WEAR PART MONITORING
A process and tool for monitoring the status, health, and performance of wear parts used on earth working equipment. The process and tool allow the operator to optimize the performance of the earth working equipment. The tool has a clear line of site to the wear parts during use and may be integrated with a bucket or blade on the earth working equipment.
1 - 47 . (canceled)
48 . A system for monitoring earth working equipment, the system comprising:
at least one electronic sensor detecting at least one characteristic of an earth working operation in each of a plurality of operational cycles, and wirelessly transmitting such information;
a programmable logic device using the transmitted information to make an assessment regarding the operation; and
a human machine interface providing the assessment to an operator of the earth working equipment during use to allow the operator to adjust the use of the earth working equipment on account of the assessment.
49 . The system of claim 48 wherein the at least one detected characteristic includes an amount of earthen material gathered in a bucket secured to the earth working equipment, and the operational cycle is a digging cycle.
50 . The system of claim 49 wherein the assessment includes a percentage of the bucket that is filled during each digging cycle.
51 . The system of claim 49 wherein the assessment includes a volume of earthen material gathered in the bucket during each digging cycle.
52 . The system of claim 49 wherein the assessment can be used to adjust the digging to optimally fill the bucket.
53 . The system of claim 49 wherein the at least one detected characteristic includes a duration of each of the digging cycles.
54 . The system of claim 49 including a database storing fill profiles for the bucket, wherein the at least one electronic sensor detects a distance between the at least one electronic sensor and the earthen material in the bucket along a line of sight, and the programmable logic device uses the distance and the fill profiles to make the assessment.
55 . The system of claim 54 wherein the database stores the transmitted information for each of the digging cycles, and the programmable logic device uses the transmitted information from a current digging cycle and past digging cycles to make the assessment.
56 . The system of claim 49 including a database to store the transmitted information for each of the digging cycles, wherein the programmable logic device uses the transmitted information from a current digging cycle and past digging cycles to make the assessment.
57 . The system of claim 49 wherein the at least one detected characteristic includes a duration of each of the digging cycles.
58 . The system of claim 48 wherein the at least one detected characteristic includes an amount of earthen material gathered in a truck tray by the earth working equipment, and the operational cycle is one filling of the truck tray.
59 . The system of claim 58 wherein the at least one detected characteristic includes an amount of earthen material gathered in a bucket secured to the earth working equipment during each digging cycle.
60 . The system of claim 59 wherein the assessment can be used to adjust the digging to optimally fill the truck tray.
61 . The system of claim 60 wherein the at least one electronic sensor includes a first electronic sensor secured to the bucket and a second electronic sensor secured to the truck tray.
62 . The system of claim 58 wherein the assessment can be used to adjust the digging to optimally fill the truck tray.
63 . The system of claim 58 wherein the at least one electronic sensor is secured to the truck tray.
64 . The system of claim 58 including a database storing fill profiles for the truck tray, wherein the at least one electronic sensor detects a distance between the at least one electronic sensor and the earthen material in the truck tray along a line of sight, and the programmable logic device uses the distance and the fill profiles to make the assessment.
65 . The system of claim 64 wherein the database stores the transmitted information for each of the operational cycles, and the programmable logic device uses the transmitted information from a current operational cycle and past operational cycles to make the assessment.
66 . The system of claim 58 including a database to store the transmitted information for each of the operational cycles, wherein the programmable logic device uses the transmitted information from a current operational cycle and past operational cycles to make the assessment.
67 . The system of claim 48 wherein the earth working equipment includes a bucket, the operational cycle is a digging cycle, and the at least one detected characteristic includes the duration of the digging cycle.
68 . A system for monitoring earth working equipment, the system comprising:
at least one electronic sensor detecting at least one characteristic of an earth working operation in each of a plurality of operational cycles, and wirelessly transmitting such information;
a database to store the transmitted information for each of the operational cycles; and
a programmable logic device using the transmitted information from a current operational cycle and past operational cycles to make an assessment regarding the operation.
69 . The system of claim 68 including a human machine interface making the assessment accessible to an operator of the earth working machine to allow the operator to adjust the operation on account of the assessment.
70 . The system of claim 68 wherein the at least one detected characteristic includes an amount of earthen material gathered in a bucket secured to the earth working equipment, and the operational cycle is a digging cycle.
71 . The system of claim 70 wherein the at least one detected characteristic includes a duration of each of the digging cycles.
72 . The system of claim 70 including a database storing fill profiles for the bucket, wherein the at least one electronic sensor detects a distance between the at least one electronic sensor and the earthen material in the bucket along a line of sight, and the programmable logic device uses the distance and the fill profiles to make the assessment.
73 . The system of claim 70 wherein the at least one detected characteristic includes a duration of each of the digging cycles.
74 . The system of claim 68 wherein the at least one detected characteristic includes an amount of earthen material gathered in a truck tray by the earth working equipment, and the operational cycle is one filling of the truck tray.
75 . The system of claim 74 wherein the at least one detected characteristic includes an amount of earthen material gathered in a bucket secured to the earth working equipment during each digging cycle.
