Attachment status monitoring of ground engaging tools (GET) at heavy machinery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11280067-B2
Application number	US-201616464236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2016
Priority date	Nov 25, 2016
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

A system for monitoring a status of attachment of a ground engaging tool (GET) at a mining, earth moving or rock processing machine. The system includes providing GET with at least one proximity sensor configured to sense a proximity of the GET relative to a mount region of heavy machinery to which the GET is mountable. The proximity sensor is configured to generate proximity data that is transmitted from the GET via a wireless communication pathway to a receiver located remote from the GET with the receiver configured to output in real-time the attachment status of the GET. The present system is advantageous to identify partial detachment or loosening of a GET so as to prevent undesirable GET loss and contamination of extracted or processed raw material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A monitoring system for monitoring a status of attachment of a ground engaging tool at a mining, earth moving or rock processing machine, the system comprising:
at least one ground engaging tool detachably mountable at a mount region of a mining, earth moving or rock processing machine;
at least one proximity sensor provided at the ground engaging tool and configured to sense a proximity of the ground engaging tool relative to the mount region of the mining, earth moving or rock processing machine to which the ground engaging tool is mountable, wherein the ground engaging tool includes an electronic tag, the proximity sensor being provided at the tag;
a transmitter provided at the ground engaging tool to transmit wirelessly proximity data to a receiver located remote from the ground engaging tool; and
an activator having a printed circuit board, a processor and a transceiver, the activator configured for wireless communication with the electronic tag.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ground engaging tool includes a first part of a mechanical connection and the mount region includes a second part of the mechanical connection, the ground engaging tool being arranged to be detachably mounted at the mount region via a mating of the first part and the second part.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the proximity sensor includes any one or a combination of the following: an inductor component; a capacitor component; and a proximity sensor component.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tag includes any one or a combination of the following: a printed circuit board; a processor; a data storage utility; a transceiver; and an antenna.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the transceiver includes a radio frequency transceiver and/or a Bluetooth transceiver.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic tag is encapsulated within a housing or encapsulating material.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the receiver includes a printed circuit board, a processor, a transceiver and a data storage utility.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the receiver includes a user interface having a display screen to output the proximity data or information based on the proximity data.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mount region is a leading edge of an excavation bucket of an earth moving machine.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ground engaging tool includes any one or a combination of the following: a temperature sensor; a ground engaging tool wear status sensor; an accelerometer; and a voltage sensor.

11. A method of monitoring a status of attachment of a ground engaging tool at a mining, earth moving or rock processing machine, the method comprising:
providing a proximity sensor at a ground engaging tool detachably mountable at the mining, earth moving or rock processing machine, wherein the proximity sensor is provided at an electronic tag that is mounted to the ground engaging tool;
sensing a proximity of the ground engaging tool relative to a mount region of the mining, earth moving or rock processing machine to which the ground engaging tool is mounted;
transmitting wirelessly proximity data generated by the sensor to a receiver located remote from the ground engaging tool; and
storing, outputting and/or processing the proximity data at the receiver to monitor an attachment status of the ground engaging tool based on the proximity data, wherein the electronic tag is configured to transmit tag ID data to the receiver such that the electronic tag and the receiver are communication paired, wherein in a normal use mode, the receiver accepts exclusively transmission of proximity data from the electronic tag associated with the mining, earth moving or rock processing machine and not from non-associated electronic tags on different mining, earth moving or rock processing machines.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising outputting at the receiver the proximity data or information based on the proximity data.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein prior to generating the proximity data, the method further comprises activating the electronic tag using an activator configured for wireless communication with the electronic tag.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the wireless communication between the activator and the electronic tag is a radio frequency or Bluetooth communication.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the step of activating the electronic tag includes transferring activation data to the electronic tag, the activation data comprising any one or a combination of the following: ID data relating to the ground engaging tool, the environment within which the ground engaging tool is to be operative and/or the machine to which the ground engaging tool is mountable; a position of the ground engaging tool at the machine to which the ground engaging tool is mounted; communication parameter data to enable the electronic tag to communicate with the receiver; and configuration data to set a working configuration of the electronic tag.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising providing at the ground engaging tool any one or a combination of the following: a temperature sensor; a ground engaging tool wear status sensor; an accelerometer; and a voltage sensor; and sensing at the ground engaging tool and transmitting to the receiver any one or a combination of the following: a temperature of the ground engaging tool; a wear status of the ground engaging tool; an inclination/declination of the ground engaging tool; movement in a horizontal/vertical plane of the ground engaging tool; an acceleration/deceleration of the ground engaging tool; a tilt angle of the ground engaging tool; a strain or stress at the ground engaging tool; an impact status of the ground engaging tool; and a voltage at any one or a combination of the sensors.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising outputting the proximity data or information based on the proximity data to a network or data storage utility via wired or wireless communication.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein in response to a mechanical detachment of the ground engaging tool from the mount region, the receiver being configured to transmit to at least one neighbouring receivers in the same working environment a signal to enable the neighbouring receivers to receive and process a signal transmitted from the ground engaging tool that is detached.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the neighbouring receivers are configured to communicate with the receiver of the machine from which the ground engaging tool has been detached and to notify the receiver when a signal has been received from the detached ground engaging tool.

20. A ground engaging tool mountable at a mining, earth moving or rock processing machine, the ground engaging tool comprising:
a main body having a ground engaging region to engage the ground and an attachment region to attach the ground engaging tool at a mining, earth moving or rock processing machine; an RFID tag attached to the ground engaging tool, the RFID tag comprising:
a printed circuit board;
a processor;
an antenna;
a battery; and
at least one sensor including a proximity sensor arranged to sense a proximity of the ground engaging tool relative to a region of the mining, earth moving or rock processing machine to which the grou

Assignees

• Sandvik Intellectual Property

Inventors

• Darlington Bradley
• Knowles Bruce
• Schild Paul
• Dallard Bradley

Classifications

• G07C3/08

  Registering or indicating the production of the machine either with or without registering working or idle time · CPC title

• H04Q2209/40

  using a wireless architecture · CPC title

• G07C5/0825

  using optical means · CPC title

• H04Q2209/47

  using RFID associated with sensors · CPC title

• H04Q9/00

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title