Wear sensor and method of sensing wear

Abstract

A wear sensor, a method for sensing wear occurring to an object, and an equipment subject to wear. A wear sensing system that includes the wear sensor and a measuring device for measuring an amount of wear occurring to an object. The wear sensor includes an electrical circuit having a sequence of discrete elements, each discrete element being capable to temporarily hold a digital data value. The electrical circuit is configured to sequentially transfer the digital data value from a first discrete element on a first edge of the wear sensor to subsequent discrete elements toward a second edge of the wear sensor. Each discrete element is capable of being electrically decoupled from the electrical circuit, sequentially in a direction from the second edge by action of wear on the wear sensor. A number of discrete elements in the sequence is reduced when wear occurs on the wear sensor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.