AUTONOMOUS MONITORING SYSTEM BASED ON MAGNETIC FIELD VARIATION, ALLOWING UNCRUSHABLE MATERIAL TO BE PREDICTED, ANTICIPATED AND DETECTED IN REAL TIME AND THEIR ASSOCIATED METHODS

Abstract

1.It is disclosed an autonomous monitoring system based on a magnetic field variation: (a) that allows (i) predicting wear, failures and cracks in mining equipment; (ii) prevent and detect, in real time, uncrushable material such as metal and/or material from old mining or past operations and/or parts or pieces of mining equipment; (b) to be used/installed in mining and/or loading equipment, such as, but not limited to, cables shovel, hydraulic shovel, a loader or other type of loader; (c) that allows detecting strange metal bodies, and also, knowing the level of wear and/or detecting a failure or fracture in the parts of these equipment almost immediately, particularly, but not limited to, the teeth or part of them, preventing unscheduled stops and accidents of the personnel, and improving effectiveness and efficiency in the planning of predictive and preventative maintenance operations;

2.an installation method of the system.
3.an operating method of the system.
4.tooth, ground engaging tool or part of a mining and/or loading equipment, which comprises one or more monitoring devices.

Claims

1. An autonomous monitoring system based on a magnetic field variation for predicting, preventing, and detecting in real time uncrushable material such as metal, old mining material from previous operations, parts or pieces from mining equipment, all said previous metallic and uncrushable materials for mining and/or loading equipment, such as, but not limited to a cables shovel, a hydraulic shovel, a wheel loader or any other loader, allowing, from one hand to detect strange metallic bodies and also to know the degree of wear, detecting a crack, fracture, breakage of parts of such equipment, preferably, but not limited to teeth or part of them, avoiding unscheduled stops and accidents of the personnel, and improving effectiveness and efficiency in planning predictive and preventive maintenance, characterized in that the system comprised: a) one or more devices installed inside the teeth, ground engaging tools or any other part of mining and/or loading equipment, wherein said device(s) comprising: a1) one or more field and/or magnetic flux sensors allowing constantly measuring magnetic field variations in said teeth, ground engaging tools, and other parts of the mining and/or loading equipment; a2) means for magnetizing said teeth, said ground engaging tools or any other mining and/or loading equipment; a3) means for communicating information obtained by said one or more sensor to the monitoring and data acquisition station, related to the detection of strange and uncrushable materials, wear level, an eventual state of fracture or breakage or both; a4) means of powering; a5) associated electronics; wherein said device enables one or more sensors remain in the part in which they are installed and not released or break due to operation itself; where these sensors will allow detecting in real time the existence of strange bodies and uncrushable metal and determining in real time a state of ground engaging tools of mining equipment and detecting an entry of any uncrushable material to the bucket of said mining equipment; b) one or more monitoring and data acquisition stations composed by hardware/software; c) means to give a warning and/or alarm signal to an operator of the mining machine, so that at the moment that an anomalous and uncrushable metal body, the detachment of a part or both, breakage fracture or break of said mining equipment is detected, it can be separated from the rest of the material, preventing the entry of said body to the stages of crushing, milling, loading and/or any subsequent stage; d) Means to keep updated the information of the state of each tooth, means of wear or other part of the equipment through a routine or sweeping process or constant query.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said mining equipment corresponds to a cables shovel.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said mining equipment corresponds to a hydraulic shovel.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said mining equipment corresponds to a loader.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said mining equipment corresponds to a bucket.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said mining equipment corresponds to a dump truck.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said mining equipment corresponds to a chute.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring or data acquisition central comprising one or more graphical user interfaces or display means.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is located at one or more strategic points of the tooth, element of waste or other part of mining extraction equipment, which, like the disposition of the main claim, has a low probability of fracture.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the means for magnetizing comprise magnetic field induction by electric current.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the means for magnetizing comprise means that include bringing a ferromagnetic material or magnet, or magnetic field generator to a magnetizable region.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said means for magnetizing comprise means that include coils.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein said means for sending information obtained by one or more sensors, to the monitoring and data acquisition central, comprising wireless communication means.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein said means for sending information obtained by said one or more sensors to the monitoring and data acquisition central , comprising wired communication.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the means for constantly measuring the magnetic field variations comprise magnetic field induction means by electric current.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the means for constantly measuring the magnetic field variations comprise means of induction of electric current by variations of magnetic field

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the means for constantly measuring the magnetic field variations comprise means of induction of electric current by variations of magnetic field

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein said means for constantly measuring variations in magnetic field, comprising means including semiconductor magnetic field and/or magneto-resistive, metal sensors or both.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein said feeding means may also comprise self-rechargeable systems based thermoelectric modules, electric induction modules, piezoelectric modules, electromechanical modules or any combination thereof.

