AU2012215112A1

AU2012215112A1 - Alarm system for detecting detachment of teeth and/or adapter in backhoe equipment blades

Info

Publication number: AU2012215112A1
Application number: AU2012215112A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Sergio MONZON OSORIO
Original assignee: Universidad Catolica del Norte
Current assignee: Universidad Catolica del Norte
Priority date: 2011-02-08
Filing date: 2012-01-17
Publication date: 2013-08-22
Anticipated expiration: 2032-01-17
Also published as: PE20141966A1; CL2011000274A1; AU2012215112B2; WO2012107848A1

Abstract

An alarm system for detecting the detachment of teeth 120 and/or adapter 130 on backhoe equipment blades, which is completely independent of the visual environment in which the blade is operating, which comprises a sensor/transmitter 101 located either on each tooth 120 and the respective adapter thereof 130 of the blade scoop, or only on the adapter 130 thereof, in which said sensor/transmitter 10 comprises a source of power for the sensor/transmitter 102; an adapter sensor 03 and a tooth sensor 104 which monitor and detect detachment of the tooth 120 and/or adapter 130; an encoder 105, which encodes the information originating from the sensors; a transmitter module 106; and a receiver/decoder 110 located in the operating cab 140, which comprises: a receiving module 114; a source of power for the receiver 111; a signal inverter 112; and a decoder 113; in which, in the sensor/transmitter 101, the encoder 105 programs the code to be transmitted and conveys said encoding to the transmitter module 106 which then conveys the information to the receiver/encoder 110; in which the receiver module 114 receives the signal from one of the transmitters 06 and conveys the information to the decoder 113 which processes the information in order to emit an alarm signal 117 for the operator, indicating that a certain blade element has become detached; and in which the presence of an encoder in each sensor/transmitter 101 and a decoder in the receiver 110 makes it possible to obtain multiple channels for one and the same transmission frequency.

Description

ALARM SYSTEM FOR DETECTING DETACHMENT OF TEETH AND/OR ADAPTER IN SHOVELS FOR BACKHOE EQUIPMENT. SPECIFICATION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the mining industry, particularly with teeth and scoop adapters of mechanical, hydraulic shovels, or any type of backhoe equipment having those elements. In particular, the present invention consists of an alarm system for detecting the detachment of teeth and/or adapters in said equipment. BACKGROUND Usually, in mine sites, during the functioning of backhoe equipment, the detachment of teeth and/or adapters from shovels of this equipment is regular. Thus, if said detached element gets into a crusher, it could not be triturated producing a mechanical lockup forcing to stop the equipment and therefore all the discharge and crushing of the mineral. In order to monitor the detachment of a tooth from the scoop of the shovels in backhoe equipment, visual cameras located in the shovel directed to the pail or scoop are used; this has a limitation in terms of low visibility in environments with high levels of dust and the need that the operator must be carefully monitoring the displays from these cameras. A monitoring system in the prior art is described, for example, in patent CA 2,198,304, wherein an assembly is described including an excavation teeth extending forwardly from a border of the backhoe instrument. The assembly comprises an actionable indicator formed by a smoke flare, and an actuator formed by a cord that snaps when the teeth is detached activating the smoke flare providing a visual sign that the excavation teeth has been detached. In this manner, the detection of detachment of the excavation teeth also depends on visual attention from the operator at work, whereby, given an environment with low visibility, there is still a risk of missing a visual smoke flare sign.

