Structure orientation using motor velocity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10145134-B2
Application number	US-201815944947-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2018
Priority date	Feb 28, 2014
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

Aspects herein relate to using motor velocity as feedback for controlling the extension or retraction of jacks for control of the angular orientation of a structure, or other means for accomplishing the same. Embodiments include a structure orientation control apparatus comprising one or more jacks configured to support a structure, one or more jack drive mechanisms coupled to at least one of the one or more jacks, the one or more jack drive mechanisms configured to extend or retract the one or more jacks, and a jack controller configured to cause the one or more jack drive mechanisms to extend or retract the one or more jacks based on a jack command. The jack controller may be configured to monitor one or more jack velocities during extension or retraction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A jack control system for leveling a structure, the jack control system comprising:
two or more jacks mounted about the structure, the two or more jacks each coupled to a drive mechanism configured to extend or retract the jack associated therewith at one or more jack velocities;
a velocity sensor connected to each of the drive mechanisms and configured to measure the one or more jack velocities of the jack associated therewith;
a controller connected to at least one of the two or more drive mechanisms and the velocity sensor associated therewith, the controller configured to actuate at least one of the two or more drive mechanisms to extend or retract the jack associated therewith, the controller further configured to modify the jack velocity provided by at least one of the drive mechanisms in response to a change in jack velocity provided by another one of the drive mechanisms.

2. The jack control system of claim 1 , wherein, in response to a decrease in the jack velocity provided by at least one of the drive mechanisms, the controller is configured to:
increase the jack velocity provided by another one of the drive mechanisms providing a higher jack velocity; or
decrease the jack velocity provided by another one of the drive mechanisms providing a lower jack velocity.

3. The jack control system of claim 1 , wherein, in response to an increase in the jack velocity provided by at least one of the drive mechanisms, the controller is configured to:
increase the jack velocity provided by another one of the drive mechanisms providing a lower jack velocity; or
decrease the jack velocity provided by another one of the drive mechanisms providing a higher jack velocity.

4. The jack control system of claim 1 , wherein at least one velocity sensor is selected from the group consisting of a tachometer, a Hall effect sensor, and an optical encoder, and any combination thereof.

5. The jack control system of claim 1 , further comprising a comparator of the jack controller configured to compare the jack velocities to reference velocities.

6. The jack control system of claim 1 , wherein the two or more jacks are spaced apart at different locations on the structure.

7. The jack control system of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to cause at least two of the drive mechanisms to each extend or retract the jack associated therewith at a different jack velocity.

8. The jack control system of claim 7 , wherein the controller detects grounding of at least one of the two or more jacks based on a change in the jack velocity associated therewith, and the controller calculates the jack velocity provided by the drive mechanism of at least another one of the two or more jacks to facilitate balanced loading of the two or more jacks during a grounding operation.

9. The jack control system of claim 7 , wherein the different jack velocities are calculated to facilitate balanced unloading of the two or more jacks during a retraction operation.

10. The jack control system of claim 9 , wherein the jack controller is configured to shut down the one or more drive mechanisms based on the one or more jack velocities when at least one of the two or more jacks is at full retraction.

11. The jack control system of claim 7 , further comprising a tilt sensor that produces an angular signal indicative of an attitude of the structure, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the different jack velocities based on the attitude of the structure and a reference angle.

12. The jack control system of claim 11 , wherein the tilt sensor is a three axis accelerometer.

13. The jack control system of claim 11 , wherein the different jack velocities are calculated to adjust the attitude of the structure to a target attitude.

14. The jack control system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to shut down at least one of the drive mechanisms when a stroke length of the jack associated therewith is insufficient to modify the attitude of the structure to the target attitude.

15. The jack control system of claim 1 , further comprising a power supply connected to the one or more drive mechanisms and the controller.

16. A method for leveling a structure, comprising:
providing two or more jacks that are each configured to support the structure and associated with a drive mechanism that is connected to a controller;
actuating the drive mechanisms via the controller to drive each of the jacks associated therewith at a jack velocity;
measuring the jack velocities of each of the jacks via at least one velocity sensor that is connected to the controller and configured to detect a change in at least one of the jack velocities; and
modifying at least one of the jack velocities of at least one of the jacks via the controller in response to a change detected in the jack velocity of another one of the jacks.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the jack velocity of at least one of the jacks is decreased in response to a decrease in the jack velocity of another one of the jacks during a grounding operation.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the jack velocity of at least one of the jacks is decreased in response to an increase in the jack velocity of another one of the jacks during a retracting operation.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
monitoring an angular orientation of the structure;
comparing the angular orientation of the structure to a reference angle; and
calculating extension or retraction of the two or more jacks to modify the angular orientation of the structure to a target angular orientation that is substantially perpendicular to a direction of gravity.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the jack velocities are modified in response to the calculated extension or retraction during a leveling operation.

Assignees

• Norco Ind Inc

Inventors

• Garceau Bernard F
• Schultz Timothy D

Classifications

• B66F7/14 Primary

  screw operated · CPC title

• E04G23/065 Primary

  Lifting of buildings (E04G21/163 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B66F3/46

  Combinations of several jacks with means for interrelating lifting or lowering movements · CPC title