Safety system and method
AssigneeTexaco Inc.
InventorGerald F. Rome
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A safety system for use with apparatus having a conductive member and where the apparatus changes the attitude and/or altitude of the conductive member during its operation includes at least one sensor which senses an electric field and provides a signal representative of the strength of the electric field. A safety device responsive to the signal from the sensor prevents the further changing of the conductive member's attitude and/or altitude when the electric field strength is greater than a predetermined safe value.
Claims13
A safety system for use with apparatus having a conductive member, said apparatus changes the attitude and/or altitude of the conductive member during operation of the apparatus, comprising:
- means mounted on the conductive member for sensing an electric field and providing a signal representative of the strength of the electric field,
- alarm means connected to the sensing means and responsive to the signal from the sensing means for providing an alarm when the conductive member has entered an electric field whose strength is greater than a predetermined safe value, and
- sensitivity means for controlling the sensitivity of the alarm means;
- and
- wherein the sensing means includes:
- a plurality of sensors located at predetermined sites on the conductive member, each sensor being of the type where an electric field induces a voltage in the sensor whose amplitude corresponds to the strength of the electric field, said sensor provides the induced voltage as a signal, and
- multiplexing means connected to the plurality of sensors and to the preventing means for multiplexing the signals from the plurality of sensors to provide a multiplexed signal to the preventing means.
A method for safely changing the attitude and/or altitude of a conductive member in the vicinity of a power line comprising the steps of:
- mounting a plurality of sensors at predetermined locations on the conductive member, each sensor providing a signal when in the presence of an electric field representative of the strength of the electric field at the sensor's location,
- multiplexing the signal from the sensors to provide a multiplexed signal,
- moving the conductive member in accordance with the multiplexed signal until either the conductive member arrives at a desired attitude and/or altitude for the conductive member or a sensor provides a signal that the conductive member has entered an electric field whose strength is greater than the predetermined safe value.
A safety system for use with apparatus having a conductive member, said apparatus changes the attitude and/or altitude of the conductive member during operation of the apparatus, comprising:
- sensing means mounted on the conductive member for sensing an electric field and providing a signal representative of the strength of the electric field,
- alarm means connected to said sensing means and responsive to the signal from the sensing means for providing an alarm when the conductive member has entered an electric field whose strength is greater than a predetermined safe value, and
- sensitivity means for controlling the sensitivity of the alarm means;
- and
- wherein the sensing means includes:
- a plurality of sensors located at predetermined sites on the conductive member, each sensor being of the type where an electric field induces a voltage in the sensor whose amplitude corresponds to the strength of the electric field, said sensor provides the induced voltage as a signal, and
- multiplexing means connected to the plurality of sensors and to the alarm means for multiplexing the signals from the plurality of sensors to provide a multiplexed signal to the alarm means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.