US 11,679,961 B2
Method and apparatus for controlling a crane, an excavator, a crawler-type vehicle or a similar construction machine
Michael Palberg, Riedlingen (DE); Jürgen Resch, Degernau (DE); and Oliver Fenker, Warthausen (DE)
Assigned to Liebherr-Werk Biberach GmbH, Biberach an der Riss (DE)
Filed by Liebherr-Components Biberach GmbH, Biberach an der Riss (DE)
Filed on Sep. 12, 2018, as Appl. No. 16/129,343.
Application 16/129,343 is a continuation of application No. PCT/EP2017/000451, filed on Apr. 7, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2016 004 250.8 (DE), filed on Apr. 8, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0016569 A1, Jan. 17, 2019
Int. Cl. B66C 13/46 (2006.01); E02F 9/26 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01); B66C 13/16 (2006.01); B64U 101/30 (2023.01)
CPC B66C 13/46 (2013.01) [B64C 39/024 (2013.01); B66C 13/16 (2013.01); E02F 9/264 (2013.01); G05D 1/0094 (2013.01); B64U 2101/30 (2023.01); B64U 2201/104 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controlling a material transfer machine and/or a construction machine comprising a crane, comprising:
providing to a machine operator and/or to a machine control an image of a piece of working equipment and/or of an environment of the piece of working equipment, wherein the piece of working equipment comprises a lifting hook,
wherein the image comprises a camera image and an infrared image detected by a remote control aerial drone comprising at least two imaging sensors, wherein the infrared image comprises one or more portions that represent one or more people,
wherein the at least two imaging sensors comprise a camera for detecting the camera image and an infrared sensor for detecting the infrared image,
wherein the method further comprises forming the image by superposing, via an image processing module, the camera image with only the one or more portions of the infrared image that represent the one or more people,
wherein providing to the machine operator an image comprises displaying the image on a display unit for the machine operator,
autonomously and automatically controlling the remote control aerial drone,
wherein autonomously controlling the remote control aerial drone comprises inputting a desired position of the remote control aerial drone relative to the material transfer machine, the construction machine, and/or the piece of working equipment,
switching from autonomously controlling the remote control aerial drone to automatically controlling the remote control aerial drone when the remote control aerial drone is in the desired position, and
wherein automatically controlling the remote control aerial drone comprises a position control apparatus automatically maintaining the desired position such that the remote control aerial drone automatically follows movements of the material transfer machine, the construction machine, and/or the piece of working equipment to keep the desired position constant, and wherein automatically maintaining the desired position comprises the remote control aerial drone taking into account working zone limitations and model construction site data such that automatically maintaining the desired position is overridden if the remote control aerial drone reaches at least one of a working zone limitation of the working zone limitations and a building part from the model construction site data.