RU2828092C1 - Gantry crane remote control system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: remote control.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to remote control of industrial equipment. Gantry crane remote control system includes an image capturing unit; remote operator workstation; a data transmission channel configured to transmit data between at least an image capturing unit and a remote operator workstation; wherein the data transmission channel includes the first fibre-optic communication line connected with the possibility of data transmission to the remote operator workstation, mechanically connected to the gantry crane platform by means of a cable drum with the possibility of winding and unwinding the first fibre-optic communication line as the platform moves; a second fibre-optic communication line connected with the possibility of transmitting data to the image capturing unit, as well as connected to the first optical communication line with the possibility of transmitting data through the fibre-optic rotary connector; wherein the fibre-optic rotary connector is located substantially coaxially with the current collector ring so that the data transmission channel passes through the axial hole of the current collector ring.

EFFECT: improving the safety of remote control of a gantry crane.

3 cl, 3 dwg

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY TO WHICH THE INVENTION RELATES

The technical solution relates to means of remote control of industrial equipment. More specifically, the technical solution relates to a remote control system for a gantry crane.

LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY

A system for remote control of industrial equipment (a working machine) is known from the prior art (publication of patent US 10474228 from 2017), which includes a plurality of camera units and an image processing device provided both on the working machine and in it, as well as a display device and a remote control device, both provided on the remote control side. The display device detects the movement of the operator's head and transmits the detected movement of the operator's head to the remote control device. The remote control device wirelessly transmits the movement of the operator's head transmitted from the display device to the image processing device. The image processing device configures parts of panoramic images for the left and right eyes for transmission to the display device in accordance with the movement of the operator's head transmitted from the remote control device. The display device is an HMD (head-mounted display). In this case, data, including video image data, are transmitted via wireless communication.

On the one hand, a wireless data transmission channel is convenient for use in a system for remote control of a moving object. On the other hand, in the case where industrial equipment is a massive metal structure that moves over significant distances during operation (200 meters or more), data transmission via a wireless channel is subject to interference, interruptions in the communication channel and a drop in speed, which is critical for the safety of remote control of industrial equipment.

At the same time, wireless data transmission is limited in its speed, which also depends on the distance and obstacles in the radio signal transmission environment. One of the most modern wireless data transmission protocols used is 802.11ax. The theoretical maximum data transmission distance for this protocol is about 240 meters, and the speed is up to 3.5 Gbit/s. However, in practice, the values are much lower, especially in terms of data transmission speed, which is very sensitive to interference, the presence of nearby third-party radio signal sources at the same frequencies. Thus, in real conditions, the data transmission speed is limited to 500-600 Mbit/s. This drawback is especially critical in remote control of equipment that requires control of a large space at a long distance (for example, cranes). Such systems require high image quality, and, accordingly, impose high requirements on the width and stability of the data transmission channel.

An alternative to a wireless channel is an optical channel, such as a fiber optic cable. The channel capacity in optical networks can provide a stable data transfer rate of 10 Gbit/s without sagging or interference. Using optical fiber, it is possible to transmit a signal over a distance of up to 10 km. However, the use of a fiber optic data transmission channel in remote control systems for moving industrial equipment is associated with the complexity of laying and moving the cable.

A gantry crane is a full-slewing crane whose rotating platform is installed on a platform moving on rails laid on the ground or overpass. If it is necessary to create a remote control system for a gantry crane, a problem arises associated with the need to transmit a signal from the crane's rotating platform to the ground. Due to the rotation of the rotating platform, the visibility of access points is blocked by the cabin and, as a result, the communication channel is interrupted and interference occurs in it. Therefore, to ensure acceptable quality of data transmission between the rotating platform and the remote operator's workstation, it is necessary to create a complex system of several access points along the perimeter of the rotating platform to avoid overlapping, as well as several access points along the trajectory of the platform. At the same time, the use of multiple access points does not eliminate the risk of interference and interruption of communication as a result of the appearance of other objects in the signal transmission medium, for example, a moving load, or a change in weather conditions. In the case of remote control of equipment, these shortcomings are directly related to the safety of the production process: an increase in the delay of the video signal from the image capture unit or loss of data during transmission can lead to the operator generating erroneous commands and, accordingly, to inadequate control action on the equipment.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The developers of this technical solution were faced with the task of creating a remote control system for a gantry crane that would allow for safer control of the equipment and monitoring of its condition.

