| US 7,472,009 B2 | ||
| Method and apparatus for monitoring a load condition of a dragline | ||
| Geoff Baldwin, Brisbane (Australia) | ||
| Assigned to Leica Geosystems AG, Heerbrugg (Switzerland) | ||
| Filed on Oct. 28, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/974,781. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2004222734 (AU), filed on Oct. 20, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0085118 A1, Apr. 20, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. G06F 7/70 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 701—50 [701/49; 172/4.5] | 41 Claims |
| 1. Method of monitoring a load condition of a dragline (1) or an electric shovel, the dragline comprising a boom (4), a bucket (8), a hoist rope (10) from which the bucket is suspended from the boom, and a drag rope (18) for dragging the bucket, the boom extending substantially along a boom axis (BA) in its normal, unstressed state,
characterised in that it comprises the steps of:
using technical means (26, 28; 42; 46; 48; 60-70; 76, 80; 82; GPS1-GPS3; 96, 98) to produce alignment data indicative of lateral alignment, with respect to a plane containing the boom axis (BA), of at
least one of the following dragline components:
i) the hoist rope (10),
ii) the drag rope (18),
iii) the boom (4),
iv) the bucket (8), and
determining the lateral alignment.
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