Patent attributes
Methods for monitoring the positions of latch members in a fingerboard structure through use of wireless sensors include using wireless sensor data to determine the angular position of a given latch member, in real-time. If the angular position of the latch member deviates from an expected position by more than a threshold value, this may indicate a possible malfunction of the latch member, and a pipe moving operation may be cancelled. The wireless sensors may also measure rates of movement of a latch member toward the open and closed positions. The rates of movement may be used to estimate the health and useable life expectancy of the latch member. Additionally, if the movement of the latch does not fall within threshold minimum and maximum values, or if the movement of a latch does not correspond to a command, pipe moving operations associated with the latch member may be canceled.
