Electronic method and apparatus for detecting and reporting dislocation of heavy mining equipment
OwnerKraig M. Lujan, Lex Lujaninventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for preventing the unexpected loss of heavy mining equipment by detecting the separation of heavy metal parts at an early stage in the separation process, and providing a warning signal in response to which the particular machine that is having the difficulty may then be shut down in a timely manner. A spring-loaded switch is sandwiched between the heavy metal parts, which upon partial separation of the parts then expands and turns on an electrical switch to activate a radio transmitter, sending an alarm signal to a receiver at a remote location.
Claims13
The method of preventing the unexpected loss of heavy mining equipment in which one metal part of the equipment may become separated from another metal part, by mechanically detecting the separation of the metal parts at an early stage in the separation process, generating a radio signal in response to such mechanical detection, receiving the radio signal at another location, and then in response to reception of the radio signal generating a warning signal.
The method of preventing damage from the loss of heavy mining equipment that is unexpectedly separated from a heavy mining machine, comprising the steps of:
- selecting a monitoring station associated with the mining machine;
- positioning a radio receiver at the monitoring station;
- selecting an electromechanical transducer that is adapted to respond to physical separation of the equipment from the machine;
- placing a radio transmitter in operative relationship to the transducer;
- positioning the transducer and its associated transmitter in a location suitable for generating a signal from the transmitter whenever the heavy equipment has been at least partially separated from the machine;
- and
- whenever a signal is received at the monitoring station, generating an alarm with sufficient promptness that the further separation of the equipment from the machine may be stopped in time to prevent substantial damage from occurring.
In an open-pit mining operation in which ore is dug by a machine having a bucket with large tooth structures, in batches so large that an operator cannot by visual inspection determine their content, the method of preventing a tooth structure that is being unexpectedly separated from its bucket from being caught up in the ore and transported into an ore crusher along with the ore and thereby damaging the crusher, comprising the steps of:
- selecting a monitoring station associated with the machine;
- positioning a radio receiver at the monitoring station;
- selecting an electromechanical transducer adapted to respond to physical separation of the tooth structure from its bucket;
- placing a radio transmitter in operative relationship to the transducer;
- positioning the transducer and its associated transmitter in a location for generating a signal from the transmitter whenever the tooth structure has been at least partially separated from the bucket;
- and
- whenever a signal is received at the monitoring station, generating an alarm with sufficient promptness that the further separation of the tooth structure may be stopped in time to prevent the tooth structure from being caught up in the crusher.
Mining shovel apparatus comprising, in combination:
- a mining machine having a large bucket operatively driven and controlled by the machine, the bucket having a leading edge;
- a plurality of tooth adapters carried on the leading edge of the bucket, each tooth adapter being removably attached to the bucket leading edge;
- a plurality of teeth, one for each tooth adapter, each tooth being removably attached to a respectively corresponding adapter;
- a plurality of electromechanical transducers, each transducer being cooperatively associated with both a corresponding one of the adapters and its respectively associated tooth;
- a plurality of radio transmitters, each being in operative relationship to a corresponding transducer;
- a monitoring station associated with the mining machine;
- a radio receiver positioned at the monitoring station;
- each transducer being adapted to cause the associated transmitter to generate a signal whenever the associated tooth adapter is at least partially separated from the leading edge of the bucket;
- and
- the monitoring station having associated means responsive to a signal received from any one of the transmitters for generating an alarm with sufficient promptness that the further separation of the adapter may be stopped in time to prevent the adapter and its associated tooth from being caught up in the crusher.
In a mining machine having two metal parts that normally remain in surface contact during operation of the machine, an electromechanical transducer mechanism for generating an alarm whenever one of the metal parts moves away from the other, comprising:
- a recess in the surface of one of the metal parts;
- a printed circuit board dividing the interior of the recess into a battery compartment and a plunger compartment;
- a battery in the battery compartment;
- an antenna circuit wired onto the circuit board;
- a switch installed in the printed circuit board and wired to the battery;
- a cylindrical plunger slidably received within the outer end of the plunger compartment, having an outer end normally engaging a surface of the other metal part;
- a coil spring beneath the plunger;
- and
- a magnet positioned between the coil spring and the plunger;
- the operation being such that release of pressure on the outer end of the plunger allows the spring to drive the magnet and the plunger outward, and the movement of the magnet closes the switch so as to actuate the antenna and cause it to transmit a signal.
In an open-pit mining operation, the method of detecting the partial separation of large metal parts of a mining machine, in which a spring-loaded switch is sandwiched between the parts, the switch being adapted to then expand upon partial separation of the parts to turn on an electrical switch and activate an associated radio transmitter.
A mechanism for detecting the separation of two members that are normally in abutting engagement, comprising:
- a recess in the surface of one of the members;
- a spring-loaded plunger having an inner end extending into the recess, and an outer end normally engaging the other member;
- electromagnetic means for detecting movement of the plunger, and
- electrical transmitting means selectively actuated by the electromagnetic detection means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.