Method for damping load oscillations on a crane

A method of damping load oscillations during a traversing run of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage on a track, the carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating a first value of a motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a first time;
• (b) recording said first value of said motion reference signal;
• (c) generating a second value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a second time which occurs after said first time;
• (d) recording said second value of said motion reference signal;
• (e) generating a third value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a third time which occurs after said second time;
• (f) recording said third value of said motion reference signal;
• (g) forming a damping signal based on a linear combination of said first, second and third values of said motion reference signal recorded at said steps (b), (d) and (f) with three non-zero coefficients;
• and
• (h) coupling said damping signal to said motor drive to control motion of the movable carriage to cause load oscillation to be damped,
• wherein each of said steps (b), (d) and (f) comprises the step of storing data representing said values of said motion reference signal into a memory array having a plurality of data storage locations, said method additionally comprising the step of shifting said data within said memory array when additional data is stored in said memory array.

A method of damping load oscillations during a traversing run of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage on a track, the carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating a first value of a motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a first time;
• (b) recording said first value of said motion reference signal;
• (c) generating a second value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a second time which occurs after said first time;
• (d) recording said second value of said motion reference signal;
• (e) generating a third value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a third time which occurs after said second time;
• (f) recording said third value of said motion reference signal;
• (g) forming a damping signal based on a linear combination of said first, second and third values of said motion reference signal recorded at said steps (b), (d) and (f) with three non-zero coefficients;
• and
• (h) coupling said damping signal to said motor drive to control motion of the movable carriage to cause load oscillation to be damped,
• wherein said steps (b), (d) and (f) are repeated at a constant rate.

A method of damping load oscillations during a traversing run of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage on a track, the carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating a first value of a motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a first time;
• (b) recording said first value of said motion reference signal;
• (c) generating a second value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a second time which occurs after said first time;
• (d) recording said second value of said motion reference signal;
• (e) generating a third value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a third time which occurs after said second time;
• (f) recording said third value of said motion reference signal;
• (g) forming a damping signal based on a linear combination of said first, second and third values of said motion reference signal recorded at said steps (b), (d) and (f) with three non-zero coefficients, wherein said step (g) comprises the steps of:
• (g1) multiplying each of said first, second and third values of said motion reference signal by a respective coefficient to form three multiplied values;
• and (g2) adding said three multiplied values together;
• and
• (h) coupling said damping signal to said motor drive to control motion of the movable carriage to cause load oscillation to be damped.

A method of damping load oscillations during a traversing run of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage on a track, the carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating a first value of a motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a first time;
• (b) recording said first value of said motion reference signal;
• (c) generating a second value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a second time which occurs after said first time;
• (d) recording said second value of said motion reference signal;
• (e) generating a third value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a third time which occurs after said second time;
• (f) recording said third value of said motion reference signal;
• (g) forming a damping signal based on a linear combination of said first, second and third values of said motion reference signal recorded at said steps (b), (d) and (f) with three non-zero coefficients;
• and
• (h) coupling said damping signal to said motor drive to control motion of the movable carriage to cause load oscillation to be damped,
• wherein said load is suspended at a height, said method further comprising the step of determining when steps (b), (d) and (f) are performed based on a desired range of load heights to be damped.

A method of damping load oscillations during a traversing run of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage on a track, the carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating a first value of a motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a first time;
• (b) recording said first value of said motion reference signal;
• (c) generating a second value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a second time which occurs after said first time;
• (d) recording said second value of said motion reference signal;
• (e) generating a third value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a third time which occurs after said second time;
• (f) recording said third value of said motion reference signal;
• (g) forming a damping signal based on a linear combination of said first, second and third values of said motion reference signal recorded at said steps (b), (d) and (f) with three non-zero coefficients;
• and
• (h) coupling said damping signal to said motor drive to control motion of the movable carriage to cause load oscillation to be damped,
• wherein said load is suspended at a height, said method further comprising the step of determining said non-zero coefficients based on a desired range of load heights to be damped.

