Design and Control of a Sensorized Trolley for the Measurement of Industrial Craneways

Abstract

The measurement of the static position of rails in overhead industrial cranes is crucial to prevent failures and reduce undesired wearing effects due to wheels’ contact. The traditional procedure used to verify the rail alignment is based on manual operations, which can be overcome with the automatic methodology described in this paper. Through the design and building of a motorized trolley, the optical target point identifying the rail position is able to move automatically under remote wireless control. The measurement procedure is carried out considering one rail at a time and the data acquired on the two rails are then analyzed together by a specific software. Additional sensors embedded in the trolley allow to provide different parameters about the rail positioning and about the conditions of its surface. The system can be integrated in a laser tracking total station and can be controlled by the operator from the ground assuring a time reduction during installation and maintenance operations and greater safety for the operator.