Bi-planar cable cross reeving system

• US 5,257,891 A
• Filed: 09/30/1992
• Issued: 11/02/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mi-Jack Products Incorporated (Lanco International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mi-Jack Products Incorporated (Lanco International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wisniewski, Michael A., Baumann, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bucci, David A.
• Application Number:
  US07/954,946
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 414/459-461, 414/560, 414/561, 414/786, 212/147, 212/148, 294/81.21, 294/81.3, 294/81.4, 92/165 PR, 254/284, 254/285, 254/391
• US Class Current: 414/460
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 1/101 for containers B66C1/223 and B66C1/663 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/06 for minimising or preventing longitudinal or transverse swinging of loads
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 19/002 Container cranes B66C19/007 takes precedence

Abstract

A crane and lift apparatus for controlling the lifting and lowering of large cargo containers. A trolley assembly includes a hoist drum from which is suspended a system of cable or rope reevings connected to material securing assembly. The apparatus is effective to unload containers stacked one above another from one location to an alternate location. The system of cable reevings permits the raising and lowering of containers in planes defined by X, Y, and Z axes. The cables are deployed from the hoist drum on the trolley assembly to sheaves disposed at the four corners of the material securing assembly and then returned to anchor assemblies secured to an undercarriage of the trolley assembly. The sheaves are selectively angled and located in headblock assemblies positioned on the material securing assembly. A system of brakes controls movement of the cables through the sheaves. By selectively combining the angling of the sheaves with selective application of the sheave brakes, it is possible to resolve moment forces acting at each corner of a container so as to abosrb the constantly changing inertial movements that occur when the container is raised, lowered or moved horizontally. As a result, the apparatus is effective to dampen or retard the container from swaying, rolling, or pitching, from pendulous movement, and can thereby control the deployment of the container within precise vertical, horizontal, or skewed planes of orientation.

Claims

1. A gantry crane apparatus including a portal frame system having a pair of lower side beams supporting four corner columns in turn supporting a pair of upper girders on which are disposed generally parallel track means transverse to said lower side beams,

wheel means rotatably supported beneath said frame system, drive means operatively coupled to said wheel means for causing movement of said frame system,

trolley assembly means movably mounted upon said upper girders and said track means for rectilinear movement therealong, said trolley assembly means comprising;

rotatably mounted single drum hoist means for deploying therefrom a cable reeving system;

said cable reeving system cable means operatively attached to said single drum hoist means and suspended downwardly therefrom for connection to spreader assembly means;

said spreader assembly means attached to a lowermost portion of said cable means adaptable for vertical movement relative to said hoist drum means;

said cable means comprising

a first cable having one end secured to said drum means, wrapped therearound and deployed downwardly therefrom for rotatable attachment to a first end of said spreader assembly means, the other end of said first cable being directed upwardly for attachment to an underside portion of said trolley assembly means;

a second cable having one end secured to said drum means, wrapped therearound and deployed downwardly therefrom for rotatable attachment to said first end of said spreader assembly means, the other end of said second cable being directed upwardly for attachment to an underside portion of said trolley assembly means;

a third cable having one end secured to said drum means, wrapped therearound and deployed downwardly therefrom for rotatable attachment to a second end of said spreader assembly means, the other end of said third cable being directed upwardly for attachment to an underside portion of said trolley means;

a fourth cable having one end secured to said drum means;

wrapped therearound and deployed downwardly therefrom for rotatable attachment to said second end of said spreader assembly means, the other end of said fourth cable being directed upwardly for attachment to an underside portion of said trolley means;

joined coupling means disposed between said other end of each of said four cables and dead end cylinder means disposed on said underside portion of said trolley means for selectively extending and retracting so as to adjust incremental lengths of each of said cables;

attachment means secured to said spreader assembly means for connecting to, carrying and releasing one or more working loads; and

power drive means operatively coupled to said drive means, said trolley assembly means and said hoist drum means, said power drive means acting selectively to operate said drive means to cause movement of said portal frame system, said trolley assembly means along said upper girders, and to rotate said drum hoist means for lifting and lowering said one or more working loads;

whereby said power drive means is effective to selectively and incrementally adjust each of said cables so as to control roll, pitch, and skew of said one or more working loads about its centerline axis.

2. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 1 comprising operator control means separately connected to said drive means, said trolley assembly means, said hoist drum means and said attachment means for independently regulating the respective operative movement thereof.

3. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 1 wherein said spreader assembly means comprises sheave means secured to its opposite ends for receiving said cable means in rotatable frictional movement therethrough.

4. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 1 wherein said spreader assembly means comprises headblock assembly means disposed at its opposite ends for receiving said cable means in rotatable frictional movement therethrough.

5. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 3 comprising brake means mounted on said sheave means for at times preventing movement of said cable means through said sheave means.

6. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 3 wherein said sheave means are adaptable to be selectively positioned at predetermined angles of orientation with respect to a longitudinal axis of said hoist drum means.

7. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hoist drum means has a longitudinal axis normal to longitudinal axes of said upper girder means.

8. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 1 wherein said hoist drum means has a longitudinal axis parallel to longitudinal axes of said upper girder means.

9. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 1 wherein said trolley assembly means comprises undercarriage means disposed below and movable as a unit therewith.

10. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 9 wherein each said dead end cylinder means comprises redundant rod means for forming a reactive moment couple to resist twisting torsion forces in each of said cables.

11. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 1 wherein said trolley assembly means comprises undercarriage means disposed below for movement as a unit therewith,

a guide member disposed within said undercarriage means and extending downwardly therefrom, and

receptacle means disposed at an upper side of said spreader assembly means for at times receiving said guide member in locking engagement therewith.

12. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cable means at times rotates the spreader assembly means at least ten degrees in a clockwise direction.

13. The gantry crane apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cable means at times rotates the spreader assembly means at least ten degrees in a counter clockwise direction.

14. A bi-planar cross reeving apparatus including trolley assembly means movably mounted on a gantry crane apparatus for rectilinear movement therealong, and

power drive means operatively coupled to said trolley means and said gantry crane apparatus, said power drive means acting selectively to cause movement of said gantry crane apparatus and said trolley assembly means, comprising

single drum hoist means supported at an upperside portion of said trolley means for deploying therefrom four cable means,

said four cable means having respective first ends secured to said single drum hoist means, wrapped selectively therearound, for downward deployment therefrom;

material securing means disposed below said single drum hoist means for at times attaching to a working load;

head block assembly means disposed at opposite ends of said material securing means for respectively receiving two rotatable sheaves;

each of said rotatable sheaves being angled obliquely to a longitudinal axis of said material securing means;

each of said four cable means being reeves through a respective sheave in rotatable frictional engagement therewith and thereafter directed upwardly to be individually secured at an underside portion of said trolley assembly means;

adjustable anchor means disposed at said underside portion of said trolley assembly means for individually receiving and securing a jointed coupling which individually receives and secures respective second ends of each of said four cables; and

brake means operably attached to each of said sheaves for at times stopping individual rotation thereof;

said single drum hoist means being effective to payout and reel in said cable means to lower and raise said material securing means between a ground level and a preselected level of elevation;

whereby selective operation of said adjustable jointed anchor and coupling means in cooperation with selective braking of said sheave means are effective to incrementally control roll, pitch, and skew of said material securing means about its centerline axis at any position thereof between said ground level and said preselected level of elevation.

15. The cross reeving system of claim 14 including adjusting means for controlling said selective operation of said anchor means and said brake means to rotate said material securing means within a range of twenty degrees.

16. The cross reeving system of claim 14 wherein said four cable means at times rotates the material securing means at least ten degrees in a clockwise direction.

17. The cross reeving system of claim 14 wherein said four cable means at times rotates the material securing means at least ten degrees in a counter clockwise direction.

18. The cross reeving system of claim 14 wherein said adjustable anchor means comprises dead end cylinder means for resisting torque in said four cable means.

19. The cross reeving system of claim 18 wherein said dead end cylinder means comprises redundant rod means for resisting torque in said four cable means.

20. A method of controlling vertical, horizontal and skew movement of working load material, raised and lowered by a gantry crane apparatus, comprising the steps of

providing a portal frame system having a pair of lower side beams supporting four corner columns in turn supporting a pair of upper girders forming generally parallel tracks transverse to said lower side beams,

providing wheel means rotatably supported beneath said portal frame system, drive means operatively coupled to said wheel means for causing movement of said portal frame system,

providing trolley assembly means supported by said upper girders for horizontal movement therealong,

providing spreader assembly means having securing means for attachment to said working load material,

providing a single drum hoist means rotatably supported on said trolley assembly means for deploying therefrom a cable reeving system;

providing a cable means secured to and depending from said single drum hoist means for connecting to said spreader assembly means and operable to raise, lower, or skew the spreader assembly means in preselected directional increments,

deploying a first cable of said cable means downwardly for rotatable attachment to a first end of said spreader assembly means and upwardly for attachment to an underside portion of said trolley assembly means,

deploying a second cable of said cable means downwardly for rotatable attachment to said first end of said spreader assembly means and upwardly for attachment to an underside portion of said trolley means,

deploying a third cable of said cable means downwardly for rotatable attachment to a second end of said spreader assembly means and upwardly for attachment to an underside portion of said trolley assembly means,

deploying a fourth cable of said cable means downwardly for rotatable attachment to said second end of said spreader assembly means and upwardly for attachment to an underside portion of said trolley means,

providing individual jointed coupling means disposed between said individual adjustable anchor means disposed on said underside portion of said trolley means and each of said four cables to form a counter-acting moment couple for resisting torque in each of said four cables,

moving said trolley assembly means to a position substantially overhead said working load material,

lowering said spreader assembly means to an elevation substantially adjacent said working load material,

rotating and/or skewing said spreader assembly means into position for attachment to said working load material,

selectively and incrementally adjusting each of said cables to a position of controlled roll, pitch and skew about said working load material,

securing said spreader assembly means to said working load material, and

removing said working load material from a first to an alternate location.