FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to comminution equipment and in particular, to apparatus which are configured to monitor a condition of wear of crusher liners and relay information regarding the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Crushers 1, such as cone crushers and/or gyratory crushers generally employ liners of various types to protect mainframe portions thereof. For example, a concave inner wear surface 3 may be provided to an inner surface portion of a crusher mainframe. The wear surface 3 may comprise a number of liner segments 7 which collectively define the wear surface 3. Each liner segment 7 or portion of the wear surface 3 may wear out at different rates.

Scheduled maintenance is generally required during certain periodic intervals. During scheduled maintenance, the liner segments 7 and/or entire wear surface 3 may be removed from the crusher 1 and re-fitted with one or more liner segments 7 and/or an entirely new wear surface 3.

To maximize usable life of the wear surface 3 and better/more-efficiently predict when scheduled maintenance is required, it is desired to prove a technical solution which monitors (e.g., in real-time) the active amount of wear to one or more portions of the wear surface 3 during operation. In this regard, operational periods of crusher use (between scheduled maintenance time slots) can be maximized - and/or spaced out as a function of actual wear. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An aim of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a system, apparatus, and/or method which facilitates liner life prediction, helps shutdown planning, and/or minimizes crusher downtime, without limitation.

Another aim of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a system, apparatus, and/or method which provides safe and reliable feedback on a condition of a wear surface 3, or portions thereof (e.g., a liner segment 7) during crusher operation, without any required manual intervention, without limitation.

Yet another aim of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a system, apparatus, and/or method which does not require a stoppage of crusher operation to scan a condition of a wear surface 3 or liner segment 7, without limitation.

Yet another aim of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a system, apparatus, and/or method which is configured to provide continuous condition monitoring to detect failures not possible using exiting conventional solutions, without limitation.

Yet another aim of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a system, apparatus, and/or method which addresses conventional safety issues with existing crusher wear surface 3 scanning techniques involving manual measurements, without limitation.

A further aim of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a system, apparatus, and/or method which facilitates accurate wear surface 3 life prediction, particularly during an end of liner life, which is currently not possible using today’s existing solutions. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A wear sensing system (9) is disclosed. The wear sensing system (9) may be configured for determining wear to a wear surface (3) of a crusher (1). The wear sensing system (9) may be configured for determining wear to a liner segment (7) defining a portion of said wear surface (3) (e.g., wear to an inner side (7d) of a liner segment (7), without limitation). The wear sensing system (9) may comprise at least one wear sensor (8). The wear sensor (8) may have a wear strip portion (8a), a antenna (8b) configured to broadcast, emit, or transmit a directional signal (5) to a receiver (4), and a housing portion (8c). The wear sensor (8) may be configured to be received in at least a lateral side (7g) of a liner segment (7) within the wear surface (3).

The wear sensing system (9) may comprise a receiver (4). The receiver (4) may comprise an antenna (4a). The receiver (4) may be configured to be remotely positioned from the wear sensor (8) and/or configured to receive the directional signal (5) broadcasted, emitted, or transmitted from the antenna (8b) of the wear sensor (8).

According to some embodiments, the wear sensor (8) and/or receiver (4) may comprise a microcontroller (8h, 4b). According to some embodiments, the wear sensor (8) and/or receiver (4) may comprise a power source, power supply, or battery (8i, 4c). According to some embodiments, the housing portion (8c) may be configured to house a microcontroller (8h) and/or a power source, power supply, or battery (8i). According to some embodiments, the wear sensor (8) may comprise one or more connecting cables or wires (8g). The one or more connecting cables or wires (8g) may extend from the housing portion (8c). According to some embodiments, the antenna (8b) and/or wear strip portion (8a) may be operably connected to the one or more connecting cables or wires (8g). Thus, the antenna (8b) and/or wear strip portion (8a) may be configured to electronically communicate with a microcontroller (8h) in the housing portion (8c) of the wear sensor (8). According to some embodiments, a longitudinal axis (8d) of the wear strip portion (8a) and a directional axis (8e) of the directional signal (5) are not parallel and/or may extend with an angle (a) therebetween which is not equal to zero (e.g., an angle between 0 and 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis (8d)), without limitation. According to some embodiments, the angle (a) may fall within a transmission window or angular range (8f) of the directional signal (5). For example, the transmission window or angular range (8f) may extend between approximately 10 degrees and 80 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis (8d) of the wear strip portion (8a), without limitation. According to some embodiments, the directional axis (8e) may be located within said transmission window or angular range (8f). According to some embodiments, the wear sensor (8) portion of the wear sensing system (9) may further comprise a shield or antenna protector (8j) situated over, atop, or adjacent to the antenna (8b). The shield or antenna protector (8j) may be configured to protect the antenna (8b) from damage. According to some embodiments, the housing portion (8c) of the wear sensor (8) may be made integral with the wear strip portion (8a) and the antenna (8b). In other embodiments (not depicted), the housing portion (8c) of the wear sensor (8) may be non-integral with and/or positioned remotely with respect to the wear strip portion (8a) and/or the antenna (8b). In such embodiments, the one or more connecting cables or wires (8g) may be extended in length, without limitation. According to some embodiments, the wear sensor (8) may be configured to be substantially entirely received within one or more portions (7a, 7b) of a liner segment (7), with the exception that at least a portion of the antenna (8b) sits proud of the lateral side (7g) of the liner segment (7). In some embodiments, the entirety of the antenna (8b) may be situated to be proud of the lateral side (7g) of a liner segment (7).