Patent application US 2004/0227645 discloses a detector and a rupture sign transmitter. The mechanism has an indent on the surface of metal pieces. A movable unit and a spring usually thrust an antenna to move outwardly from a metal housing. A circuit board generates a radiofrequency alarm sign. Nevertheless, each shovel incorporates 9 transmitters and 1 receiver, wherein each one has the same frequency and identification code, thus the used frequency for the alarm sign is only one and implies that for each teeth having this transmitter incorporated, a different receptor of a different frequency must be present, which also implies a receptor that should be able to discern as many frequencies as incorporated transmitters. Therefore, to avoid interference between different signals and opportunely detect which teeth have been detached, different receptors of differentiated frequencies must be provided for each detector. This is not always possible since other frequency channels are used to other ends in mine sites. On the other hand, patent US 6,870,485 describes a method for mechanically detecting separation of a tooth from the foremost border of a shovel in mining equipment and sending a radio signal in response to the mechanical detection. The radio signal is received at a different location and generates a warning signal in response to the reception of the radio signal. Nevertheless, as it is described therein, all transmitters operate at the same frequency, but said frequencies are coded at each shovel, and not at each tooth. This allows, on one hand to have a nearby equipment operating with the same frequency and other identification code, but does not allow identifying which tooth has been detached once the operator is warned through the alarm device, in such a manner that the tooth detached from the shovel can only be determined only visually. The latter is in reality really difficult to determine since, even whrn the shovel has stopped, the environment presents very low visibility. Therefore, from the prior art it can be observed, that a device completely independent from the visual environment in which the shovel operates in backhoe equipment, does not exist. Thereby, in order to solve the previously proposed problem, an alarm system for detecting detachment of teeth and/or adapter in shovels for backhoe equipment, for example front loaders, which is completely independent from the visual environment in which the shovel operates, is provided. The system comprising, in each of the tooth and/or adapter in shovels, an hermetic sensor and a multiple channel transmitter, which is programmed in the transmitter module, allowing to use the same frequency in nearby shovels, that thanks to the coding will only warn on the shovel having a detachment, thereby warning opportunely the detachment of teeth and/or adapters, through radiofrequency. Said sensor and transmitter are located physically either on each tooth and scoop adapter of shovels or only in the adapter thereof, while a receptor is located in the operating cabin. When one or more teeth are detached from the shovel due to some malfunction, the transmitter that was idle, starts to transmit to the receptor, giving notice to the operator that the shovel suffered from detachment of one or more teeth. Thus, avoiding the tooth to get into the crusher and producing a lockup. The alarm system of the present invention proposes a sensor-transmitter that has an hermetic seal, isolating from water and dust, and that can have reduced dimensions, thus the space where it will be located is equally reduced, which implies that the tooth and/or adapter will not be weakened. Also, in the present system, the option of leaving two available contacts for channeling to a control room in the mine through an interface exists; i.e., the system has double monitoring, improving safety and reliability thereof. The system is equipped with an encoder in the transmitter and a decoder in the receptor, allowing using multiple channels for the same transmission frequency. Therefore, a shovel can be operated side by side to another using the same frequency but encoded differently, thus there is no interference in the signals, turning each shovel unique in the environment and thus stopping only the one affected by detachment. Finally, the alarm system of the present invention does not have an actuation mechanism when the pieces are separated. The signal transmission is made through a completely hermetic magnetic system. Also, since it is an audible or luminous signal, the operator does not need to be constantly checking the monitors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a scheme of the sensor-transmitter in the tooth and adapter of the shovel. Figure 2 shows a scheme of the operating cabin, wherein the position of the receptor-decoder and the alarm system signals are shown. Figure 3 shows a diagram of the functioning of the sensor-transmitter. Figure 4 shows a diagram of the functioning of the receptor-decoder. Figure 5 shows a diagram of the functioning of the internal disposition of the sensor transmitter. Figure 6 shows a scheme of the internal disposition of the receptor-decoder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As previously mentioned, the present invention consists of an alarm system for detecting detachment of teeth 120 and/or adapter 130 in shovels for backhoe equipment, which is completely independent of visual environment in which the shovel operates. Said sensor and transmitter are located physically either in each tooth 120 and adapter 130 of the scoop of the shovels, or only in the adapter 130 thereof, while the receptor-decoder 110 is located in the operating cabin 140. Thus, when one or more teeth 120 are detached from the shovel due to some malfunction, the transmitter module 106 which was idle, starts transmitting to a receptor module 114, warning the operator that the shovel suffered detachment of teeth 120 and/or adapters 130. Thus avoiding the tooth to get into the crusher, causing a lockup. The alarm system for detecting detachment of teeth 120 or adapter 130 in backhoe equipment shovels, comprises: a sensor-transmitter 101, located either in each tooth 120 and its correspondent adapter 130 of the scoop of shovels, or only in the adapter 130 thereof, wherein said sensor-transmitter 101 comprises: an energy source for the sensor-transmitter 102; an adaptor sensor 103 and a tooth sensor 104, which monitor and detect detachment of the adapter 130 and tooth 120 respectively; a coder 105, codifying the information coming from the sensors; a transmitter module 106; and a receptor-decoder 110, located in the operating cabin 140, which comprises: a receptor module 114; an energy source for the receptor 111; a signal inverter 112; a decoder 113; wherein in the transmitter sensor 101 the coder 105 programs the code for transmission and sends said codification to the transmitter module 106, which further sends the information to the receptor-coder 110; and wherein the receptor module 114 receives the transmission of some of the transmitters 106 and sends the information to the decoder 113, which processes said information to finally emit an alarm sign 117 to the shovel operator, indicating that some element of the shovel has been detached. Thus, since the invention has a coder in each sensor-transmitter 101 and a decoder in the receptor 110, multiple channels can be obtained for the same transmission frequency. In a preferred configuration of the invention, the adapter sensor 103 corresponds to a magnetic switch located in the transmitter module 106, while the tooth sensor 104 corresponds to a remote magnetic switch located in the tooth 120. Also, in other configuration of the invention, the tooth sensor 104 can be alternatively located in the adaptor 130, in the edge closest to the tooth 120, as appreciated in Figure 1. In this case, all of the parts of the sensor-transmitter 101 are in the adapter. On the other hand, the energy source 102 of the sensor-transmitter module 101 can correspond to a battery, and the energy source of the receptor 111 can corresponds to a backup battery. The alarm signal 117 emitted to the shovel operator corresponds to an audible and visual signal comprising a foghorn 141 and a strobe lamp 142. On the other hand, the sensor-transmitter can be of reduced dimensions, such as for example a small cylinder of 3 cm diameter and 4 cm long, thus the space where this "sensor-transmitter" is located, is very reduced and therefore will not weaken the tooth and/or adapter as described in the patent. Also, the sensor-transmitter 101 has a hermetic seal, providing isolation from water and dust.

