Granted Patent B2

US 12,654,998 · App. 18/071,042 · Granted Jun 16, 2026

Inventors: Andreas Stöger (Eggelsberg, AT); Thomas J. Frauscher (Eggelsberg, AT); Hubert Rams (Eggelsberg, AT)

Assignee: ABB SCHWEIZ AG

B66C13/063

Abstract

Claims (35)

1 . A method for controlling a lifting device which moves a load along a first movement direction and along a second movement direction within a specified working area of the lifting device in accordance with a specified trajectory from a starting point to an end point, the method comprising:

at a command time point during the movement of the load, at least one of specifying a new obstacle for the movement of the load, which obstacle is arranged between the position taken on by the load at the command time point and the end point, is specified, or changing an existing obstacle, which is arranged between the position taken on by the load at the command time point and the end point, to a new obstacle for the movement of the load, and

taking into account specified kinematic constraints of the lifting device, planning at least one individual movement for the first movement direction and for the second movement direction respectively, which planned individual movements determine a further movement of the load along the respective movement direction from the command time point onwards,

wherein at least one individual movement for each movement direction ends in a projection of the end point onto the respective movement direction,

wherein the planned individual movements are executed in accordance with a specified movement sequence in order to move the load further along the first movement direction and further along the second movement direction in accordance with a replanning trajectory resulting from the movement sequence of the planned individual movements without colliding with the new obstacle, and

wherein the planned individual movements each comprise a position profile that can be continuously differentiated at least four times.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the individual movements planned for the first movement direction and for the second movement direction are planned as individual movements that are independent of one another.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the position profiles for generating the temporally at least four times continuous differentiability are filtered by a filter with a specifiable time constant.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the time constant of the filter is selected as a function of the geometry of the lifting device in order to comply with the specified kinematic constraints of the lifting device in a combined execution of the individual movements.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein a further individual movement is planned for the second movement direction, which in combination with the individual movement planned along the first movement direction moves the load around the newly specified and/or the changed obstacle, and

wherein the second individual movement is executed in accordance with the specified movement sequence before the individual movement already planned for the second movement direction.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the movement sequence is specified such that individual movements along the first movement direction and individual movements along the second movement direction are started alternately.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the movement sequence is specified such that an individual movement along the first movement direction and an individual movement along the second movement direction are executed overlapping in time.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein, before the execution of at least one of the planned individual movements, the method further comprises checking whether the expected replanning trajectory leads to a collision of the load with an obstacle specified in the working area.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein, in order to check whether the expected replanning trajectory leads to a collision of the load with an obstacle specified in the working area, projections of a keypoint derived from the specified obstacle onto the movement directions are determined,

wherein a collision time is determined at which the load reaches the projection onto the first movement direction with the individual movement planned for the first movement direction and a collision time is determined, at which the load reaches the projection onto the second movement direction with the individual movement planned for the second movement direction, and wherein the determined collision times are compared with one another.

10 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein, in order to check whether the expected replanning trajectory leads to a collision of the load with an obstacle specified in the working area, a projection of a keypoint derived from the specified obstacle onto one of the movement directions is determined,

wherein a collision time is determined at which the load reaches the determined projection with the individual movement planned for this movement direction,

wherein a position of the load on the other movement direction taken on by the load at the determined collision time is determined, and

wherein the determined position is compared with a projection of the keypoint onto the movement direction for which the position of the load was determined.

11 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the collision times are determined using a root finding method.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the event of a determined collision with an obstacle, the at least one individual movement is not executed, and

wherein instead a specified braking operation is performed for at least the duration of a specified minimum braking time along that movement direction for which the at least one individual movement that was not executed had been planned.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein instead of the at least one individual movement which has not been executed, a new individual movement is planned for the corresponding movement direction, the method further comprises checking whether the replanning trajectory resulting from the newly planned individual movement leads to a collision of the load with an obstacle specified in the working area, and

wherein the new individual movement is executed if no collision is detected, or wherein the specified braking operation is continued for at least one further minimum braking time and a replanning of an individual movement and a check of the replanning trajectory resulting from the replanned individual movement are performed again if a new collision with an obstacle is detected.

14 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the position of the load is measured and is used for planning and/or executing the individual movements.

15 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the load is additionally moved along a third movement direction by the lifting device, wherein the load is moved within a specified 3D working space in accordance with a three-dimensional trajectory and

wherein, for replanning the trajectory, at least one individual movement is also planned for the third movement direction and is executed in accordance with a specified movement sequence in addition to the individual movements planned for the first movement direction and for the second movement direction.

16 . A lifting device for moving a load from a starting point to an end point in accordance with a specified trajectory within a specified working area of the lifting device, comprising:

a load receiving element for receiving the load which is connected by at least one retaining element to a running element, the running element being movable along a first movement direction by a running element drive and the load receiving element being movable along a second movement direction by a lifting drive,

a computing unit configured to read in, at a command time point during the movement of the load, at least one of an obstacle which is newly specified for the movement of the load and which is arranged between the position taken on by the load at the command time point and the end point, or an existing obstacle which is arranged between the position taken on by the load at the command time point and the end point and is changed to a new obstacle for the movement of the load,

the computing unit being further configured to plan, taking into account specified kinematic constraints of the lifting device, an individual movement for the first movement direction and for the second movement direction respectively which define a further movement of the load along the respective direction of movement from the command time point onwards,

wherein the individual movements end in each case in a projection of the end point onto the respective direction of movement,

wherein the computing unit is configured to control the running element drive and the lifting drive of the lifting device in order to execute a planned individual movement for the first movement direction and for the second movement direction in accordance with a specified movement sequence and thus to move the load further along the first movement direction and along the second movement direction in accordance with a replanning trajectory resulting from the movement sequence of the planned individual movements without colliding with an obstacle, and

wherein the planned individual movements each comprise a position profile that can be continuously differentiated at least four times.

Assignments (2)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (21)