A crusher (1) is further disclosed. The crusher (1) may comprise the above-described wear sensing system (9). The crusher may further comprise a wear surface (3). The wear surface (3) may be defined by a number of liner segments (7). At least one of the liner segments (7) defining at least a portion of the wear surface (3) may comprise a wear strip portion recess or receiving portion (7a) in a lateral side (7g) thereof. The wear strip portion (8a) of the wear sensor (8) may be disposed within the wear strip portion recess (7a).

The at least one of the liner segments (7) defining at least a portion of the wear surface (3) may also comprise a housing portion recess or receiving portion (7b). In preferred embodiments, the housing portion recess or receiving portion (7b) is provided to the same lateral side (7g) as the wear strip portion recess or receiving portion (7a). In some embodiments, the housing portion recess or receiving portion (7b) may be provided to a lateral side (7g) and/or to a back side (7e) of a liner segment (7) receiving a wear sensor (8). A housing portion (8c) of the wear sensor (8) may disposed within the housing portion recess or receiving portion (7b), without limitation.

The crusher (1) may further include a spider (2). The receiver (4) of the wear sensing system (9) may be provided to a location relative to the antenna (8b) of the wear sensor (8) and/or to the spider (2), such that a direct line-of-sight between the antenna (8b) of the wear sensor (8) and the antenna (4a) of the receiver (4) is maintained, without limitation. In some preferred embodiments, the receiver (4) of the wear sensing system (9) may be provided to a location relative to both the antenna (8b) of the wear sensor (8) and the spider (2), such that a portion of the spider (2) does not intersect the directional axis (8e) of the directional signal (5). In some preferred embodiments, the receiver (4) of the wear sensing system (9) may be provided to a location relative to both the antenna (8b) of the wear sensor (8) and the spider (2), such that a portion of the spider (2) does not substantially encroach the transmission window or angular range (8f) of the directional signal (5). In some preferred embodiments, the receiver (4) of the wear sensing system (9) may be provided to a location relative to both the antenna (8b) of the wear sensor (8) and the spider (2), such that a portion of the spider (2) does not substantially interfere with or reduce the strength of the directional signal (5) being transmitted by the antenna (8b) and/or received by the antenna (4a) of the receiver (4). It is anticipated that some overlap of the spider (2) into the transmission window or angular range (8f) of the directional signal (5) may be permitted, so long as the directional signal (5) is not significantly weakened or interfered with prior to being received by the antenna (4a) of the receiver.

According to some embodiments, at least a portion of the antenna (8b) may sit proud of the lateral side (7g) of a liner segment (7). According to some embodiments, at least a portion of the antenna (8b) may be positioned between two adjacent ones of said number of liner segments (7) within the wear surface (3), without limitation. According to some embodiments, the wear sensor (8) may be bonded to said at least one of the liner segments (7) to define a liner assembly (6).

According to some embodiments, the wear sensor (8) may be configured to detect a current thickness of said at least one of the liner segments (7). The current thickness may be measured as extending between an inner side (7d) and back side (7e) of said at least one of the liner segments (7), preferably substantially orthogonally, without limitation. According to some embodiments, the crusher (1) may comprise a plurality of the receiver (4) described above. According to some embodiments, the crusher (1) may comprise a plurality of the wear sensor (8) described above. According to some embodiments, a longitudinal axis (8d) of the wear strip portion (8a) of the wear sensor (8) may be substantially orthogonal with respect to an inner side (7d) of said at least one of the liner segments (7), without limitation.

A liner assembly (6) is further disclosed. The liner assembly (6) may be configured to define a portion of a wear surface (3) of a crusher (1). The liner assembly (7) may comprise a liner segment (7) having a top side (7c), bottom side (7f), inner side (7g), back side (7e) and two opposing lateral sides (7g). At least one of the two opposing lateral sides (7g) may comprise a wear strip portion recess or u receiving portion (7a) configured to receive a wear strip portion (8a) of a wear sensor (8). The liner segment (7) may comprise a housing portion recess or receiving portion (7b) configured to receive a housing portion (8c) of a wear sensor (8). The liner assembly (6) may include a wear sensor (8). The wear sensor (8) may have a wear strip portion (8a) configured to be received in the wear strip portion recess or receiving portion (7a), a antenna (8b) configured to broadcast, emit, or transmit a directional signal (5) to a receiver (4), and a housing portion (8c); the wear sensor (8) being configured to be received in the housing portion recess or receiving portion (7b).

