Model-based control for crane control and underway replenishment

• US 20070050115A1
• Filed: 08/24/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Discenzo, Frederick, Loparo, Kenneth, Grucella, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,599,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/063 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/22 for electric drives transmitting control pulses B66C13/40; systems or devices of general application H02P
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 19/002 Container cranes B66C19/007 takes precedence

Abstract

Crane control and anti-sway are facilitated utilizing a diagnostic component that includes a model component and a control component. The diagnostic component interfaces with an extrinsic data analysis component and a controller component. The diagnostic component receives operating condition information from the extrinsic data analysis component and performs predictive modeling, based on a current status and stored information. Further, the diagnostic component predicts the affect of the operating conditions on a crane and implements and/or recommends actions to mitigate the affect of the existing and/or predicted operating conditions. The diagnostic component further mitigates crane sway and/or induces crane sway to reduce container transit time. Intelligent agents are employed to provide trajectory planning and execution and/or to detect potential component failure.

Claims

1. A model-based system that facilitates crane and underway replenishment control, comprising:

a model component that receives a crane operating condition from an extrinsic data analysis component and models crane behavior based at least in part on the crane operating condition; and

a component that receives the modeled crane behavior and infers a crane control action based at least in part on the modeled crane behavior.

2. The system of claim 1, the inferred crane control action mitigates sway of a cable or a cargo during at least one of pick-up, set-down and transit.

3. The system of claim 1, the modeled crane behavior is based at least in part upon an optimized crane control over a prescribed time horizon.

4. The system of claim 1, the inferred crane control action is based at least in part upon crane optimization criteria that provides trajectory planning resulting in one of shortest overall container transit time, most energy efficient operation and most reliable operation.

5. The system of claim 1, the component that receives the modeled crane behavior predicts a future operating condition based at least in part on the crane operating condition.

6. The system of claim 1, the model component models crane behavior through utilization of a derived state prediction.

7. The system of claim 1, the extrinsic data analysis component obtains the operating condition from a user input or at least one sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, the component that receives the modeled crane behavior interfaces with a controller component to implement the inferred crane action.

9. The system of claim 1, the component that receives the modeled crane behavior interfaces with at least one steerable spreader vane to mitigate out-of-plane sway.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a distributed control architecture that facilitates controlling crane sway utilizing at least two intelligent agents.

11. The system of claim 10, the at least two intelligent agents collaborate to detect or predict a component failure to mitigate the component failure during crane operation.

12. The system of claim 10, the at least two intelligent agents mitigate crane sway during one of pick-up, transit, and set-down.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising an intelligent motor that infers a potential system failure or degradation and communicates the potential system failure or degradation to a crane controller.

14. The system of claim 1, the model component comprising a ship motion component that monitors up to six degrees-of-freedom movement.

15. The system of claim 1, the model component comprising a sea state component that predicts a sea state.

16. The system of claim 1, the model component comprising a ship motion component that predicts a ship motion.

17. A computer-implemented method for controlling crane sway, comprising:

modeling an operating state based upon at least one operating condition;

predicting cable or cargo sway based upon the modeled operating state; and

controlling sway of the cable or cargo during cargo transit and underway replenishment based on the predicted cable or cargo sway.

18. The method of claim 17, the modeled operating state is one of an estimated ship motion, a predicted ship motion, an estimated sea state, and a predicted sea state.

19. The method of claim 17, predicting crane sway further comprising:

predicting ship motion based at least in part on a predicted sea state; and

utilizing the predicted ship motion to predict a cable or cargo sway.

20. The method of claim 17, modeling an operating state based upon at least one operating condition further comprising utilizing at least one intelligent agent for distributed diagnostics and control.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining a location of a container and guiding the container to a second location.

22. The method of claim 21, determining a location of a container and guiding the container to a second location comprising utilizing GPS coordinates.

23. The method of claim 17, controlling sway of the crane further comprising steering vanes located on a spreader.

24. The method of claim 17, controlling sway of the crane further comprising:

optimizing cargo transit path to minimize travel time and avoid obstacles.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

inducing cable sway during transit; and

eliminating cable sway at container pick-up and container set-down.

26. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

observing a crane response;

comparing the crane response to the predicted response; and

dynamically adapting the control based on the comparison.

27. A system for controlling a crane, comprising:

a controller component that receives prediction information; and

a steerable vane control that interfaces with the controller component and controls an actuation and position of at least one steerable vane.

28. The system of claim 27, the at least one steerable vane is located at one of a plurality of locations on a spreader.

29. The system of claim 27, the at least one steerable vane is operated independently from at least another steerable vane.

30. The system of claim 27, the at least one steerable vane facilitates proper movement of the spreader.

31. The system of claim 27, the at least one steerable vane mitigates container sway during transit and final positioning.

32. The system of claim 27, the at least one steerable vane is used in conjunction with wind to steer a spreader.

33. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

a model component that predicts crane behavior; and

a component that receives the predicted crane behavior and infers a crane movement.

34. A method of controlling a crane, comprising:

receiving crane operating data;

modeling a plurality of parameters of a crane condition;

diagnosing the plurality of parameters for a potential component failure or weakened condition; and

outputting crane set points to a crane system.

35. The method of claim 34, outputting crane set points further comprising:

utilizing compensation control to alter a typical control action to protect a weakened component.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

feeding back the output crane set points to at least one model component; and

diagnosing the feedback crane set points as at least one of the plurality of parameters.

37. A system of controlling crane sway comprising:

means for modeling a crane environment;

means for predicting sway of the crane; and

means for determining at least one action to mitigate effects of the crane sway.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising means for communicating the at least one action to a user.

39. The system of claim 37, further comprising means for autonomously implementing the at least one action.

40. The system of claim 37, further comprising means for steering a container to a location.