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EP-4737378-A1 - ASSISTING AN OPERATOR TO HANDLE A CRANE OF A CONTAINER LIFTING SYSTEM

EP4737378A1EP 4737378 A1EP4737378 A1EP 4737378A1EP-4737378-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, computer program and computer program product for assisting an operator to handle a crane (18A) of a container lifting system (10), a container lifting management device as well as a container lifting system. A container lifting management device (12) displays (S110) a progress indicator (PI) to the operator, which progress indicator (PI) shows representations of a number of sequential steps being performed by the crane in an operations cycle, obtains sensor data (S120) of the crane at a current point in time during the operations cycle, determines (S130) a current step of the operations cycle that the crane currently performs and how much of the current step the crane has completed based on the sensor data and indicates (S140) the progress at the current point in time in the representation of the current step of the progress indicator (PI).

Inventors

  • ZIOBRO, Dawid
  • GOPALAKRISHNAN, Gayathri
  • HALLSTADIUS LINGE, SIMON

Assignees

  • ABB SCHWEIZ AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20241029

Claims (16)

  1. A method for assisting an operator to handle a crane (18A) of a container lifting system (10), the method being performed by a container lifting management device (12) and comprising: displaying (S110) a progress indicator (PI) to the operator, which progress indicator (PI) shows representations of a number of sequential steps being performed by the crane (18A) in an operations cycle, obtaining (S120) sensor data of the crane at a current point in time during the operations cycle, determining (S130) a current step of the operations cycle that the crane currently performs and how much of the current step the crane has completed based on the sensor data, and indicating (S140) the progress at the current point in time in the representation of the current step of the progress indicator (PI).
  2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the steps are shown as a number of rectangular shaped areas provided along a first line and the progress at the current point in time is indicated using a second line that is perpendicular to the first line.
  3. The method according to any previous claim, wherein each step is shown as having one of two heights above the first line, where a first height above the first line indicates that the crane is above a quay and a second height above the first line indicates that the crane is above a cargo vessel.
  4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, the progress indicator (PI) further comprising symbols (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6) representing at least some of the steps.
  5. The method as claimed in any previous claim, wherein the crane has a spreader, a symbol of which is used to indicate the progress at the current point in time.
  6. The method as claimed in any previous claim, wherein each step in the cycle is of a different type, where each step type has a corresponding confidence score and further comprising investigating (S300), for each step, the confidence score of the corresponding step type and indicating (S310) in the representation of the step when the step type has a confidence score that is insufficient.
  7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step for which the step type has a confidence score that is insufficient is indicated when the step becomes the current step.
  8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the crane (18A) is initially operated in a supervisory mode, where it is controlled by a corresponding crane control device (16A) and further comprising switching from the supervisory mode to manual control mode when the step for which the step type has an insufficient confidence score becomes the current step, in which manual control mode the crane is controlled by the operator.
  9. The method according to any previous claim, wherein the crane is initially operated in a supervisory mode, where it is controlled by a corresponding crane control device (16A) and further comprising detecting (S200) an issue with the crane (18A) at the current point in time, switching (S210) from the supervisory mode to manual control mode based on the detecting of the issue, in which manual control mode the crane is controlled by the operator, and displaying (S220) that there is an issue to the operator in the representation of the current step in the progress indicator (PI).
  10. The method according to any previous claim, wherein the crane is set to handle a container in a current target area in the operations cycle and further comprising displaying the target area together with previous and following target areas and a safety zone.
  11. The method according to claim 10 when depending on claim 9, wherein the issue is that one or more persons are located within the safety zone around the current target area and further comprising determining a person at or around the current target area that is to handle the issue and setting up a communication session between the operator and this person.
  12. The method according to any previous claim, wherein the container lifting system (10) comprises a video capturing system (14A) associated with the crane (18a), which video capturing system provides a number of video streams (VS1A, VS2A, VS3A, VS4A, VS5A) where at least some of the steps are each linked to a corresponding video stream, the method further comprising identifying and displaying (S150) the video stream (VS4) that is linked to the current step.
  13. A container lifting management device (12) comprising a processor (22) operative to: display a progress indicator (PI) to an operator, which progress indicator (PI) shows representations of a number of sequential steps being performed by a crane (18A) in an operations cycle, obtain sensor data of the crane at a current point in time during the operations cycle, determine a current step of the operations cycle that the crane currently performs and how much of the current step the crane has completed based on the sensor data, and indicate the progress at the current point in time in the representation of the current step of the progress indicator (PI).