20. Method of installation of an autonomous monitoring system based on a magnetic field variation that allows to predict, prevent and detect in real time uncrushable or pieces that arise from the mining equipment, all the above, metallic and inchancables bodies for mining extraction equipment and/or load, such as, but not limited to cable shovels, hydraulic shovels, front loader, or other type of loader which it allows, on one hand, to detect the strange metallic bodies and also to know the level of breakage and/or to detect a fracture or rupture of parts of these equipment, in particular, but not limited to the teeth or parts thereof, avoiding unscheduled downtimes and accidents with field personnel, and improving the effectiveness and efficiency in the planning of preventative and preventive maintenance, characterized by a method with the following stages: a1) Installing one or more devices within teeth, ground engaging tools or other part of said mining, equipment at a position of low pressure and abrasion against frontal stresses, position defined by a previous modeling of a safe areas of the tooth, said wear member or other part of the equipment, wherein said device(s) comprise: al) one or more magnetic field and/or magnetic flux sensors that allow constantly measuring magnetic field variations in teeth, ground engaging tools or other mining and/or loading equipment; a2) means for magnetizing said teeth, said ground engaging tools or other mining and/or loading equipment; a3) means for communicating information obtained by said one or more sensors to a monitoring and data acquisition central, related to the detection of strange and uncrushable and/or the wear, fracture or breakage of an metallic element, or both; a4) feeding means; a5) associated electronics; wherein said device enables said one or more sensors to remain in the part in which they are installed and do not bankrupt, detach or break product of the wear characteristic of the operation; where these sensors allow to detect in real time the existence of strange and inchancable metallic bodies, as well as to determine in real time the state of the ground engaging tools of the mining equipment and to detect the entry of uncrashable material into the bucket of said mining equipment, test the communication of one or more devices with one or more monitoring and data acquisition central, according to the frequency assigned by the mining site b) testing communication; c) calibrating the device; d) verify testing sequence.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the method further comprises resetting said system once the detection event of an inchancable occurs.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the method further comprises resetting said system at each shift change.

23. Method of operation of an autonomous monitoring system based on magnetic field variation that allows predicting, preventing and detecting in real time uncruschable material, such as metal and/or old mining material coming from previous work and/or parts or pieces that arise from the mining equipment, all the previous strange and uncrashable metallic bodies, for mining and/or loading equipment, such as, but not limited to, a cable shovel a hydraulic shovel, a front loader or other loader, allowing, from one hand, detecting metallic strange bodies and also to know the degree of wear, and/or detecting a cracking, fracturing, or breaking or a combination of parts from such equipment, preferably, but not limited to teeth, ground engaging tools or other parts of mining equipment, loading or both, avoiding unscheduled downtime and accidents with field personnel, and improving effectiveness and efficiency in planning predictive and preventive maintenance, comprising the following steps: a) Continuously measuring changes in the magnetic field in teeth, ground engaging tools or other mining and/or loading equipment, or both; using information captured by said one or more magnetic field or flux sensors installed in a device installed inside teeth, ground engaging tools or other part of mining and/or loading equipment or both, in a low pressure and abrasion position against frontal stresses. Position is defined by a prior modeling of the safe areas of a tooth, said wear element or other part of said equipment; so that said device is secured and protected in the safest place of the work piece allowing it to remain in the part to be monitored, avoiding detachment due to impacts, high pressures and abrasions, to determine in real time a state of ground engaging tools of mining equipment and detecting an entry of uncrushable material into the bucket; b) monitoring the state of teeth, ground engaging tools or other mining or loading equipment, or both; c) sending information to a monitoring and data acquisition central about the wear level, and the possibility of a fracture or breakage; d) giving a warning or alarm signal or both to the operator of said mining machine, so that at the moment when a detachment, a cracking, fracturing or breaking of a part of the mining equipment, or a metal from old mining is detected, the involved pieces can be separated from equipment, preventing in this way the entry of such uncrushable material to the steps of crushing, milling, or any subsequent step to loading ore; e) Keeping the information of the state of each tooth updated through a routine process or constant consultation.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that step d) will allow the operator of the loading equipment to redirect the load to a sector specially destined for that purpose, and in this way will not enter said contaminated charge to the truck or other mining equipment.

