Work Machine Hazard Zone Lighting for Falling Load Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies for heavy construction equipment do not adequately address the safety concerns during operations that involve lifting and moving objects, as the hazardous zones where objects may fall are not effectively identified or made visually recognizable.
Innovation Solution
A work machine system that includes an attachment and a control device capable of specifying a hazardous zone where the risk of injury increases if an object falls during operation, and visually marking this zone using a lighting device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a restriction area is displayed on the road surface around heavy construction equipment, then the equipment can operate within a defined safety boundary, but the hazardous zone where objects may fall during lifting operations is not effectively identified or made visually recognizable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional road surface markings to three-dimensional spatial illumination by projecting light into the air space above the hazardous zone. This dimensional change creates a volumetric visual indicator that clearly demarcates the fall hazard area, making it visually recognizable from multiple angles and distances, thereby resolving the information loss about hazardous zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs color-coded lighting (red, yellow, green) to indicate different hazard levels in the three-dimensional space. This color differentiation provides immediate visual information about the severity and type of hazard, enabling workers to quickly understand the dangerous areas without complex signage or markings, thus improving hazardous zone identification.
2Reliability
If the hazardous zone is made visually recognizable using lighting, then workers can retreat to safer areas, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into a single lighting projection system: hazard zone demarcation, safety level indication through color coding, and real-time spatial visualization. This multi-functional approach achieves comprehensive safety information delivery without requiring separate systems for each function, thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical safety systems (physical barriers, complex signage structures, multiple indicator devices) with an optical projection system. This substitution simplifies the physical infrastructure while maintaining or enhancing safety functionality, as the light projection can dynamically adapt to different hazard zones without physical reconfiguration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system improves safety by allowing workers to visually recognize hazardous zones, thereby cueing them to retreat to safer areas, even if the lifted object falls, thus enhancing operational safety.
Implementation Method 1
a lighting device that emits light, which is visible by workers conducting work in the vicinity of the excavator 100
Data Source
AI summary
A work machine includes an attachment and a control device. The control device is configured to specify a hazardous zone in which a degree of hazard increases when an object falls during an operation of the attachment to lift and move the object, and make the specified hazardous zone visually recognizable.