Control system for automatic material handling crane

• US 4,614,274 A
• Filed: 05/03/1984
• Issued: 09/30/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PaR Systems Inc (Pohlad Family Cos.)
• Original Assignee: PaR Systems Inc (Pohlad Family Cos.)
• Inventors: LaValle, Dean R., McLain, Philip A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blix, Trygve M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brahan, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US06/606,647
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 212/159, 212/160, 212/161, 212/165, 340/825.06, 340/825.71, 340/825.72, 340/825.76, 340/825.74, 414/273, 414/909
• US Class Current: 212/285
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/22 for electric drives transmitting control pulses B66C13/40; systems or devices of general application H02P
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/07 Floor-to-roof stacking devices, e.g. "stacker cranes", "retrievers"

Abstract

An automatic material handling crane system services a plurality of stations in an industrial plant. The system includes a crane which is movable on a track, a mast which is carried by the crane, and a material handling mechanism which is carried by the mast. Position encoders provide signals indicative of the position of the crane on the track and the mast with respect to the crane. Both manual and remote controls are provided to operate the crane system. The manual control is carried by the crane and provides manual control signals. The remote control is positioned at a remote location with respect to the crane and stores a schedule of operations of the crane, mast and material handling mechanism. The remote control signals provided by the remote control are based on the schedule and on status information relating to the crane, the mast and material handling mechanism. A crane-carried control provides control signals to control the positioning of the crane and the mast, and to operate the material handling mechanism as a function of signals from the crane and mast position encoders and either the manual control signal or the remote control signals. The crane-carried control also provides the status information to the remote control as a function of the signals from the crane and mast position encoders. A communication link transmits the remote control signals to the crane-carried control, and transmits the status information to the remote control.

Claims

1. A system for performing material handling at a plurality of stations, the system comprising:

movable means movable to each of the plurality of stations;

a material handling mechanism carried by the movable means;

drive means for moving the movable means;

actuator means for operating the material handling mechanism;

means for providing signals indicative of the position of the movable means;

means for providing signals indicative of operating status of the material handling mechanism;

manual control means carried by the movable means for providing manual control signals;

remote control means, positioned at a remote location with respect to the movable means, for providing remote control signals based on a stored schedule and status information relating to the movable means and the material handling mechanism the remote control means comprising;

station location storage means for storing a first set of data representative of a location for each station;

service step storage means for storing a second set of data representative of a sequence of individual operating steps of the movable means and the material handling mechanism for each of a plurality of different types of material handling service which can be performed by the movable means and the material handling mechanism at the stations;

operator controlled schedule creating means for producing first, second and third operator input signals to create a third set of data representing the schedule the operator controlled schedule creating means comprising;

first operator input means for providing a first operator input signal which identifies a series which is included in the schedule, wherein the series denotes a plurality of stations at which the same type of material handling service is to be performed;

second operator input means for providing a second operator input signal which identifies which of the stations represented by the first set of data are included in the identified series; and

third operator input means for providing a third operator input signal which identifies which of the plurality of different types of service represented by the second set of data is to be performed at the identified stations of the identified series;

schedule storage means for storing the third set of data representing the schedule based upon the first, second and third operator input signals; and

remote control signal producing means for producing the remote control signals which represent each step of operation of the drive means and the actuator means during the schedule based upon the first, second and third sets of data and the status information;

selection means for selecting control signals from among manual control signals and the remote control signals;

control means carried by the movable means for providing control signals to the drive means and the actuator means as a function of the selected control signals, and for providing the status information as a function of the signals indicative of position of the movable means and the signals indicative of operating status of the material handling mechanism;

first microwave transmitter means at the remote location for transmitting a first microwave beam to the movable means, the first microwave beam having a subcarrier for providing the remote control signals;

second microwave transmitter means carried by the movable means for transmitting a second microwave beam to the remote location, the second microwave beam having first and second subcarriers, the first subcarrier providing the status information and the second subcarrier indicating whether the control means carried by the movable means is operating;

first microwave receiver means at the remote location for receiving the second microwave beam; and

second microwave receiver means carried by the movable means for receiving the first microwave beam; and

wherein the remote control means further includes disable means for disabling operation of the movable means and the material handling mechanism if only one of the first and second subcarriers is present in the second microwave beam as received by the first microwave receiver means.

