ES2528792T3 - Autonomous load leveler for radio-controlled cranes - Google Patents

Abstract

Radio-controlled autonomous load leveler for cranes, comprising: - a support (1) for the leveler elements, with a hook for a crane (2); - an electric power generator; - a remote control system for wireless reception of commands; characterized in that it further comprises: - load leveling means comprising four winches or four hoists (3), each one to manipulate the load to a different leveling point, powered by the power generator and responsible for handling the load hooked on the four hooks (12) based on orders received by the remote control system, the four winches or four hoists (3) individually operable by radio control; - an oscillating base (5) that allows the four winches or four hoists (3) to oscillate in order to align their hooks (12) with the respective hooking point of the load.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Autonomous load leveler for radio-controlled cranes

Technical sector

The invention is part of the technical sector of lifting loads with cranes, both tower cranes, boom cranes or any other type of crane.

State of the art

Currently the work to level a load suspended by a crane is done manually by shortening or lengthening the chains or slings that hold the piece to the hook of the crane. Suspended loads are put to rest as many times as shortening operations

or elongated chains or slings are necessary in order to bring the load with the necessary inclination to its final destination.

In the market there is no machine that performs these operations mechanically and remotely completely autonomously and capable of working in special conditions. Document GB2467149A discloses a load leveler according to the preamble of claim 1.

Description of the invention

The object of the invention is a machine that connected to the crane hook is able to shorten or lengthen the chains or slings in a mechanical and remote way, avoiding the continuous manipulation by operators of the suspended load, thus converting the leveling operation of loads in a safe and fast operation.

The object of the invention is also to have an autonomous load leveler for radio-controlled cranes capable of working in explosive environments, environments with radio interference, underwater environments, sterilized environments, for food sectors, hospitals, laboratories, etc. These objects are achieved by the load leveler according to claim 1.

The autonomous remote control leveler is a machine designed to be hung on the hook of a crane. Provided with an electric generator and a radio-control system that guarantee its total autonomy and allow the hoists to be operated remotely, it ensures that the hanging load of the four hooks is handled at the desired position and at a safe distance for the operators, all with the suspended load.

The invention can be used in the assembly of ferrals and formwork of inclined pillars of bridges, viaducts, etc. It can also be used in the assembly of inclined structures, allowing the work of two or three cranes with just one. The load leveler also allows especially the assembly of any piece that needs strobes of different lengths, since the load leveler allows this operation to be carried out with the load suspended.

The use of a load leveler by remote control in traffic accidents would substantially simplify the work of hitching, hoisting and subsequent placing in the transport position of the damaged vehicles, reducing in the same way the road cut time.

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The present invention can also supply electrical, hydraulic or both power to various accessories for cranes that until now were manually operated. For example, it allows electricity to be supplied to a pump to drain water that, hanging from the leveler, would avoid having to use electric extensions in flooded areas and even the movement of an operator to each pumping point to place the pump.

In the construction of retaining walls, we often find shoes or walls prepared for concrete pouring, and due to the rain or the appearance of cracks the slope becomes unstable and dangerous for the workers. The leveler can supply electricity to a concrete bucket with electric opening and an electric vibrator. It can also lead both hangers, concrete and vibrate the concrete without operators on the formwork, which is not safe due to the proximity of the slope.

The autonomous load leveler brings another set of advantages:

-It is able to suspend a piece or structure from the transport position to its final destination, adjusting to the angle of inclination that is required and thus avoiding the continuous handling of the load by the operators, which lengthen or shorten the chains anchor according to needs.

-For its versatility, the load leveler means optimizing tasks that would have to be carried out by more than one crane; The precision necessary for the assembly of certain structures often forces us to use three or even four cranes. Using the load leveler, one would be enough.

-Provides considerable savings by reducing both the number of crane hours needed and those of the essential staff for leveling tasks.

-Allows you to automate instruments that, to date, are manually operated (concrete cupola, concrete vibrator, water pump, etc.) by supplying them with the electrical and / or hydraulic energy necessary for their operation, handling them at a safe distance.

Regarding occupational safety and health, the load leveler also offers a number of advantages:

-In construction works one of the works entrusted to the tower crane is the transfer and turning of the rubbish bins and bathtubs. This operation is carried out by moving the gruista to the discharge point to, supporting the bat, release the two front chains and lift the bat again so that it is uneven and unloaded. It is very common in these types of works that the point of discharge is very difficult for the grower to access, and even dangerous when it comes to transcending the walls of the work, since the chains must be released at the point of discharge and with the bat supported on the wall. Using the load leveler, not only the movement of the grower through unconditioned areas is avoided, but this or another operator is also prevented from manipulating the bat to be able to unload it.

