Aerial lift interlocked with fall-protection safety apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12371311-B2
Application number	US-202418419005-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2024
Priority date	Jul 2, 2021
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

An aerial lift that is interlocked with a fall-protection safety apparatus and may be further interlocked with at least one additional safety apparatus. The aerial lift is equipped with a monitoring system that is configured to detect whether a connector of a safety line of the fall-protection apparatus appears to be connected to a safety harness of a user of the aerial lift.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fall-protection safety apparatus configured for use with an aerial lift and comprising a fall-protection monitoring system for monitoring the fall-protection safety apparatus, the fall-protection safety apparatus further comprising a safety line with a connector configured to be connected to a fall-protection safety harness, and the fall-protection monitoring system comprising:
at least one sensor module mounted on the connector and configured to sense whether the connector of the safety line of the fall-protection safety apparatus appears to be connected to the fall-protection safety harness and to transmit connector status information that is indicative of whether the connector appears to be connected to the safety harness, based on whether the connector of the safety line of the fall-protection safety apparatus appears to be connected to the fall-protection safety harness;
and,
a base unit configured to receive the connector status information that is transmitted to the base unit from the at least one sensor module; and, if the connector status information indicates that the connector of the safety line of the fall-protection safety apparatus appears to be connected to the fall-protection safety harness, to send at least one first positive signal;
wherein the base unit is configured to send the at least one first positive signal to a control circuitry of the aerial lift if the connector status information received from the at least one sensor module indicates that the connector appears to be connected to the harness and to not send any first positive signal to the control circuitry of the aerial lift if the connector status information received from the at least one sensor module indicates that the connector does not appear to be connected to the harness; and
wherein the fall-protection monitoring system is configured to perform at least one self-check of at least one component of the fall-protection monitoring system and wherein the base unit is configured so that if the self-check indicates that the at least one component of the fall-protection monitoring system appears to be in a ready condition, the base unit will send at least one supplemental first positive signal.

2. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fall-protection monitoring system is configured to perform self-checks of first, second and third components of the fall-protection monitoring system and wherein the base unit is configured so that if the self-checks indicate that the first, second and third components of the fall-protection monitoring system all appear to be in a ready condition, the base unit will send at least three supplemental first positive signals.

3. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first self-checked component of the fall-protection monitoring system is the sensor module, the second self-checked component of the fall-protection monitoring system is the base unit, and the third self-checked component of the fall-protection monitoring system is at least one internal battery that powers at least the sensor module.

4. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base unit is configured to be installed on the aerial lift that the fall-protection safety apparatus is configured to be used with, with the sensor module being configured to wirelessly transmit the connector status information to the base unit, and further wherein the base unit comprises a galvanic isolation interface configured so that the base unit can send the first positive signal and the at least one supplemental first positive signal to control circuitry of the aerial lift via a connection that is wired but that provides galvanic isolation between the base unit and the control circuitry of the aerial lift.

5. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base unit is co-located with the sensor module on the connector of the fall-protection safety apparatus with the sensor module sending the connector status information to the base unit through a wired connection; and, wherein the base unit is configured to wirelessly send the first positive signal and the at least one supplemental first positive signal to control circuitry of an aerial lift that the fall-protection safety apparatus is configured to be used with.

6. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 5 wherein the sensor module and base unit are integrated with each other on the connector of the fall-protection safety apparatus and wherein the base unit comprises a short-range wireless radio configured to send the first positive signal and the at least one supplemental first positive signal to the control circuitry of the aerial lift that the fall-protection safety apparatus is configured to be used with.

7. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 6 wherein the connector of the fall-protection safety apparatus comprises a gated hook and wherein the sensor module is installed in a housing fitted onto at least a portion of a main body of the gated hook.

8. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 5 wherein the base unit is configured to wirelessly send the first positive signal and the at least one supplemental first positive signal to the control circuitry of the aerial lift via a one-way or two-way communication pathway provided by a centralized aerial-lift-monitoring system that monitors a fleet of fall-protected aerial lifts.

9. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 8 wherein the base unit is configured to wirelessly send the first positive signal and the at least one supplemental first positive signal to the control circuitry of the aerial lift via a one-way or two-way communication pathway provided by a centralized aerial-lift-monitoring system that is part of a warehouse management system that governs the fleet of fall-protected aerial lifts, with the warehouse management system being configured so that there is two-way communication between the control circuitry of the aerial lift and a centralized directing station of the centralized aerial-lift-monitoring system.

10. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor module comprises a sensor that comprises an RFID reader configured to detect the presence of an RFID tag disposed at or on a D-ring of a fall-protection safety harness of a user, the fall-protection monitoring system being configured so that detection of the RFID tag by the RFID reader provides an indication that the connector of the safety line of the fall-protection safety apparatus appears to be connected to the fall-protection safety harness.

11. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fall-protection monitoring system is configured so that if the base unit of the fall-protection monitoring system receives connector status information from the at least one sensor module indicating that the connector appears to be connected to the fall-protection safety harness, the fall-protection monitoring system will broadcast at least one Ready notification indicating that the connector appears to be connected to the harness, in addition to sending the at least one first positive signal.

12. The fall-protection safety apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fall-protection safety apparatus comprises a self-retracting lifeline (SRL) comprising a housing, with a proximal end of the safety line of the fall-protection safety apparatus being attached to a drum that is within the housing of the SRL and is rotatably connected to the housing of the SRL, with the safety line being extendable out of the housing and retractable into the housing, with the connector of the fall-protection safety apparatus being attached to a distal

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Company

Inventors

• Lepp Jonathan J
• Reineke Christopher J
• Mikes Kristin M
• Medeiros Donaldo J
• Keacher Jeffrey T
• Hinkle Aline H
• Higgins Christopher M
• Lopez-Hidalgo Heidi A
• Henn Tyler B
• Carlson Lauren K
• Weiss michael t

Classifications

• B66F17/006

  for working platforms · CPC title

• B66F11/046

  of the telescoping type · CPC title

• A62B35/0093

  Fall arrest reel devices · CPC title

• A62B35/0075

  Details of ropes or similar equipment, e.g. between the secured person and the lifeline or anchor · CPC title

• A62B35/0068

  Anchors · CPC title