The specified task was solved by creating a system for remote control of a portal crane, containing a platform, made with the possibility of translational movement along guides; a rotating platform, located on the platform and made with the possibility of rotation relative to the platform; a ring current collector, containing an axial opening, and also made with the possibility of providing electrical contact between the equipment placed on the rotating platform and a power cable, mechanically connected to the platform; a cable drum, the axis of which is mechanically connected to the platform.

The system includes:

image capture unit;

remote operator workstation;

a data transmission channel configured to transmit data at least between the image capture unit and the remote operator workstation;

wherein the data transmission channel includes

a first fiber-optic communication line connected with the ability to transmit data to a remote operator workstation, mechanically connected to the gantry crane platform by means of a cable drum with the ability to wind and unwind the first fiber-optic communication line as the platform moves;

a second fiber-optic communication line connected with the ability to transmit data to the image capture unit, and also connected to the first optical communication line with the ability to transmit data via a fiber-optic rotary connector;

wherein the fiber optic rotary connector is located substantially coaxially with the ring current collector in such a way that the data transmission channel passes through the axial opening of the ring current collector.

The technical result achieved by the disclosed technical solution consists in increasing the safety of remote control of a gantry crane.

The technical result is achieved mainly by improving the quality of data transmission, including by reducing the delay and increasing the reliability (absence of significant interference) of the transmission of video data from the image capture unit of the gantry crane to the remote operator workstation by providing the ability to transmit data in the remote control system of the gantry crane via a fiber optic cable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a general diagram of a remote control system in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosed technical solution.

Fig. 2 - schematic representation of a ring current collector, side view in section (in the working position - in section along the vertical plane in which the current collector axis lies).

Fig. 3 - schematic representation of a ring current collector, top view in cross section (in working position - in section by horizontal plane).

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION

The present description discloses a remote control system for a portal crane 1. The portal crane, for the control of which the disclosed system can be used, comprises a platform 2, made with the possibility of translational movement along guides (preferably rails, not shown). Also, the crane 1 comprises a rotating platform 3, located on the platform 2 and made with the possibility of rotation relative to the platform 2. Also, the crane 1 comprises a ring current collector 4 (or current collector), containing an axial opening 5 and made with the possibility of providing electrical contact between the equipment placed on the rotating platform 3 and the power cable, mechanically connected to the platform 2. Also, the crane 1 comprises a cable drum 9, the axis of which is mechanically connected to the platform 2.

In accordance with the disclosed technical solution, the system includes an image capture unit. The image capture unit may include one or more image capture means 6, such as video cameras, configured to capture an image of a portion of the working space of the gantry crane 1 for subsequent transmission of image data via a communication channel to the remote operator workstation 8. In a preferred embodiment of the technical solution, the power supply of the image capture unit 6 is performed by connecting it to the interface cabinet 7; in addition, the interface cabinet may contain network interfaces that provide the ability to connect the image capture unit 6 and other equipment of the remote control system to the second fiber-optic communication line 11 with the ability to transmit data. In a preferred embodiment, the image capture unit 6 is configured to convert the image data before transmitting it to the remote operator workstation 8. The conversion may include compression, encoding, decoding, and other operations.

In accordance with the disclosed technical solution, the system includes a remote operator workstation 8. The remote operator workstation 8 is understood to be a remote control system unit that includes at least image output means transmitted from the image capture unit, for example in the form of stationary displays or a virtual reality helmet display (HMD); and portal crane equipment control means that are capable of generating control signals based on the operator's actions and transmitting them to the executive bodies of the portal crane 1, for example a joystick, buttons and other control elements. In a preferred embodiment of the technical solution, the remote operator workstation 8 is stationary, however, in some embodiments it can be mobile.

In accordance with the disclosed technical solution, the system includes a data transmission channel, designed with the possibility of transmitting data at least between the image capture unit 6 and the remote operator workstation 8. In a preferred embodiment, the data transmission channel includes a first fiber-optic communication line 10, a second fiber-optic communication line 11, as well as network interfaces that ensure the coupling of parts of the communication channel containing a data transmission medium of different types. The communication channel may, in individual sections, include sections in which data is transmitted by means of a radio signal, an Ethernet cable, an optical cable and/or other known types of data transmission media. The communication line may be understood as either a single cable or several parallel cables.

