Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
  • B66C13/00—Other constructional features or details
  • B66C13/16—Applications of indicating, registering, or weighing devices
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
  • B66C13/00—Other constructional features or details
  • B66C13/18—Control systems or devices
  • B66C13/46—Position indicators for suspended loads or for crane elements
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
  • B66C23/00—Cranes comprising essentially a beam, boom, or triangular structure acting as a cantilever and mounted for translatory of swinging movements in vertical or horizontal planes or a combination of such movements, e.g. jib-cranes, derricks, tower cranes
  • B66C23/88—Safety gear
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
  • B66C23/00—Cranes comprising essentially a beam, boom, or triangular structure acting as a cantilever and mounted for translatory of swinging movements in vertical or horizontal planes or a combination of such movements, e.g. jib-cranes, derricks, tower cranes
  • B66C23/88—Safety gear
  • B66C23/90—Devices for indicating or limiting lifting moment
  • B66C23/905—Devices for indicating or limiting lifting moment electrical

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to mass determination for cranes.
• examples of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus and a method for determining a mass carried by a crane arm of a crane, a crane, a remote control for a crane and a computing cloud.
• Cranes in particular loader cranes play a pivotal role in various industries, providing efficient lifting and handling capabilities.
• an operator of the crane or a third party may want to know the mass currently carried by a crane arm of the crane. For example, the operator may ensure that a load is set down at a location which is hard to see for the operator such as the top of a building or the operator or third party may check whether the crane is operated within the operation limits specified by a manufacturer of the crane.
• the present disclosure provides an apparatus for determining a mass carried by a crane arm of a crane.
• the apparatus comprises processing circuitry configured to receive first sensor measurement values indicating a positioning of the crane arm.
• the processing circuitry is further configured to receive second sensor measurement values indicating a respective pressure in one or more hydraulic cylinders of the crane for moving the crane arm or a segment of the crane arm.
• the processing circuitry is configured to receive user input data indicating a predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry is configured to continuously determining the mass for successive time instants based on the first and second sensor measurement values for a time instant or time frame related to the predefined user input and based on the first and second sensor measurement values for the respective time instant of the successive time instants.
• the present disclosure provides a crane comprising the apparatus according to the first aspect.
• the present disclosure provides a remote control for a crane.
• the remote control comprises a Human-Machine-Interface (HMI) configured to receive user inputs for controlling operation of the crane.
• HMI Human-Machine-Interface
• the remote control comprises the apparatus according to the first aspect.
• the remote control further comprises a display configured to continuously display the determined mass for the successive time instants.
• the present disclosure provides computing cloud comprising the apparatus according to the first aspect.
• the present disclosure provides a method for determining a mass carried by a crane arm of a crane.
• the method comprises receiving first sensor measurement values indicating a positioning of the crane arm. Further, the method comprises receiving second sensor measurement values indicating a respective pressure in one or more hydraulic cylinders of the crane for moving the crane arm or a segment of the crane arm.
• the method additionally comprises receiving user input data indicating a predefined user input. In response to the predefined user input, the method comprises continuously determining the mass for successive time instants based on the first and second sensor measurement values for a time instant or time frame related to the predefined user input and based on the first and second sensor measurement values for the respective time instant of the successive time instants.
• the present disclosure provides a non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon a program having a program code for performing the method according to the fifth aspect, when the program is executed on a processor or a programmable hardware of the crane.
• the present disclosure provides a program having a program code for performing the method according to the fifth aspect, when the program is executed on a processor or a programmable hardware of the crane.
• the mass carried by the crane arm is continuously determined for successive time instants. Accordingly, live information about the mass carried by the crane arm is available for further processing.
• Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a crane 100.
• the crane 100 is a knuckle boom crane such as a loader crane for loading and unloading goods (loads).
• the crane 100 is arranged to be mounted (installed, attached) to/on a crane carrier.
• the crane 100 is an example of a crane for mounting to/on a crane carrier.
• the crane carrier is a device adapted (designed) to receive, hold and support a crane.
• the crane carrier may be a stationary (i.e., non-moving, non-movable) crane carrier such as a stationary mounting socket (platform, structure) or a mobile crane carrier such as a vehicle.
• the vehicle may be a land vehicle (e.g., wheeled, tracked or railed) or a watercraft (e.g., a ship, a boat or a barge).
• the loader crane 100 illustrated in Fig. 1 may be mounted to a stationary crane carrier or be mounted to a mobile crane carrier.
• the loader crane 100 may be mounted to vehicle such as a truck for loading and unloading goods onto and from the vehicle.
• the crane carrier is not shown in Fig. 1 .
• the crane 100 comprise a (crane) base 130 and a boom (crane arm) 140.
• the base 130 serves as a mounting platform for the boom 140 and allows to mount the crane 100 to the crane carrier.
• boom and "crane arm” are used interchangeably in the present disclosure.
• the boom 140 is mounted to the base 130 and is movable relative to the base 130 via a hydraulic cylinder 145, which is coupled to both the base 130 and the boom 140. Furthermore, the boom 140 is rotatable relative to the base 130 (e.g., via rotation mechanism including one or more of a hydraulic or an electric drive system).
• the boom 140 comprises segments 141 and 142 connected to each other by a joint 143.
• the segments 141 and 142 are movable relative to each other via another hydraulic cylinder 146, which is coupled to both segments 141 and 142.
• the boom 140 comprises two segments. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
• the boom 140 may comprise any number N ⁇ 2 of segments that are connected by joints and are movable relative each other via a respective hydraulic cylinder.
• the segment 141 is extendable. That is, the segment 141 comprises multiple sections that can be selectively extended or retracted (e.g., by a hydraulic system of the boom 140) to adjust the length and, hence, the reach of the segment 141.
• the boom 140 is an extendable (telescopic) boom. It is to be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to extendable crane arms, alternative examples may comprise non-extendable crane arms.
• the outrigger 150 is mounted to the base 130.
• the outrigger 150 may be extendable from the base 130 (e.g., manually, electrically or hydraulically).
• the outrigger 150 comprises a vertical telescopic leg (stabilizer leg, support leg, vertical telescopic sub-structure) 151 for selectively supporting the crane 100 against the ground.
