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US 4,232,792 AGranted
Crane
AssigneeKockums Industries, Inc.
InventorDean W. Shields
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A remotely controlled rotatable crane for loading logs on a live deck. The crane includes a carriage having a horizontal bed rotatable on a circular track about a verticle axis, the bed carrying a truss assembly extending upwardly and radially outwardly from the bed. The distal end of the truss assembly carries a vertically movable and rotatable grapple. A winch and cable raises and lowers the grapple. A counterweight is disposed on the carriage to counter balance the truss assembly. Electrohydraulic controls operate the winch for raising and lowering the grapple, controls the rotation of the grapple about a vertical axis and its opening and closing and controls the movement of the carriage about its vertical axis. Hydraulic motors also drive wheels on the track for rotating the carriage about a vertical axis.
Claims25
A crane comprising:
- (a) a body having a carriage;
- (b) said carriage having a vertical axis, said carriage being rotatably supported for pivoting about said vertical axis;
- (c) a circular continuous rail extending around said vertical axis below said carriage;
- the center of the circle of said rail coinciding with said vertical axis;
- said carriage extending in opposite directions from said center outwardly and over circumferentially spaced portions of said rail for providing one end portion of said carriage over one portion of said rail and the other end of said carriage over the other portion of said rail;
- (d) circumferentially spaced wheels rotatably mounted on said carriage at said other end portion for rotation about substantially horizontal radial axes, said wheels riding on said rail;
- (e) an additional wheel means at said one end portion about substantially a horizontal radial axis, said additional wheel riding on said rail;
- (f) said body including an open frame dog leg truss assembly having a base section extending upwardly and forwardly from said carriage, said base section having a proximal end pivotally secured to said one end portion of said carriage and an upper end outwardly of said rail, said truss assembly having a generally horizontal boom section secured by one end to and extending outwardly from said upper end, the outer end of said boom section forming the distal end of said truss assembly;
- (g) sheave means at the distal end of said truss assembly;
- (h) a cable winch means at said other end portion of said carriage;
- (i) cable means extending from the winch means upwardly and over said carriage and thence through said truss assembly adjacent to the distal end of said base section and thereafter through said horizontal section and over said sheave means;
- (j) a grapple on the end portion of said cable means below said distal end;
- (k) counterweight means over the end portion of said rail adjacent to said winch;
- (l) flexible cables connected adjacent to said counterweight and said winch and to said truss assembly adjacent to the junction of said base section and said horizontal section for supporting said truss assembly from pivoting outwardly;
- and
- (m) pivot means between said carriage and said proximal end of said base section providing the pivotal securement therebetween.
13 more elements
A crane comprising:
- (a) a body having a carriage;
- (b) an upstanding stationary post having a vertical axis, said carriage being rotatably secured by its central portion to said post for pivoting about said vertical axis;
- (c) a circular continuous rail extending around said post below said carriage;
- the center of the circle of said rail coinciding with said vertical axis of said post;
- said carriage extending in opposite directions from said center outwardly and over circumferentially spaced portions of said rail for providing one end portion of said carriage over one portion of said rail and the other end of said carriage over the other portion of said rail;
- (d) circumferentially spaced wheels rotatably mounted on said carriage at said other end portion for rotation about substantially horizontal radial axes, said wheels riding on said rail;
- (e) an additional wheel means at said one end portion about substantially a horizontal radial axis, said additional wheel riding on said rail;
- (f) said body including an open frame truss assembly extending upwardly and forwardly from said carriage, said assembly having a proximal end secured to said base said one end portion of said carriage and a distal end outwardly of said rail;
- (g) sheave means at the distal end of said truss assembly;
- (h) a cable winch on said carriage;
- (i) cable means extending from the winch through said truss assembly and over said sheave means;
- (j) a grapple on the end portion of said cable means below said distal end;
- and
- (k) counterweight means over the end portion of said rail;
- (l) said truss assembly being L-shaped and having an upwardly and outwardly inclined base section connected by one end to said carriage and a generally horizontally extending boom section connected by its inner end to the forward outer end of said base section outwardly of said rail;
- (m) said sheave means being mounted at the outer end portion of said boom section, and including pivot means for pivotally securing the inner end of the base section of said truss assembly to said carriage and flexible cable means extending from the outer end of said base section downwardly and rearwardly toward said counterweight to the rear portion of said carriage for supporting said truss assembly in its upwardly and forwardly extending position;
- and
- (n) rearwardly and upwardly extending struts connected respectively by their forward ends to said pivot pins, the rear end portions of said struts terminating above the rear end portion of said carriage, upstanding bars extending between said carriage and said rear end portions of said struts and pivot pins extending between the end portions of said bars and the end portions of said struts for pivotally joining the same together.
