BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the invention relate to alert systems for environmental conditions. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to systems for the detection of breakdowns in dielectric integrity due to humidity or condensation in the surrounding environment of an aerial system.

2. Related Art

Aerial devices are commonly used to perform tasks at heights not typically or reasonably reached by other means. For example, aerial devices can be used to hoist workers up to perform tasks such as trimming trees, building construction, roofing, sign maintenance, electrical line maintenance and erection, etc. At times, these aerial devices may need to work in inclement weather.

A typical aerial device is largely made of conductive materials. But portions of the boom of an aerial device have been constructed of low-conductivity materials, e.g., fiberglass, so that if another portion of the boom comes into contact with a power line or other source of high voltage, electricity will be prevented from traveling through the aerial device. To prevent this, a dielectric gap has been formed across the boom of some aerial devices by incorporating nonconductive materials into portions of the system.

The environment in which an aerial device is operating can change quickly. This can cause a break down in the dielectric integrity of the insulating portion of the boom. Environmental conditions that may lead to dielectric breakdown include condensation, or the formation of moisture precipitating out of the air. Those skilled in the art will recognize that condensation or precipitation onto the insulative portion of boom have the potential of creating a dielectric breakdown.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, an aerial device includes a boom that is configured to be operatively attached to a base. The boom extends up and supports a platform in a plurality of positions in embodiments. In some embodiments, the boom has conductive and insulative portions. One or more environmental sensors can be located on either the conductive portion of the boom, the insulative portion of the boom, or both. A computing system is operatively connected to the environmental sensors. In embodiments, the computer includes a processor that is configured to receive a reading from the environmental sensors and transmit an alert to a user of the aerial device of a detected environmental condition indicative of a breakdown in dielectric integrity of the insulative portion of the boom.

In another embodiment, an environmental alert system includes: a computing system operatively connected to a group of environmental sensors located on an insulative portion of a boom of an aerial device, where the group of environmental sensors includes a temperature sensor and either a humidity sensor or a moisture sensor. The computing system is configured to evaluate a plurality of readings from the group of environmental sensors and determine whether an environmental condition exists that is indicative of a dielectric breakdown in the insulative portion, and is also configured to transmit a warning to an operator of the aerial device, the warning indicating the existence of the environmental condition.

In some embodiments, an environmental alert system includes: a processor and one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media having a computer program stored thereon for alerting one or more users of an aerial device, wherein the computer program instructs the processor to perform actions, including initiating the program upon receiving an indication that a boom has been activated; monitoring environmental conditions using at least one environmental sensor; detecting the values for one or more environmental conditions using the at least one environmental sensor; using the values to determine if the values indicate a risk of dielectric breakdown of a boom component; and transmitting an alert to a user if the values are determined to indicate a risk of dielectric breakdown.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.