76 . The system of claim 75 wherein the assessment can be used to adjust the digging to optimally fill the truck tray.
77 . The system of claim 76 wherein the at least one electronic sensor includes a first electronic sensor secured to the bucket and a second electronic sensor secured to the truck tray.
78 . The system of claim 74 wherein the assessment can be used to adjust the operation to optimally fill the truck tray.
79 . The system of claim 74 wherein the at least one electronic sensor is secured to the truck tray.
80 . The system of claim 74 wherein the at least one characteristic includes a duration of the operational cycle.
81 . A system for monitoring earth working equipment, the system comprising:
a first electronic sensor detecting an amount of earthen material gathered in a bucket secured to the earth working equipment during each of a plurality of digging cycles, and wirelessly transmitting such information;
a second electronic sensor detecting the amount of earthen material in a truck tray loaded by the bucket, and wirelessly transmitting such information; and
a programmable logic device using the transmitted information from the first and second electronic sensors to determine a fill of the bucket in each digging cycle to optimally fill the truck tray.
82 . The system of claim 81 including a human machine interface making the determination by the programmable logic device accessible to an operator of the earth working machine to allow the operator to adjust the digging on account of the determination.
83 . The system of claim 82 including a database storing fill profiles for the bucket, wherein the first electronic sensor detects a distance between the at least one electronic sensor and the earthen material in the bucket along a line of sight, and the programmable logic device uses the distance and the fill profiles to make an assessment of the amount of earthen material in the bucket during each digging cycle.
84 . The system of claim 83 including a database to store the transmitted information for each of the digging cycles, and the programmable logic device uses the transmitted information from a current digging cycle and past digging cycles to make the assessment, which is related to performance of the digging.
85 . The system of claim 81 including a database to store the transmitted information for each of the digging cycles, and the programmable logic device uses the transmitted information from a current digging cycle and past digging cycles to make the assessment.
86 . The system of claim 81 wherein the first electronic sensor detects a duration of each digging cycle, and the programmable logic device uses the duration to make the determination.
87 . A system for monitoring earth working equipment, the system comprising:
at least one electronic sensor detecting an amount of earthen material gathered in a truck tray by earth working equipment and a characteristic of an operational cycle of the operation, and wirelessly transmitting such information; and
a programmable logic device using the transmitted information to make an assessment regarding the operation.
88 . The system of claim 87 wherein the operational cycle includes the filling of the truck tray, and the characteristic includes a count of digging cycles of the earthen material to complete one operational cycle.
89 . The system of claim 88 wherein the characteristic includes a duration of the operational cycle.
90 . The system of claim 87 wherein the operational cycle is the filling of the truck tray, and the characteristic includes a duration of the operational cycle.
91 . The system of claim 87 including a human machine interface making the assessment accessible to an operator of the earth working machine to allow the operator to adjust the operation on account of the determination.
92 . The system of claim 87 including a database to store the transmitted information for each of the operational cycles, and the programmable logic device uses the transmitted information from a current operational cycle and past operational cycles to make the assessment.
93 . A system for monitoring earth working equipment, the system comprising:
at least one electronic sensor detecting (i) an amount of earthen material in a truck tray being filled by the earth working equipment with a bucket, and (ii) a number of digging cycles of the earth working equipment used to fill the truck tray; and
a programmable logic device using information detected by the at least one electronic sensor to make an assessment related to the filling of the truck tray.
94 . The system of claim 93 including a human machine interface making the assessment by the programmable logic device accessible to an operator of the earth working machine to allow the operator to adjust the digging on account of the assessment.
95 . The system of claim 93 wherein the at least one electronic sensor detects a duration of each digging cycle.
96 . The system of claim 93 wherein the at least one electronic sensor includes a first electronic sensor secured to the bucket and a second electronic sensor secured to the truck tray.
97 . A system for monitoring earth working equipment comprising:
a bucket secured to the earth working equipment;
at least one electronic sensor to detect earthen material in the bucket during use, and wirelessly transmitting such information; and
a programmable logic device using the transmitted information to determine the amount of earthen material in the bucket.
98 . The system of claim 97 including a human machine interface making the assessment by the programmable logic device accessible to an operator of the earth working machine to allow the operator to adjust the digging on account of the assessment.
99 . The system of claim 97 including a database storing fill profiles for the bucket, wherein the at least one electronic sensor detects a level of the earthen material in the bucket along a line of sight, and the programmable logic device uses the detected level and the fill profiles to determine the amount of earthen material in the bucket.
100 . The system of claim 99 wherein the at least one electronic sensor is secured to the bucket.
101 . A system for monitoring earth working equipment comprising:
a ground engaging product including a base secured to the earth working equipment and a wear part secured to the base, and operated in a cycle by the earth working equipment; and
at least one electronic sensor secured to the ground engaging product to detect the beginning of each cycle and wirelessly transmitting such information.
102 . The system of claim 101 including a programmable logic device using the transmitted information to make an assessment of the earth working operation.
103 . The system of claim 102 including a human machine interface making the assessment by the programmable logic device accessible to an operator of the earth working machine to allow the operator to adjust the operation on account of the assessment.