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Cranium

Technical Documentation

Fundamental Modules

Industrial PC

The core Cranium platform combines a Field-proven IPC with powerful software, including real-time crane monitoring and safe firmware upgrades. It is the required dependency for any other module.

Bridge Crane

The module for modern automation and advanced anti-sway of overhead cranes. It works out of the box but offers various parameters to fine-tune control behavior and trajectory.

Rotary Crane

This module extends Cranium to enable advanced automation for rotary cranes, including open- and closed-loop anti-sway. It also offers load control in intuitive Cartesian coordinates.

Track Control

This extension for overhead and portal cranes minimizes wear on wheel flanges and rails by centering the running wheels on the rail. The module can also be used for synchronization of both crane sides.

Instrumentation

Functions for complex port scenarios. The "Crane Instrumentation System" (CIS) manages fail-safe load transfer with PLd in SC-automated portals and acts as gateway for OCR, TOS, and other interfaces.

Fieldbus

If the built-in TCP connection is insufficient for PLC communication due to specific project limitations, this module adds support for the Fieldbus protocols Profinet, Profibus, and CANopen.

Reliable Sensors

Camera

Cranium's standard solution to realize closed-loop feedback for anti-sway and automation algorithms is a robust industry camera used for diagonal pull detection and follow-me.

Laser

The base module is ready to be extended with an infrared 2D laser to measure the load pendulum and geometry as an alternative to the camera, especially for outdoor applications.

Lidar

State-of-the-art 3D lidar technology supplements Cranium to achieve advanced automation functionality, such as load geometry measurement and dynamic obstacle avoidance.

Proximity Sensors

Real-time detection of approaching obstacles with modern directional lidar systems used as proximity sensors. For example, optimally suited for intermodal crane track monitoring.

Advanced Functionality

Areas and Obstacles

In addition to automatic paths already included in the base modules, this module offers comfortable possibilities and interfaces for defining and controlling static obstacles and velocity areas.

Navigation

Based on defined and scanned obstacles, Cranium applies cutting-edge 3D pathfinding algorithms to find the optimal and safe trajectory to a reachable given target position in real-time.

Load Collision Prevention

With the lidar sensors, Cranium scans the area around the load. It uses the resulting environment maps to implement advanced 3D pattern matching to avoid dynamic obstacles.

Central Management App

The CMA is the ideal solution for terminals and owners that run multiple Cranium instances. It provides an intuitive web application for monitoring and controlling all operating Cranium systems.

Remote Maintenance

For reliable remote maintenance, Cranium supports the integration of WireGuard as a VPN solution in combination with a compact and secure 5G router that easily fits in an electric cabinet.