Boat storage stacker with rotatable and offset mast

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a watercraft storage stacker crane system that incorporates an offset mast.

Claims

1. A stacker crane for movement of watercraft having a watercraft mass, the stacker crane used in a watercraft storage facility having storage modules, the stacker crane comprising: a bridge operatively suspended in the watercraft storage facility, the bridge including a length; a trolley connected to the bridge, the trolley positioned to translate along the length of the bridge, the trolley including a trolley center of rotation, a trolley mass, and a trolley footprint; a mast device operatively connected to the bridge and connected to the trolley, the mast device including a top, a stanchion and a mast device mass, the top having a first end and a second end, the first end substantially positioned along an axis defined by the trolley center of rotation, the second end attached to the stanchion, the stanchion including a length and having a central axis outside the trolley footprint by a distance approximately equal to a length of the top of the mast device; and a lift assembly attached to the stanchion, the lift assembly including lifting armatures shaped to accept the watercraft and a lift assembly mass, the lift assembly positioned to translate vertically along the length of the stanchion.

2. The stacker crane of claim 1 the trolley rotates at least 180 degrees about the trolley center of rotation.

3. The stacker crane of claim 2 the trolley rotates 360 degrees about the trolley center of rotation.

4. The stacker crane of claim 1 wherein the stanchion axis is positioned outside the trolley footprint.

5. The stacker crane of claim 1 wherein the trolley mass and the mast device mass combined to establish an unloaded center of rotation and the unloaded center of rotation is within the trolley footprint.

6. The stacker crane of claim 5 wherein, when a watercraft is loaded onto the lifting armatures, the watercraft mass, the trolley mass, and the mast device mass combined to establish a loaded center of mass and the loaded center of mass is within the trolley footprint.

7. The stacker crane of claim 1 wherein, when a watercraft is loaded onto the lifting armatures, the watercraft mass, the trolley mass, and the mast device mass combined to establish a loaded center of rotation and the loaded center of rotation is within the trolley footprint.

8. The stacker crane of claim 7 wherein the loaded center of rotation is approximately along the axis defined by the trolley center of rotation.

9. The stacker crane of claim 1 wherein the stacker assembly is shaped to load the watercraft into one of the storage modules.

10. The stacker crane of claim 1 wherein the trolley mass and the mast device mass combined to establish an unloaded center of mass and the unloaded center of mass is within the trolley footprint.

11. The stacker crane of claim 1 the trolley further including a rotating turntable positioned to establish the trolley center of rotation.

12. The stacker crane of claim 11 wherein the rotating turntable is positioned opposite the connection of the trolley to the bridge.

13. The stacker crane of claim 1, wherein the trolley is configured to control horizontal and vertical movement of the stanchion.

14. The stacker crane of claim 1, wherein the stanchion is in a fixed horizontal relationship with the axis of the trolley center of rotation.

15. A stacker crane for movement of watercraft having a watercraft mass and a watercraft center of gravity, the stacker crane used in a watercraft storage facility having storage modules, the stacker crane comprising: a bridge operatively suspended in the watercraft storage facility, the bridge including a length; a trolley connected to the bridge, the trolley positioned to translate along the length of the bridge, the trolley including a trolley mass, a trolley center of gravity, a trolley footprint and a rotating turntable positioned to establish a trolley center of rotation; a mast device connected to the bridge and operatively connected to the trolley, the mast device including a top, a stanchion, a mast device mass and a mass device center of gravity, the top having a first end and a second end, the first end substantially positioned along an axis defined by the trolley center of rotation, the second end attached to the stanchion, the stanchion including a length and having a central axis substantially outside the trolley footprint by a distance approximately equal to the length of the top of the mast device; and a lifting assembly attached to the stanchion, the lift assembly including lifting armatures shaped to accept the watercraft, a lift assembly mass, and a lift assembly center of gravity, the lift assembly positioned to translate vertically along the length of the stanchion; wherein the trolley mass and the mast device mass combined to establish an unloaded center of mass and the unloaded center of mass is within the trolley footprint; and wherein, when a watercraft is loaded onto the lifting armatures, the watercraft mass, the trolley mass, and the mast device mass combined to establish a loaded center of mass and the loaded center of mass is within the trolley footprint.

