DEVICE FOR REDUCING THE LIKELIHOOD OF DAMAGE TO A TRAILING CABLE

• US 20110184597A1
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joy Global Underground Mining LLC (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Joy Mm Delaware Incorporated (Mitsui & Company Limited)
• Inventors: Herdle, David K., Smith, Phillip E., Anderson, Douglas F., Thomas, Terry M., Sutton, Darin M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,989,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/00 Electric propulsion with power supply external to the vehicle electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways B60L13/00; in combination with batteries or fuel cells within the vehicle B60L50/53
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/34 electric cords or electric power cables
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/425 attached to, or forming part of a vehicle, e.g. truck, trailer, vessel
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4484 Electronic arrangements or adaptations for controlling the winding or unwinding process, e.g. with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4486 Electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum

Abstract

A device for reducing damage to an electric vehicle powered by a trailing cable, the device including an electric sensor for determining the mobile equipment'"'"'s position relative to a hazard, and an electric controller responsive to the electrical means for operating a motor to change the operation of the electric vehicle to reduce the likelihood of adverse effects to the trailing cable if the electric vehicle'"'"'s position is near the hazard.

Claims

1. A device for reducing damage to an electric vehicle including a drive system for moving said vehicle over a surface by operating a drive motor, said electric vehicle being powered by a trailing cable wound around a cable reel and rotatable by a cable reel motor, the device including

electrical means for determining the mobile equipment'"'"'s position relative to a hazard, and

control means responsive to said electrical means for operating a motor to change the operation of the electric vehicle to reduce the likelihood of adverse effects to the trailing cable if the electric vehicle'"'"'s position is near the hazard.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said electrical means is an electrical sensor.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control means is an electrical controller.

4. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said electrical means is a sensing means for sensing a mobile equipment'"'"'s position, the sensing means including passive devices attached at regular intervals to the trailing cable, and means for sensing the passing of the passive devices, means responsive to said passive device sensing to count the number of such intervals to determine the amount of paying out or winding in of the trailing cable.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said electrical means is an RFID tag located at a hazard, such as at the cable anchor point, or by a ventilation curtain or a blind corner, and a transmitter/reader on said electric vehicle responsive to said RFID to determine the vehicle'"'"'s presence near the RFID tag.

6. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control means comprises drive motor control means operable connected to said drive motor for affecting the speed of the electric vehicle.

7. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control means comprises reel winding motor control means operable connected to said reel winding motor for affecting the amount of force applied to said cable reel.

8. A device in accordance with claim 7 wherein said control means comprises reel winding motor control means operable connected to said reel winding motor for affecting the direction of the force applied to the cable reel and thus the amount of paying out or winding in of the trailing cable.

9. A device in accordance with claim 7 wherein said control means comprises reel winding motor control means operable connected to said reel winding motor for affecting the amount of the force applied to the cable reel and thus the amount of paying out or winding in of the trailing cable.