TRACK ROLLER ASSEMBLY WITH A WEAR MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

• US 20160121945A1
• Filed: 10/29/2014
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Diekevers, Mark Steven, Rust, Craig Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,868,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/08 Endless track units; Parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/14 Arrangement, location, or adaptation of rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 55/15 Mounting devices, e.g. bushings, axles, bearings, sealings with lubrication means B62D55/092
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 3/56 Investigating resistance to wear or abrasion

Abstract

A roller of an undercarriage track system for a machine is disclosed. The roller includes a body and a sensed feature. The body is a solid of revolution formed about a roller axis. The body includes a bore surface and a roller contact surface. The bore surface defines a bore extending through the body. The bore surface is a radially inner surface of the body. The roller contact surface is located outward from the bore surface. The sensed feature is located at the body. The sensed feature is configured to rotate with the body and to be detectable by a sensor.

Claims

1. A track roller assembly of an undercarriage track system for a machine, the track roller assembly comprising:

a roller including

a body formed as a solid of revolution about a roller axis, the body including

a bore surface defining a bore extending through the body, the bore surface being a radially inner surface of the body and being a cylindrical shape, and

a roller contact surface located outward from the bore surface, the roller contact surface being a surface of revolution about the roller axis, and

a sensed feature protruding from the body into the bore;

a roller shaft including a shaft body extending through the bore; and

a sensor embedded in the shaft body, the sensor being axially aligned with the sensed feature and radially positioned to detect the sensed feature when the sensed feature rotates past the sensor.

2. The track roller assembly of claim 1, wherein the shaft body includes a shaft flange axially aligned with the sensed feature and the sensor is embedded in the shaft flange.

3. The track roller assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a magnetic speed sensor.

4. The track roller assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensed feature is a tooth extending from and integral to the body.

5. The track roller assembly of claim 1, wherein the body includes a first roller contact flange and the roller contact surface is an outer surface of the first roller contact flange.

6. The track roller assembly of claim 5, wherein the body includes a second roller contact flange spaced apart from the first roller contact flange forming an outer recess there between, the second roller contact flange including a second roller contact surface.

7. The track roller assembly of claim 1, further comprising a wire extending from the sensor and through the shaft.

8. A wear system including the track roller assembly of claim 1, the wear system further comprising an electronic control system electronically connected to the sensor, the electronic control system being configured to determine a size parameter of the roller based on revolutions of the roller detected by the sensor, the size parameter being related to wear of the roller.

9. A roller of an undercarriage track system for a machine, the roller comprising:

a body formed as a solid of revolution about a roller axis, the body including

a bore surface defining a bore extending through the body, the bore surface being a radially inner surface of the body, and

a roller contact surface located outward from the bore surface, the roller contact surface being a surface of revolution about the roller axis; and

a sensed feature at the body, the sensed feature configured to rotate with the body and to be detectable by a sensor for detecting a revolution of the roller.

10. The roller of claim 9, wherein the sensed feature is a tooth extending from and integral to the body.

11. The roller of claim 10, wherein the sensed feature extends inward from the body and protrudes into the bore.

12. The roller of claim 10, wherein the body includes a side generally facing in an axial direction and the sensed feature extends from the side.

13. The roller of claim 9, wherein the sensed feature is a recess extending into the body.

14. The roller of claim 9, wherein the body includes a first roller contact flange and the roller contact surface is an outer surface of the first roller contact flange, and wherein the body includes a second roller contact flange spaced apart from the first roller contact flange forming an outer recess there between, the second roller contact flange including a second roller contact surface.

15. A wear system including the roller of claim 9, the wear system further comprising:

the sensor configured to detect the sensed feature; and

an electronic control system configured to determine a size parameter of the roller related to wear of the roller based on the detected revolutions of the roller.

16. A method for determining wear on a roller of an undercarriage track system for a machine, the method comprising:

measuring a parameter related to a translational speed of the machine over a predetermined amount of time;

tracking a number of revolutions of the roller over the predetermined amount of time;

receiving the parameter related to the translational speed of the machine and the number of revolutions of the roller over the predetermined amount of time at an electronic control system; and

determining a size parameter of a roller contact surface of the roller, the roller contact surface being an outer surface of the roller.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the size parameter of the roller contact surface includes determining an average rotational speed of the roller over the predetermined amount of time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the size parameter of the roller contact surface includes determining an average translational speed of the machine over the predetermined amount of time, and using the average rotational speed of the roller with the average translational speed of the machine to determine the size parameter of the roller contact surface.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the roller includes a sensed feature and tracking the number of revolutions of the roller over the predetermined amount of time includes detecting when the sensed feature of the roller rotates past a sensor.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending the determined size parameter from the electronic control system to a remote monitoring system for analysis.