Structure orientation using motor velocity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9938737-B1
Application number	US-201514634830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 28, 2015
Priority date	Feb 28, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

Aspects herein relate to using motor velocity (RPM) 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. Such includes 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 monitors one or more jack velocities during extension or retraction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A structure orientation control apparatus comprising:
two or more jacks configured to support a structure;
one or more jack drive mechanisms coupled to at least one of the jacks, the one or more jack drive mechanisms configured to extend or retract the jacks; and
a jack controller connected to at least one of the jack drive mechanisms, the jack controller configured to cause the one or more jack drive mechanisms to extend or retract the jacks based on at least one jack command,
wherein the jack controller is further configured to monitor one or more jack velocities during extension or retraction via at least one jack velocity sensor configured to measure a change in at least one jack velocity, the jack controller further configured to modify an extension rate of at least one of the jacks in response to the change in jack velocity of another one of the jacks.

2. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the two or more jacks are spaced apart at different locations connected to the structure.

3. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 2 , the jack controller is configured to cause the one or more jack drive mechanisms to extend or retract the two or more jacks at different jack rates.

4. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 3 , the jack controller detects grounding of at least one of the two or more jacks based on a change in at least one of the one or more jack velocities, and the different jack rates are calculated to facilitate balanced loading of the two or more jacks during a grounding operation.

5. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 3 , the different jack rates are calculated to facilitate balanced unloading of the two or more jacks during a retraction operation.

6. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 5 , the jack controller is configured to shut down the one or more jack drive mechanisms based on the one or more jack velocities when at least one of the two or more jacks is at full retraction.

7. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising:
a tilt sensor of the structure that produces an angular signal including an attitude of the structure,
the jack controller configured to calculate the different jack rates based on the attitude of the structure and a reference angle.

8. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 7 , the tilt sensor is a three axis accelerometer.

9. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 7 , the different jack rates are calculated to modify the attitude of the structure to a target attitude.

10. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 9 , the jack controller configured to shut down the one or more jack drive mechanisms when a stroke length of at least one of the one or more jacks is insufficient to modify the attitude of the structure to the target attitude.

11. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one jack velocity sensor is selected from the group consisting of at least one tachometer, at least one Hall effect sensor, and at least one optical encoder, and any combination thereof.

12. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a comparator of the jack controller configured to compare the jack velocities to reference velocities.

13. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the jack controller is further configured to measure a decrease in the jack velocity of one of the jacks during extension, and is further configured to
increase the extension rate of another one of the jacks that has a higher jack velocity than the one jack; or
decrease the extension rate of another one of the jacks that has a lower jack velocity than the one jack.

14. The structure orientation control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the jack controller is further configured to measure an increase in the jack velocity of one of the jacks during retraction, and is further configured to
increase the extension rate of another one of the jacks that has a lower jack velocity than the one jack; or
decrease the extension rate of another one of the jacks that has a higher jack velocity than the one jack.

15. A structure orientation control apparatus comprising:
two or more jacks configured to support a structure;
one or more jack drive mechanisms coupled to at least one of the jacks, the one or more jack drive mechanisms configured to extend or retract the jacks;
a jack controller configured to cause the one or more jack drive mechanisms to extend or retract the two or more jacks based on a jack command;
the jack controller further configured to monitor one or more jack velocities during extension or retraction, and modify an extension rate of at least one jack in response to a change in the jack velocity of another one of the jacks; and
a power supply connected to the one or more jack drive mechanisms and the jack controller.

16. A method for orienting a structure, comprising:
driving two or more jacks configured to support the structure;
monitoring a jack velocity associated with the two or more jacks via at least one jack velocity sensor configured to measure a change in at least one jack velocity; and
modifying at least one rate at which the two or more jacks are driven based on the change in the jack velocity of another one of the two or more jacks.

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

18. The method of claim 16 , the at least one rate is decreased in response to an increase in jack velocity 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.

20. The method of claim 19 , the at least one rate is modified in response to the calculated extension or refraction during a leveling operation.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the target angular orientation is substantially perpendicular to a direction of gravity.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the angular orientation of the structure is monitored about at least two axes.

Assignees

• Norco Ind Inc

Inventors

• Garceau Bernard F
• Schultz Timothy D

Classifications

• B66F3/46

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

• E04G23/065 Primary

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

• B66F7/14 Primary

  screw operated · CPC title