Suspended load stability systems and methods
First Claim
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1. A load stability system apparatus for stabilizing a load suspended via a cable from above, the apparatus comprising:
- a center module comprising;
an attachment point for the cable, configured to allow rotation of the cable relative to the apparatus such that a twist or rotational motion of the cable is decoupled from an orientation of the apparatus and the apparatus in operation is orientable to any direction around an upright axis between the cable and the load;
an attachment point for the load, configured to suspend the load in operation below the load stability system apparatus;
a tensile structural element along the upright axis between the attachment point for the cable and the attachment point for the load,wherein an upper surface of the tensile structural element is coupled to the attachment point for the cable and a lower surface of the tensile structural element is coupled to the attachment point for the load; and
a thruster mounting structure connected to the tensile structural element, configured to mount an even number of thrusters to the center module in a fixed position,wherein the fixed position comprises pairs of thrusters arranged on opposite sides of the center module across the upright axis, aligned in parallel and facing a common direction;
a power supply;
a sensor array comprising;
an inertial measurement system;
an orientation measurement system; and
an absolute position measurement system;
a wireless transceiver;
a thruster controller;
two or more thrusters connected to the thruster mounting structure and controlled by the thruster controller; and
a processor operably connected to the sensor array, the wireless transceiver, and the thruster controller;
wherein the processor is configured to;
determine a motion of the load, the motion including any of a pendulum awing, a conical pendulum swing, and a twisting or rotational motion, based on the sensor array measurement systems;
orient the apparatus to a thrust application vector, by controlling thrust provided by the at least one of the thrusters in the pairs of thrusters mounted on opposite sides of the center module, such that the common direction that at least one of the pairs of thrusters faces coincides with the thrust application vector; and
apply thrust along the thrust application vector to autonomously counteract the motion of the load, by controlling at least the pair of thrusters aligned with the thrust application vector.
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Abstract
Load stability systems and methods for stabilizing swinging motions of suspended loads. The load stability systems include a fully automated, self-powered device that employs thrust to counteract and control lateral and rotational motion of an external load. The device is a temporary installment on the load, cable, or boom, and is agnostic to the platform from which it is suspended.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A load stability system apparatus for stabilizing a load suspended via a cable from above, the apparatus comprising:
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a center module comprising; an attachment point for the cable, configured to allow rotation of the cable relative to the apparatus such that a twist or rotational motion of the cable is decoupled from an orientation of the apparatus and the apparatus in operation is orientable to any direction around an upright axis between the cable and the load; an attachment point for the load, configured to suspend the load in operation below the load stability system apparatus; a tensile structural element along the upright axis between the attachment point for the cable and the attachment point for the load, wherein an upper surface of the tensile structural element is coupled to the attachment point for the cable and a lower surface of the tensile structural element is coupled to the attachment point for the load; and a thruster mounting structure connected to the tensile structural element, configured to mount an even number of thrusters to the center module in a fixed position, wherein the fixed position comprises pairs of thrusters arranged on opposite sides of the center module across the upright axis, aligned in parallel and facing a common direction; a power supply; a sensor array comprising; an inertial measurement system; an orientation measurement system; and an absolute position measurement system; a wireless transceiver; a thruster controller; two or more thrusters connected to the thruster mounting structure and controlled by the thruster controller; and a processor operably connected to the sensor array, the wireless transceiver, and the thruster controller; wherein the processor is configured to; determine a motion of the load, the motion including any of a pendulum awing, a conical pendulum swing, and a twisting or rotational motion, based on the sensor array measurement systems; orient the apparatus to a thrust application vector, by controlling thrust provided by the at least one of the thrusters in the pairs of thrusters mounted on opposite sides of the center module, such that the common direction that at least one of the pairs of thrusters faces coincides with the thrust application vector; and apply thrust along the thrust application vector to autonomously counteract the motion of the load, by controlling at least the pair of thrusters aligned with the thrust application vector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method, performed by an autonomous load stability system apparatus suspended by a cable, to counteract a swinging of a load suspended below the load stability system apparatus,
wherein the load stability system apparatus includes a center module (comprising an attachment point for the cable, configured to allow rotation of the cable relative to the apparatus such that a twist or rotational motion of the cable is decoupled from an orientation of the apparatus and the apparatus in operation is orientable to any direction around an upright axis between the cable and the load, an attachment point for the load, configured to suspend the load in operation below the load stability system apparatus, a tensile structural element along the upright axis between the attachment point for the cable and the attachment point for the load, wherein an upper surface of the tensile structural element is coupled to the attachment point for the cable and a lower surface of the tensile structural element is coupled to the attachment point for the load, and a thruster mounting structure connected to the tensile structural element, configured to mount an even number of thrusters to the center module in a fixed position, wherein the fixed position comprises pairs of thrusters arranged on opposite sides of the center module across the upright axis, aligned in parallel and facing a common direction), a power supply, a sensor array (comprising an inertial measurement system, an orientation measurement system; - and an absolute position measurement system), a wireless transceiver, a thruster controller, a processor (operably connected to the sensor array, the wireless transceiver, and the thruster controller), and two or more thrusters connected to the thruster mounting structure and controlled by the thruster controller,
the method comprising; receiving an activation signal; obtaining, by the sensor array, information describing the position, orientation, and movement of the load stability system apparatus; identifying a target location of the load stability system apparatus; determining, by the processor, a thrust application vector to move the load stability system apparatus to the identified target location, based on the obtained information describing the position, orientation, and movement of the load stability system apparatus; rotating the load stability system apparatus by controlling thrust from at least one of the two or more thrusters to align the common direction that at least one of the pairs of thrusters faces with the thrust application vector; and applying thrust, by at least the pair of thrusters aligned with the thrust application vector, to counteract the swinging of the load. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