The wear sensor (8) may be bonded to the liner segment (7) (e.g., using an adhesive, cement, fastener, potting agent, or other fastening means, without limitation). The liner assembly (6) may comprise a shield or antenna protector (8j) situated over, atop, or adjacent to the antenna (8b) of the wear sensor (8). The shield or antenna protector (8j) may be configured to protect the antenna (8b) from damage.

According to some embodiments, the directional signal (5) may be broadcasted, emitted, or transmitted from the antenna (8b) along a directional axis (8e) within a transmission window or angular range (8f). The angle (a) formed between the directional axis (8d) and a longitudinal axis (8d) of the wear strip portion (8a) is preferably greater than zero (e.g., between 0 and 90 degrees), without limitation. At least a portion of the antenna (8b) may sit proud of said at least one of the two opposing lateral sides (7g) comprising the wear strip portion recess or receiving portion (7a). According to some embodiments, a liner assembly (6) may comprise a plurality of said wear sensor (8). In some embodiments (not shown), a single housing portion (8c) may communicate with a plurality of wear strip portions (8a) and/or antennas (8b) via different connecting cables or wires, without limitation. In some embodiments (not shown), wear sensors (8) may be provided to both lateral sides (7g) of a liner segment

(7), without limitation. A method of detecting an amount of wear to a wear surface (3) of a crusher (1) is also disclosed.

The method may comprise any one or more of the following steps, in any order and in any combination: providing a crusher (1) as described above; feeding the crusher (1) with material; comminuting the material by operating the crusher (1); eroding an inner side (7d) of a liner segment (7) of a liner assembly (6) defining at least a portion of the wear surface (3) by virtue of said step of comminuting the material; eroding the wear strip portion (8a) of the wear sensor (8) by virtue of said step of eroding an inner side (7d) of a liner segment (7) of a liner assembly (6) defining at least a portion of the wear surface (3); communicating a directional signal (5) from the antenna (8b) of the wear sensor (8) to the receiver (4), the directional signal (5) comprising information pertaining to an extent of wear to the wear strip portion (8a); and in response to the receiver (4) receiving the directional signal (5), processing the information pertaining to an extent of wear to the wear strip portion (8a), determining an amount of wear to the inner side (7d) of the liner segment.

In some embodiments, the antenna (8b) of the wear sensing system (9), crusher (1), or liner assembly (6) may comprise a directional antenna. The signal (5) emitted from the antenna (8b) may comprise a directional signal (5). In some embodiments, the wear sensing system (9) may be configured to perform a timed transmission function, wherein a microcontroller (8h) of the wear sensor (8) is configured to broadcast the signal (5) intermittently with a period of inactivity or dormancy between each broadcasted signal (5). This period of inactivity or dormancy between each broadcasted signal (5) may be initially longer, and may shorten over time to preserve battery life and reduce power o consumption during initial wearing of the liner segment (7), and/or to provide higher resolution wear readings at later stages of wear life of the liner segment (7), without limitation.

In some embodiments, the signal (5) may be emitted upward towards a receiver (4) positioned above the wear surface (3). In some embodiments, the signal (5) may be emitted downwards towards a receiver (4) positioned below the wear surface (3). .

In some embodiments, a crusher (1) may comprise a tubular mainframe (10) having a radially- inwardly facing pocket or recess (10a) therein. The crusher (1) may comprise at least one receiver (4). The crusher (1) may comprise at least one wear sensor (8). The wear sensor (8) may have a wear strip portion (8a), an antenna (8b) configured to broadcast, emit, or transmit a directional signal (5) to a receiver (4), and a housing portion (8c). At least a portion (8c) of the wear sensor (8) may be received in at least a portion of the pocket or recess (10a). The crusher (1) may comprise a wear surface (3) defined by a number of liner segments (7) lining a radially-inward facing surface portion of the mainframe (10). At least two adjacent ones of the liner segments (7) defining the wear surface (3) may be positioned such that they each have a side (7c,7f,7g) which is in close proximity to or abuts a respective surface portion of the wear strip portion (8a). Thus, the antenna (8b) and wear strip portion (8a) of a wear sensor (8) may be sandwiched between surfaces of two liner segments (7). The wear strip portion (8a) of the wear sensor (8) and the antenna (8a) of the wear sensor (8) may, for example, be disposed in a gap defined between said two adjacent ones of the liner segments (7), thereby allowing the directional signal (5) to be received by the at least one receiver (4). Said differently, one or more portions (8a, 8b) of a wear sensor (8) may be provided between a lateral side (7g) of a first liner segment (7) within a wear surface (3) and a lateral side (7g) of a second adjacent liner segment (7) within the wear surface. The at least one wear sensor (8) may be secured to the mainframe (10) and/or two adjacent ones of the liner segments (7), for example, with a filler material. The filler material may fill at least a portion of the pocket or recess (10a) adjacent to the at least one wear sensor (8). The filler material may comprise, for example, backing epoxy and/or plaster, without limitation.