  14. A container lifting system (10) comprising the crane (18A), a crane control device (16A) controlling the crane and the container lifting management device (12) according to claim 13.
  15. A computer program (26) for assisting an operator to handle a crane (18A) of a container lifting system (10), the computer program (26) comprising computer program code which when run by a processor (22) causes the processor (22) to: display a progress indicator (PI) to an operator, which progress indicator (PI) shows representations of a number of sequential steps being performed by the crane (18A) in an operations cycle, obtain sensor data of the crane at a current point in time during the operations cycle, determine a current step of the operations cycle that the crane currently performs and how much of the current step the crane has completed based on the sensor data, and indicate the progress at the current point in time in the representation of the current step of the progress indicator (PI).
  16. A computer program product for assisting an operator to handle a crane (18BA of a container lifting system (10), the computer program product comprising a data carrier (34) with said computer program (26) according to claim 15.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to a method, computer program and computer program product for assisting an operator to handle at least one crane of a container lifting system, a container lifting management device as well as a container lifting system. BACKGROUND As crane systems become more intelligent their abilities extend providing new opportunities to make crane operations more autonomous. For a crane operator this might imply a smaller workload or need for manual intervention, but there are dangerous side effects like boredom and meaningless supervision tasks. The challenge arises in how to create a meaningful job with stimulating tasks. A solution addressing that problem is to channel workload from multiple cranes and assign operator(s) to simultaneously supervise multiple cranes. CN102491206 does for instance describe a tower crane monitoring system, which comprises single-crane monitoring units and a multiple-crane centralized monitoring unit. The single-crane monitoring units are used for onsite monitoring management of single tower cranes and transmitting the monitoring information to the multiple-crane centralized monitoring unit, and connected with a GPRS (general packet radio service) public network. The multiple-crane centralized monitoring unit is used for monitoring information of all the onsite single-crane monitoring units in a centralized manner and controlling onsite tower cranes, However, there is room for improvement in the way that the supervision of a crane is made, especially if the monitoring is to be scaled up to several cranes. SUMMARY One object of the invention is therefore to improve the way supervision of a crane is made in a container lifting system. This object is according to a first aspect achieved by a method for assisting an operator to handle a crane of a container lifting system, the method being performed by a container lifting management device and comprising: displaying a progress indicator to the operator, which progress indicator shows representations of a number of sequential steps being performed by the crane in an operations cycle,obtaining sensor data of the crane at a current point in time during the operations cycle,determining a current step of the operations cycle that the crane currently performs and how much of the current step the crane has completed based on the sensor data, andindicating the progress at the current point in time in the representation of the current step of the progress indicator. The object is according to a second aspect achieved through a container lifting management device comprising a processor operative to: display a progress indicator to an operator, which progress indicator shows representations of a number of sequential steps being performed by a crane in an operations cycle,obtain sensor data of the crane at a current point in time during the operations cycle,determine a current step of the operations cycle that the crane currently performs and how much of the current step the crane has completed based on the sensor data, andindicate the progress at the current point in time in the representation of the current step of the progress indicator. The object is according to a third aspect achieved by a container lifting system comprising the crane, a crane control device controlling the crane and the container lifting management device according to the second aspect. The object is according to a fourth aspect achieved by a computer program for assisting an operator to handle a of a container lifting system, the computer program comprising computer program code which when run by a processor causes the processor to: display a progress indicator to an operator, which progress indicator shows representations of a number of sequential steps being performed the crane in an operations cycle,obtain sensor data of the crane at a current point in time during the operations cycle,determine a current step of the operations cycle that the crane currently performs and how much of the current step the crane has completed based on the sensor data, andindicate the progress at the current point in time in the representation of the current step of the progress indicator. The object is according to a fifth aspect achieved through a computer program product for assisting an operator to handle a crane of a container lifting system, the computer program product comprising a data carrier with the computer program according to the fourth aspect. The determining of how much of the current step the crane has completed may be a determining of how much of the current step the crane has completed at the current point in time. The container lifting system may further comprise a video capturing system associated with the crane. The video capturing system may comprise a number of video cameras at least one of which is mounted on the crane. The steps may be shown as a number of rectangular shaped areas provided along a first line and the progress at the c