• the outrigger 150 comprises a hydraulic support cylinder 152 for adjusting a length of the telescopic leg 151 and for adjusting a pressure with which the crane 100 is supported against the ground.
• the hydraulic support cylinder 152 may be integrated into the telescopic leg 151.
• the crane 100 may comprise one or more respective outrigger such as the outrigger 150 illustrated in Fig. 1 on both lateral sides of the base 130.
• the proposed technology for determining a mass carried by a crane arm of a crane will be explained in the following with reference to the crane 100.
• the proposed technology for determining the mass held by a crane arm may, in general, be used for any crane type or structure with a movable crane arm.
• the proposed technology for determining the mass held by a crane arm may analogously be used for the crane sections of mobile cranes.
• the crane 100 comprises processing circuitry 110.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or a plurality of individual processors, some of which or all of which may be shared, a digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-a-chip (SOC), a neuromorphic processor or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).
• DSP digital signal processor
• ASIC application specific integrated circuit
• SOC system-on-a-chip
• FPGA field programmable gate array
• the processing circuitry 110 may optionally be coupled to, e.g., memory such as read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory.
• the crane 100 may comprise memory configured to store instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry 110, cause the processing circuitry 110 to perform the steps and methods described herein.
• the processing circuitry 110 is configured to receive first sensor measurement values 101.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to receive a continuous stream or time series of the first sensor measurement values 101.
• the first sensor measurement values 101 may be sensor measurement values of one or more sensors.
• the first sensor measurement values 101 indicate a positioning of the boom 140.
• the positioning of the boom 140 is the specific orientation, arrangement and/or alignment of the boom 140 at a given time instant. In the example of Fig. 1 , the positioning of the boom 140 is determined by the angle ⁇ 1 between the segments 141 and 142 of the boom 140, the angle ⁇ 2 between the segment 142 and the base 130 as well as the extension (length) L of the extendable segment 141.
• the first sensor measurement values 101 may indicate the angles ⁇ 1 and ⁇ 2 as well as the length L in the example of Fig. 1 .
• the positioning of the boom 140 is determined by the structure of the boom 140. In other words, the positioning of a crane arm may be determined by more, less or different measurement variables than those described in the foregoing for the boom 140. For example, if the crane arm is a non-extendable crane arm (e.g., the segment 141 is not extendable), the positioning of the crane arm does not depend on the extension of a certain segment of the crane arm as the lengths of the individual segments of the crane arm are fixed.
• the first sensor measurement values 101 may, in general, comprise one or more of sensor measurement values indicating a measured angle between different segments of the crane arm, sensor measurement values indicating a measured angle between a segment of the crane arm and a base supporting the crane arm and sensor measurement values indicating a respective extension of one or more extendable segments of the crane arm.
• the crane 100 may, e.g., comprise one or more first sensors configured to continuously measure a respective property indicative of the positioning of the crane arm and to generate the first sensor measurement values 101 based on the respective measured property.
• the crane 100 may comprise two angle sensors 161 and 162 configured to measure the angles ⁇ 1 and ⁇ 2 as well as a length sensor 163 configured to measure the extension L of the extendable segment 141.
• the processing circuitry 110 is further configured to receive second sensor measurement values 102.
• processing circuitry 110 may be configured to receive a continuous stream or time series of the second sensor measurement values 102.
• the second sensor measurement values 102 may be sensor measurement values of one or more sensors.
• the second sensor measurement values 102 indicate a respective (hydraulic) pressure in the hydraulic cylinders of the crane for moving the crane arm or segments thereof.
• the crane 100 comprises the hydraulic cylinder 145 for moving the boom 140 relative to the base 130 and the hydraulic cylinder 146 for moving the segments 141 and 142 relative to each other.
• the second sensor measurement values 102 may indicate the pressures p 1 and p 2 in the hydraulic cylinders 145 and 146 in the example of Fig. 1 .
• the boom 140 may comprise more segments than the two segments 141 and 142 illustrated in Fig. 1 .
• the crane 100 may comprise more than two hydraulic cylinders for moving the boom 140 or the segments thereof.
• the second sensor measurement values 102 may be indicative of the (hydraulic) pressures in all hydraulic cylinders of the crane 100 for moving the boom 140 or the segments thereof or be indicative of the (hydraulic) pressure(s) in only part of crane 100's hydraulic cylinders for moving the boom 140 or the segments thereof.
• the second sensor measurement values 102 indicate a respective (hydraulic) pressure in one or more hydraulic cylinders of the crane for moving the crane arm or a segment of the crane arm.
• the crane 100 may, e.g., comprise one or more second sensors configured to continuously measure the respective pressure in one of the one or more hydraulic cylinders and to generate the second sensor measurement values based on the respective measured pressure.
• the crane 100 may comprise two pressure sensors 164 and 165 configured to measure the pressures p 1 and p 2 in the hydraulic cylinders 145 and 146.
• the processing circuitry 110 is configured to determine the mass carried by the boom 140 based on the first sensor measurement values 101 and the second sensor measurement values 102. In other words, processing circuitry 110 is configured to determine a value indicating the mass carried by the boom 140 based on the first sensor measurement values 101 and the second sensor measurement values 102.
• the mass carried by the boom 140 refers to the amount of matter carried (held) by the boom 140 (e.g., at its tip 144). For example, if a load (cargo) 190 is carried (e.g., lifted) by the boom 140 as illustrated in Fig. 1 , mass carried by the boom 140 may refer to the mass of the load 190.
• the mass may, e.g., be expressed in kilogram or tons. Colloquially, mass is often also referred to as weight.
• the processing circuitry 110 is configured to determine the mass carried by the boom 140 at the request of a user such as an operator of the crane or a third party.
• a user such as an operator of the crane or a third party.
• the user may make a first predefined user input at an HMI of the crane 100 or a remote control 199 for the crane 100.
• the HMI of the crane 100 may be one or more of a joystick, a button, a touch-sensitive display and a microphone.
• the remote control 199 is a device for an operator (user) of the crane 100 for controlling the crane 100 from a distance.
• the remote control 199 may configured for wireless or wired coupling to the crane 100.
• the crane 100 may, e.g., comprise interface circuitry 120 for communicating with the remote control 199.
