Crane + cart handover
When a crane sets a load on a moving cart, or a cart pulls away with the load still on the hook, people get hurt and loads get dropped. Our group builds both machines, so we can make them talk to each other.
Each machine knows what the other is doing
The crane can lower into the handover zone only when the cart is at the station with its brake applied.
The cart cannot move while the crane still holds the load, or while the hook is low in the zone.
A beacon and display at the station show both operators the handover status.
What happens at the station
The cart slows and stops at the station by itself, then applies its brake.
The station sends "parked and braked" to the crane; the beacon turns green for the crane.
The crane lowers and releases. Until the hook clears, the cart's drive stays locked.
With the hook clear, the cart operator gets the go signal and drives away.
No finger-pointing between two vendors
A cart supplier cannot change the crane's controls, and a crane supplier does not know the cart. Interlocks done between two vendors tend to end up as a lamp and a rule in a manual. Because the Reva group builds both, one engineering team designs the signals, wires both machines, and answers for the whole handover.
For a crane that is already installed, we survey its control panel and add the interlock to it. This works best on Reva cranes; other makes are checked case by case.
| Item | What we supply |
|---|---|
| Cart side | Station position sensing, brake status, drive inhibit |
| Crane side | Hook height or zone sensing, lowering inhibit in the zone |
| Link | Hard-wired, PLC or industrial radio, chosen at survey |
| Indication | Station beacon and status display for both operators |
| Records | Event log of each handover (option) |
| Scope | New crane + new cart, or added to existing machines |
Have a crane and a cart in the same bay?
Tell us both, and we will tell you what the interlock needs.