Pivoting Crane Hook With Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lifting hooks used in cranes pose a risk of pinch and trap injuries to operators due to their design, which allows for the potential of accidental actuation and does not provide adequate safety features for handling heavy loads in challenging offshore conditions.
Innovation Solution
A hook design featuring a load-bearing, arm, and suspension portion that are pivotable relative to each other, with a locking mechanism that allows for selective movement between closed and open configurations, and an actuator protected by a handle to reduce the risk of accidental actuation, enhancing operator safety and facilitating one-handed operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional lifting hooks are designed with movable arm and load-bearing portions to enable opening and closing operation, then the ease of operation is improved, but the risk of accidental actuation and pinch injuries increases
Solution Approach 1:
A locking mechanism is introduced as an intermediary between the arm portion and load-bearing portion. This locking mechanism includes a locking device that can engage with a locking surface to prevent relative movement between the arm portion and load-bearing portion, thereby eliminating the harmful effect of accidental actuation while preserving the ease of operation when properly locked
Solution Approach 2:
The hook design allows dynamic transition between locked and unlocked states. The locking device can be selectively engaged or disengaged from the locking surface, enabling the hook to switch between a stable locked configuration (preventing accidental actuation) and an unlocked configuration (allowing intentional opening and closing operation)
2Ease of operation
If the locking mechanism is made accessible for operation, then the ease of operation is improved, but the risk of accidental actuation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is nested within the handle structure. The handle encloses the actuator in a recessed area, providing physical protection while still allowing access for intentional operation. This nested arrangement prevents accidental actuation by external forces while maintaining ease of operation for the intended user
3Ease of operation
If the actuator is exposed for easy access, then the ease of operation is improved, but the risk of pinch and trap injuries increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is nested within the handle structure. The handle encloses the actuator in a recessed area, providing physical protection while still allowing access for intentional operation. This nested arrangement prevents accidental actuation by external forces while maintaining ease of operation for the intended user
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a hook (10), which may for example be used with a crane to lift heavy loads. In one embodiment, the hook may have a load-bearing portion (12) and an arm portion (14) where the arm portion can pivot relative to the load-bearing portion between open and closed configurations and may have a locking mechanism (20, 21, 29, 30, 32) that can lock the arm portion with respect to the load-bearing portion in the open configuration of the hook, in which configuration the arm portion and the load-bearing portion together define a discontinuous boundary. The hook may also be provided with a suspension portion (74), and the suspension portion, the load-bearing portion and the arm portion may be pivotally coupled with respect to each other.