• the interface circuitry 120 may, e.g., be coupled to at least one of the processing circuitry 110 and control circuitry (not illustrated in Fig. 1 ) of the crane 100 for controlling operation of a movable part (section, sub-element) of the crane 100 such as the boom 140 (e.g., adjustment of the position of the boom 140) or the outrigger 150.
• the remote control 199 receives a user input at an HMI thereof (e.g., one or more of a joystick, a button, a touch-sensitive display, a microphone) and comprises circuitry for converting the user input into a command for the crane 100.
• the remote control 100 further comprises circuitry for (e.g., wireless or wired) transmission of the command to the crane 100.
• the control circuitry of the crane 100 receives the command (e.g., via the interface circuitry 120) and controls the crane 100 to perform an according (corresponding) action.
• the operator may control or adjust the position of the boom 140 via one or more user inputs, rotate the boom 140 relative to the base 130 via one or more user inputs, control the boom 140 to (e.g., automatically or autonomously) unfold via one or more user inputs, control the boom 140 to (e.g., automatically or autonomously) fold via one or more user inputs, control the boom 140 to extend via one or more user inputs, or control extension and retraction of the outrigger(s) 150 via one or more user inputs.
• the user may, e.g., press a certain button (e.g., a hard button or a soft button) on the remote control 199 or the HMI of the crane 100 to indicate that he/she wishes determination of the mass carried by the boom 140.
• a certain button e.g., a hard button or a soft button
• the user may issue a voice command which is captured by a microphone of the remote control 199 or the HMI of the crane 100.
• the pressing of the certain button or the issuance of the voice command may be understood as a first predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 is configured to receive first user input data 103 indicating the first predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 100 In response to (receiving) the first predefined user input, the processing circuitry 100 is configured to continuously (dynamically, repeatedly) determine the mass for successive time instants based on the first and second sensor measurement values 101, 102 for a time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input and further based on the first and second sensor measurement values 101, 102 for the respective time instant of the successive time instants. In other words, the processing circuitry 100 is configured to determine the mass for the successive time instants one by one (one after the other). In still other words, the processing circuitry 100 is configured to determine the mass for each of the successive time instants anew. The successive time instants may be spaced at regular intervals in time.
• the successive time instants may be spaced in time by 1 s (second) or less, 500 ms (milliseconds) or less, 100 ms or less, or 50 ms or less. That is, the processing circuitry 100 may be configured to periodically determine the mass. For example, the mass may be continuously determined at a rate of 1 Hz or more, 10 Hz or more, or 20 Hz or more. However, it is to be noted that the foregoing numbers are selected for illustrative purposes only. Other spacings in time between the successive time instants or rates at which the mass is continuously determined may be used. In other examples, the successive time instants may be spaced at irregular intervals in time. According to examples, the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to continuously determine the mass for 5 or more, 10 or more, 50 or more, 100 or more, 500 or more successive time instants in response to (receiving) the first predefined user input.
• the time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input is a single time instant or an interval of time defined by the first predefined user input.
• the time instant of reception of the first user input data 103 by the processing circuitry 110 may be the time instant related to the predefined user input.
• the time instant at which the user made the first predefined user input e.g., at the remote control 199 or the HMI of the crane 100
• the time instant at which the user made the first predefined user input may be indicated by the first user input data 103 (e.g., as metadata).
• a time instant that trails or leads one of the two aforementioned exemplary time instants by a given time offset may be the time instant related to the first predefined user input.
• a time frame including the time instant of reception of the first user input data 103 by the processing circuitry 110 may be the time frame related to the first predefined user input.
• a time frame including the time instant at which the user made the first predefined user input e.g., at the remote control 199 or the HMI of the crane 100
• a time frame that trails or leads one of the two aforementioned exemplary time instants by a given time offset may be the time frame related to the first predefined user input.
• the length (duration) of the time frame may, e.g., be 500 ms, 1 s, 2 s, 3 s or 5s. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
• the processing circuitry 100 dynamically determines the mass carried by the boom 140 for the successive time instants. In other words, the mass carried by the boom 140 is determined live for the successive time instants. Accordingly, live information about the mass carried by the boom 140 is available for further processing.
• the first and second sensor measurement values 101, 102 for the time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input allow to define a reference for the mass determination for the successive time instants. This is beneficial as the mass carried by the boom or crane 140 may change over time. For example, if no load is initially attached to the boom 140 and the tip 144 of the boom 140 is driven near the load 190 before the first predefined user input, the first and second sensor measurement values 101, 102 for the time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input may be used as reference values for the determination of the mass of the load 190 attached to and lifted by the boom 140 after the first predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may, e.g., be configured to determine a reference value for the mass carried by the boom 140 based on the first and second sensor measurement values 101, 102 for the time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input using a computational model.
• the processing circuitry 110 may likewise be configured to determine, for the respective time instant of the successive time instants, an auxiliary value for the mass based on the first and second sensor measurement values 101, 102 for the respective time instant using the computational model. Additionally, the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to determine the difference between the reference value and the auxiliary value for the respective time instant as the mass for the respective time instant.
• the computational model is a mathematical representation (e.g., a set of mathematical equations) for determining the mass carried by the boom 140 taking into account the positioning of the boom 140 and the respective pressure in the one or more hydraulic cylinders of the crane 100 for moving the boom 140 or the segment(s) thereof at the respective time instant or time frame.
• the computational model may be configured to take into account (be sensitive to) various aspects relating to the positioning of the boom 140.
• the respective pressure in the one or more hydraulic cylinders of the crane 100 for moving the boom 140 or the segment(s) depends on the positioning of the crane 100 as different positionings of the crane may cause different leveraging effects.
• the computational model may be configured to take into account (be sensitive to) the dependency of the respective pressure in the one or more hydraulic cylinders of the crane 100 for moving the boom 140 or the segment(s) thereof on the positioning of the crane 100.
• the computational model may be configured to take into account (be sensitive to) positioning-dependent mechanical deformations such as deflections of the boom 140 or one or more segment(s) thereof.
