DIGICRANE

PROJECT TITLE:

NEW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES APPLIED TO TOWER CRANES WITH ADVANCED FUNCTIONALITIES. DIGICRANE

GENERAL DATA:

Program_ Call: Public-private collaboration projects, of the State Program to Promote Scientific-Technical Research and its Transfer, of the State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research 2021-2023, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
Part number: CPP2021-008805
RESOLUTION Date: 12/28/2022
Execution date: 01/09/2022-31/08/2025

PRESENTATION AND OBJECTIVES:

A load lifting crane has historically consisted of systems where reliability and robustness have prevailed over the superior performance offered by advanced technological solutions, which make the product more expensive. Thus, in those cases where additional functionality has been demanded, manufacturers have mostly opted for specific kits, developed by third parties, which are incorporated into the crane to complement its features.
However, the digital era has burst into our lives in recent decades, incorporating Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), in combination with sensorics and robotics, which has transformed the traditional internet into the internet of things (IoT), and the result in industry has been a new organizational model and a disruptive change in industry that some call the “fourth industrial revolution”.
The main objective of the project is to digitalize tower cranes by developing monitoring, control and communications systems capable of providing new advanced functionalities to this equipment, which will increase the autonomy of the cranes, maximize the reliability and robustness of this equipment while increasing the safety of construction in general. The data collected through this system will also allow remote analysis and diagnosis of the condition of the equipment, which will generate an increase in the useful life of the cranes through optimized maintenance plans, according to the specific conditions of each location.
The specific objectives are:
a. Centralize the electronic and communications control of the system into a single, robust, user-friendly hardware system. To this end, development will focus on several initiatives from the digitization point of view:
b. Increase the automation and autonomy of the crane through a dynamic 3D trajectory planner, by developing dynamic 3D maps generated by SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithms, capable of realistically reconstructing the environment and detecting static (buildings), semi-static (loads or elements that change location) and dynamic (people in motion) elements. To this end, we will work on learning systems through Artificial Intelligence of the dynamic response of the suspended load for its subsequent use in the trajectory generation and control algorithms, both manual and automatic.
c. Guarantee safety through the development of control systems that avoid load oscillations, capable of considering not only the characteristics of the crane itself but also the environment, which will also result in an optimization of crane downtime and, consequently, in greater efficiency in the construction process.
d. Ensure analysis and decision making based on real-time information, thanks to the development of a precise control system and the generation of trajectories, which will prevent dangerous load movements and consequently maximize the safety of people in the construction field.
e. To consolidate the competitive position of the COMANSA Group through a new digital product that responds to market demands and enables the commercialization of new services related to the maintenance and updating of tower cranes.

PARTICIPATING ENTITIES:

LINDEN COMANSA S.L.
CONSTRUCCIONES METALICAS COMANSA S.A.
TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF ARAGON

BUDGET:

TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET: 862,375.27€.
TOTAL BUDGET ITAINNOVA: 399,644 €.

FINANCING:

TOTAL PROJECT FINANCING: 839,238.71€.
TOTAL FINANCING ITANNOVA: 399,644 €.
The project in which the Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón (ITAINNOVA) participates called “NEW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES APPLIED TO TOWER CRANES WITH ADVANCED FUNCTIONALITIES” with file number CPP2021-008805 has been approved by the State Research Agency under the R&D&I Projects in Public-Private Collaboration 2021 program within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
CPP2021-008805/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR