Intelligent Unmanned Crane Working Principle & Industrial Application

Unmanned operation has now become the mainstream transformation of intelligent factories, automated warehousing, steel yards and high-risk production workshops. intelligent crane unmanned operation has completely changed the traditional workshop relies on manual control of the lifting equipment mode of operation, so that the material handling, stacking, loading, loading and other repetitive processes away from the human guard.

Many factory owners, equipment purchasing managers and smart factory planners will have a practical question: no operator on-site control, automated overhead crane how to autonomously complete the lifting, walking, alignment, release the full set of processes? Seemingly simple unmanned operation is not the role of a single intelligent module, but a whole set of hardware and software systems work together.

A set of mature unmanned crane system, relying on task scheduling, precise positioning, frequency control, anti-swing technology, safety perception and storage system linkage and other multiple technology combinations, to achieve standardized, fully automated lifting operations can be recycled.

What is the intelligent Crane

Intelligent Crane is a new type of lifting equipment based on traditional overhead and gantry cranes, equipped with a full set of sensing equipment, automation control system, precise positioning module and digital management software, and is also the mainstream application form of intelligent overhead crane.

Differing from the traditional equipment is completely dependent on the operator's experience and judgment, manual control mode, smart crane automation equipment can be directly docked to the factory management system, independent receipt of operating instructions, independent lifting and handling the whole process of operation, without real-time human intervention.

The following English comparison table clearly distinguishes the core differences between traditional Crane and smart unmanned Crane, which is convenient for overseas factories and EPC projects to quickly standardize and select:

The core reason for factories to land unmanned cranes

At present, all kinds of manufacturing factories, logistics and warehousing centers are generally facing a shortage of skilled lifting drivers. High temperature, dust, high-risk workshops and night shift operation scenes, it is difficult to recruit stable operators for a long time, unmanned workshop crane can reduce the factory's dependence on labor from the root.

Traditional manual lifting operations have unavoidable safety hazards. Workshop equipment collision, lifting swing offset, put the material is not allowed to position, the wrong personnel into the work area and other issues, mostly from the artificial vision limitations and operational deviations. Intelligent unmanned Crane relies on all-area sensor monitoring, significantly reducing the probability of on-site safety accidents.

The operation state of manual operation fluctuates greatly, and the lack of proficiency of newcomers and fatigue of long-time operation will affect the total amount of daily handling and operational accuracy. Intelligent Crane operates in accordance with the preset program throughout the entire process, the operational rhythm, alignment accuracy to maintain uniformity, there will be no problem of fluctuations in the state of artificial.

Traditional lifting equipment can not retain effective operational data, it is difficult for factories to count the frequency of lifting, equipment utilization, energy consumption and failure records. warehouse crane automation can automatically retain a full set of operational data for the factory's digital management, equipment maintenance, capacity optimization to provide accurate data support.

Intelligent Crane to realize the complete logic of unmanned operation

The first step of unmanned operation is that the equipment receives standardized operation tasks. Intelligent Crane will not generate its own operating instructions, all handling tasks come from the upper management system of the factory, including WMS warehouse management system, MES production execution system and ERP enterprise resource system.

The task issued by the system will specify the material number, pickup location, release location, material weight and type of spreader, crane WMS integration realizes the production, warehousing, lifting and handling of the process through, so that each lifting are in line with the factory production rhythm.

After receiving the task, the equipment will first complete the material and location verification. Through laser ranging, RFID identification, visual camera and coded positioning technologies, it accurately confirms the actual position, size and weight of steel coils, plates, prefabricated components and other materials, avoiding the problem of wrong lifting and missed lifting.

The control system will combine the layout of the workshop, the location of obstacles, prohibited areas and the running status of the same track equipment to automatically plan the optimal running path, avoiding ineffective walking and path cross-conflict, and guaranteeing the efficient and orderly advancement of the operation.

The equipment is controlled by PLC core controller with VFD frequency conversion drive system. All actions such as lifting, trolley walking, trolley running, spreader opening and closing, etc., can realize smooth starting and stopping, stepless speed regulation, reduce mechanical impact and prolong the service life of the equipment.

Crane swaying is the biggest problem of unmanned operation, and it is also the most experience-dependent part of manual operation. The exclusive crane anti-sway control system will offset the swaying of the crane during acceleration, deceleration, starting and stopping through the algorithmic closed-loop regulation, so as to keep the heavy load in a stable state throughout the whole process.

Relying on automatic crane positioning technology, the equipment can realize millimeter-level accurate alignment, whether it is picking up material or stacking and discharging material, can accurately fit the preset position, to eliminate material stacking offset, equipment knocking problems.

With the fully automatic spreader to complete the material grasping and releasing, automatic clamp, electromagnetic lifting beam, grapple, telescopic spreader and other equipment, according to the type of material can be automatically locked, unlocked, the system checks the locking status is correct before starting the lifting operation, to avoid the risk of decoupling from the source.

The whole operation is monitored in real time by the laser radar, infrared sensor, anti-collision limit, overload protector and other equipments, once detecting the situation of people intruding, obstacles blocking, load abnormality, etc., the equipment will immediately stop and warn to ensure the safety of operation.

