Patent ID: 7063306
Filing Date: 2006-06-20
Classification: B66D

Abstract:
1. An electronic winch monitoring system for a winch mechanism including a gearbox establishing a driving connection of predetermined fixed ratio between a rotatable input shaft and a rotatable output shaft, a primary brake including a plurality of interleaved friction plates and spacer plates operatively connected to the input shaft for selectively resisting rotational motion of the input shaft when activated, a rotatable winch drum operatively connected to the output shaft to rotate therewith for selectively winding on and winding off cable stored on the drum to hoist and lower loads, respectively, and an auxiliary brake including a plurality of interleaved friction plates and spacer plates operatively connected to the output shaft for selectively resisting rotational motion of the winch drum when activated by reducing a pressure in a brake release hydraulic circuit, the electronic winch monitoring system comprising: an input speed sensor for detecting an actual rotational speed of the input shaft and producing input speed signals indicative of thereof; an output speed sensor for detecting an actual rotational speed of the output shaft and producing output speed signals indicative thereof: an electronic control unit including a monitoring section and a brake control section;