display the image. The operator can check the blind spot area D below the package 300 on the monitor 40 while staying in the operation room 120. That is, the operator can view the dead area D indirectly via the camera 30 and the monitor 40, although the operator can not directly view the dead area D. This allows the operator to move and place the load 300 accurately and safely at a predetermined position on the blind spot D opposite to the wall 200. As a result, it is not necessary to place the inducer in a position where it can be seen from the operator and the blind spot. This leads to a reduction in labor costs.

  Further, the drone 20 autonomously travels with respect to the GPS receiver 10 by being separated by a predetermined distance DT in a predetermined direction D1. Thus, the operator can concentrate on the operation of the crane 110 with little awareness of the drone 20.

  The GPS receiver 10 may be disposed on the hook 130 so that the drone 20 travels according to the position of the hook 130.

  Further, when the GPS receiver 10 can not accurately detect the height position of the crane 110, the height sensor 65 may be provided at the tip end E1 of the crane 110. The height sensor 65 is wirelessly connected to the drone 20, detects the height of the tip E 1 of the crane 110, and transmits the detected height to the drone 20. The drone 20 moves in the height direction according to the measurement value from the height sensor 65. Thereby, the drone 20 can navigate while maintaining the height substantially equal to the tip E1 of the crane 110.

(Modification 1)
The crane operation system 1 according to the first modification further includes a proximity sensor 60 which can be installed at the tip E 1 of the crane 110 and an alarm device 70 which can be installed in the operation room 120. The proximity sensor 60 and the alarm device 70 are wirelessly connected to each other.

  The proximity sensor (first sensor) 60 measures the distance between itself and an object present in the periphery thereof. The proximity sensor 60 may be, for example, a magnetic sensor, an optical sensor, an acoustic sensor, or the like. If the distance between the proximity sensor 60 and the object is less than the threshold, the proximity sensor 60 sends its warning signal to the alarm device 70, which generates a warning. The alarm device 70 may be, for example, a lamp or a speaker. If the distance between the proximity sensor 60 and the object becomes less than the threshold value, the lamp as the alarm device 70 turns on, or the speaker as the alarm device 70 emits a warning sound.

  For example, when the operator operates the crane 110, if the distance between the proximity sensor 60 (tip E1) and the electric wire 400 becomes less than the threshold, the proximity sensor 60 detects the electric wire 400 and an alarm device 70 generates a warning. Thus, the operator can know that the tip E1 of the crane 110 approaches the electric wire 400.

  The proximity sensor 60 is also connected to the controller 125, and transmits a warning signal to the controller 125 when the distance between the proximity sensor 60 and the object is less than a threshold. The controller 125 restricts the operation of the crane 110 so that the tip E1 of the crane 110 does not move further upward when receiving a warning signal from the proximity sensor 60. For example, when the operator attempts to move or extend the crane 110 upwards, the controller 125 locks the crane 110. On the other hand, when the operator tries to move or retract the crane 110 downward, the crane 110 operates according to the operation. When the distance between the proximity sensor 60 and the electric wire 400 becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value, the warning signal is released. As a result, the operator can concentrate on the operation of the crane 110 without worrying about an object such as an electric wire above the tip end portion E1 of the crane 110 to the left.

  The alarm device 70 may be incorporated into the monitor 40. In this case, the monitor 40 also has a function as an alarm device.

(Modification 2)
The crane operation system 1 according to the second modification further includes a camera (second camera) 80 provided on the hook 130 of the crane 110. The camera 80 is wirelessly connected to the monitor 40 and / or the remote controller 50 similarly to the camera 30. The camera 80 captures an image below the hook 130 and can display the image on the monitor 40. Thereby, the operator can operate the crane 110 while confirming not only the image captured from the drone 20 but also the image captured from the hook 130 on the monitor 40.

(Modification 3)
The crane operation system 1 according to the third modification further includes a proximity sensor (second sensor) 67 provided in the drone 20. The proximity sensor 67 measures the distance between itself and an object present around it. The proximity sensor 67 may be, for example, a magnetic sensor, an optical sensor, an acoustic sensor, or the like. If there is an obstacle around the drone 20, the drone 20 needs to navigate while avoiding the obstacle. Therefore, if the distance between the proximity sensor 67 and the object (obstacle) falls below the threshold, the proximity sensor 67 sends a warning signal to the controller (not shown) of the drone 20. When the drone 20 receives a warning signal from the proximity sensor 67, the drone 20 once moves in the reverse direction to cancel the warning signal. Then, the drone 20 moves so as to bypass the object while maintaining the distance to the object at least a threshold value so as not to receive a warning signal from the proximity sensor 67. Thereby, the drone 20 can follow the tip end portion E1 of the crane 110 while avoiding the obstacle.

