Acubo is the patented inertial platform for transverse load control when lifting with the anti-sway function in instantaneous correction.
In the daily use of lifting equipment it may happen to lift a load placed in a non perpendicular position, and often this is due to negligence.
Improper use of lifting equipment is very risky since the load can sway without control, endangering the personnel adjacent to the maneuver, even with serious consequences, and also damaging your equipment.
Acubo, thanks to its advanced technology, is able to prevent this kind of risks.

How the Acubo safety device works

Acubo is composed of a sensor positioned on the rope of the turnbuckle and a logic unit installed in the switchboard.
The entire system can be controlled either through standard IP network through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
All the data collected by the sensor are stored here and it is possible to manage inverter and alarms, interfaces with the extensions of the system, for example, the signals from the control panel, and the drive of climb block.
A special software is used to calibrate and configure the system as well as to collect data related to the use of the system.
Thanks to the data saving that detect the daily use of the plant, from the controls of the panel to the reading of the load cell, Acubo can become a sort of black box noting the SWP (Safety Working Period) for each plant on which it is installed.
To be able to establish the SWP can lead to an increase of the useful life of the lifting system of over 40% and at the same time can improve safety and lower operating costs.

Anti-sway function

Vinati is the only company in the world having designed and produced a system of load anti-sway with closed loop “follow me”.
Thanks to complex algorithms, Acubo is able to keep the suspended load always perpendicular to the hook during handling.
Since the system is always active during the shifting of loads, the handling will be controlled from the very start until the final positioning of the load, acting on the acceleration and deceleration of the bridge and the trolley.
The uniqueness of Acubo lies in the position of the inertial platform, on the turnbuckle. The combination of accelerometer and gyroscope gives all the correct parameters about the actual movement of the load at a given time. There are no encoders or other systems that can calculate the potential oscillations in an empirical way.
With Acubo everything is processed dynamically and in real time.

The “follow me” function implemented on the system Acubo aligns perpendicularly the hook to the load automatically when a user tries to hook the load in transverse and gives the possibility to follow and help the user when coupling, lifting, loading.

Notice of exceeding safety thresholds

The Acubo is provided with a sensor with triaxial accelerometer which is positioned at the level of the turnbuckle or, in the case of winding on double drum, at the level of the pulley where the rope always stands still without sliding.
This position allows the sensor to precisely define the tilt angle of the rope and alert the operator about eventual exceeding the established safety thresholds. It also prevents from raising the load when not perfectly perpendicular and in any case within the safety threshold.

Expansion

The Acubo system is able to detect the data from external sources such as load cells, button panel, toroids, etc.
Thanks to the expansion cards multiple inputs and outputs can be configured to control audible / visual alarms, inverters, etc.

Applicability

Acubo is designed to implement both the original equipment and already installed systems, in a variety of contexts such as:

• steelworks
• forge
• foundries
• handling coils
• power, hydroelectric, thermal plants
• shipbuilding boating
• prefabricated surfaces and tiles
• marble industry
• automotive systems in general

Acubo has all the certification and the requirements needed for a safety system. We have also partnered with the University research centers in order to study the anti-sway and “follow me” systems.

Technical specifications

The Acubo system is designed and developed entirely in Italy with high quality materials and component parts.

The inertial platform

• machined solid aluminum and teflon for the most exposed parts
• connector with military specifications

So the use also in outdoor environments is protected from weather and salty fogs.
For what concerns temperatures, all components are at extended range.

The following video shows the experiment that has been done by the Polytechnic University of Bergamo, where the bridge crane follows a preset path run by the PLC:

• In the first path the Acubo system is turned off; 
• In the second one the Acubo system is turned on.

The videos related to both paths have been overlapped and synchronized, showing the different swaying of the load.