Additional details of embodiment features can be gleaned from the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side plan view of a portion of a crusher 1 depicting a number of liner assemblies 6 forming a wear surface 3 of the crusher 1.

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional isometric view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a close-up view of a portion of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a close-up view of a portion of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 depicts a liner assembly 6 alone, with other portions of the crusher 1 omitted for clarity.

FIG. 6 depicts a wear sensor 8 which can be used in conjunction with a liner segment 7 according to non-limiting embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 7 depicts a liner segment 7 which can be used in conjunction with a wear sensor 8 according to non-limiting embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a close-up view of a portion of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an alternative view of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 schematically illustrates a wear-sensing system 9 for a crusher 1, according to nonlimiting embodiments of the invention. The system 9 may be used to determine an indication of wear to a liner segment 7 within a wear surface 3 of a crusher 1.

FIG. 11 depicts method steps which may be practiced in accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the invention. FIG. 12 is a flowchart suggesting one or more non-limiting method steps that may be performed according to some embodiments.

FIG. 13 suggests that for some embodiments of a wear strip portion 8a of a wear sensor 8, a different resistance (i.e., resistors each having a different Ohm impedance) may be applied to each successive parallel circuit within the wear strip portion 8a, without limitation.

FIG. 14 suggests that by making a wear strip portion 8a with successive parallel circuits, each having a different resistive impedance, measured voltage across the parallel circuit can be linearly depicted to translate to a length unit (e.g., mm/cm or inches) of wear to the inner side 7c of a wear liner segment 7.

FIGS. 15-19 show a non-limiting exemplary prototype of wear sensor 8 in various stages of manufacturing.

FIG. 20 suggests how embodiments may incorporate the use of unique timed transmission protocols to reduce battery size and/or power consumption, for example, by using less-frequent signal 5 transmissions when a liner assembly 6 is new, and progressively increasing the frequency of signal 5 transmissions towards the latter usable life of a liner assembly 6.

FIGS. 21 and 22 suggest how wear sensors 8 and/or receivers 4 may be alternatively configured. For example, as shown, one or more wear sensors may be placed in a mantle 11 or in a recess or pocket 10a of a mainframe 10, rather than in a liner segment 7. These figures further suggest that a receiver 4 may be positioned within a crusher 1 , for example, below the wear surface 3 in the belly of a crusher 1 , without limitation.

FIG. 23 suggests how a wear strip portion 8a of a wear sensor may be alternatively oriented so as to be generally non-orthogonal to liner segment 7 sides 7d, 7e, for example, such that angle a is substantially equal to zero and/or such that axes 8e and 8e may be coaxial or substantially aligned, without limitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, a crusher 1, such as a gyratory crusher, may comprise a wear surface 3. The wear surface 3 may be formed of a plurality of discrete liner segments 7. At least one of the liner segments 7 defining a portion of the wear surface 3 may comprise a liner assembly 6 according to embodiments of the invention. Each liner assembly 6 may comprise at least one (i.e., one or a plurality) wear sensor 8 affixed or attached thereto (e.g., via bonding or adhering with an adhesive, without limitation). The wear sensor(s) 8 are preferably positioned so as to be proximate a location between adjacent liner segments 7 as shown. While it is envisaged that one or more of the wear sensor 8 may be positioned between respective top 7c and bottom 7f sides of adjacent liner segments 7, preferred embodiments depicted suggest that one or more of the wear sensor 8 may be provided to either or both lateral sides 7g of a liner segment 7, without limitation. In preferred embodiments, to simplify installation and reduce installation time, the wear sensor(s) 8 is mechanically joined to its respective liner segment 7 to form a liner assembly 6 prior to the installation of the liner assembly 6 into the wear surface 3 of the crusher 1.

The crusher 1 may further comprise at least one receiver 4 provided remote from a liner assembly 6 and the one or more wear sensors 8. In preferred embodiments, the receiver(s) 4 is positioned such that a spider 2 provided to the crusher 1 does not materially or substantially interfere with a signal 5, which is preferably a directional signal (e.g., an RF signal, such as a 2.4 GHz signal, without limitation) broadcasted, emitted, or transmitted from an antenna 8b provided to the one or more wear sensors 8. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the signal 5 may take the form of a compressed donut or toroidal shape, without limitation. For a wear sensing system 9 having multiple wear sensors 8 therein - (e.g., a wear surface 3 comprising multiple liner assemblies 6), each signal 5 emitted from an antenna 8b of a wear sensor 8 may comprise its own unique broadcast address to help allow a receiver 4 to identify a received signal 5 and determine which wear sensor 8 it was broadcasted from.