25. A tooth, a wear element, or other part of a mining or loading equipment, or both, comprising one or more devices that, by the magnetic field variation, allow predicting, preventing and detecting in real time uncrushable material such as metal, old mining material coming from previous work, parts coming from mining equipment or combinations thereof, all said previous strange and uncrushable metallic material for mining and loading equipment, avoiding unscheduled downtime and accidents with field personnel, and improving effectiveness and efficiency in the planning of predictive and preventive maintenance, wherein said wear element or another part of mining equipment comprises: a) one or more devices installed inside a tooth, said wear member or other part of mining equipment, at a position of low pressure and abrasion against frontal stresses, position defined by prior modeling of the safer zones of a tooth, said wear element or other part of the equipment, wherein said device(s) comprising: a1) one or more field and/or magnetic flux sensors that allow continuous measurement of magnetic field variations in teeth, ground engaging tools, or other mining and/or loading equipment; a2) means for magnetizing the teeth, the ground engaging tools or other mining and/or loading parts of equipment; a3) means for communicating said information obtained by said one or more sensors, to the monitoring and data acquisition central, in relation to the detection of strange and uncrushable or wear level metal bodies or both and/or the state of eventual fracture or breakage; a4) feeding means; a5) associated electronics; wherein said device enables said one or more sensors remain in the part in which they are installed avoiding their detachment, fracture or breakage due to own operation; where, these sensors allow detecting in real time the existence of strange and uncrushable metallic parts, and determining in real time the state of ground engaging tools of mining equipment and detecting the entry of uncrushable material into the bucket of such mining equipment; means to give a warning or alarm signal or both to an operator of an mining equipment, so that at the moment when the detachment, cracking, fracturing or breaking of a part of the mining equipment is detected or a metallic part coming from old mining is detected, it can be separated from the equipment, preventing the entry of said uncrushable material to the crushing, milling, and any subsequent step to loading ore; b) means for maintaining current state information of each tooth, wear element or other part of said equipment through a routine or screening process or constant sweep query.

Description

[0029] To facilitate the understanding of the constructive and functional characteristics of the present invention, it is described with the following figures, always using the example of the device in a tooth of a shovel.

[0030] FIG. 1: shows a complete diagram of the system of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a complete diagram of the autonomous system of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows a complete diagram of the device of the present invention.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows a simulation of tooth fracture in loading equipment.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a general outline of the present invention, which is shown schematically the equipment in the field with the proposed technology. It is possible to appreciate the communication among the equipment in the field and the monitoring and acquisition central station, so that monitoring is performed for each tooth in real time, updating the information and the status of each tooth.

[0035] As shown in this figure, monitoring the status of each tooth will allow the communication of the monitoring and data acquisition central station, either with the entities that the maintenance center considered appropriate such as maintenance units, the processing plant and other critical areas, for, thus redirect the load, performing a predictive, preventive or corrective maintenance to loading equipment, or updating the databases of the ore and their final destination.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a diagram with the main elements of the autonomous system, such as one or many devices implemented inside each tooth or ground engaging tool, the monitoring station, the warning alarms, and the means to perform the updates.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a diagram with main elements of the device of the present invention, such as magnetic field sensors, means to perform magnetization, means to perform the communication, and the means to power up along with the associated electronics used in the system.

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a simulation of a fracture of a tooth of loading equipment, which allows monitoring of each tooth in real time and will determine the state of their fracture or break. Such information, as mentioned above, will be sent to the monitoring and data acquisition station, updating the current state of each tooth. The cited figure shows a computational simulation that exemplifies the lines of the magnetic field in a section of the mining shovel, where four teeth and part of a bucket are included. FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b) show the variations of the magnetic field lines before and after, respectively, produced by the loss of one of teeth of the shovel. In the figure, the colors represent the change in intensity of the magnetic field in arbitrary units.

[0039] Detection of uncrushable entering to the bucket will be performed similarly to the method described above. The methodology is based on a similar concept to that used for metal detectors (eg. detection airport metal) consisting of sensors that detect magnetic fields produced by Foucault currents that are induced by applying a variable magnetic field over a conductor, or by relative movement of a conductive metal against a source of magnetic field. Unlike that method, herein a constant magnetic field created by means of magnetization, which will induce an electrical Foucault current whenever a uncrushable (metallic conductor) enters the magnetic field region. That is, the movement of the uncrushable will be used to induce a magnetic field variation to be detected by the sensors.

