US 12,140,620 B2
Electrical contact wear monitoring system
Christopher A. Willey, Oro Valley, AZ (US); Eric J. Ruth, Peoria, IL (US); Zachary R. Carter, Oro Valley, AZ (US); and Bradley Scott Bailey, Edwards, IL (US)
Assigned to Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US)
Filed by Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US)
Filed on Nov. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/525,391.
Application 18/525,391 is a continuation of application No. 17/667,614, filed on Feb. 9, 2022, granted, now 11,874,314.
Prior Publication US 2024/0103061 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01R 31/00 (2006.01); B60L 5/18 (2006.01); B60L 5/24 (2006.01); B60Q 9/00 (2006.01); G01B 11/02 (2006.01); G01R 31/327 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 31/005 (2013.01) [B60Q 9/00 (2013.01); G01R 31/3274 (2013.01); B60L 5/18 (2013.01); B60L 5/24 (2013.01); G01B 11/022 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for monitoring electrical contacts for a trolley line arranged along a haul road, comprising:
a wear sensor arranged such that an electrical contact on a work machine for contacting the trolley line is continually or periodically in its line of sight, the wear sensor configured to capture spatial data defining the surface profile of the electrical contact;
a data processing module configured to:
receive the spatial data;
identify a defect in the electrical contact based on the spatial data and determine an extent of the identified defect on the electrical contact;
identify a non-defective area of the electrical contact suitable for continued used based on the determined extent of the identified defect; and
perform a remedial task based on the identified defect and the identified non-defective area including notifying an operator to change a lateral position of the work machine on the haul road to align the non-defective area with the trolley line.