The wear sensor(s) 8 and receiver(s) 4 may form portions of a wear sensing system 9 (as suggested in FIG. 10). A receiver 4 within the wear sensing system 9, may comprise a receiving antenna 4a. It may also comprise a microcontroller 4b. The microcontroller 4b may comprise a processor, circuit board, and memory, for example, non-transitory memory, without limitation. The microcontroller 4b may be powered by an onboard or remote battery, power supply, or other conventional source of power 4c.

A wear sensor 8 portion of the wear sensing system 9 may comprise multiple components. The components may be integral with one another to form a single unit wear sensor 8, or the components may be configured to be positioned separately and/or remote from one another to form a multi-piece unit. In any embodiment, it is envisaged that the wear sensor 8 components are integrated together via one or more connecting cables or wires 8g.

The components of a wear sensor 8 described herein may comprise a wear strip portion 8a, an antenna 8b, and a housing portion 8c. The wear strip portion 8a may comprise an elongated wearable bar containing a number of resistive circuits. The wear strip portion 8a may comprise a number of parallel circuits printed on a circuit board, and thus, may comprise a printed circuit board (PCB). In some embodiments, the antenna 8b is a radio antenna, which may be configured to operate within any operable frequency regime. For purposes of experimentation and prototyping, a 2.4 GHz antenna was used, however, other adequately performing frequencies in the spectrum (e.g., ELF, SLF, ULF, LF, MF,

HF, VHF, UHF, SHF, EHF) may be practiced, without limitation.

The housing portion 8c may comprise a casing (e.g., metallic or polymeric, without limitation) that houses a microcontroller 8h. Like the receiver 4, the microcontroller 8h may comprise a processor, circuit board, and memory, for example, non-transitory memory, without limitation. The microcontroller 8h may be powered by an onboard or remote battery, power supply, or other conventional source of power, without limitation.

In some embodiments, the housing may comprise an onboard battery, power supply, or source of power 8i. However, it is envisaged that one or more remotely provided batteries, power supplies, or sources of power may be hardwired to a microcontroller 8h, without limitation. Such remotely provided sources of power may be shared power sources (i.e., may power multiple wear sensors 8 within the wear-sensing system 9). In some embodiments the antenna 8b may comprise an RFID antenna. In such embodiments, the antenna 8b may comprise an active or passive RFID antenna. In this regard, embodiments of the antenna 8b may be remotely powered and/or activated, without limitation.

The wear strip portion 8a of a wear sensor 8 may extend along a longitudinal axis 8d. The longitudinal axis 8d may be oriented radially with respect to the wear surface 3, and/or extend substantially orthogonally (i.e., +- 45 degrees, e.g., +-20 degrees or less) with respect to the inner 7d and/or back 7e side of a liner segment 7, without limitation. In preferred embodiments, the longitudinal axis 8d is mostly perpendicular to the inner side 7d and/or back 7e side (e.g., zero degrees to within approximately +-5 degrees), without limitation. In this regard, the wear strip portion 8a may be configured to accurately represent radial surface wear to the inner side 7d of a liner segment 7 to which it is attached. However, as demonstrated by FIG. 23, it is also contemplated that the longitudinal axis 8d (and/or longitudinal axis of recess or receiving portion 7a) may be angled and/or not extend substantially orthogonally with respect to the inner 7d and/or back 7e side of a liner segment 7. In such latter embodiments, a directional axis 8e of signal 5 may be coaxial with or at least substantially aligned with longitudinal axis 8d, and perpendicular wear to inner side 7d may be calculated from the data gathered by receiver (e.g., using trigonometry and angle of axis 8d relative to inner 7d or outer 7e side(s)), without limitation.

