US 11,987,160 B2
Crane, and a method of a crane
Marcus Rösth, Hudiksvall (SE); and Pelle Gustafsson, Hudiksvall (SE)
Assigned to Hiab AB, Kista (SE)
Filed by Hiab AB, Kista (SE)
Filed on Apr. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/730,871.
Claims priority of application No. 21171984 (EP), filed on May 4, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0355719 A1, Nov. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. B60P 1/54 (2006.01); B66C 13/48 (2006.01)
CPC B60P 1/5433 (2013.01) [B66C 13/48 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A crane arranged to be mounted to a vehicle, the crane comprising:
a crane boom system, comprising crane components that includes a crane tip arranged at a free end of an outermost crane boom;
a system of hydraulic actuators of the crane boom system arranged to be operated by hydraulic fluid with a hydraulic flow, the hydraulic fluid being discharged from a hydraulic pump at a variable working pressure and wherein the hydraulic actuators are further arranged to apply movements to the crane boom system such that the crane tip is moved from a current position to a target position in response to received driving instructions;
a sensor system configured to monitor current positions of the crane components, and, operating conditions of the system of hydraulic actuators, and to generate sensor signals in response to the monitored current positions and operating conditions;
a control interface arranged to receive an operating instruction defining a target position for the crane, from an input unit, and
a crane controller configured to determine the movements of the crane components and to generate driving instructions to be applied to the system of hydraulic actuators of the crane boom system based on the determined movements to reach the received target position for the crane based on the current position of the crane boom system as defined by the received sensor signals from the sensor system,
wherein the crane controller is further configured to estimate a pressure level of a required working pressure of the hydraulic pump of each of the hydraulic actuators for the determined movements of the crane components, based on the generated sensor signals and/or predetermined operating conditions, and to compare the estimated pressure levels of the hydraulic actuators to be used for the determined movements of the crane components, and to identify at least one of the hydraulic actuators as a high pressure function, or as a low pressure function, based on the comparisons of the estimated pressure levels of the hydraulic actuators to be used for the determined movements of the crane components, and that the crane controller is configured to determine at least one time period during the movement from the current position to the target position, in which only the at least one of the hydraulic actuators identified as a high pressure function or only the at least one of the hydraulic actuators identified as a low pressure function is/are activated, and wherein the crane controller is configured to generate driving instructions for the hydraulic actuators to perform the determined movements of the crane components, including activation of the determined hydraulic actuators during said at least one time period.