After the completion of the task, the equipment will automatically return the operation data to the management system, including the completion status, operation length, material parameters, equipment operation status and other information, forming a closed loop operation, which facilitates the factory real-time control of warehousing and production progress.

Unmanned Intelligent Crane Core Support Technology

PLC control system is the core brain of the whole set of unmanned equipment, coordinating all actions, sensing signals and system data interaction, to ensure that all modules work together to run stably.VFD variable frequency drive technology optimizes the operation of the equipment texture, to achieve smooth speed regulation and reduce mechanical losses.

The high-precision positioning system and intelligent anti-sway system are the core functional support for unmanned operation, solving the two core problems of accurate positioning and stable lifting. The load recognition system can automatically recognize the material parameters and adapt to the operational requirements of different working conditions.

The whole-area safety sensing system and fully-automatic spreader system build up a safety defense line for unmanned operation. The WMS/MES system docking, remote monitoring platform and data maintenance system realize the deep integration of equipment and factory digitalization system, which is also the core foundation of remote crane operation.

Mainstream application scenarios

Steel coil warehouse is the core application scenario of unmanned Crane, which can realize automatic identification, classification and stacking of steel coils, loading and unloading and production line feeding, and significantly improve the degree of regularity of warehousing and inventory management accuracy. Steel plate and billet warehouses can rely on electromagnetic spreader to complete the automatic handling and stacking of plates to meet the high-frequency operational needs of steel processing enterprises.

Concrete precast parts yard and automated logistics and storage center can realize 24-hour cyclic operation of heavy components and bulk goods through unmanned cranes, and improve the utilization rate of the site. The unmanned system of garbage grab in garbage incineration power plant can avoid the injury of high temperature and odor high-risk environment to personnel, and stably complete the mixing and loading operation.

Various types of high temperature, dust, corrosion, explosion-proof high-risk workshop, can be equipped with unmanned lifting system, the operator from the dangerous operating environment, stripped, taking into account the production efficiency and operational safety.

Advantages and limitations of unmanned lifting operations

Unmanned mode of operation can completely avoid the risk of artificial high-altitude, high-risk operations, stable operating rhythm, high precision alignment, and effectively reduce the loss of material bumps. The equipment can realize 24-hour uninterrupted cyclic operation, which is suitable for the continuous production needs of the factory, while automatically retaining a full set of operational data to support the factory's refined management.

Correspondingly, the unmanned Crane equipment, sensing, software and system integration in the early stage of higher investment, the need for supporting professional and technical personnel responsible for equipment maintenance and system debugging. Complex emergencies still require manual remote intervention, low-frequency, sporadic lifting scenarios, the cost-effectiveness of the fully automated configuration is not high.

Intelligent Crane and Remote Control Crane Core Differences

Many customers are easily confused between remote control cranes and unmanned intelligent cranes. Remote control equipment still relies on manual control of each action, just transfer the operating position from the overhead cab to the ground.

The intelligent unmanned Crane can autonomously perform the whole set of tasks, without the need to manually manipulate one by one, the core difference is the “manual control of the action” and “equipment to autonomously perform the task” of the essence of the difference, but also the core value of smart crane automation. This is also the core value of smart crane automation.

Common Misconceptions in Selection and Procurement

Many purchasers will equate remote control with unmanned automation, ignoring the importance of system integration. Only focus on the hardware configuration of the Crane, ignoring the WMS system docking, sensor protection, program debugging and other software packages, which will lead to equipment can not realize the fully automated cycle of operation.

At the same time, many projects are not reserved for manual standby mode of operation, equipment failure or special conditions can not be emergency operation. Neglecting the protection of sensing equipment under dusty and high temperature working conditions will also lead to higher failure rate of the equipment in the later stage, affecting the normalized operation.

FAQ

Can Overhead Cranes really operate completely unmanned?

Yes. In standardized and repetitive operation scenarios, intelligent cranes equipped with a full set of positioning, anti-sway, safety sensing and system integration modules can complete lifting operations autonomously, and only require manual remote monitoring of abnormal working conditions.

Are unmanned operation and remote control the same mode?

No, they are not. Remote control relies on real-time manual operation, unmanned operation is the equipment according to the digital task autonomous operation, without human intervention.

Are unmanned lifting systems suitable for all factories?

No. High-frequency, standardized, high-risk repetitive work conditions are suitable for fully unmanned operation; low-frequency, sporadic non-standard lifting scenarios, semi-automatic or remote control solutions are more cost-effective.

Conclusion

Intelligent crane unmanned operation is a systematic solution rather than a single equipment upgrade. It integrates automatic task scheduling, high-precision positioning, anti-sway control, and anti-driver control. It integrates automatic task scheduling, high-precision positioning, anti-sway control, intelligent safety perception and factory system integration.

As a professional intelligent crane manufacturer, Henan Mine Crane Intelligent Crane Industrial provides customized unmanned crane system solutions for steel warehouses, precast yards, logistics centers and high-risk workshops worldwide.

We support overall scheme design, system debugging, on-site installation and full lifecycle after-sales service.