[0040] A first embodiment of the present invention, an autonomous monitoring system by magnetic field variation is proposed:

[0041] (a) that allows (i) predicting wear, failures and cracks in mining equipment; (ii) prevent and detect, in real time, uncrushable material such as metal and/or material from old mining or past operations and/or parts or pieces of mining equipment; (b) to be used/installed in mining and/or loading equipment, such as, but not limited to, cables shovel, hydraulic shovel, a loader or other type of loader; (c) that allows detecting strange metal bodies, and also, knowing the level of wear and/or detecting a failure or fracture in the parts of these equipment almost immediately, particularly, but not limited to, the teeth or part of them, preventing unscheduled stops and accidents of the personnel, and improving effectiveness and efficiency in the planning of predictive and preventative maintenance operations;

[0042] Such system described above comprises, firstly, one or more devices installed inside the teeth, ground engaging tools, or another part of mining and/or loading equipment or both, wherein such device comprises: a1) one or more magnetic field and/or magnetic flux sensors that allow to constantly measure magnetic field variations in teeth, ground engaging tools or other mining and/or loading equipment; a2) means to perform magnetization over the teeth, ground engaging tools or another part of an mining and/or loading equipment; a3) means to communicate the information obtained by one or more sensors to the monitoring and data acquisition station, related to the level of wear, and the status of a possible fracture or failure; a4) means to power up; and a5) associated electronics.

[0043] The devices described above allow the sensors to remain in the piece that is being monitoring and not be detached, break or fracture due to wear from the operation itself. These sensors will allow detecting in real time the presence of strange bodies or uncrushable metal, as to either determine in real time the status of ground engaging tools in mining equipment or to detect an entry of uncrushable material to the bucket of such mining equipment.

[0044] This device is comprised in the essential element of the present invention, since this is the one that allows having a permanent tracking of the conditions of the each part of the equipment.

[0045] Moreover, the system comprises one or more monitoring and data acquisition central stations, composed by hardware and software, and means to send warnings and/or alarms to the operator of mining equipment, in such a way that at the moment when an equipment, or part of it, breaks, that piece could be separated, not allowing the entrance of an uncrushable material into the stages of crushing, milling and/or any other process after ore loading.

[0046] The system also comprises means to keep the status information updated in each tooth, ground engaging tool or any other part of the equipment through a constant sweep query.

[0047] A second embodiment of the invention, a method of installing an autonomous monitoring system for mining equipment is presented, by magnetic field variation: (a) that allows (i) predicting wear, failures and cracks in mining equipment; (ii) prevent and detect, in real time, uncrushable material such as metal and/or material from old mining or past operations and/or parts or pieces of mining equipment; (b) to be used/installed in mining and/or loading equipment, such as, but not limited to, cables shovel, hydraulic shovel, a loader or other type of loader; (c) that allows detecting strange metal bodies, and also, knowing the level of wear and/or detecting a failure or fracture in the parts of these equipment almost immediately, particularly, but not limited to, the teeth or part of them, preventing unscheduled stops and accidents of the personnel, and improving effectiveness and efficiency in the planning of predictive and preventative maintenance operations;

[0048] Such method comprises, firstly, the installation of one or more devices inside the teeth, ground engaging tools or another part of a mining equipment, in a position of low pressure and abrasion against frontal stresses, such location is defined by modeling the safest zones of the tooth, ground engaging tool or another part of the equipment. Such device comprises: one or more magnetic field and/or magnetic flux sensors, means to perform magnetization over teeth, ground engaging tool or any other part of mining and/or loading equipment. Modeling allows the cited (one or more) sensors above to remain inside the piece to be monitored and not to fall down, get destroyed or break down due to wear from the operation itself. These sensors will allow detecting in real time either the state of the ground engaging tools in mining equipment or the entry of uncrushable material into the bucket of such mining equipment; means for constantly measure magnetic field variations in teeth, ground engaging tools or any other part of mining and/or loading equipment; means for sending the obtained information by one or more sensors, to the monitoring and data acquisition station, related to wear level and the state of an eventual fracture or rupture. The installation of such devices is done on strategic places of the teeth, ground engaging tools or any other part of mining and/or loading equipment to determine in real time either the state of the ground engaging tools in mining equipment or an entry of uncrushable material into the bucket of such mining equipment.