- and an absolute position measurement system), a wireless transceiver, a thruster controller, a processor (operably connected to the sensor array, the wireless transceiver, and the thruster controller), and two or more thrusters connected to the thruster mounting structure and controlled by the thruster controller,
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25. An autonomous load stability system apparatus that is suspended by a cable, the load stability system apparatus comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor in the load stability system apparatus, configure the processor to control the load stability system apparatus to counteract a swinging of a load suspended below the load stability system apparatus,
wherein the load stability system apparatus includes a center module (comprising an attachment point for the cable, configured to allow rotation of the cable relative to the apparatus such that a twist or rotational motion of the cable is decoupled from an orientation of the apparatus and the apparatus in operation is orientable to any direction around an upright axis between the cable and the load, an attachment point for the load, configured to suspend the load in operation below the load stability system apparatus, a tensile structural element along the upright axis between the attachment point for the cable and the attachment point for the load, wherein an upper surface of the tensile structural element is coupled to the attachment point for the cable and a lower surface of the tensile structural element is coupled to the attachment point for the load, and a thruster mounting structure connected to the tensile structural element, configured to mount an even number of thrusters to the center module in a fixed position, wherein the fixed position comprises pairs of thrusters arranged on opposite sides of the center module across the upright axis, aligned in parallel and facing a common direction), a power supply, a sensor array (comprising an inertial measurement system, an orientation measurement system; - and an absolute position measurement system), a wireless transceiver, a thruster controller, the processor (operably connected to the sensor array, the wireless transceiver, and the thruster controller), and two or more thrusters connected to the thruster mounting structure and controlled by the thruster controller,
wherein the instructions comprise; receiving an activation signal, wherein the activation signal includes a user selection of a mode or command state comprising one of; maintaining a position relative to a fixed or moving point from which the cable is suspended; holding a current position; moving to a designated coordinate location or a point above the designated coordinate location; and following an external target not connected to the suspended load; obtaining, by the sensor array, information describing the position, orientation, and movement of the load stability system apparatus; identifying a target location of the load stability system apparatus, based on the mode or command state; determining, by the processor, a thrust application vector to move the load stability system apparatus to the identified target location, based on the obtained information describing the position, orientation, and movement of the load stability system apparatus; rotating the load stability system apparatus by controlling thrust from at least one of the two or more thrusters to align the common direction that the at least one of the pairs of thrusters faces with the thrust application vector; and applying thrust, by at least the pair of thrusters aligned with the thrust application vector, to counteract the swinging of the load. - View Dependent Claims (26)
- and an absolute position measurement system), a wireless transceiver, a thruster controller, the processor (operably connected to the sensor array, the wireless transceiver, and the thruster controller), and two or more thrusters connected to the thruster mounting structure and controlled by the thruster controller,
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27. A method of counteracting a motion of a suspended load, the method comprising:
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attaching a load stability system apparatus to a cable for suspending the load, wherein the load stability system apparatus includes a center module (comprising an attachment point for the cable, configured to allow rotation of the cable relative to the apparatus such that a twist or rotational motion of the cable is decoupled from an orientation of the apparatus and the apparatus in operation is orientable to any direction around an upright axis between the cable and the load, an attachment point for the load, configured to suspend the load in operation below the load stability system apparatus, a tensile structural element along the upright axis between the attachment point for the cable and the attachment point for the load, wherein an upper surface of the tensile structural element is coupled to the attachment point for the cable and a lower surface of the tensile structural element is coupled to the attachment point for the load, and a thruster mounting structure connected to the tensile structural element, configured to mount an even number of thrusters to the center module in a fixed position, wherein the fixed position comprises pairs of thrusters arranged on opposite sides of the center module across the upright axis, aligned in parallel and facing a common direction), a power supply, a sensor array (comprising an inertial measurement system, an orientation measurement system; and
an absolute position measurement system), a wireless transceiver, a thruster controller, a processor (operably connected to the sensor array, the wireless transceiver, and the thruster controller), and two or more thrusters connected to the thruster mounting structure and controlled by the thruster controller, wherein the processor is configured to;determine a motion of the load, the motion including any of a pendulum swing, a conical pendulum swing, and a twisting or rotational motion, based on the sensor array measurement systems; orient the apparatus to a thrust application vector, by controlling thrust provided by the at least one of the thrusters in the pairs of thrusters mounted on opposite sides of the center module, such that the common direction that at least one of the pairs of thrusters faces coincides with the thrust application vector; and apply thrust along the thrust application vector to autonomously counteract the motion of the load, by controlling at least the pair of thrusters aligned with the thrust application vector, activating a mode or command state of the load stability system apparatus comprising one of; maintaining a position relative to a fixed or moving point from which the cable is suspended; holding a current position; moving to a designated coordinate location or a point above the designated coordinate location; and following an external target not connected to the suspended load; and causing a motion of the suspended load inconsistent with the activated mode or command state of the load stability system apparatus, such that the thrust applied by the load stability system apparatus along the thrust application vector autonomously counteracts the motion of the suspended load. - View Dependent Claims (28)
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Specification