The manufacturer said that due to the potential hazards of live line work, the operators of EWPs require the presence of a safety observer that can intervene in case of emergency. The observer needs a secondary means of control so that he can render assistance should the operator in the basket be injured, trapped or otherwise incapable. The use of a dual radio system simplifies the design of the high-voltage basket insulation, and means that the observer can safely recover the machine from a distance in the event of a fallen power line. Autec’s system also ensures that the EWP can only operate when the supervisor unit is engaged and ready.
The Supervised Operator System (SOS) consists of an operator transmitter used by the operator in the basket as well as a supervisor transmitter used by the safety observer on the ground, able to take control of the machine in emergency situations without needing interaction from the basket operator. It has a special purpose receiver this is capable of communicating with both transmitters simultaneously using two independent bidirectional radio channels.
Autec’s SOS system belongs to the Dynamic series, which are optimised for mobile hydraulic machines such as hydraulic cranes, EWPs, and so on. The system dynamically utilises the available radio frequency band: it constantly moves to a free frequency during normal operation with greater reliability and productivity, because interference sources are automatically identified and avoided.
The control manufacturer said that the Dynamic series implements safety functions with the highest performance levels for both stop and Unintended Movement from Standstill (UMFS).
The stop function allows the user to halt the machine when a potential hazard is detected, while the UMFS function protects against faults that may otherwise cause undesired motion of the machine.
Autec added that the transmitting units in the Dynamic series are ergonomic and robust, to suit the demanding mobile environment. All can be equipped with a graphic display for optimal visualization of machine data.