[0049] The following stages of the installation method correspond to test the communication of one or more devices with one or more monitoring and data acquisition stations, according to the mine sites assigned frequency; device calibration; and finally verify testing sequence.

[0050] Similarly, this method could comprise resetting the system once an event of a uncrushable detection occurs. Also, it could be reset at each shift change.

[0051] A third embodiment of the invention, a method for operating an autonomous monitoring system through magnetic field variation is presented: (a) that allows (i) predicting wear, failures and cracks in mining equipment; (ii) prevent and detect, in real time, uncrushable material such as metal and/or material from old mining or past operations and/or parts or pieces of mining equipment; (b) to be used/installed in mining and/or loading equipment, such as, but not limited to, cables shovel, hydraulic shovel, a loader or other type of loader; (c) that allows detecting strange metal bodies, and also, knowing the level of wear and/or detecting a failure or fracture in the parts of these equipment almost immediately, particularly, but not limited to, the teeth or part of them, preventing unscheduled stops and accidents of the personnel, and improving effectiveness and efficiency in the planning of predictive and preventative maintenance operations;

[0052] This operation method comprises continuous measurements of magnetic field variation in the teeth, ground engaging tools or any other part of mining and/or loading equipment; through the acquired information by one or more magnetic field/flux sensors inside a device that is installed within the teeth, ground engaging tools or any other part of mining and/or loading equipment, in a position of low pressure and abrasion against frontal stresses, such location is defined by modeling the safest zones of the tooth, ground engaging tool or another part of the equipment; in order to keep the device fixed and protected in the safest place of the piece and to remain attached to the piece to be monitored and do not fall off due to impacts, high pressures and abrasions, in order to determine in real time the status of the ground engaging tools in mining equipment and to detect an entry of uncrushable material into the bucket of such mining equipment.

[0053] Also, the operation method comprises the monitoring of teeth state, ground engaging tools or any other part of mining and/or loading equipment; send information to a monitoring and data acquisition central station, related to wear level, and state of an eventual fracture or rupture; give warnings and/or alarms to the operator of a mining machine, in such a way, that at the moment when an equipment, or part of it, breaks, breaks, that piece could be separated, not allowing the entrance of an uncrushable material into the stages of crushing, milling and/or any other process after ore loading; and to keep the status information updated in each tooth, ground engaging tool or any other part of the equipment through a constant sweep query.

[0054] Finally, a tooth, a ground engaging tool or any other part of mining and/or loading equipment with one or more devices are presented, comprising:

[0055] a) that allows (i) predicting wear, failures and cracks in mining equipment; (ii) prevent and detect, in real time, uncrushable material such as metal and/or material from old mining or past operations and/or parts or pieces of mining equipment; (b) to be used/installed in mining and/or loading equipment, such as, but not limited to, cables shovel, hydraulic shovel, a loader or other type of loader; (c) that allows detecting strange metal bodies, and also, knowing the level of wear and/or detecting a failure or fracture in the parts of these equipment almost immediately, particularly, but not limited to, the teeth or part of them, preventing unscheduled stops and accidents of the personnel, and improving effectiveness and efficiency in the planning of predictive and preventative maintenance operations;

[0056] The ground engaging tool mentioned above or any other part of mining equipment comprises as fundamental part, a) a device installed inside the tooth, ground engaging tool or any other part of mining and/or loading equipment, in a low pressure and abrasion location against frontal stresses, in a position of low pressure and abrasion against frontal stresses, such location is defined by modeling the safest zones of the tooth, ground engaging tool or another part of the equipment, where such device comprises: a1) one or more magnetic field and/or magnetic flux sensors that allow to constantly measure magnetic field variations in teeth, ground engaging tools or other mining and/or loading equipment; a2) means to perform magnetization over the teeth, ground engaging tools or another part of an mining and/or loading equipment; a3) means to communicate the information obtained by one or more sensors to the monitoring and data acquisition station, related to the level of wear, and the status of a possible fracture or failure; a4) means to power up; and a5) associated electronics.

[0057] After the detailed description of the present invention on their four embodiments, in the next section the set of claims with system and method categories are presented, along with the technical detail of each embodiment, that is to say, autonomous system; installation method; operation method; and tooth, ground engaging tool or any other part of mining and/or loading equipment.