The antenna 8b is preferably configured to emit, transmit, or broadcast a directional signal 5 along a path or in a general direction which is not parallel to the longitudinal axis 8d of the wear strip portion 8a. Thus, in preferred embodiments, the antenna 8b is selected to comprise a “directional” antenna. For example, the antenna 8b is preferably configured to deliver a directional signal 5 to one or more receivers 4 along a directional axis 8e. The directional axis 8e of the signal 5 may represent a location of greatest strength of the signal 5 emitted from the antenna 5. Thus, an angle a may be formed between the directional axis 8e of the signal 5 and the longitudinal axis 8d of the wear strip portion 8a, without limitation. As shown, the angle a may fall within a transmission window or angular range 8f. It is anticipated that this transmission window or angular range 8f be defined between an angle a greater than zero degrees and less than 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis 8d. In preferred embodiments, a transmission window or angular range 8f may be represented by angles a from 10 to 80 degrees, such as between 25 degrees and 65 degrees, without limitation. It will be well-understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art that selection of an antenna 8b (having its own unique performance specifications) and its relative positioning to other wear sensor 8 components (such as the wear strip portion 8a) will generally dictate the transmission window or angular range 8f. In any event, the transmission window or angular range 8f and/or directional axis 8e should be sufficiently adapted to carry the directional signal 5 to the receiving antenna 4a of one or more of the receivers 4. The transmission window or angular range 8f may generally be dictated by the particular lobe profile characteristics of the antenna 8b and/or the signal 5 emitted therefrom. Said differently, the “main lobe” or “main beam” profile of higher power of the antenna 8b may be more focused (i.e., tighter) or less- focused (i.e., wider spread) depending on the mechanical and/or electrical characteristics of the antenna 8b.

As depicted in FIG. 6, in some preferred (but optional) embodiments, a shield or antenna protector 8j may be provided to a wear sensor 8. The shield or antenna protector 8j may be configured to protect the antenna 8b from impacts (e.g., lateral or side impacts during installation of a liner segment 6 into a wear surface 3 of the crusher 1). The shield or antenna protector 8j is preferably designed to protect the antenna 8b without substantially impacting the strength of directional signal 5. Moreover, the shield or antenna protector 8j is preferably configured to not substantially interfere with or alter the directional axis 8e or unduly narrow the transmission window or angular range 8f. The shield or antenna protector 8j may be formed of a thin durable plastic or metallic substrate, and may be adhered, bonded, attached, and/or fastened to one or more portions of the wear sensor 8, including the antenna 8b, itself. In some embodiments, the shield or antenna protector 8j may be configured to provide a small clearance between itself and the antenna 8b. For example, the or antenna protector 8j may be stamped or molded with a shallow pocket or recess to receive the antenna 8b therein, such that it sits proud of the antenna 8b and/or forms a thin gap between the antenna 8b and the shield or antenna protector 8j. In such embodiments, one or more perimeter portions of the antenna protector 8j may be fastened or bonded to portions of the wear sensor 8.

Turning now to FIGS. 7-9, a liner segment 7 portion of a liner assembly 6 may comprise a top (i.e., “upper”) side 7c, a bottom (i.e., “lower”) side 7f, two opposing lateral sides 7g extending between the top 7c and bottom 7f sides, a back (i.e., “mounting”) side 7e for facing a mainframe inner surface portion of the crusher 1, and an inner (i.e., “wear”) side 7d. The inner 7d and outer 7e sides may be curved so as to form an arcuate liner segment 7 as shown. While any of top 7c, bottom 7f, or lateral 7g sides may be configured to receive a portion 8a, 8b, 8c of a wear sensor 8, the depicted preferred embodiment suggests that one or more wear strip recess or receiving portions 7a may be provided to one or more portions of one or more lateral sides 7g of a liner segment 7. Each wear strip recess or receiving portion 7a may be configured to accept a wear strip portion 8a of a wear sensor 8 and may extend along the same longitudinal axis 8d of the wear strip portion 8a it receives. A wear strip recess or receiving portion 7a may be configured to entirely receive the full thickness of a wear strip portion 8a, without limitation. The antenna 8b portion of a wear sensor 8 is preferably configured to sit proud of an external surface 7c, 7f, 7g of a liner segment 7 in a liner assembly 6. In some embodiments, the antenna 8b and optional shield 8j are the only portions of a wear sensor 8 which are not completely received and/or encompassed by an outer surface profile of a liner segment 7.

Moreover, one or more housing recess or receiving portions 7b of liner segment 7 may be provided to one or more sides 7c, 7e, 7f, 7g of a liner segment in a liner assembly 6. Each housing recess or receiving portion 7b may be configured to receive a housing portion 8c of a wear sensor 8. In the preferred embodiment shown, each wear sensor 8 comprises a housing portion 8c which is integral to a wear strip portion 8, and thus, a housing recess or receiving portion 7b may be closely proximate to and/or intersect with a wear strip recess or receiving portion 7a. The housing portion recess or receiving portion 7b may extend into the back side 7e and/or into a lateral side 7g of a liner segment 7 as depicted. Though the recess or receiving portions 7a, 7b are depicted as being substantially rectangular, other shapes are envisaged which would accept other wear sensor 8 shapes. It is, however, desirable for embodiments to maintain as much liner segment 7 substrate as possible to maintain liner assembly 6 integrity and strength. While not shown, it is anticipated that a wear sensing system 9 may comprise a liner assembly 6 having a plurality of wear strip portions 8a communicating with a single or lesser number of housing portions 8c. Accordingly, embodiments are envisaged where a microcontroller 8h may be shared across a number of wear strip portions 8a. For example, a single housing recess or receiving portion 7b may be provided to a back 7e, bottom 7f, and/or lateral 7g side of a liner segment 7 and may be configured to receive a housing portion 8c. The housing portion may comprise an onboard microcontroller 8h, which, in turn, communicates with and supports operation of a plurality of wear strip portions 8a and/or antennas 8b associated therewith. One or more connecting cables or wires 8g may extend from the housing portion 8c to each of the plurality of wear strip portions 8a and/or antennas 8b associated therewith.

