Outrigger pad monitoring system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A crane having an outrigger pad monitoring system, the crane comprising:
- a) a crane body;
b) a plurality of outrigger assemblies attached to the crane body, each of the plurality of outrigger assemblies comprising;
i) an outrigger body coupled to the crane body;
ii) an outrigger jack coupled to the outrigger body and configured to selectively extend and retract relative to the outrigger body;
iii) an outrigger pad coupled to the outrigger jack; and
iv) a sensor adapted to measure a reaction force on the outrigger pad caused by an interaction between a base surface and the outrigger pad; and
c) a crane control system communicatively coupled to each sensor of the plurality of outrigger assemblies, the crane control system comprising;
i) a processor;
ii) a user input device; and
iii) a non-transitory computer readable storage memory having instructions stored thereon, that, when executed by the processor, cause the crane control system to perform a setup function including;
A) receive a user input through the user input device;
B) cause a first outrigger jack to extend towards the base surface;
C) receive from a first of said sensors a signal representative of a first reaction force acting on a first of said outrigger pads; and
D) determine a first outrigger pad status for the first outrigger pad based on the first reaction force.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An outrigger pad monitoring system for determining crane stability includes a plurality of outriggers having sensors for measuring a load placed on the outriggers. A crane control system utilizes the measured load on the outriggers to determine the stability of the crane. A crane control system utilizes the measured load on the outriggers with positional information for the crane boom to determine if the crane boom is in a side-load condition. The outrigger pad monitoring system may be used during the setup of the crane and to verify the proper operation of a rated capacity limiter.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A crane having an outrigger pad monitoring system, the crane comprising:
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a) a crane body; b) a plurality of outrigger assemblies attached to the crane body, each of the plurality of outrigger assemblies comprising; i) an outrigger body coupled to the crane body; ii) an outrigger jack coupled to the outrigger body and configured to selectively extend and retract relative to the outrigger body; iii) an outrigger pad coupled to the outrigger jack; and iv) a sensor adapted to measure a reaction force on the outrigger pad caused by an interaction between a base surface and the outrigger pad; and c) a crane control system communicatively coupled to each sensor of the plurality of outrigger assemblies, the crane control system comprising; i) a processor; ii) a user input device; and iii) a non-transitory computer readable storage memory having instructions stored thereon, that, when executed by the processor, cause the crane control system to perform a setup function including; A) receive a user input through the user input device; B) cause a first outrigger jack to extend towards the base surface; C) receive from a first of said sensors a signal representative of a first reaction force acting on a first of said outrigger pads; and D) determine a first outrigger pad status for the first outrigger pad based on the first reaction force. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A crane comprising:
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a) a crane body; b) a crane boom attached to the crane body; c) a plurality of outrigger assemblies attached to the crane body, each of the plurality of outrigger assemblies comprising; i) an outrigger body coupled to the crane body; ii) an outrigger jack coupled to the outrigger body and configured to selectively extend and retract relative to the outrigger body; iii) an outrigger pad coupled to the outrigger jack; and iv) a sensor adapted to measure a reaction force on the outrigger pad caused by an interaction between the outrigger pad and a base surface; and d) a crane control system communicatively coupled to each of the sensors comprising; i) a processor; and ii) a non-transitory computer readable storage memory having instructions stored thereon, that, when executed by the processor, cause the crane control system to perform a plurality of functions comprising; A) compute a theoretical reaction force for each outrigger pad; B) receive from a sensor a signal representing the measured reaction force at each outrigger pad; C) compare the theoretical reaction force for each outrigger pad to the measured reaction force at each outrigger pad; and D) determine the stability of the crane based on the comparison of the theoretical reaction forces and the measured reaction forces. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A crane comprising:
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a) a crane body; b) a crane boom attached to the crane body; c) a plurality of outrigger assemblies attached to the crane body, each of the plurality of outrigger assemblies comprising; i) an outrigger body coupled to the crane body; ii) an outrigger jack coupled to the outrigger body and configured to selectively extend and retract relative to the outrigger body; iii) an outrigger pad coupled to the outrigger jack; and iv) a sensor adapted to measure reaction force on the outrigger pad caused by an interaction between a base surface and the outrigger pad; and d) a crane control system communicatively coupled to each of the sensors comprising; i) a processor; and ii) a non-transitory computer readable storage memory having instructions stored thereon, that, when executed by the processor, cause the crane control system to perform a plurality of functions comprising; A) receive from the sensor a signal representative of the reaction force at each outrigger pad; B) determine a position of each of the outrigger pads; C) compute a first center of mass based on the measured reaction force and position of each outrigger pad; D) determine a position of the crane boom; E) determine a crane load on the crane boom; F) compute a second center of mass based on the position of the crane boom and the crane load; G) compare the first center of mass to the second center of mass; and H) determine the stability of the crane based on the comparison of the first center of mass to the second center of mass. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A crane outrigger pad strain monitoring system comprising:
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a) an outrigger pad configured for coupling to an outrigger jack; b) a strain gauge adapted to determine a strain within the crane outrigger pad and output a strain signal representative of the strain, the strain dependent upon a reaction force between the outrigger pad and a base surface; c) a data processer operably coupled to the strain gauge to receive the strain signal; and d) a sensor operably coupled to the data processor and adapted to interact with the outrigger jack to identify a position of the outrigger pad relative to a crane including the outrigger jack. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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Specification