-In the case of handling a pallet clamp with safety cage, it can be lifted with the leveler allowing the load to be released without any operator moving to the discharge point, in order to lift the cage and thus recover the clamp .

-In construction works of retaining walls it is very frequent that due to rain, the

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appearance of cracks, the low resistance of the ground etc., the slope is compromised its stability. When the formwork is ready to concrete and the slope becomes unstable and dangerous for the workers who (on the formwork) are responsible for pouring the concrete and vibrating it, it is when the load leveler can be used as follows: concrete curtain with electric drive of the leveler support, and an electric concrete vibrator is hung from the hoist. The load leveler supplies electricity and safe remote operation of both tools, thus allowing the concrete to be poured precisely to then lower the vibrator and make it work. In this way you can concretize areas that security prevents the work personnel from executing assuming personal risks.

-In the assembly of structures, the use of slings is the most common. Its elasticity causes differences of several centimeters in length from each other. This is due to the fact that some are subject to more load than the others, stretching more when they carry more weight. In other cases, the profiles surrounding the slings are of different thicknesses, the mooring points are not symmetrical, the structure is placed with a small inclination etc. For this reason, these small differences are often attempted to correct with rudimentary and dangerous methods, whether balancing, leveraging or manipulating the load with operators when it is still suspended. With the load leveler, any difference in the length of the slings is absorbed, giving the structure assembly operation the precision necessary to prevent the suspended part from being dangerously manipulated by the operators.

Brief description of the drawings

A series of drawings that help to better understand the invention and that expressly relate to an embodiment of said invention which is presented as a non-limiting example thereof is described very briefly below.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the autonomous load leveler.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention comprises, in a first preferred embodiment, four fundamental parts:

-An electric generator with radio control starter responsible for the supply of the electricity necessary to operate the rest of the electrical parts.

-A minimum of an electric or hydraulic hoist and a maximum of as many hoists as leveling points are required, with a maximum of four hoists being normal. This hoist or group of hoists are responsible for placing the suspended piece in the desired position.

-An industrial radiocontrol receiver / transmitter with double push-buttons, one to start / stop the electric generator, one to start / stop the electro-hydraulic pump if there is one, and one for each hoist installed at least, whose function is to operate the electric hoists or the solenoid valves if hydraulic hoists are installed.

-A structure or support whose function is to house the hoists, the electric generator, the industrial radiocontrol receiver and the electro-hydraulic pump with its solenoid valves, as many as hydraulic hoists, in the case of these being installed, allowing the assembly to be hung from a crane and in turn hang the load that needs to be leveled.

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With all this you can start the generator and individually operate the hoists all by radio control, thus managing to handle a suspended load, leveling it to the desired position at a distance. In this way the load can be manipulated and tilted to adapt it to any position by lengthening and shortening the chains of the hoists from a safe distance to the suspended load.

In another preferred embodiment, the autonomous crane load leveler operated by radiocontrol allows a previous autonomous load leveler to be configured so that it can work in different special working environments. An autonomous load leveler for radio-controlled cranes can be configured to perform its function both underwater, indoor unventilated works, mining, food industries, pharmaceutical industries, etc. It comprises an autonomous load leveler for radio-controlled cranes similar to that of the first embodiment but with one or more of the following modifications:

-A source of energy that replaces the electric generator; This may be solar, wind, batteries, accumulators, fuel cell or a combination of them.

-One or several electric, hydraulic or pneumatic chain hoists, steel cable, tape

or synthetic cable, which replace the originals.

-An infrared, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth remote control system that replaces the original radio control system according to needs.

-One or several electric, hydraulic or pneumatic winches, with steel or synthetic cable that replace the original hoists.

-A flameproof electrical system that replaces the original.

- Hermetic components for underwater works that replace the originals according to needs.

Figure 1 shows, according to the first preferred, non-limiting embodiment, the autonomous load leveler object of the invention. On a support 1 with crane hook 2 (the figure also shows the crane hook 2 ', element that is not part of the load leveler) four hoists 3 are installed, driven by a hydraulic motor 4 each and placed on an oscillating base 5, which allows the hoist 3 to oscillate to align the hook of the hoist 12 with the hitch point. The oscillating base 5 is especially useful since three or more hoists or winches are used.

An electro-hydraulic pump 6 is also placed on the support 1, whose function is to send the pressurized hydraulic oil from the tank 7 to the distributor 8, consisting of at least one solenoid valve 9 (electrohydraulic valve) for each hoist 3.

To operate the solenoid valves 9, an industrial radio control receiver 10 with:

-A channel for starting / stopping the electric generator 11 also installed in bracket 1.

-A channel for starting / stopping the electrohydraulic pump 6.

-And one channel for each solenoid valve 9.

