AMCS technologies has unveiled a new anti-collision solution that works between tower cranes and mobile cranes – making it the “world’s first” system of its kind.
The French crane technology and safety solutions company said in a statemen that the new DCS 61-S system is now available for sale internationally after several months of development and testing in real conditions. AMCS technologies also received the Technical Innovation of the Year Award for the new product at the 2020 Tower Crane Trophies awarded at JDL in September.
Describing the new approach taken in developing the DCS 61-S system, AMCS said: “The anti-collision management of the AMCS technologies solution does not lie in the simple temporary neutralisation of areas on the site prohibiting tower cranes to work within a defined perimeter where the mobile crane could potentially be located. The new functionality of the DCS 61-S automatically detects the movements of mobile machine and integrates the control of tower cranes.”
According to AMCS, the DCS 61-S for mobile cranes is easy to install and program, with a screen installed in the crane operator’s cabin that provides him with the information needed for operating the machine in real time. The DCS 61-S placed on tower and mobile cranes communicate their information via a radio network and constantly know the position of each of the machines thanks to geolocation antennas. When mobile cranes move and reposition themselves in a different area to work, the tower crane devices automatically know their positions and the system creates an area of interference for the machines involved.
AMCS added that the device calculates in real time and in 3D the distances between each element of the cranes, including the position of the cabin, as well as the movement speeds. “This is to intervene on the cranes control mechanism to ensure a slowing down, followed by a complete immobilisation of the crane at a pre-set distance from the mobile crane.”
For the mobile crane, the device emits an increasingly loud audible signal when approaching the prohibited overflight area.
The DCS 61-S retains two essential functions of AMCS technologies’ other systems for maintaining productivity and site safety, which are zoning and data logging. With the zoning function, the system gives the user the possibility to quickly create prohibited overflight areas in 3D directly on the screen by associating geometric shapes with perimeters and static obstacles.
With the data logger function, the the DCS 61-S continuously records and saves data related to events, movements and all crane parameters in order to view them directly on the system screen in the cabin and/or download them to a USB key.
“The DCS 61-S device is an evolving product, which has been designed in such a way as to integrate new functionalities such as anti-collision management between tower cranes and mobile cranes. After many requests from professionals in the sector, the research and development department of AMCS technologies developed this long-awaited solution,” said the company’s statement.
According to AMCS technologies, the project started in February 2018 and several phases of laboratory tests in AMCS technologies offices and on-site with its partners have been implemented in order to offer a viable, efficient solution that meets expectations.
“A few months ago, the DCS 61-S for mobile cranes was installed on the first site in Les Ardoines metro station, is located to the east of Vitry-sur-Seine, in France. On this Grand Paris Express construction site, the mobile crane as well as the two tower cranes were fitted with the DCS 61-S. This first deployment on a customer site was a real success. There was another challenge on this site, as it was interfering with another site with a tower crane and an overhead bridge crane. The solution deployed by AMCS technologies has proven successful and demonstrated its effectiveness as well as its necessity,” said the company.