In accordance with the disclosed technical solution, the first fiber-optic communication line 10 is connected with the possibility of transmitting data to the remote operator workstation 8. The connection of the first fiber-optic communication line 10 can be performed both directly with the network interface of the remote operator workstation 8, and indirectly through other lines and data transmission media. In this case, the first fiber-optic communication line 10 is mechanically connected to the platform 2 of the gantry crane 1 by means of a cable drum 9 with the possibility of winding and unwinding the first fiber-optic communication line 10. As a cable drum 9, either a separate cable drum for a fiber-optic cable or a cable drum for a power cable can be used. The possibility of winding and unwinding can be ensured by the fact that the cable drum 9 is equipped with an electric drive (not shown), designed with the possibility of rotating the cable drum 9 in accordance with a given algorithm, preferably in such a way that the length of the unwinding or winding part of the cable is essentially equal to or corresponds in a prescribed manner to the distance of translational movement of the platform 2 along the guides, taking into account the direction of movement.

The second fiber-optic communication line 11 is connected with the possibility of transmitting data to the equipment of the rotary platform 3, in particular to the image capture unit 6.

The second fiber-optic communication line 11 is connected with the possibility of transmitting data to the first fiber-optic communication line 10 by means of a fiber-optic rotary connector; wherein the fiber-optic rotary connector is located substantially coaxially with the ring current collector 4 in such a way that the data transmission channel passes through the axial opening 5 of the ring current collector. Any connector comprising two optical connectors (the first and second parts of the rotary fiber-optic connector) connected to each other with the possibility of transmitting an optical signal and mechanically connected to each other with the possibility of rotation about a common axis can be used as a rotary fiber-optic connector; for example, the MFO100B rotating optical transition manufactured by MOFLON (https://www.moflon.com/mfo.html, accessed 04.06.2024). The disclosed solution uses an axial opening, which is present in most current collectors used in gantry cranes. In a preferred embodiment, the current collector includes a space for accommodating a fiber-optic rotary connector in the axial opening, wherein, in a preferred embodiment of the disclosed technical solution, the first part of the connector is mechanically connected to the part of the ring current collector 4, which is static relative to the platform 2 during rotation of the platform 3 (the lower part of the ring current collector), and the second part of the connector is mechanically connected to the part of the ring current collector, which is static relative to the platform 3 during rotation of the platform 3 (the upper part of the ring current collector). In a preferred embodiment of the technical solution, the ring current collector 4 of the crane 1 contains in its axial opening a space for at least partially accommodating a rotary fiber-optic connector therein, i.e. the fiber-optic rotary connector is at least partially located in the space of the axial opening 5 of the ring current collector 4. In other embodiments, the rotary fiber-optic connector can be extended beyond the space of the annular opening 5, whereby it is necessary to ensure the mentioned mechanical connection with the parts of the ring current collector 4.

In accordance with the disclosed technical solution, the second fiber-optic communication line 11 is connected with the possibility of data transmission to the image capture unit 6. Such a connection can be performed both by directly connecting the fiber-optic cable and by means of network interfaces that provide the possibility of such a connection.

This technical solution has been described in detail with reference to individual variants of its implementation, however, it is obvious that it can be implemented in various variants without going beyond the declared scope of legal protection determined by the invention formula.

Claims (20)

1. A remote control system for a gantry crane containing a platform designed to allow translational movement along guides; a rotating platform located on the platform and capable of rotation relative to the platform; a ring current collector containing an axial opening and also designed with the possibility of providing electrical contact between the equipment placed on the rotary platform and the power cable mechanically connected to the platform; a cable drum whose axis is mechanically connected to the platform; the system includes image capture unit; remote operator workstation; a data transmission channel configured to transmit data at least between the image capture unit and the remote operator workstation; wherein the data transmission channel includes a first fiber-optic communication line connected with the ability to transmit data to a remote operator workstation, mechanically connected to the gantry crane platform by means of a cable drum with the ability to wind and unwind the first fiber-optic communication line as the platform moves; a second fiber-optic communication line connected with the ability to transmit data to the image capture unit, and also connected to the first optical communication line with the ability to transmit data via a fiber-optic rotary connector; wherein the fiber optic rotary connector is located substantially coaxially with the ring current collector in such a way that the data transmission channel passes through the axial opening of the ring current collector. 2. The system according to item 1, characterized in that the rotary fiber optic connector comprises a first part and a second part, each of which includes an optical connector; at the same time the first of the connector parts is mechanically connected to the part of the ring current collector which is static relative to the platform during the rotation of the platform; and the second part of the connector is mechanically connected to the part of the ring current collector which is static relative to the platform during the rotation of the platform. 3. The system according to item 1, characterized in that the ring current collector of the gantry crane contains in its axial opening a space for at least partially accommodating therein a rotary fiber-optic connector.