DETERMINING A CRANE TILT ANGLE

• US 20140278076A1
• Filed: 02/10/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Cameron, John F., Mayfield, Douglas, Conquest, Curt A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,522,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/468
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/46 Position indicators for suspended loads or for crane elements
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 15/065 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude

Abstract

In a method for determining a tilt angle of a crane, a portion of the crane is rotated about a pivot point. A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver antenna is disposed on the portion of said crane. At least three locations of the GNSS receiver antenna are determined by a GNSS receiver in a geo-referenced coordinate system during the rotating. A tilt angle of the crane based on the at least three locations of said GNSS receiver antenna is determined by a processor.

Claims

1. A method for determining a tilt angle of a crane, said method comprising:

rotating a portion of said crane about a pivot point, wherein a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver antenna is disposed on said portion of said crane;

determining, by a GNSS receiver, at least three locations of said GNSS receiver antenna in a geo-referenced coordinate system during said rotating; and

determining, by a processor, a tilt angle of said crane based on said at least three locations of said GNSS receiver antenna.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disposing said GNSS antenna on said portion of said crane.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said GNSS receiver antenna is disposed on a location on said crane selected from a group consisting of:

a cab, a working arm, a counterweight, a boom and a trolley.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said crane is selected from a group consisting of:

a tower crane, a luffing crane, a level luffing crane, a fixed crane, a self-erecting crane, a crawler crane, and a telescopic crane.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing said tilt angle for use in leveling said crane.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accounting for said tilt angle during operation of said crane.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

confirming levelness of said crane based on said tilt angle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining a tilt angle of said crane based on said at least three locations of said GNSS receiver antenna comprises:

determining a plane which encompasses said at least three locations in said geo-referenced coordinate system; and

calculating an angle of said plane with respect to a notional level plane in said geo-referenced coordinate system.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a normal vector of said plane.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a direction of said tilt angle in said geo-referenced coordinate system.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions embodied therein that when executed cause a computer system to perform a method for determining a tilt angle of a crane, said method comprising:

accessing data from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver antenna at three positions of a rotatable portion of a crane as said rotatable portion of said crane rotates about a pivot point;

determining three locations of said GNSS receiver antenna in a geo-referenced coordinate system for said three positions of said rotatable portion of said crane; and

determining a tilt angle of said crane based on said three locations of said GNSS receiver antenna.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying said tilt angle.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

accounting for said tilt angle during operation of said crane.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

adjusting a building information modelling (BIM) based on said tilt angle.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

confirming levelness of said crane based on said tilt angle.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein said determining a tilt angle of said crane based on said three locations of said GNSS receiver antenna comprises:

determining a plane which encompasses said three locations in said geo-referenced coordinate system; and

calculating an angle of said plane with respect to a notional level plane in said geo-referenced coordinate system.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a normal vector of said plane.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a direction of said tilt angle in a geo-referenced coordinate system.

19. A crane system comprising:

a crane, wherein a portion of said crane is configured to rotate about a pivot point;

a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver comprising a GNSS antenna, said GNSS antenna disposed on said portion of said crane; and

a processor for;

receiving data from said GNSS receiver antenna while said GNSS receiver antenna is located at three positions as said portion of said crane rotates about a pivot point;

determining three locations of said GNSS receiver antenna in a geo-referenced coordinate system of said three positions for said three positions of said portion of said crane; and

determining a tilt angle of said crane based on said three locations of said GNSS receiver antenna.

20. The crane system of claim 19, wherein said processor is further configured for:

controlling display of said tilt angle.

21. The crane system of claim 19, wherein said processor is further configured for:

accounting for said tilt angle during operation of said crane.

22. The crane system of claim 19, wherein said determining a tilt angle of said crane based on said three locations of said GNSS receiver antenna further comprises:

determining a plane which encompasses said three locations in said geo-referenced coordinate system; and

calculating an angle of said plane with respect to a notional level plane in said geo-referenced coordinate system.

23. The crane system of claim 19, wherein said processor is further configured for:

determining a normal vector of said plane which encompasses said three location in said geo-reference coordinate system.

24. The crane system of claim 19, wherein said processor is further configured for:

determining a direction of said tilt angle in said geo-referenced coordinate system.

25. The crane system of claim 19, wherein said portion of said crane is selected from a group consisting of:

a cab, a working arm, a counterweight, a boom and a trolley.

26. The crane system of claim 19, wherein said crane is selected from a group consisting of:

a tower crane, a luffing crane, a level luffing crane, a fixed crane, a self-erecting crane, a crawler crane, and a telescopic crane.

27. A method for determining levelness of a crane, said method comprising:

rotating a portion of said crane at least one-half way about a pivot point, wherein a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver antenna is disposed on said portion of said crane;

determining, by a GNSS receiver, at least a first location and a second location of said GNSS receiver antenna in a geo-referenced coordinate system during said rotating;

determining, by a processor, a height differential between said first location and said second location.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

confirming levelness of said crane based on said height differential.