Suspended Load Motion Assistance

The Challenge
Unintended swaying or rotation of suspended loads can pose risks to personnel working nearby. Managing these load movements manually can be challenging, especially in complex operating environments.

Our Solution
Suspended Load Motion Assistance combines AI-assisted controls and innovative hardware to support operators in achieving precise and stable load handling. By reducing load sway and controlling yaw rotation, this system enhances operational safety and efficiency for all crane operators.

Key Features

Yaw Rotation Control with Ducted Fans
Ducted fans attached to the hook help manage the yaw angle of the suspended load, ensuring precise control and stability.

Prototype Specifications

• Dimensions: 0.5m × 0.5m × 0.5m
• Weight: 25 kg
• Torque: 16 Nm
• Thrust: 45 N
• Battery Capacity: 48,000 mAh
• Available Operating Time: 4 hours
• Noise Level: 90 dB
• Loss of Lifting Height: None

AI-Assisted Sway Control
Rule-based AI assists crane movements to minimize load sway, simplifying operations and improving safety. For example, the One-Button Sway Reduction feature allows operators to reduce sway automatically by pressing a single button at the desired timing.

Benefits

• Simplifies load handling for operators through intuitive controls.
• Enhances safety for personnel working near suspended loads.
• Reduces operator stress by automating sway control and load stabilization.

With Suspended Load Motion Assistance, crane operations become safer, more precise, and easier to manage, supporting operators and improving workplace safety.

Surroundings Monitoring

The Challenge
Crane operators often face difficulties in maintaining full visibility of their surroundings during operations. While they rely on visual observation and instructions from colleagues, blind spots remain a significant challenge. A more comprehensive solution is required to ensure safer and more efficient work environments.

Our Vision
The future of crane operations lies in advanced Surroundings Monitoring technology. By leveraging 3D sensors, cranes will be able to recognize and respond to all on-site conditions. This innovative system continuously monitors the crane’s surroundings and can automatically halt operations when necessary, alleviating operator workload and paving the way for unmanned construction sites.

Key Technological Challenges

• Cranes operate in demanding environments where standard sensors may not withstand harsh conditions.
• Mobile cranes present unique challenges due to their dynamic nature: booms extend, retract, and vibrate, making stable data transmission difficult.
• Aggregating real-time data from 3D sensors requires robust, high-speed communication systems.

Technology and Collaboration Requirements
To realize this vision, we seek technology partners capable of delivering:

• 3D Sensors (e.g., LiDAR) for precise environmental monitoring.
• Gimbals to stabilize sensors and maintain downward orientation.
• Wireless Communication Devices for reliable, high-speed data transmission.

All devices must meet the durability standards required for construction site applications and be adaptable to mobile crane operations.

Together, we can develop cutting-edge solutions that enhance safety, support operators, and shape the future of construction sites.

Ground Collapse Prevention

The Challenge
Ground collapse is one of the leading causes of crane overturning, accounting for approximately 39% of incidents. Traditionally, preventing such occurrences relies heavily on the operator’s ability to judge soil conditions and react intuitively—a skill that can vary significantly based on experience. To address this, a more systematic and reliable solution is required.

Our Solution
Ground Collapse Prevention technology evaluates ground stability before crane operations begin. By combining ground property measurements, load analysis, and overturning prevention controls, this system helps ensure safe and stable crane operation.

Key Approaches

• Ground Property Measurement During Setup
  Using the crane’s own weight and outriggers, spot-by-spot ground stability is measured during the setup phase. The relationship between load and settlement is analyzed for each worksite, providing critical insights into ground bearing capacity.

• Overturning Prevention Control
  The system calculates the crane’s overturning inclination angle based on its CAD model, accounting for all postures and load weight patterns. By combining multiple data points, the crane can stop operations before ground collapse occurs:

– Ground Property Data: Pressure vs. settlement relationship.

– Outrigger Reaction Force: Estimated during operations.

– Overturning Inclination Angle: Predetermined for safety thresholds.

Considerations

• This approach is most effective on soft ground surfaces.
• It is not applicable for paved roads or areas with underground cavities or buried pipes.
• Ground surface damage may occur during loading tests.

Seeking Collaboration
To further enhance this technology, we are seeking partners specializing in crane-mountable ground-penetrating detectors.

Benefits

• Provides reliable ground stability assessments before operations begin.
• Reduces operator dependency for ground evaluation.
• Enhances safety by preventing crane overturning caused by ground collapse.

With Ground Collapse Prevention, crane operations become safer and more predictable, ensuring stability even in challenging ground conditions.

Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) for Mobile Cranes

The Challenge
Crane safety and reliability rely heavily on regular inspections, which are currently performed almost exclusively by humans. Inspection errors, particularly for critical components like wire ropes, can lead to significant safety risks. Wire ropes are especially challenging to assess visually, yet their failure can result in serious incidents.

Our Solution
By applying Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) technology, mobile cranes will be able to monitor their own condition and detect potential damage. This data-driven approach enhances safety and enables optimized maintenance schedules, starting with wire rope fatigue level estimation.

What is PHM?
Prognostics and Health Management combines advanced sensors and algorithms to:

• Detect anomalies and diagnose potential damage.
• Predict equipment health and suggest appropriate maintenance schedules.
• Optimize product lifecycle management and operational safety.

Our Approach: Wire Rope Failure Prediction
PHM for wire ropes integrates telematics and fatigue analysis to provide accurate, real-time monitoring. By collecting and analyzing critical operational data, we aim to predict fatigue levels and prevent failures:

Telematics-Based Data Collection
A comprehensive database is created, lift by lift, using telematics to monitor:

• Wire rope tension
• Bending positions
• Number of bending cycles

Data-Driven Fatigue Estimation
Leveraging fatigue test data, such as the approach suggested by JNIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan), we estimate wire rope fatigue levels with greater accuracy.

Considerations

• This data-driven method provides a reliable estimation of wire rope condition.
• Environmental factors such as corrosion, deformation, and abrasion are not currently included in the analysis.

Seeking Collaboration
To enhance this solution, we are seeking partners specializing in non-destructive detection technologies for wire rope damage.

Benefits

• Enhances safety by detecting anomalies before failures occur.
• Reduces reliance on visual inspections and minimizes human error.
• Optimizes maintenance schedules, improving operational efficiency.

With PHM technology, cranes can proactively monitor their own health, ensuring safer and more reliable operations while supporting advanced maintenance strategies.