16. The stacker crane of claim 15 wherein the stanchion axis is positioned outside the trolley footprint.

17. The stacker crane of claim 15 wherein the trolley mass and the mast device mass combined to establish an unloaded center of rotation and the unloaded center of rotation is within the trolley footprint.

18. The stacker crane of claim 15 wherein, when a watercraft is loaded onto the lifting armatures, the watercraft mass, the trolley mass, and the mast device mass combined to establish a loaded center of rotation and the loaded center of rotation is within the trolley footprint.

19. The stacker crane of claim 18 wherein the loaded center of rotation is approximately along the axis defined by the trolley center of rotation.

20. A stacker crane for movement of watercraft having a watercraft mass and a watercraft center of gravity, the stacker crane used in a watercraft storage facility having storage modules, the stacker crane comprising: a bridge operatively suspended in the watercraft storage facility, the bridge including a length; a trolley connected to the bridge, the trolley positioned to translate along the length of the bridge, the trolley including a trolley mass, a trolley center of gravity, a trolley footprint and a rotating turntable positioned to establish a trolley center of rotation; a mast device connected to the bridge and operatively connected to the trolley, the mast device including a top, a stanchion, a mast device mass and a mass device center of gravity, the top having a first end and a second end, the first end substantially positioned along an axis defined by the trolley center of rotation, the second end attached to the stanchion, the stanchion including a length and having a central axis substantially vertically outside the trolley footprint by a distance approximately equal to the length of the top of the mast device; and a lifting assembly attached to the stanchion, the lift assembly including lifting armatures shaped to accept the watercraft, a lift assembly mass, and a lift assembly center of gravity, the lift assembly positioned to translate vertically along the length of the stanchion; wherein the trolley mass and the mast device mass combined to establish an unloaded center of rotation and the unloaded center of rotation is within the trolley footprint; and wherein, when a watercraft is loaded onto the lifting armatures, the watercraft mass, the trolley mass, and the mast device mass combined to establish a loaded center of rotation and the loaded center of rotation is within the trolley footprint.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows an example of prior art.

(2) FIG. 2 shows an example of prior art.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a prior art stacker crane with eccentric loading.

(4) FIG. 4 shows a side perspective view of a loaded system made in accordance with the current disclosure.

(5) FIG. 5 shows another side perspective view of the system shown in FIG. 4.

(6) FIG. 6 shows a top side perspective view of the system shown in FIGS. 4-5.

(7) FIG. 7 shows a top side perspective view of the system shown in FIGS. 4-6.

(8) FIG. 8 shows a view of a system made in accordance with the current disclosure in a water craft storage facility.

(9) FIG. 9 is an alternate view of the system and facility shown in FIG. 8.

(10) FIG. 10 is an alternate view of the system and facility shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

(11) FIG. 11 is an alternate view of the system and facility shown in FIGS. 8-10.

(12) FIG. 12 is an alternate view of the system and facility shown in FIGS. 8-11.

(13) FIG. 13 is an alternate view of the system and facility shown in FIGS. 8-12.

(14) FIG. 14 is a schematic showing the difference in the moment of inertia for center loading beams versus eccentric loaded beams.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(15) Referring generally now to FIGS. 1-3 prior art stacker cranes have included center of gravities that fall outside the footprint of the turning device. This is especially true when the stacker cranes are loaded with a water craft as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In these images, as explained graphically in FIG. 3, the loading of the water craft, and its center of gravity, takes the overall center of gravity of the water craft and the conventional stacker crane assembly outside the footprint of the rotating device. As previously mentioned this puts a large amount of strain on the rotating device, mast, and overall stacker crane assembly. This strain either causes premature failure in this stacker crane assembly or mandates large expensive devices that are over engineered in order to counteract this center of gravity phenomenon that occurs outside the turning device footprint.