Turning now to FIGS. 15-19, a prototype wear sensor 8 according to non-limiting embodiments is depicted in various stages of manufacture/assembly. A housing portion 8c (and/or a multiplicity of housing portions 8c) may initially receive one or more wear sensor 8 components. Subsequently, the received wear sensor components may be temporarily secured within the housing portion(s) 8c. This temporary securement may be accomplished, e.g., with the use of an adhesive or one or more mechanical fasteners such as one or more screws and bosses, without limitation. A filler 8k, such as an adhesive, epoxy, or potting material, may then be used to fill a remaining void(s) within the one or more housing portion 8c of the wear sensor 8. In some embodiments, adhesive, a mechanical fastener(s), and/or a filler 8k may be used to connect one or more housing portions 8c together, to form a wear sensor 8, without limitation. The wear strip portion 8a may be formed of 3D-printed resin around a printed circuit board 8m; or a 3D-printed housing portion 8c may be formed, and a printed circuit board 8m placed therein prior to introducing filler 8k, without limitation. With advancements in 3D-printing, it is envisaged that the wear strip portion 8a, may be formed entirely by 3D-printing techniques

1 o (complete with integrated circuitry), thus obviating the need for integrating 3 initially separate components (i.e., the housing portion 8c, printed circuit board 8m, and filler 8k).

In any embodiment, it is optional that one or more resistors 8i of a wear strip portion 8a may be placed on a printed circuit board 8m. The resistors 8i may each be provided to separate successive parallel circuits as shown. The resistive impedance (Ohms) of each resistor 8i may be the same as one another; however, it is preferred that each resistor 8i in a circuit of a wear strip portion 8a be of different impedance (Ohms) as suggested by FIG. 13, in order achieve the somewhat linear wear profile depicted in FIG. 14.

While it is clearly anticipated that a signal 5 emitted from an antenna 8b of a wear sensor 8 may be continuous, preferred embodiments may opt for a semi-continuous or “timed transmission” protocol. Accordingly, logic used for the microcontroller 8h may be such that a signal 5 is only broadcasted from a wear sensor antenna 8b for a short duration (periodically or intermittently), with a period of dormancy or inactivity between signal 5 broadcasts. As suggested in FIG. 20, in some embodiments, to further extend battery 8i life and/or reduce the overall required battery 8i size, a microprocessor 8h of a wear sensor 8 may be configured with logic programming which increases the frequency (i.e., shortens the time period of dormancy or inactivity between signal 5 broadcasts) over time, as wear to a respective inner side 7d of a liner segment 7 progresses. This reduction in period of dormancy or inactivity between signal 5 broadcasts may be selected to happen gradually (e.g., linearly or smoothly exponentially as depicted), or one or more step changes to the broadcasting frequency may occur. In the latter case, the microcontroller 8h may be configured such that wherein after a predetermined number of broadcasts is made by the microcontroller 8h, the period of dormancy or inactivity between signal 5 broadcasts is thereafter reduced/ shortened by a certain percentage. This percentage may also change over time. It should also be understood that conversely, commissioning of a wear sensing system 9 may necessitate an initially higher number of signal 5 transmissions from an antenna 8b of a wear sensor 8 over a specified period of start-up time to ensure functionality and performing operational status, wherein after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed (or a specific number of broadcasts have been made after commissioning of the wear sensing system 9), the period of dormancy or inactivity may increase to reduce power consumption and increase battery life.

In this regard, battery 8i power may be strategically conserved (e.g., by virtue of longer and/or more frequent sleep cycles) when a fresh liner assembly 6 having a new liner segment 7 is installed in a wear surface 3, wherein wear measurement resolution may increase over time towards the end of a predicted maximum life expectancy of the liner segment 7 (e.g., by virtue of shorter and/or less frequent sleep cycles). Thus, the duration of sleep cycles or periods of dormancy/inactivity, the duration of a broadcasted signal 5, and/or the frequency of transmission of signals 5 from a wear sensor 8 may be fixed to be constant, or configured to be variable and change over time, without limitation.