The coder 105, coding the information coming from the sensors, has an activation indicator 107. The receptor-coder 110 comprises additionally an antenna 115 and is contained in a receptor housing 116.

Claims

1. Alarm system for detecting detachment of teeth 120 and/or adapter 130 in backhoe equipment shovels, which is completely independent of visual environment in which the shovel operates, comprising: a sensor-transmitter 101, located either in each tooth 120 and its corresponding adapter 130 for shovels, or only in the adapter 130 thereof, wherein said sensor transmitter 101 comprises: an energy source of sensor-transmitter 102; an adapter sensor 103 and a teeth sensor 104, which monitor and detect detachment of teeth 120 and/or adapter 130; a coder 105, codifying information coming from the sensors; a transmitter module 106; and a receptor-decoder 110, located in the operating cabin 140, comprising: a receptor module 114; an energy source for the receptor 111; a signal inverter 112; and a decoder 113; wherein in the sensor-transmitter 101 the coder 105 programs the code for transmission and sends said codification to the transmission module 106, which further sends the information to the receptor-coder 110; and wherein the receptor module 114 receives the transmission of some of the transmitters 106 and sends the information to the decoder 113, which processes said information for finally emitting an alarm signal 117 to the shovel operator, indicating that some element of the shovel has been detached.

2. The alarm system of claim 1, wherein the presence of a coder in each sensor-transmitter 101 and a decoder in the receptor 110 allowing to obtain multiple channels for the same transmission frequency.

3. The alarm system of claim 1, wherein the adapter sensor 103 corresponds to a magnetic switch located in the transmission module 106 and the tooth sensor 104 corresponds to a remote magnetic switch located in the tooth 120.

4. The alarm system of claim 1, wherein the tooth sensor 104 is located in the adapter 130, in the edge closest to the tooth 120.

5. The alarm system of claim 1, wherein the energy source 102 of the sensor-transmitter module 101 corresponds to a battery, and the energy source of the receptor 111 corresponds to a backup battery.

6. The alarm system of claim 1, wherein the alarm signal 117 emitted to the shovel operator corresponds to an audible and visual sign, comprising a foghorn 141 and a strobe lamp 142.

7. The alarm system of claim 1, wherein the sensor-transmitter is of reduced dimensions, and thus will not weaken the tooth 120 and/or adapter 130.

8. The alarm system of claim 1, wherein the coder 105 having an activation indicator 107.

9. The alarm system of claim 1, wherein the receptor-coder 110 further comprises an antenna 115 and is contained inside a receptor housing 116.

10. The alarm system of claim 1, wherein the sensor-transmitter 101 has an hermetic seal for isolation from water and dust.