• the reference value indicates the output of the computational model if no load is carried by the boom 140 for the current positioning of the boom 140. If the load 190 is attached to and lifted by the boom 140 after the first predefined user input, the auxiliary value for the mass indicates the output of the computational model for the load 190 being carried by the boom 140.
• the reference value effectively indicates the tare mass and the auxiliary value for the mass effectively indicates the respective gross mass for the respective time instant. As the difference between the reference value and the auxiliary value for the respective time instant is determined as the mass for the respective time instant, the mass of the boom 140 cancels out and the resulting mass for the respective time instant is only the mass of the load 190 carried by the boom 140.
• the reference value effectively indicates the gross mass. If the load 190 is then unloaded (detached from the boom 140) after the first predefined user input, no load is carried by the boom 140. Accordingly, the auxiliary value for the respective time instant effectively indicates the respective tare mass. As the difference between the reference value and the auxiliary value for the respective time instant is determined as the mass for the respective time instant, the mass of the boom 140 cancels out and the resulting mass for the respective time instant is only the mass of the load 190 initially carried by the boom (with a negative sign as it is unloaded after the predetermined user input).
• the remote control 199 may comprise a display.
• the display may be part of the HMI or be separate from the HMI.
• the processing circuitry 110 may, e.g., be configured to control the remote control 199 to continuously (dynamically) display the determined (value indicating the) mass for the successive time instants. This is exemplarily illustrated in Fig. 2.
• Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary GUI 200 output by the display of the remote control 199.
• the GUI 200 shows a first graphical icon 210 which may be selected by the user. Selecting the graphical icon 210 by a corresponding user input at the remote control 199 may, e.g., be understood as the first predefined user input triggering the mass determination.
• the processing circuitry 110 determines the (values indicating the) mass carried by the boom 140 for the successive time instants. Further, the processing circuitry 110 may control the remote control 199 to continuously (dynamically) display the determined mass for the successive time instants.
• the GUI 200 shows the determined (values indicating the) mass for the successive time instants in a predefined portion 220 of the GUI 200. If the determined mass changes over the successive time instants, the value displayed in the predefined portion 220 of the GUI 200 changes (updates) accordingly.
• the load 190 carried by the boom 140 may swing or oscillate (e.g., due to the lifting operation or due to wind). This may negatively affect the mass determination as the swinging of the load 190 may affect the pressures in the hydraulic cylinders 145 and 146.
• the pressures in the hydraulic cylinders 145 and 146 may vary (e.g., oscillate) depending on the swinging or oscillating of the load 190.
• the processing circuitry 110 may optionally be configured to (e.g., continuously) determine a value indicative of an oscillation amplitude of the (hydraulic) pressure in at least one of the one or more hydraulic cylinders of the boom 140 (e.g., one of the hydraulic cylinders 145 and 146) based on the second sensor measurement values 102.
• the oscillation amplitude of the pressure in the hydraulic cylinder e.g., the pressure in one of the hydraulic cylinders 145 and 146) may be determined according to one or more rules or sets of rules (e.g., one or more predefined mathematical equations or sets of equations receiving the second sensor measurement values 102 as input).
• the value indicative of the oscillation amplitude may be determined in response to the first predefined user input.
• the determined value indicative of the oscillation amplitude may be compared to a threshold value to determine whether the load 190 is swinging too much.
• the threshold value may, e.g., indicate a maximum, accepted or tolerable change of pressure per unit time (e.g., a maximum, accepted or tolerable change of pressure per second). If the value indicative of the oscillation amplitude is less than the threshold value, the load 190 is swinging in a manner tolerable for the mass determination or is not swinging at all.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to start to continuously determine the mass for the successive time instants. On the other hand, the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to not start to continuously determine the mass for the successive time instants if (as long as, while) the value indicative of the oscillation amplitude is above the threshold value.
• the above processing may further be notified to the user via the GUI 200.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to display a (predefined) first symbol 230 if the oscillation amplitude is less than the threshold value. If the first symbol 230 is displayed, the user may be notified that the mass displayed in the predefined portion 220 of the GUI 200 is reliable.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to not display the first symbol 230. Instead, the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to display a second (predefined) symbol 240 as illustrated in Fig. 3 . If the second symbol 240 is displayed, the user is notified that the load 190 is swinging too much and, hence, no mass determination is possible. Additionally, a flashing character string such as "--.--" may be displayed at the predefined portion 220 of the GUI 200 to further highlight that the mass cannot be determined currently. In other examples, the second (predefined) symbol 240 may be omitted and no symbol may be output in the GUI 200 to highlight that the value indicative of the oscillation amplitude is above the threshold value.
• the GUI 200 may further show a second graphical icon 250 and a third graphical icon 260 which may be selected by the user.
• Selecting the second graphical icon 250 by a corresponding user input at the remote control 199 may be understood as a second predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be further configured to receive second user input data indicating the second predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to add the mass determined for a time instant related to the second predefined user input to a stored mass value.
• the value of the stored mass value is increased by the mass determined for the time instant related to the second predefined user input. For example, if the stored mass value denotes the mass of loads previously loaded to a vehicle with the crane 100, the stored mass value may be updated to additionally reflect the mass of another load currently being loaded to the vehicle with the crane 100.
• the time instant related to the second predefined user input is a time instant defined by the second predefined user input.
• the time instant of reception of the second user input data by the processing circuitry 110 may be the time instant related to the second predefined user input.
• the time instant at which the user made the second predefined user input may be the time instant related to the second predefined user input.
• the time instant at which the user made the second predefined user input may be indicated by the second user input data (e.g., as metadata).
• a time instant that trails or leads one of the two aforementioned exemplary time instants by a given time offset may be the time instant related to the second predefined user input.
• Selecting the third graphical icon 260 by a corresponding user input at the remote control 199 may be understood as a third predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be further configured to receive third user input data indicating the third predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to delete the mass determined for a time instant related to the third predefined user input from the stored mass value.
• the value of the stored mass value is decreased by the mass determined for the time instant related to the third predefined user input.
• the initial value of the stored mass value may be input by the user via a corresponding user input (e.g., at the remote control 199).
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to receive user input data indicating an initial value for the stored mass value.
• the stored mass value denotes the mass of loads previously loaded to a vehicle with the crane 100, i.e., the total mass of loads currently loaded to the vehicle
• the stored mass value may be updated to reflect the unloading of a load currently being unloaded from the vehicle with the crane 100.
