Gantry crane collision avoidance device
OwnerJohn R. Curryinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A transmitter attached to the overhang of a hoisting crane that is movable over rails. The transmitter is operative to transmit signals to receivers also mounted on the hoisting crane. During movement of the crane, the signals may be blocked by objects that may come between the transmitter and receivers indicating a pending collision. The receivers upon detecting a blockage are operative to alert the operator of the unsafe condition and deactivate the gantry motors moving the crane.
Claims19
A gantry crane collision avoidance apparatus for detecting objects alongside an elongated gantry boom carried on one end from a support tower and terminating in a free end, said apparatus comprising:
- a transmitter device mounted on said free end of said boom and including a laser generator for directing a laser beam back along a path defining a boundary alongside at least one side of said boom at said tower to form an interface point on said tower;
- at least one receiver device mounted at said interface point and operative in response to the absence of said laser beam to generate a response signal;
- an alarm generator connected in circuit with said receiver and responsive to a control signal to generate an alarm signal;
- and
- a logic circuit device connected with said receiver device and alarm generator and in response to said operation signal operative to generate said control signal whereby said transmitter device projects said laser beam along said boundary at said interface point such that upon introduction of an object into said boundary, said receiver device will detect the absence of said laser beam to generate said response signal causing said logic circuit device to generate said control signal to activate said alarm generator to generate said alarm signal.
A gantry crane collision avoidance apparatus to detect obstacles alongside a cantilevered gantry boom carried on one end by a support tower and terminating in a free end, for use with a laterally mobile gantry crane including a gantry motor serially connected to a gantry power supply for driving said crane in a direction laterally perpendicular to said boom, said system comprising:
- a transmitter device mounted on said free end of said boom and includes laser beacon for directing a vertically sweeping laser beam back along at least one boundary path defining a danger field on at least one side of said boom to trace an interface line on said tower;
- at least one receiver device mounted on said tower on said interface line defining an intersection point and operative in response to the absence of said vertically sweeping laser beam to generate a first response signal;
- and
- a logic controller device connected with said receiver device responsive to said operation signal to generate a control signal whereby said transmitter device projects said vertically sweeping laser beam along said boundary plane to trace said interface line such that upon introduction of an obstacle into said boundary path between said transmitter device and receiver device, said receiver device will detect the absence of said laser beam to generate said first response signal causing said control circuit to generate said control signal;
- said logic controller device further includes a power relay connected with said gantry motor and gantry power supply operative in response to said control signal to deactivate said gantry motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.