The housing portion 8c of a wear sensor 8 described herein may be optionally provided with an outer accessible switch that may be turned on and off to respectively power/activate or depower/inactivate microprocessor 8h, antenna 8b, and/or wear strip portion 8a. The provision of such a switch may enable battery 8i power to be preserved prior to installation and use within a wear surface 3 of a crusher 1. An operator installing a liner segment (with pre-bonded wear sensor 8) may turn the switch to an “ON” position and place glue or epoxy over and/or into the switch (to prevent backoff or switch movement) prior to securing the liner assembly 6 to a mainframe 10 of crusher 1 to form wear surface 3. Other means, such as a temporary plastic insulating pull tab initially residing between at least one terminal of the battery 8i and a microprocessor 8h battery terminal connector may be employed to prevent premature battery 8i drain prior to installation and use of a wear sensor 8. In use of such an ,\j embodiment, an operator installing a liner assembly 6 (i.e., liner segment 7 with pre-bonded wear sensor 8) may pull the tab to allow current to complete a circuit and allow current to pass between the battery 8i and microprocessor 8h prior to securing the liner assembly 6 to a mainframe 10 of crusher 1.

Turning now to FIGS. 21 and 22, it is envisaged that instead of (or, in addition to) being assembled to a liner segment 7 to form a liner assembly 6, a wear sensor 8 within a wear sensing system 9 may be positioned within a recess or pocket 10a of a generally tubular mainframe 10 that supports the wear surface 3. The recess or pocket 10a may be located at a particular region of an inner facing surface of the mainframe 10, but may extend annular ly around the mainframe 10 as depicted. In such embodiments, one or more wear sensors 8 may be positioned to be received (at least in part) within such a recess or pocket 10a. For example, a housing portion 8c of a wear sensor 8 containing a battery 8i and microprocessor 8h may be at least partially received within a recess or pocket 10a of a mainframe 10, wherein the wear strip portion 8a and antenna 8b may be situated proud of the recess or pocket 10a. Moreover, the wear strip portion 8a and antenna 8b may be situated so as to be positioned between a face or side (7c, 7g, 7f) of two adjacent liner segments 7. In such embodiments, liner segments 7 within wear surface 3 may be devoid of any recesses or receiving portions 7a, 7b, without limitation.

Additionally, as suggested by FIG. 21, a receiver 4 may be configured to be powered by a cable running through an inspection port (not shown) of a mainframe 10 and thus, be configured to be positioned below the wear surface 3 within the crusher 1 and below a crushing gap located between a lower region of the wear surface and a lower region of a central mantle 11.

Moreover, as suggested by FIG. 21, a central mantle 11 may, in addition to the wear surface 3 provided to the mainframe 10, comprise one or more of the wear sensors 8 described herein, in order to monitor wear to the mantle 11. Thus, although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention.

Nomenclature and technical terms used in this description and the claims to define features has been chosen for convenience, and it should be understood that specific terms used herein may be replaced with art-recognized equivalents. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.

REFERENCE NUMERAL IDENTIFIERS:

1 Crusher (e.g., gyratory crusher)

2 Spider

3 Wear surface

4 Receiver

4a Receiving antenna (of receiver 4)

4b Microcontroller/processor/circuit board (of receiver 4)

4c Battery/power supply or source of power (of receiver 4)

5 Signal (e.g., a directional signal)

6 Liner assembly

7 Liner segment

7a Wear strip recess or receiving portion (of liner segment 7)

7b Housing recess or receiving portion (of liner segment 7)

7c Top side (of liner segment 7)

7d Inner side (e.g., wear surface, concave surface) (of liner segment 7)

7e Back side (e.g., rear mounting side or mounting surface(s)) (of liner segment 7)

7f Bottom side (of liner segment 7)

7g Lateral side(s) (of liner segment 7)

8 Wear sensor

8a Wear strip portion (of wear sensor 8)

8b Antenna (e.g., RF antenna, Antenna, 2.4 GHz or other freq.)

8c Housing portion (of wear sensor 8)

8d Longitudinal axis (of wear strip portion 8a)

8e Directional axis of strongest broadcast (of antenna 8b)

8f Transmission window/angular range (of antenna 8b)

8g Connecting cable/wires (of wear sensor 8)

8h Microcontroller/processor/circuit board (of wear sensor 8)

8i Battery/power supply or source of power (of wear sensor 8)

8j Optional shield/antenna protector (of wear sensor 8)

8i Resistor(s) (e.g., may optionally each have different Ohm impedance/resistivity)

8k Filler (e.g., adhesive, epoxy, or potting material)

8m Printed circuit board, PCB (with parallel resistive circuit)

9 Wear-sensing system

10 Mainframe (of crusher 1)

10a Recess or pocket (of mainframe 10)

11 Mantle (of crusher 1 ) a Angle (between longitudinal axis 8e and directional axis 8d)