• the time instant related to the third predefined user input may be analogous to the time instant related to the second predefined user input.
• the addition and deletion of determined masses to and from the stored mass value may further be stored in a list.
• the GUI 200 may further show a fourth graphical icon 270 which may be selected by the user. Selecting the fourth graphical icon 270 by a corresponding user input at the remote control 199 may allow to enter the list and cause the GUI 200 to show the determined masses added to and deleted from the stored mass value.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 accordingly.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to compare the stored mass value to one or more threshold values.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to compare the stored mass value to a threshold value indicating a maximum load (or payload) that can be loaded to a vehicle with the crane 100 (i.e. indicating a load limit).
• the threshold value may be input by the user via a corresponding user input (e.g., at the remote control 199).
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to receive user input data indicating the threshold value.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to output a feedback for the user (e.g., an operator of the crane 100) if the stored mass value exceeds the threshold value to warn the operator that the vehicle is overloaded.
• the feedback may be an acoustic feedback such as one or more predefined sounds or voice outputs (e.g., with a text corresponding the threshold), a graphic feedback such as one or more graphical symbols or text outputs or a haptic feedback such as vibrating the remote control 199.
• the user may wish to freeze display of the determined mass.
• the GUI 200 may further show a fifth graphical icon 280 which may be selected by the user. Selecting the fifth graphical icon 280 by a corresponding user input at the remote control 199 may be understood as a fourth predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be further configured to receive fourth user input data indicating the fourth predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to freeze display of the determined mass.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to not change (update) the displayed (value indicating the determined) mass anymore.
• the GUI 200 may further show a third symbol 290 instead of the first symbol 230 to inform the user that the mass value displayed in the predefined region 220 is "frozen", i.e., currently (no longer) updated. Freezing the display of the determined mass may allow the user to read the mass at a later time instant.
• the frozen display of the determined mass may further be unfrozen by the user.
• selecting the fifth graphical icon 280 by a corresponding user input at the remote control 199 while the display of the determined mass is frozen may be understood as a fifth predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be further configured to receive fifth user input data indicating the fifth predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to unfreeze the display of the determined mass and to (continue to) continuously display the determined (values indicating the) mass for the successive time instants.
• the mass displayed in the predefined region 220 is again the live determined mass such that the user may read the mass currently carried by the boom 140.
• the first symbol 230 may again be displayed as illustrated in Fig. 2 .
• the boom 140 may be freely moved after the first predefined user input.
• an accuracy of the mass determination may be affected (e.g., decreased, lowered) by changing the positioning of the boom 140 too much after first predefined user input.
• the change in cylinder pressure may be the result of the changing intrinsic moment (e.g., the moment may only be caused by the crane weigh itself) due to the different crane position after any crane movement.
• the processing circuitry 100 may be configured to determine a reference positioning of the boom 140 based on the on the first sensor measurement values 101 for the time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input.
• the reference positioning denotes the positioning of the boom 140 at the time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to determine a reference positioning of the boom 140 using a second computational model.
• the second computational model is a mathematical representation (e.g., a set of mathematical equations) for determining the positioning of the boom 140 using the first sensor measurement values 101 as input.
• the geometry of the crane 100 in particular the geometry of the boom 140 and the degrees of freedom of the crane 100 may be reflected by the second computational model.
• the position of the tip 144 of the boom 140 may, e.g., be determined.
• first sensor measurement values 101 for the time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input may be used as the reference positioning of the boom 140.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to determine, based on the first sensor measurement values 101 for the respective time instant of the successive time instants, whether a deviation of the positioning of the boom 140 at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the boom 140 exceeds a predefined deviation.
• the predefined deviation is a deviation tolerable for the determination of the mass carried by the boom 140. If the deviation of the positioning of the boom 140 at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the boom 140 does not exceed the predefined deviation, the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to determine the mass as described above and optionally perform one or more of the other aspects described herein (e.g., control the remote control 199 to continuously display the determined mass).
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to perform various actions. For example, the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to stop determining the mass carried by the boom 140. Alternatively or additionally, the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to stop displaying the determined mass. For example, the remote control may be controlled to display a string such as "--.---"at the predefined portion 220 of the GUI 200 and the second symbol 240 like in Fig. 2 . Accordingly, the user may be notified that the deviation of the positioning of the boom 140 at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the boom 140 exceeds the predefined deviation.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to freeze display of the determined mass. Accordingly, the value of the mass determined last before the deviation of the positioning of the boom 140 at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the boom 140 exceeded the predefined deviation may be display to the user.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to display the determined mass for the respective time instant together with a symbol indicating that an accuracy of the determined mass might be reduced. Accordingly, the user may be notified that the displayed value of the determined mass is perfectly accurate. Even a less accurate value of the determined mass may be sufficient for various applications. Hence, the displayed value of the determined mass may be of interest for the user.
• the reference positioning of the boom 140 may indicate one or more of an angle between different segments of the boom 140 in the reference positioning, an angle between a segment of the boom 140 and the base 130 in the reference positioning and an extension of extendable segments of the boom 140 in the reference positioning.
• the reference positioning of the crane arm may, e.g., indicate the angle ⁇ 1 between the segments 141 and 142, the angle ⁇ 2 between the segment 142 and the base 130 as well as the extension L of the extendable segment 141 for the time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to determine that the deviation of the positioning of the boom 140 at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the boom 140 exceeds the predefined deviation if at least one of the angle between different segments of the boom 140, the angle between the segment of the boom 140 and the base 130 and the extension of the extendable segments of the boom 140 at the respective time instant deviates from the respective one of the angle between the different segments of the boom 140 in the reference positioning, the angle between the segment of the boom 140 and the base in the reference positioning and the extension of the extendable segments of the boom 140 in the reference positioning by more than a predefined threshold.
• the processing circuitry 110 may, e.g., be configured to determine that the deviation of the positioning of the boom 140 at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the boom 140 exceeds the predefined deviation if:
• the first threshold value and the second threshold value may be identical to each other or be different from each other.
