COLLISION AVOIDANCE
Andy Pye looks at how machine intelligence is being used to avoid collisions and provide predictive maintenance in the crane industry
Craneswith brains I
n amodern container terminal, tens of thousands of containers aremoved every day. Thesemoves were previously performed using manually operated equipment, but today, proven automation technology is available to reliably
handle themachines and conditions required for efficient and economical operation. The size of containers, cranes and terminals, as well as around the clock operation in all kinds of weather, present substantial challenges. Reducing the potential for collisions between
overhead cranes,monorail systems and fixed objects/obstructions has been a challenge for the overheadmaterial handling industry formany years. Until recently it was only possible tominimise the resulting impact fromcollisions usingmechanical means such as bumpers or limit switches. But it is now possible to prevent these collisions usingmore sophisticatedmeans in a variety of operating environments.
REMOTE CONTROL Manufacturers and users of cranes and other lifting equipment are seeing a shift fromcab-controlled cranes to safer, radio-controlled systems using new wireless control technologies.Wireless local are networks (LANs) remove the need to install and maintain wiring for control equipment fitted to machinery. Wireless sensors can also be used to calculate
Automation can make crane operations accurate to within millimetres and has made busy ports much safer as collisions are avoided
operational information such as the amount of goods or productmoved, the time to completion of each operation, and the destination of each load. It is also equally easy to convert this operational data into commercial information and safety reports that include cumulative operating hours, total load lifted and other statistics. “We are seeingmore andmore crane original
equipmentmanufacturers (OEMs)moving away fromin-cab operators and opting for radio remote control, whereby the operator is at a safe distance away fromheavy loads,” says Andy Swann, business developmentmanager EMEA atMagnetek, a
specialist in crane and hoist systems. “Thismeans muchmore aggressivematerials can be handled during a project, and the operator is kept at a safe distance, controlling the crane fromafar.” CP Automation, aUK specialist in the repair and
replacement of automation equipment, was established to provide an independentmaintenance service, without exclusive ties to anymanufacturer, and it has strong relationships with the principal inverter, encoder, resistors andmotormanufacturers. However, it is now a stockist forMagnetek. Cranes
can be fitted with both CP Automation and Magnetek products as an integrated package, including power delivery systems, radio remote control transmitters,motor gearboxes, failsafe brakes and variable frequency drives (VFDs). Together, these products allow cranes tomove
heavy structures with sufficient power, control and intelligence, as well as increasing safety with remote control. “The partnership brings together the right set of
products to support the rapid growth of the crane industry at present,” adds Swann. “Together we can provide a customisable, engineered systemtomatch themost demanding of specifications, ensuring reduced load sway and load drops.
COLLISION AVOIDANCE ABB is a leading player in the automation of the container port industry and has delivered automation and electrical systems to automatic yard cranes and ship-to-shore cranes all over the world. The ABB approach is based on fast and accurate
measurement of the positions of loads and obstacles. The location of the container in the storage area is chosen by the Terminal Operating System(TOS) – an advanced process control systemfromwhich the Automated Rail=Mounted Gantry Cranes (ARMG) receive their work-orders. The TOS optimises the yard utilisation, while the crane control systemfinds the optimal transport path and is responsible for collision avoidance. The Target Positioning System(TPS) is used to
December 2017 /// Environmental Engineering /// 15
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