Method and apparatus for monitoring a load condition of a dragline
AssigneeLeica Geosystems AG
InventorGeoff Baldwin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dragline includes a boom, a bucket, a hoist rope from which the bucket is suspended from the boom, and a drag rope for dragging the bucket. Data is produced on the alignment, with respect to a vertical plane containing the boom axis, of at least one of the following dragline components: i) the hoist rope; ii) the drag rope; iii) the boom; iv) the bucket. This data can be used for controlling the load condition on the basis of the dragline. The data can be inputted to a man-machine interface, e.g. a display device, controlled by a human operator, and/or it can be inputted to control the drive of the hoist rope and/or of the drag rope, so as to decrease or cease drive in response to detected misalignment of dragline component(s).
Claims41
Method of monitoring a load condition of a dragline (1) or an electric shovel, the dragline comprising a boom (4), a bucket (8), a hoist rope (10) from which the bucket is suspended from the boom, and a drag rope (18) for dragging the bucket, the boom extending substantially along a boom axis (BA) in its normal, unstressed state,
- characterised in that it comprises the steps of:
- using technical means (26, 28;
- 42;
- 46;
- 48;
- 60-70;
- 76, 80;
- 82;
- GPS1-GPS3;
- 96, 98) to produce alignment data indicative of lateral alignment, with respect to a plane containing the boom axis (BA), of at least one of the following dragline components:
- i) the hoist rope (10),
- ii) the drag rope (18),
- iii) the boom (4),
- iv) the bucket (8), and
- determining the lateral alignment.
Apparatus for monitoring a load condition of a dragline (1) or an electric shovel, the dragline comprising a boom (4), a bucket (8), a hoist rope (10) from which the bucket is suspended from the boom, and a drag rope (18) for dragging the bucket, the boom extending substantially along a boom axis (BA) in its normal, unstressed state,
- characterised in that it comprises means (26, 28;
- 42;
- 46;
- 48;
- 60-70;
- 76, 80;
- 82;
- GPS1-GPS3;
- 96, 98) for producing alignment data indicative of a lateral alignment, with respect to a plane containing said boom axis (BA), of at least one of the following dragline components:
- i) the hoist rope (10),
- ii) the drag rope (18),
- iii) the boom (4),
- iv) the bucket (8), and
- means for determining said lateral alignment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.