• the first threshold value and the second threshold value may be 10 ° or more, 15 ° or more, 20 ° or more, 25 ° or more, or 30 ° or more.
• the third threshold value may, e.g., be 10 % or more, 15 % or more, 20 % or more, 25 % or more, 30 % or more, or 35 % or more of a maximum extension of the respective extendable segment (e.g., the segment 141 in the example of Fig. 1 ).
• the third threshold value may, e.g., be 0.5 m or more, 1 m or more, 1.5 m or more, 2 m or more, 2.5 m or more, or 3 m or more. It is to be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned values. Other values may be used as well.
• the reference positioning of the boom 140 may indicate a position of the tip 144 of the boom 140.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to determine that the deviation of the positioning of the boom 140 at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the boom 140 exceeds the predefined deviation if the position of the tip 144 of the boom 140 for the respective time instant is not within a predefined area around the position indicated by the reference positioning of the boom 140. This is exemplarily illustrated in Fig. 5 .
• the point 510 illustrates the position of the tip 144 for the reference positioning (i.e., the time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input) in Fig. 5 .
• the volume of the cube 520 represents the predefined area around the position of the tip 144 for the reference positioning.
• the point 510 is at the center of the cube 520.
• the processing circuitry 110 may determine that the deviation of the positioning of the boom 140 at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the boom 140 does not exceed the predefined deviation.
• the processing circuitry 110 may determine that the deviation of the positioning of the boom 140 at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the boom 140 exceeds the predefined deviation.
• the position of the tip 144 may, e.g., be determined using the second computational model described above based on the first measurement values 101 for the time instant or time frame related to the first predefined user input and the respective time instant of the successive time instants.
• no point within the predefined area around the position indicated by the reference positioning of the boom 140 may exhibit distance greater than 1 m, 1.5 m, 2 m, 2.5 m, 3 m, 3.5 m, 4 m, 4.5 m or 5 m from the position indicated by the reference positioning of the boom 140.
• the cube 520 is merely an exemplary geometric form used for explaining the technology of the present disclosure. Other geometric forms such as a sphere or a rectangle may be used instead.
• a user such as an operator of the crane 100 may want to limit the mass carried by the boom 140.
• the user may make a corresponding user input via the remote control 199 or via the HMI of the crane 100.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be further configured to receive sixth user input data indicating a maximum mass to be carried by the boom 140.
• the maximum mass to be carried by the boom 140 may be compared to the mass determined for the respective time instant of the successive time instants.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to determine, for the respective time instant of the successive time instants, a relationship between the determined mass and the maximum mass.
• the relationship between the determined mass and the maximum mass may be a ratio of the determined mass to the maximum mass indicated by the sixth user input data or a difference between the determined mass and the maximum mass indicated by the sixth user input data.
• various actions may be performed.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the boom 140 to perform a predefined action if the relationship indicates that the determined mass exceeds the maximum mass (e.g., if the ratio of the determined mass to the maximum mass exceeds a threshold value or if the difference between the determined mass and the maximum mass is lower than a threshold value).
• the predefined action may be manifold.
• the boom 140 may be controlled to stop moving or to perform a movement that is the reverse of the previous movement of the boom 140. For example, if the maximum mass to be carried by the boom 140 is the maximum mass than can be carried by the boom 140 according to specifications of manufacturer of the crane 100, stopping movement of the boom 140 may avoid damage of the boom 140 or other parts of the crane 100.
• the maximum mass to be carried by the boom 140 may limit the force with which the crane 100 pulls the underfloor container. As the force with which the crane 100 pulls the underfloor container during lifting is limited, damage of the underfloor container during lifting may be avoided.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to control the remote control 199 to output a respective feedback for the user (e.g., an operator of the crane 100) based on the relationship between the determined mass and the maximum mass (e.g., if the ratio exceeds one or more threshold values).
• the feedback may be an acoustic feedback such as one or more predefined sounds or voice outputs (e.g., with a text corresponding the respective threshold), a graphic feedback such as one or more graphical symbols or text outputs or a haptic feedback such as vibrating the remote control 199.
• the remote control 199 may be controlled to output a respective feedback if the ratio of the determined mass to the maximum mass exceeds 0.7, 0.75, 0.8, 0.85, 0.9, 0.95 or 1. Accordingly, the user may be informed that the mass carried by the boom 140 is approaching or even exceeding the maximum mass to be carried by the boom 140.
• Fig. 6 illustrates an example of a corresponding GUI 600.
• the determined (value indicating the) weight is displayed in the predefined region 220.
• a graphical icon 610 is further shown in the GUI 600. Selecting the graphical icon 610 by a corresponding user input at the remote control 199 allows the user to activate the limitation of the mass carried by the boom 140.
• the set maximum mass to be carried by the boom 140 is shown in the predefined region 630 of the GUI 600.
• a graphical icon 640 is shown in the GUI 600 to inform the user that the mass shown in the predefined region 630 is the maximum mass to be carried by the boom 140 and not the determined mass. Accordingly, the user is enabled to monitor the determined mass together with the set maximum mass to be carried by the boom 140.
• the mass to be carried by the boom 140 may be adjusted via one or more further user inputs at the HMI of the remote control 199. If the user selects the graphical icon 610 again by a corresponding user input at the remote control 199, the limitation of the mass carried by the boom 140 may be deactivated.
• the deactivation/activation of the limitation of the mass carried by the boom 140 may by indicated in various ways in the GUI 600.
• the graphical icon 610 may be different when the limitation of the mass carried by the boom 140 is activated than when the limitation of the mass carried by the boom 140 is deactivated as illustrated in Fig. 7 , where the graphical icon 610 is different than in Fig. 6 .
• an additional graphical icon 650 may be displayed when the limitation of the mass carried by the boom 140 is activated as illustrated in Fig. 6 .
• the first user input data 103 and also the other user input data are received by the processing circuitry 110 from the remote control 199.
• the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
• the first user input data 103 and also the other user input data may be received by the processing circuitry 110 from the HMI of the crane 100 or another device (e.g., a mobile phone or a tablet-computer of the operator of the crane or a third party).
• a hook, a grapple, a crane fork, a clamshell bucket or a multi-shell grab may be mounted to the boom 140 to carry (hold, pick up) load.