15 more elements
A crane comprising:
- (a) a horizontally disposed carriage having forward and rear end portions;
- (b) a horizontal circular continuous race below said carriage;
- (c) pivot means in the center defined by said circular race, said pivot means being provided with a vertical axis and pivotally receiving the central portion of said carriage, said end portion of said carriage extending in opposite directions from said central portion of said carriage, said carriage being rotatable about said vertical axis;
- (d) wheel means mounted to said end portions of said carriage for engaging said race at circumferentially spaced locations;
- (e) a frame truss assembly carried by said carriage, said frame assembly being mounted by chordially spaced lower ends to said forward end portion of said carriage and protruding in a radial direction upwardly and outwardly from said forward end portion, certain of said wheel means being mounted respectively below said lower ends;
- (f) flexible tension means extending over said carriage inwardly and downwardly in an essentially straight path from an intermediate upper portion of said frame truss assembly to said rear portion of said carriage for arresting outward movement of said frame assembly;
- (g) grapple means carried by the outer end portion of said frame assembly;
- (h) grapple actuating means carried on the rear end portion of said carriage for manipulating said grapple, said grapple actuating means including a cable extending from said upper portion of said frame truss assembly in an essentially unobstructed path inwardly an downwardly over said carriage and adjacent to said tension means from said intermediate upper portion of said truss assembly to said rear portion of said carriage;
- and
- (i) motor means for said certain of said wheel means for selectively rotating said wheel means in one direction and in the other, for pivoting said carriage about said vertical axis in one direction and in the other.
7 more elements
A crane comprising:
- (a) a horizontally disposed carriage having forward and rear end portions;
- (b) a horizontal circular continuous race below said carriage;
- (c) pivot means in the center defined by said circular race, said pivot means being provided with a vertical axis and pivotally receiving the central portion of said carriage, said end portion of said carriage extending in opposite directions from said central portion of said carriage, said carriage being rotatable about said vertical axis;
- (d) wheel means mounted to said end portions of said carriage for engaging said race at circumferentially spaced locations;
- (e) a frame truss assembly carried by said carriage, said frame assembly being mounted by chordially spaced lower ends to said forward end portion of said carriage and protruding in a radial direction upwardly and outwardly from said forward end portion, certain of said wheel means being mounted respectively below said lower ends;
- (f) tension means extending from an intermediate upper portion of said frame truss assembly to said rear portion of said carriage for arresting outward movement of said frame assembly;
- (g) grapple means carried by the outer end portion of said frame assembly;
- (h) grapple actuating means carried on the rear end portion of said carriage for manipulating said grapple;
- and
- (i) motor means for said certain of said wheel means for selectively rotating said wheel means in one direction and in the other, for pivoting said carriage about said vertical axis in one direction and in the other;
- (j) said carriage being triangular, two corner portions of the triangular carriage forming said forward portion of said carriage;
- (k) the lower end of said frame truss assembly including spaced legs secured respectively to said corner portions of said carriage;
- (l) said wheel means which is mounted to said forward portion of said carriage including a pair of spaced wheels, each of which is driven by said motor means;
- (m) said spaced wheels being respectively below said legs of said frame truss assembly;
- (n) said tension means including flexible cables;
- (o) said ends of said frame truss assembly being pivotally connected to the forward corner portions of said carriage;
- (p) a counterweight mounted on said rear portion of said carriage over the wheel means which is mounted on said rear portion;
- (q) said race being a track and said wheel means being flanged wheels riding on said track;
- and
- a pair of upstanding bars mounted by their lower ends to said rear portion of said carriage, and a pair of upwardly and rearwardly extending compression struts, the forward ends of said compression struts being pivotally connected to said legs of said frame truss assembly and the rear ends of said compression struts being connected to the upper ends of said bars.
17 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.