A sensing device for a crane detecting unsafe operating conditions includes an inertial measurement unit for measuring pitch and yaw of a hook of the crane attached to a load. The inertial measurement unit is adapted to measure deviation of the hook of the crane from a plumb position and activate an alert element if the deviation of the hook exceeds a predetermined limit.

A method and apparatus for detecting overload distortion in lifting and the like gear is disclosed. The apparatus includes a hook with two reference points thereon defining, in the undistorted state of the hook, a reference dimension. The hook also has a standard dimension provided on the hook and conveniently accessible for reference purposes. The standard dimension is also a pair of points and one of this pair is coincident with one of the reference points thereby forming a triangle of points on the hook.

A method and apparatus for detecting overload distortion in lifting and the like gear is disclosed. The apparatus includes a hook with two reference points thereon defining, in the undistorted state of the hook, a reference dimension. The hook also has a standard dimension provided on the hook and conveniently accessible for reference purposes. The standard dimension is also a pair of points and one of this pair is coincident with one of the reference points thereby forming a triangle of points on the hook.

The invention relates to an apparatus for weighing the hook load of a crane, wherein different measurement accuracies can be set at the apparatus, comprising at least one measurement device, at least one retaining pin, and at least one coupling section. The invention is additionally directed to a hook block and to a crane having a corresponding apparatus.

The invention relates to an apparatus for weighing the hook load of a crane, wherein different measurement accuracies can be set at the apparatus, comprising at least one measurement device, at least one retaining pin, and at least one coupling section. The invention is additionally directed to a hook block and to a crane having a corresponding apparatus.

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.

One variation of a method for tracking lift events at a construction site includes: accessing a timeseries of load values output by a weight sensor, coupled to a crane hook, and a first geospatial location of the crane hook during a first time period; deriving a lifting profile at the first geospatial location from the timeseries of load values; deriving a weight of the object from the timeseries of load values; identifying a type of the object carried by the crane hook during the first time period based on the lifting profile; accessing a second geospatial location of the crane hook during unloading of the object from the crane hook; and generating a lift event record defining the type of the object, the weight of the object, a pickup location of the object at the first geospatial location, and a drop-off location of the object at the second geospatial location.

One variation of a method for tracking lift events at a construction site includes: accessing a timeseries of load values output by a weight sensor, coupled to a crane hook, and a first geospatial location of the crane hook during a first time period; deriving a lifting profile at the first geospatial location from the timeseries of load values; deriving a weight of the object from the timeseries of load values; identifying a type of the object carried by the crane hook during the first time period based on the lifting profile; accessing a second geospatial location of the crane hook during unloading of the object from the crane hook; and generating a lift event record defining the type of the object, the weight of the object, a pickup location of the object at the first geospatial location, and a drop-off location of the object at the second geospatial location.

One variation of a method for tracking lift events at a construction site includes: accessing a timeseries of load values output by a weight sensor, coupled to a crane hook, and a first geospatial location of the crane hook during a first time period; deriving a lifting profile at the first geospatial location from the timeseries of load values; deriving a weight of the object from the timeseries of load values; identifying a type of the object carried by the crane hook during the first time period based on the lifting profile; accessing a second geospatial location of the crane hook during unloading of the object from the crane hook; and generating a lift event record defining the type of the object, the weight of the object, a pickup location of the object at the first geospatial location, and a drop-off location of the object at the second geospatial location.

One variation of a method for tracking lift events at a construction site includes: accessing a timeseries of load values output by a weight sensor, coupled to a crane hook, and a first geospatial location of the crane hook during a first time period; deriving a lifting profile at the first geospatial location from the timeseries of load values; deriving a weight of the object from the timeseries of load values; identifying a type of the object carried by the crane hook during the first time period based on the lifting profile; accessing a second geospatial location of the crane hook during unloading of the object from the crane hook; and generating a lift event record defining the type of the object, the weight of the object, a pickup location of the object at the first geospatial location, and a drop-off location of the object at the second geospatial location.