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The present invention is further illustrated by the following examples, which are not intended to be limiting in scope.

Example 1

A standalone crane load leveler powered by basic radio control for a construction tower crane with a maximum load of 2.5 tons with which it is intended to place beams on sloping roofs, such as solar panels, or any other type of inclined structure, including For unloading of rubble containers, it would consist of:

-An electric generator of approximately 2,000 watts of power with start-up by radio control.

-An electric hoist of 1,000 watts of power and 2.5 tons of load capacity.

-A receiver with a channel for starting / stopping the generator and a channel for actuating the electric polyspasto.

-A transmitter with as many double buttons as channels has the receiver.

-A support or structure that houses these pieces so that the load is suspended at two points, one in the structure or support and another in the hook of the hoist.

Example 2

An autonomous crane leveling device operated by radio control, intended for a crane whose function is to place a load whose anchor points at the destination are at different levels and have four hitch points and a weight of 5 tons, would be composed of:

-An electric generator of 3,500 watts of power with start-up by radio control.

-An electrohydraulic pump with at least four solenoid valves.

-An industrial radiocontrol receiver with a channel for starting / stopping the electric generator, a channel for starting / stopping the electro-hydraulic pump and a channel for each solenoid valve at least.

-An industrial radio control transmitter with as many double pushbuttons, as channels the receiver has.

-Four 5.5 ton hydraulic hoists.

-A support or structure to hang on the crane, which houses these pieces so that the load is suspended hooked on the four hooks of the hoists.

Example 3

A stand-alone crane load leveler operated by radiocontrol to work in explosive environments composed of a stand-alone load leveler for radio-controlled cranes, according to the first embodiment, but with the following modifications:

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-A flameproof electrical installation in all electrical components.

Example 4

An autonomous radio-controlled crane load leveler to work inside a pharmaceutical or food industry that needs to maintain a decontaminated atmosphere 5 would be composed of an autonomous radio-controlled crane load leveler, according to the first embodiment, but with The following modifications:

-A source of non-polluting energy based on electric accumulators, which replaces the original electric generator.

-Polipastos of tape or winches of synthetic cable that replace the original ones.

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Claims (8)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 E11853558 01-26-2015 1. Autonomous load leveler for radio-controlled cranes, comprising: -a support (1) of the elements of the leveler, with a crane hook (2); -an electric power generator; -a remote control system for wireless order reception; characterized in that it additionally comprises: -means of leveling of cargo comprising four winches or four hoists (3), each one to manipulate the load at a different leveling point, fed by the power generator and in charge of manipulating the load hooked on the four hooks (12) depending on orders received by the remote control system, the four winches or four hoists (3) being individually operable by radio control; An oscillating base (5) that allows the four winches or four hoists (3) to oscillate to align their hooks (12) with the respective point of attachment of the load.

2.

Autonomous load leveler according to claim 1, characterized in that the load leveling means comprise four electric hoists.

3.

Autonomous load leveler according to claim 1, characterized in that the load leveling means comprise four electric winches.

Four.

Autonomous load leveler according to claim 1, characterized in that the load leveling means comprise: - four winches or hydraulic hoists (3,4); -an electrohydraulic pump (6); -a hydraulic fluid reservoir (7);

-a hydraulic distributor (8); -for each winch or hydraulic hoist (3,4), an electrovalve (9) powered by the electric power generator for the activation of the corresponding hydraulic motor (4) depending on the orders received by the remote control system.

5.

Autonomous load leveler according to claim 1, characterized in that the load leveling means comprise: - four winches or pneumatic hoists;

-a compressor of compressed air; -a compressed air boiler; 8 E11853558 01-26-2015 -for each winch or pneumatic hoist, a pneumatic solenoid valve powered by the electric power generator for the activation of the corresponding compressed air motor depending on the orders received by the remote control system. 6. Autonomous load leveler according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the remote control system is of one of the following types: - industrial radio control receiver (10); - infrared remote control system; - Wi-Fi remote control system; - Bluetooth remote control system. 7. Autonomous load leveler according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electric power generator is of one of the following types: - electric generator (11); -solar generator; -wind-power generator; 15-batteries; -accumulators; -pile of fuel; -a combination of the above. 8. Autonomous charge leveler according to any of the preceding claims, 20 characterized in that the electrical system of the electrical components of the leveler is explosion-proof. 9. Autonomous load leveler according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the leveler uses hermetic components for underwater work. 10- Autonomous load leveler according to any of the preceding claims, 25 characterized in that it comprises a remote control transmitter to operate the four winches or four hoists (3) individually and remotely. 11-Autonomous charge leveler according to claim 10, characterized in that the remote control transmitter is an industrial radio control transmitter. 9