A method of damping load oscillations during a traversing run of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage on a track, the carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating a first value of a motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a first time;
• (b) recording said first value of said motion reference signal into a memory buffer;
• (c) generating a second value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a second time;
• (d) recording said second value of said motion reference signal into said memory buffer;
• (e) generating a third value of said motion reference signal representative of a desired motion of the carriage at a third time;
• (f) recording said third value of said motion reference signal into said memory buffer, said first, second and third values existing contemporaneously in said memory buffer;
• (g) forming a damping signal based on a linear combination of said first, second and third values of said motion reference signal recorded at steps (b), (d) and (f) with at least two non-zero coefficients;
• and
• (h) coupling said damping signal to said motor drive to control motion of the movable carriage to cause load oscillation to be damped.

A load oscillation dampener for dampening oscillations of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage mounted on a support, the movable carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the dampener comprising:

• a signal generator adapted to generate at least three values of a motion reference signal representing desired motion of the carriage based upon operator input, each of said values of said motion reference signal being generated at a different time;
• a memory operatively coupled to said signal generator and adapted to store said values of said motion reference signal, said memory contemporaneously storing said at least three values of said motion reference signal;
• and
• a controller operatively coupled to said memory, said controller being adapted to generate a damping signal based upon a linear combination of said values of said motion reference signal contemporaneously stored in said memory and at least three non-zero coefficients and to transmit said damping signal to said motor drive to cause load oscillation to be damped.

A load oscillation dampener for dampening oscillations of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage mounted on a support, the movable carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the dampener comprising:

• a signal generator adapted to generate at least three values of a motion reference signal representing desired motion of the carriage based upon operator input, each of said values of said motion reference signal being generated at a different time;
• a memory operatively coupled to said signal generator and adapted to store said values of said motion reference signal;
• and
• a controller operatively coupled to said memory, said controller being adapted to generate a damping signal based upon a linear combination of said values of said motion reference signal stored in said memory and at least three non-zero coefficients and to transmit said damping signal to said motor drive to cause load oscillation to be damped,
• wherein said memory comprises a memory array having a plurality of data storage locations, each of said values of said motion reference signal being stored in a respective one of said data storage locations in said memory array, said memory array being adapted to shift said values of said motion reference signal within said memory array when additional data is stored in said memory array.

A load oscillation dampener for dampening oscillations of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage mounted on a support, the movable carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the dampener comprising:

• a signal generator adapted to generate at least three values of a motion reference signal representing desired motion of the carriage based upon operator input, each of said values of said motion reference signal being generated at a different time,
• wherein said load is suspended at a height and wherein said signal generator is adapted to generate said values of said motion reference signal at different times based on a desired range of load heights to be damped;
• a memory operatively coupled to said signal generator and adapted to store said values of said motion reference signal;
• and
• a controller operatively coupled to said memory, said controller being adapted to generate a damping signal based upon a linear combination of said values of said motion reference signal stored in said memory and at least three non-zero coefficients and to transmit said damping signal to said motor drive to cause load oscillation to be damped.

A load oscillation dampener for dampening oscillations of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage mounted on a support, the movable carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the dampener comprising:

• a signal generator adapted to generate at least three values of a motion reference signal representing desired motion of the carriage based upon operator input, each of said values of said motion reference signal being generated at different times;
• a memory operatively coupled to said signal generator and adapted to store said values of said motion reference signal contemporaneously;
• and
• a controller operatively coupled to said memory, said controller being adapted to generate a damping signal based upon a linear combination of said stored values with at least two non-zero coefficients, said controller being adapted to transmit said damping signal to said motor drive to cause load oscillation to be damped.

A load oscillation dampener for dampening oscillations of a load suspended by a hoisting rope from a movable carriage mounted on a support, the movable carriage being powered by a motor controlled by a motor drive, the dampener comprising:

• a signal generator adapted to generate a plurality of values of a motion reference signal representing desired motion of the carriage based upon operator input, each of said values of said motion reference signal being generated at a different time;
• a memory array operatively coupled to said signal generator, said memory array having a plurality of data storage locations, each of said values of said motion reference signal being stored in a respective one of said data storage locations in said memory array, said memory array being adapted to shift said values of said motion reference signal within said memory array when another value of said motion reference signal is stored in said memory array;
• and
• a controller operatively coupled to said memory array, said controller being adapted to generate a damping signal based upon a linear combination of said values of said motion reference signal stored in said memory array and to transmit said damping signal to said motor drive to cause load oscillation to be damped.