• the load may be manifold.
• the load may be a packed load such as a container, a box, a vessel or a pawl having stored thereon or therein one or more devices, fluids or other material.
• packed load may be carried via a hook, a grapple, a crane fork mounted to the tip 144 of the boom 140.
• the live mass determination according to the present disclosure may enable a user (e.g., an operator of the crane 100) to check whether the packed load is fully set down on sensitive surfaces (e.g., during window installation) and/or in obscure environments (e.g., environments with limited visibility such as foggy environments). Because of the dynamically determined mass displayed on the remote control 199, an operator of the crane 100 on the ground may, e.g., know for sure that a load is set down on the top of a building.
• the dynamically determined mass displayed on the remote control 199 may allow an operator of the crane 100 to check whether the crane 100 is operated within the operation limits specified by a manufacturer of the crane 100 or whether the combined mass of a vehicle holding the crane 100 and the lifted load is within the specification of an operator of the operation site at which the crane 100 is used to load and/or unload loads.
• the load may be bulk material.
• the bulk material may, e.g., carried (picked up) via a clamshell bucket or a multi-shell grab mounted to the tip 144 of the boom 140.
• the live mass determination according to the present disclosure may enable improved estimation of the loaded and/or unloaded quantity of bulk material such as, e.g., gravel, soil or sand.
• loaded and/or unloaded quantity of bulk material may be watched live on the remote control 199 and tabulated.
• the tabulated values may be saved or transmitted to a server (e.g., a central server or a third party server).
• a server e.g., a central server or a third party server.
• the crane 100 comprises the processing circuitry 100 for determining the mass carried by the boom 140.
• the remote control 199 may comprise the processing circuitry 110 and not the crane 100.
• remote control 199 may be configured to receive the first and second measurement values 101 and 102 from the crane 100.
• the first user input data 103 (and also the other user input data) may be received by the processing circuitry 110 from the remote control 199, the HMI of the crane 100 or another device (e.g., a mobile phone or a tablet-computer of the operator of the crane or a third party).
• the mass carried by the boom 140 may be determined in the cloud.
• a computing cloud (i.e., is a network of remote servers hosted on the internet) may comprise the processing circuitry 110 and not the crane 100.
• the computing cloud may be configured to receive the first and second measurement values 101 and 102 from the crane 100 and to receive the first user input data 103 (and also the other user input data) from the remote control 199, the HMI of the crane 100 or another device (e.g., a mobile phone or a tablet-computer of the operator of the crane or a third party).
• the processing circuitry 110 may perform the steps and methods described herein (e.g., determine the mass carried by the boom 140 and control the display of the remote control 199 to display the determined mass).
• the present disclosure generally provides an apparatus for determining a mass carried by a crane arm of a crane, wherein the apparatus comprises processing circuitry configured to perform the steps and methods described herein.
• the weight determination according to the present disclosure may be performed while the crane arm 140 is moving or operated.
• the processing circuitry 110 may be configured to continuously determine the mass for the successive time instants during operation of the crane arm 140.
• Fig. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method 800 for determining a mass carried by a crane arm of a crane.
• the method 800 comprises receiving 802 first sensor measurement values indicating a positioning of the crane arm. Further, the method 800 comprises receiving 804 second sensor measurement values indicating a respective pressure in one or more hydraulic cylinders of the crane for moving the crane arm or a segment of the crane arm.
• the method 800 additionally comprises receiving 806 user input data indicating a predefined user input.
• the method 800 comprises continuously determining 808 the mass for successive time instants based on the first and second sensor measurement values for a time instant or time frame related to the predefined user input and further based on the first and second sensor measurement values for the respective time instant of the successive time instants.
• the method 800 may allow to continuously determine the mass carried by a crane arm for successive time instants. Accordingly, live information about the mass carried by the crane arm is available for further processing.
• the method 800 may comprise one or more additional optional features corresponding to one or more aspects of the proposed technique or one or more examples described above.
• An example relates to an apparatus for determining a mass carried by a crane arm of a crane.
• the apparatus comprises processing circuitry configured to receive first sensor measurement values indicating a positioning of the crane arm.
• the processing circuitry is further configured to receive second sensor measurement values indicating a respective pressure in one or more hydraulic cylinders of the crane for moving the crane arm or a segment of the crane arm.
• the processing circuitry is configured to receive user input data indicating a predefined user input.
• the processing circuitry is configured to continuously determining the mass for successive time instants based on the first and second sensor measurement values for a time instant or time frame related to the predefined user input and based on the first and second sensor measurement values for the respective time instant of the successive time instants.
• Another example relates to a previous example (e.g., example 1) or to any other example, wherein, for continuously determining the mass for successive time instants, the processing circuitry is configured to: determine a reference value for the mass based on the first and second sensor measurement values for the time instant or time frame related to the predefined user input using a computational model; determine, for the respective time instant of the successive time instants, an auxiliary value for the mass based on the first and second sensor measurement values for the respective time instant using the computational model; and determine the difference between the reference value and the auxiliary value for the respective time instant as the mass for the respective time instant.
• Another example (e.g., example 3) relates to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 or 2) or to any other example, wherein the first sensor measurement values comprise one or more of sensor measurement values indicating a measured angle between different segments of the crane arm, sensor measurement values indicating a measured angle between a segment of the crane arm and a base supporting the crane arm, and sensor measurement values indicating a respective extension of one or more extendable segments of the crane arm.
• Another example (e.g., example 4) relates to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 to 3) or to any other example, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control a remote control of the crane to continuously display the determined mass for the successive time instants.
• Another example (e.g., example 5) relates to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 to 4) or to any other example, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a value indicative of an oscillation amplitude of the pressure in at least one of the one or more hydraulic cylinders of the crane arm based on the second sensor measurement values, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to start to continuously determine the mass for the successive time instants if the value indicative of the oscillation amplitude is less than a threshold value.
• Another example (e.g., example 6) relates to a previous example (e.g., example 5) or to any other example, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control a remote control of the crane to display a first symbol if the value indicative of oscillation amplitude is less than the threshold value.