2. A system for servicing a plurality of stations, the system comprising:

movable means movable to each of the plurality of stations;

a material handling mechanism carried by the movable means;

drive means for moving the movable means;

actuator means for operating the material handling mechanism;

means for providing signals indicative of the position of the movable means;

means for providing signals indicative of operating status of the material handling mechanism;

remote control means positioned at a remote location with respect to the movable means, the remote control means storing a schedule of operations of the movable means and the material handling mechanism and providing remote control signals based on the schedule and status information relating to the movable means and the material handling mechanism;

control means carried by the movable means for providing signals to the drive means and the actuator means as a function of the remote control signals, and for providing the status information as a function of the signals indicative of position of the movable means and the signals indicative of operating status of the material handling mechanism;

first microwave transmitter means at the remote location for transmitting a first microwave beam to the movable means, the first microwave beam having a subcarrier for providing the remote control signals; and

second microwave transmitter means carried by the movable means for transmitting a second microwave beam to the remote location, the second microwave beam having first and second subcarriers, the first subcarrier providing the status information and the second subcarrier indicating whether the control means carried by the movable means is operating;

first microwave receiver means at the remote location for receiving the second microwave beam;

second microwave receiver means carried by the movable means for receiving the first microwave beam; and

disable means for disabling operation of the movable means and the material handling mechanism if only one of the first and second subcarriers is present in the second microwave beam as received by the first microwave receiver means.

3. The system of claim 2 and further comprising:

video means carried by the movable means for viewing a scene which includes at least one station and providing video signals to the second microwave transmitter means, and wherein a second microwave beam from the second microwave transmitter means includes a video subcarrier; and

video display means at the remote location for receiving video signals derived from the video subcarrier by the first receiver means and displaying images of the scene.

4. A system for moving electrolytic plates from station-to-station in a multi-station electrolytic metal refining process, the system comprising:

a crane movable on a generally horizontal track;

a mast carried by and movable with respect to the crane;

a plate grabbing mechanism carried by the mast;

crane position encoder means for providing signals indicative of a position of the crane on the track;

mast position encoder means for providing signals indicative of a position of the mast;

crane drive means for moving the crane;

mast drive means for moving the mast;

actuator means for operating the plate grabbing mechanism;

remote control means positioned at a remote location with respect to the crane, the remote control means storing a schedule of operations of the crane, the mast, and the plate grabbing mechanism and providing remote control signals based upon the schedule and status information relating to the crane, the mast and the plate grabbing mechanism;

control means carried by the movable means for providing signals to the crane drive means, the mast drive means, and the actuator means as a function of the remote control signals to move the plates from station-to-station, and for providing status information as a function of the signals from the crane position encoder means and mast position encoder means;

first microwave transmitter means at the remote location for transmitting a first microwave beam to the crane, the first microwave beam having a subcarrier for providing the remote control signals;

second microwave transmitter means carried by the crane for transmitting a second microwave beam to the remote location, the second microwave beam having first and second subcarriers, the first subcarrier providing the status information and the second subcarrier indicating whether the control means carried by the crane is operating;

first microwave receiver means at the remote location for receiving the second microwave beam;

second microwave receiver means carried by the crane for receiving the first microwave beam; and

means for removing electrical power to shut down operation of the metal refining process if only one of the first and second subcarriers is present in the second beam as received by the first microwave receiver means.

5. The system of claim 4 and further comprising:

means for disabling operation of the crane and the mast if only one of the first and second subcarriers is present in the second microwave beam as received by the first microwave receiver means.