OPTO-ELECTRIC SYSTEM OF ENHANCED OPERATOR CONTROL STATION PROTECTION

• US 20160221812A1
• Filed: 04/08/2016
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JLG Industries Incorporated (Oshkosh Corporation)
• Original Assignee: JLG Industries Incorporated (Oshkosh Corporation)
• Inventors: Lombardo, David W., Mohlman, Brian K., Puszkiewicz, Ignacy, Gilbride, Matthew I.
• Granted Patent: US 10,124,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 11/044 Working platforms suspended from booms
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 17/006 for working platforms

Abstract

A system for protecting an operator on an aerial work platform from a crushing hazard includes a sensor, such as opto-electric sensor, positionable adjacent the control panel area. A control system is programmed to control operation of the driving components based on signals from the sensor.

Claims

1. A personnel lift comprising:

a vehicle chassis;

a lifting assembly secured to the vehicle chassis;

a work platform attached to the lifting assembly, the work platform including a floor structure, a safety rail coupled with the floor structure and defining a personnel work area, and a control panel area;

a control box disposed in the control panel area, the control box including an operator input implement;

driving components cooperable with the lifting assembly for lifting and lowering the work platform;

a sensor positioned adjacent the control panel area, the sensor including a transmitter unit mounted to the safety rail on one side of the control box and a receiver unit mounted to the safety rail on an opposite side of the control box, the transmitter unit emitting a light beam across the control panel area to the receiver unit; and

a control system communicating with the driving components, the control box, and the sensor, the control system controlling operation of the driving components based on signals from the operator input implement and the sensor.

2. A personnel lift according to claim 1, wherein relative to the floor structure, the sensor is positioned above and in front of the control panel area.

3. A personnel lift according to claim 1, wherein the control system is programmed to shut down the driving components when the light beam from the transmitter unit is not received by the receiver unit.

4. A personnel lift according to claim 1, wherein the control system is programmed to modify operating parameters of the driving components when the light beam from the transmitter unit is not received by the receiver unit.

5. A personnel lift according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises two receiver units that are positioned to receive the light beam from the transmitter unit.

6. A personnel lift according to claim 5, wherein the control system is programmed to prevent operation of the driving components when one or both of the receiver units do not detect the light beam.

7. A personnel lift according to claim 6, wherein the control system is programmed to reverse a last operation by the driving components when one or both of the receiver units do not detect the light beam for a predetermined period of time.

8. A personnel lift according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined period of time is at most one second.

9. A personnel lift according to claim 1, wherein the control system is programmed to prevent operation of the driving components when the receiver unit does not detect the light beam.

10. A personnel lift according to claim 9, further comprising an override switch, the override switch communicating with the control system to permit operation of the driving components at creep speed despite that the receiver unit does not detect the light beam.

11. A personnel lift according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a first housing in which the transmitter unit is disposed and a second housing in which the receiver unit is disposed, wherein the first and second housings include respective clamps for attaching the housings to the safety rail.

12. A personnel lift according to claim 11, further comprising a window opening in each of the first and second housings and a window disposed in each of the window openings, wherein the windows are positioned adjacent the transmitter unit and the receiver unit, respectively.

13. A personnel lift according to claim 12, wherein the windows protrude from a surface of the housings.

14. A personnel lift according to claim 1, further comprising a warning system positioned adjacent the control panel area on an operator side of the sensor, the warning system including a warning transmitter unit mounted on the one side of the control box, a warning receiver unit mounted on the opposite side of the control box, and an indicator lamp, the warning transmitter unit emitting a second light beam across the control panel area to the warning receiver unit, wherein the control system is programmed to change the indicator lamp when the second light beam from the warning transmitter unit is not received by the warning receiver unit.

15. A system for protecting an operator on an aerial work platform from a crushing hazard, the aerial work platform including a floor structure, a safety rail coupled with the floor structure and defining a personnel work area, and a control panel area, the system comprising a sensor positionable adjacent the control panel area, the sensor including a first transmitter unit positioned on one side of the control panel area and a first receiver unit positioned on an opposite side of the control panel area, the first transmitter unit emitting a light beam across the control panel area to the first receiver unit.

16. A system according to claim 15, further comprising a control system communicating with the sensor and cooperable with driving components of the aerial work platform, the control system being programmed to control operation of the driving components based on signals from the sensor.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the sensor comprises a housing for each of the first transmitter unit and the first receiver unit, the housings being attachable to the safety rail.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the sensor further comprises a warning system including:

a second transmitter unit disposed in one of the housings;

a second receiver unit disposed in the other of the housings, wherein the second transmitter unit and the second receiver unit are positioned on an operator side of the first transmitter unit and the first receiver unit, respectively; and

an indicator lamp,

wherein the second transmitter unit emits a second light beam across the control panel area to the second receiver unit, and wherein the control system is programmed to change the indicator lamp when the second light beam from the second transmitter unit is not received by the second receiver unit.

19. A personnel lift comprising:

a vehicle chassis;

a lifting assembly secured to the vehicle chassis;

a work platform attached to the lifting assembly, the work platform including a floor structure, a safety rail coupled with the floor structure and defining a personnel work area, and a control panel area;

a control box disposed in the control panel area, the control box including an operator input implement;

driving components cooperable with the lifting assembly for lifting and lowering the work platform;

an opto-electric sensor positioned adjacent the control panel area, the sensor being configured to detect an object entering the control panel area; and

a control system communicating with the driving components, the control box, and the sensor, the control system controlling operation of the driving components based on signals from the operator input implement and the sensor.

20. A personnel lift according to claim 19, wherein the sensor comprises:

a transmitter housing mounted to the safety rail on one side of the control box;

a receiver housing mounted to the safety rail on an opposite side of the control box;

a transmitter unit disposed in the transmitter housing; and

a receiver unit mounted in the receiver housing, the transmitter unit emitting a light beam across the control panel area to the receiver unit.