Second Embodiment
In the crane operation system 1 according to the first embodiment, the drone 20 autonomously navigates based on signals from the GPS receiver 10 and / or the height sensor 65. On the other hand, in the crane operation system 1 according to the second embodiment, the drone 20 autonomously travels based on an operation signal of the crane 110 by the controller 125.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the crane operation system 1 according to the second embodiment. The crane operation system 1 according to the second embodiment further includes a transmitter 90 that transmits an operation signal of the crane 110 from the controller 125 to the drone 20. The transmitter 90 is wirelessly connected to the drone 20 using WiFi or the like. In the second embodiment, the GPS receiver 10 may not be provided.

  In the crane operation system 1 according to the second embodiment, the drone 20 receives an operation signal of the crane 110 from the controller 125 and navigates based on the operation signal. For example, the operator operates controller 125 to extend, retract, pivot or tilt crane 110. At this time, the controller 125 transmits an operation signal to the drone 20 together with the crane 110.

  The drone 20 stores in advance a table indicating the correspondence between the operation signal and the operation of the crane 110 in the storage unit 25. When the drone 20 receives the operation signal, the drone 20 recognizes the operation of the crane 110 corresponding to the operation signal from the table, and moves so as to follow the tip E1 of the crane 110. For example, if the operation signal indicates that the crane 110 is to be extended or retracted at a certain speed, the drone 20 moves in the direction of extension of the crane 110 in accordance with the extension speed of the crane 110. In addition, the expansion-contraction direction of the crane 110 is known from the accumulation of the turning angle in the operation signal until then, and the accumulation of the inclination angle with respect to the initial position.

  The other configuration of the second embodiment may be the same as the corresponding configuration of the first embodiment. Therefore, even in the crane operation system 1 according to the second embodiment, the drone 20 can travel following the position of the tip end portion E1 of the crane 110. As a result, the second embodiment can obtain the same effect as that of the first embodiment. Further, the first to third modifications may be combined with the second embodiment.

  While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof as well as included in the scope and the gist of the invention.

1 crane operation system, 10 GPS receiver, 20 drone, 30 camera, 40 monitor, 50 remote controller, 60 proximity sensor, 65 height sensor, 67 proximity sensor, 70 alarm device, 80 camera, 90 transmitter 100 crane car, 110 cranes, 120 operation rooms, 125 controllers, 130 hooks, 135 cables, 10 GPS receivers

Claims (6)

A positioning device that can be installed at the tip of a crane that lifts and moves a load, and that measures the position of the tip of the crane;
An unmanned aerial vehicle navigating according to the position of the tip of the crane measured by the positioning device;
A first camera provided on the unmanned aerial vehicle to image the lower side of the luggage;
The crane operation system provided with the monitor which displays the image imaged with the said 1st camera.   The crane operation system according to claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle navigates while maintaining substantially equal distances from the positioning device. A first sensor which can be installed at the tip of the crane, and which measures a distance between the first sensor and an object present around the first sensor;
The crane operation system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: an alarm device that generates an alarm when a distance between the first sensor and an object present in the vicinity thereof is less than a threshold. A cable constructed to be able to be taken up or unwound from the crane;
A hook provided on the cable,
The crane operation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a second camera provided on the hook. The second sensor that can be installed in the unmanned aerial vehicle, further comprising a second sensor that measures a distance between the second sensor and an object present in the periphery thereof.
The unmanned aerial vehicle travels in a reverse direction so that the distance is equal to or greater than a threshold when the distance between the second sensor and an object present in the periphery is less than the threshold. The crane operation system according to any one of claims 4. A transmitter that transmits an operation signal output from a controller that controls a crane that lifts and moves a load;
A storage unit for storing a correspondence between the operation signal and the operation of the crane;
An unmanned aerial vehicle navigating according to the position of the tip of the crane based on the movement of the crane corresponding to the operation signal;
A first camera provided on the unmanned aerial vehicle to image the lower side of the luggage;
The crane operation system provided with the monitor which displays the image imaged with the said 1st camera.

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