• Another example (e.g., example 7) relates to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 to 6) or to any other example, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: receive second user input data indicating a second predefined user input and/or a third user input data indicating a third predefined user input; add the mass determined for a time instant related to the second predefined user input to a stored mass value in response to the second predefined user input; and delete the mass determined for a time instant related to the third predefined user input from the stored mass value in response to the third predefined user input.
• Another example (e.g., example 8) relates to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 to 7) or to any other example, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: receive fourth user input data indicating a fourth predefined user input; and, in response to the fourth predefined user input, control a remote control of the crane to freeze display of the determined mass.
• Another example (e.g., example 9) relates to a previous example (e.g., example 8) or to any other example, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: receive fifth user input data indicating a fifth predefined user input; and, in response to the fifth predefined user input, control the remote control to unfreeze display of the determined mass and continuously display the determined mass for the successive time instants.
• Another example (e.g., example 10) relates to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 to 9) or to any other example, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: determine, based on the first sensor measurement values for the time instant or time frame related to the predefined user input, a reference positioning of the crane arm; determine, based on the first sensor measurement values for the respective time instant of the successive time instants, whether a deviation of the positioning of the crane arm at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the crane arm exceeds a predefined deviation; and, if the deviation of the positioning of the crane arm at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the crane arm exceeds the predefined deviation, control a remote control of the crane to perform one or more of the following
• Another example relates to a previous example (e.g., example 10) or to any other example, wherein the reference positioning of the crane arm indicates one or more of an angle between different segments of the crane arm in the reference positioning, an angle between a segment of the crane arm and a base supporting the crane arm in the reference positioning and an extension of an extendable segments of the crane arm in the reference positioning, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine that the deviation of the positioning of the crane arm at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the crane arm exceeds the predefined deviation if at least one of the angle between different segments of the crane arm, the angle between the segment of the crane arm and the base and the extension of the extendable segments of the crane arm at the respective time instant deviates from the respective one of the angle between the different segments of the crane arm in the reference positioning, the angle between the segment of the crane arm and the base in the reference positioning and the extension of the extendable segments of the crane arm in the reference positioning by more than a predefined threshold.
• Another example (e.g., example 12) relates to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 10 or 11) or to any other example, wherein the reference positioning of the crane arm indicates a position of a tip of the crane arm, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine that the deviation of the positioning of the crane arm at the respective time instant from the reference positioning of the crane arm exceeds the predefined deviation if the position of the tip of the crane arm for the respective time instant is not within a predefined area around the position indicated by the reference positioning of the crane arm.
• Another example relates to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 to 12) or to any other example, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: receive sixth user input data indicating a maximum mass to be carried by the crane arm; and determine, for the respective time instant of the successive time instants, a relationship between the determined mass and the maximum mass, and perform one or more of the following
• Another example relates to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 to 13) or to any other example, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to continuously determine the mass for the successive time instants during operation of the crane arm.
• Another example (e.g., example 15) relates to a crane comprising the apparatus according to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 to 14) or to any other example.
• Another example relates to a previous example (e.g., example 15) or to any other example, further comprising: one or more first sensors configured to continuously measure a respective property indicative of the positioning of the crane arm and to generate the first sensor measurement values based on the respective measured property; and one or more second sensors configured to continuously measure the respective pressure in one of the one or more hydraulic cylinders and to generate the second sensor measurement values based on the respective measured pressure.
• Another example (e.g., example 17) relates to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 15 or 16) or to any other example, wherein the crane is a loader crane.
• An example (e.g., example 18) relates to a remote control for a crane, comprising: a human-machine-interface configured to receive user inputs for controlling operation of the crane; the apparatus according to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 to 14) or to any other example; and a display configured to continuously display the determined mass for the successive time instants.
• Another example (e.g., example 19) relates to a computing cloud comprising the according to a previous example (e.g., one of the examples 1 to 14) or to any other example.
• An example (e.g., example 20) relates to a method for determining a mass carried by a crane arm of a crane, comprising receiving first sensor measurement values indicating a positioning of the crane arm, receiving second sensor measurement values indicating a respective pressure in one or more hydraulic cylinders of the crane for moving the crane arm or a segment of the crane arm, receiving user input data indicating a predefined user input, in response to the predefined user input, continuously determining the mass for successive time instants based on the first and second sensor measurement values for a time instant or time frame related to the predefined user input and based on the first and second sensor measurement values for the respective time instant of the successive time instants.
• Another example (e.g., example 21) relates to a non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon a program having a program code for performing the method according to a previous example (e.g., example 20) or to any other example, when the program is executed on a processor or a programmable hardware of the crane.
• Another example relates to a program having a program code for performing the method according to a previous example (e.g., example 20) or to any other example, when the program is executed on a processor or a programmable hardware of the crane.
• Examples may further be or relate to a (computer) program including a program code to execute one or more of the above methods when the program is executed on a computer, processor or other programmable hardware component.
• steps, operations or processes of different ones of the methods described above may also be executed by programmed computers, processors or other programmable hardware components.
• Examples may also cover program storage devices, such as digital data storage media, which are machine-, processor- or computer-readable and encode and/or contain machine-executable, processor-executable or computer-executable programs and instructions.
• Program storage devices may include or be digital storage devices, magnetic storage media such as magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard disk drives, or optically readable digital data storage media, for example.
• Other examples may also include computers, processors, control units, (field) programmable logic arrays ((F)PLAs), (field) programmable gate arrays ((F)PGAs), graphics processor units (GPU), ASICs, integrated circuits (ICs) or SoCs programmed to execute the steps of the methods described above.
• FPLAs field programmable logic arrays
• FPGAs field programmable gate arrays
• GPU graphics processor units
• ASICs integrated circuits
• SoCs integrated circuits programmed to execute the steps of the methods described above.
• aspects described in relation to a device or system should also be understood as a description of the corresponding method.
• a block, device or functional aspect of the device or system may correspond to a feature, such as a method step, of the corresponding method.
• aspects described in relation to a method shall also be understood as a description of a corresponding block, a corresponding element, a property or a functional feature of a corresponding device or a corresponding system.

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• 2024
  • 2024-04-18 EP EP24171139.9A patent/EP4635892A1/de active Pending
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  • 2025-04-11 WO PCT/EP2025/060112 patent/WO2025219280A1/en active Pending

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