Wear pad for a telehandler, wear pad arrangement, telehandler and method
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorAndrew Massey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure is directed towards a wear pad for a telehandler. A pad body extends across a thickness between opposing sliding and mount surfaces. The sliding surface is configured for a sliding boom section to slide therealong. A wire conductor extends through the thickness of the pad body at a wear depth from the sliding surface. When the sliding boom section wears down the thickness of the pad body by the wear depth to contact the at least one wire conductor, the wire conductor conducts an electrical current from a power source to the sliding boom section. Also disclosed is a wear pad arrangement with a wear monitoring system, a telehandler with such an arrangement and a method of monitoring a wear pad of a telehandler.
Claims12
A wear pad monitoring system for a telehandler, comprising:
- a wear pad, comprising:
- a pad body extending across a thickness between opposing sliding and mount surfaces, the sliding surface being configured for a sliding boom section to slide therealong;
- and
- a wire conductor extending through the thickness of the pad body at a wear depth from the sliding surface, wherein the wire conductor is configured to, when the sliding boom section wears down the thickness of the pad body by the wear depth, contact the sliding boom section;
- a wear monitoring system, comprising:
- a power source electrically connected to the wire conductor;
- and
- a detection system for detecting conduction of electrical current from the power source through the sliding boom section by the wire conductor;
- and
- an alert system for alerting an operator when the detection system detects the conduction of electrical current from the power source through the sliding boom section by the wire conductor.
A method of monitoring the wear of a telehandler wear pad, the method comprising:
- sliding a sliding boom section of a boom of the telehandler over the telehandler wear pad, such that a sliding surface of the sliding boom section contacts the telehandler wear pad and thereby wears down a thickness of the telehandler wear pad;
- passing an electrical current through a wire conductor extending through the telehandler wear pad at a wear depth from the sliding surface,
- detecting when the sliding boom section wears down the thickness of the wear pad to the wear depth and the sliding boom section contacts the wire conductor;
- and
- alerting an operator of the telehandler when the sliding boom section contacts the wire conductor;
- wherein the telehandler wear pad comprises:
- a pad body extending across a thickness between opposing sliding and mounting surfaces;
- and
- a wire conductor extending through the thickness of the pad body at a wear depth from the sliding surface;
- a wire conductor connection at least partially externally mounted to the pad body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.