(16) Referring now generally to FIGS. 4-13, a stacker crane is shown and generally designated by the numeral 10. The stacker crane 10 is for moving of a watercraft 12, which can be described as a boat 12, that includes a water craft mass. The stacker crane 12 is used in a water craft storage facility 14 having a storage modules 16. The stacker crane 10 comprises a bridge 18, a trolley 20, a mast device 22, and a lifting assembly 24.

(17) The bridge 18 is operatively suspended in the water craft storage facility 14 and includes a length 19. The trolley 20 is connected to the bridge 18 and is positioned to translate along the length 19 of the bridge 18. The trolley 20 includes a trolley center of rotation 26, a trolley mass, and a trolley footprint.

(18) The mast device 22 is connected to the bridge 18 and the trolley 20. The mast device includes a top 28, a stanchion 30, and a mast device mass. The top includes a first end 32 and a second end 34 wherein the first end 32 is substantially vertically aligned with the trolley center of rotation 26 while the second end 34 is attached to the stanchion 30. The stanchion 30 includes a length 31 having an axis 36 that is substantially vertically offset from the trolley center of rotation 26.

(19) The lifting assembly 24 is attached to the stanchion 30 and includes lifting armatures 38 shaped to accept the water craft 12. The lifting assembly 24 further includes a lift assembly mass and is further positioned to translate vertically along the length 31 of the stanchion 30.

(20) In one embodiment, the trolley 20 further includes a rotating turntable 40 positioned to establish the trolley's center of rotation 26. The rotating turntable 40 is positioned opposite the connection of the trolley 20 to the bridge 18. The trolley 20, with the aid of the rotating turntable 40, can rotate at least 180 degrees about the trolley's center of rotation 26. In one embodiment, the trolley 20 can rotate 360 degrees about the trolley's center of rotation 26. Further, the rotating turntable 40 can be supported by the remainder of the trolley 20 by a bearing type arrangement, such as a thrust bearing. Since this bearing is positioned above the remainder of the trolley 20 and the bridge 18, any failure in the bearing when transporting the load, such as the water craft 12, does not allow the mast device 22 to breaking free from the bridge 18 or dropping the mast device 22 and the water craft 12.

(21) In an embodiment, the axis 36 of the stanchions 30 is positioned outside the trolley footprint a distance approximately equal to the length of the top 28 of the mast device 22. This positioning facilitates the location of the loaded stacker crane system to be within the trolley footprint.

(22) In an embodiment, the trolley mass and the device mass combine to establish an unloaded center of rotation wherein the unloaded center of rotation is within the trolley footprint. Additionally, when a water craft 12 is loaded onto the lifting armatures 38 the water craft mass, the trolley mass, and the mast device mass combine to establish a loaded center of rotation or a loaded center of gravity, wherein the loaded center of rotation is also within the trolley footprint 21. In an embodiment, the loaded center of rotation is approximately vertically aligned with the trolley's center of rotation 26. Alternately described, the trolley mass and the mast device mass combine to establish an unloaded center of mass wherein the unloaded center of mass is within the trolley footprint 21. Additionally, when a water craft 12 is loaded onto the lifting arms 38, the water craft mass, the trolley mass and the mast device mass combine to establish a loaded center of mass and the loaded center of mass is within the trolley footprint 21.

(23) Again, this loading and arrangement of the loaded center of mass facilitates a substantial alignment of the trolley center of rotation 26 with the loaded center of mass, or loaded center of gravity. This approximate alignment greatly reduces the stress and strain on the stacker crane 10 when loaded with a water craft 12. This reduced strain allows a leaner stacker crane 10 device such that the inventive stacker crane does not require the amount of redundancies or materials used in conventional stacker cranes. This greatly reduces the weight, manufacturing time, strain on the water craft facility 14, and the overall cost of the inventive stacker crane 10.

(24) Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful Boat Storage Stacker with Rotatable and Offset Mast, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this disclosure.