Laser Sensors for Crane Position & Collision Monitoring in Tennessee Auto Manufacturing

Application Brief: Crane Positioning Monitoring

Industry: Overhead Material Handling

Application: Overhead crane position monitoring and crane collision detection

Summary: Laser-View Technologies provided a Crane Sentry® position and collision monitoring system to Konecranes for installation on an overhead crane at an auto manufacturing facility in Tennessee. The Crane Sentry® system supports two lasers per controller, has warning, slow, and stop relay outputs and displays live distance readings on the system controller touch screen interface. The system provides active positon and collision monitoring.

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material handling

Overview

Challenge

Overhead bridge crane collisions are costly, reduce productivity, and can cause structural damage, derailing, and girder collapse. These damages can require a shutdown, or worse, result in worker related injuries.

An auto manufacturer in Tennessee wanted to install anti-collision to prevent 3 cranes from colliding. These cranes are used for die handling. The auto manufacturer’s environment is harsh due to the oil mist in the air from the stamping operation. This oil mist covered sensors and reflectors and rendered the anti-collision useless. They had previously installed competitive systems but were not satisfied with their limited range and robustness.

Solutions

We provided Crane Sentry® systems for collision detection to 3 cranes. The outer two cranes were equipped with single laser devices and the inner crane was provided with a dual laser system. Crane Sentry® provides a modular, easily configurable, and economical approach to monitoring crane position, detecting potential collisions and controlling stops and speed.

The laser sensors used on Crane Sentry® systems can measure more targets and is less affected by environmental issues that will often stop competitive systems. An added benefit is that we can measure natural targets further before requiring a reflector plate. All optical sensors need cleaning at times, but the laser sensors used on Crane Sentry® have typically gone over 1 year between cleanings in this misty environment.

Crane Sentry® controller:

  • Color touchscreen data entry & display
  • Teachable set points
  • Six configurable outputs
  • Multiple communications options
  • IP65/NEMA4X rating

Laser specifications:

  • 0.05-500 m range
  • 0.1 mm resolution
  • Up to 3.0 mm accuracy
  • Class II eye-safe laser
  • IP 65 protection class

Key Application Notes

  • Simple installation, low maintenance
  • Color touchscreen data entry & display
  • Teach or manually enter set points
  • Six configurable relay outputs
  • Multiple communications options

Results

Without slowing down the operation, the Crane Sentry® system monitors crane position and detected potential collisions while preventing the crane from entering the restricted area.

For more information on the Crane Sentry® family of crane positioning and collision detection monitoring systems, please visit email us at [email protected]‐view.com or contact us here.

NOTE: The Crane Sentry® system is NOT a safety rated system. The system should be used to complement, NOT as a substitute for, compliance with industry standard for best practices and applicable safety regulations.

overhead crane position and collision monitoring system