Traveling wheel box, especially for a mobile overhead crane

Abstract

The present invention relates to a running wheel housing (6), preferably for a mobile overhead crane (1), wherein the running wheel housing (6) comprises a housing (7) and a wheel (11) mounted in the housing (7) and protruding outside the housing (7). In order to achieve predictive maintenance of the wheel (11) with less inspection work and at the same time achieve reliable load identification and measurement, especially overload identification and measurement, the present invention proposes that the running wheel housing (6) has a non-contact measuring device (20) for measuring the distance between the measuring device (20) and the wheel (11), so as to identify and / or measure and / or predict the wear that may currently exist and / or may occur in the future at the wheel (11) and / or the load of the running wheel housing (6) (especially no-load state and / or overload state) based on the measurement signal or measurement data of the measuring device (20) and the evaluation of the measurement signal or measurement data.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a wheel housing (Radblock) according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Such wheel housings are disclosed, for example, in DE 10 2004 008 552 B3, DE 19 540 217 C1 or DE 3134 750 C2.

[0003] The wheels of such a wheel housing are, for example, mounted on the chassis beam of a mobile overhead crane, and their wear may cause damage and, in certain cases, lead to accidents. To avoid this, worn wheels need to be replaced in a timely manner. One method of checking for wear is to disassemble the wheel housing and break it down into components. The wear of the wheels can then be checked. Alternatively, wear can be checked by means of markings. The method is to first mark the contact points of the wheel on the track on both the wheel and the track components. Then the wheel is rotated so that another mark is made on the track, and the distance between these marks is measured. The wheel circumference and diameter are then deduced therefrom, and the possible wear is deduced therefrom.

[0004] A mobile overhead crane is known from JP 2017 146 227 A, which has a system for identifying wear at its own rotating wheels. The system includes two laser rangefinders, reflectors and a control device. The disadvantage of such a solution is that the cost and operating expenses are relatively high, and the stability of the system against mechanical influences, such as vibrations, is relatively low.

[0005] According to CN 112 816 229 A and CN 112 985 846 A, systems for identifying wear at the rotating wheels of a crane are known, in which the respective rotating wheels are not mounted in the housing of the wheel housing and are therefore not enclosed.

[0006] Based on the above prior art, the object of the present invention is to achieve predictive maintenance of wheel housings of the same type with less inspection effort, while achieving reliable load identification and measurement, in particular overload identification and measurement.

[0007] This object is achieved by a wheel housing having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are given in the dependent claims and the following description.

[0008] According to the present invention, for a running wheel box including a housing and wheels mounted in the housing and extending outside the housing, a way to achieve predictive maintenance with less inspection work and at the same time achieve reliable load identification and measurement, especially overload identification and measurement, is that the running wheel box has a non-contact measuring device for measuring the distance between the measuring device and the wheels, so as to identify and / or measure and / or predict the current and / or future possible wear and / or the load of the running wheel box (especially no-load state and / or overload state) based on the measurement signals or measurement data of the measuring device and the evaluation of these measurement signals or measurement data.

[0009] The measuring device is preferably mounted in the housing. The running wheel box, especially its wheels, can be driven by a drive unit, especially by an electric motor. The running wheel box according to the present invention can optionally be used for a crane, especially a mobile overhead crane that can usually move along a track, such as a bridge crane or a gantry crane, where the wheels of the running wheel box are in contact with the track and roll on the track as one of the multiple rotating wheels of the crane.

[0010] The wheels mounted in the housing can rotate about a rotation axis that is horizontally oriented in the normal mounting position of the wheels. The wheels are preferably supported by a hub, which is always laterally held in a sliding bearing and / or a rolling bearing inserted into the housing.

[0011] The measuring device is mounted on or in the housing, thus being integrated in the housing or the running wheel box and permanently present, and can be used to identify and / or measure the wear and load of the wheels in the mounted state. For this purpose, the distance between the measuring device and the wheels (especially their rolling surfaces) is measured, and based on this distance or its change, the shape and / or diameter of the wheels are inferred, and then the current or future wear and / or load are inferred. The rolling surface is arranged at the circumference of the wheels and is especially used for the contact between the wheels and the track. The rolling surface can also be defined by a rim, especially on both sides. As the wheels move, abrasive wear occurs at the rolling surface, resulting in measurable changes in shape and / or diameter, and then leading to a decline in the running performance of the wheels until failure.

[0012] That is to say, the measuring device can not only be used to measure or predict the current or future wear of the wheels, but also be used to measure the load of the running wheel box, especially to identify possible overloads. In other words, the measuring device can be used as a load sensor. For this purpose, neither the running wheel box, especially the wheels, needs to be disassembled, nor does a separate measuring instrument separated from the running wheel box need to be set up.

[0013] In the context of the present invention, recognizing or being recognizable means that a worn or overloaded condition of the wheel can be identified. In the context of the present invention, measuring or being measurable means that the load during wheel wear or when the running wheel box is overloaded is quantifiable and thus estimable.

[0014] When the measuring device is used as a load sensor, calibration is required. For this purpose, the distance in the unloaded state needs to be measured by a first measurement, and optionally, the measurement result can be stored in a storage unit. The measurement result shows the current distance when not under force at this moment. This measurement result can be used as a reference value to obtain the deviation under load. During this measurement, the running wheel box is preferably in a moving state, that is, for example, the wheel is rolling on the track to obtain as accurate a value as possible.

[0015] Subsequently, one or more loaded measurements can be carried out to determine the load, and optionally, the load limit value can be determined to achieve overload protection. In this case, the running wheel box can be regarded as a spring-damping system, and the degree of compression of this spring-damping system is proportional to the weight or load effect generated by the relevant load. Depending on the load, the distance from the measuring device to the wheel will shorten. The difference between the first measurement in the unloaded state and the second measurement or corresponding further measurements in the loaded state is the basis for weight calculation. The correlation between the offset or the change in the measurable distance and the weight or load is obtained based on test experience. At this time, the calculated offset is compared with the empirical data. Then, the operator can call the load information, especially the corresponding weight information, or obtain this information visually on a display (see details below). Since numerical calculations are required, this application is particularly advantageous when performing online evaluation (see details below).

[0016] The required limit value can also be determined and stored, which is especially helpful for conveniently identifying the overload state without quantifying the current load. In this way, even when performing an offline evaluation (see details below), the overload state can be output as information, for example, using an LED lamp or other simple lighting device as a warning lamp to indicate the overload state.

[0017] The above-mentioned measurements and the storage and evaluation of the measurement signals or measurement data of the measuring device (these operations are especially achieved by integrating the storage unit and / or evaluation unit described below) can be carried out especially with the assistance of a computer. Therefore, the measuring device can also perform measurements discontinuously (for example, over several days) or continuously at a preset and especially adjustable frequency. This also applies to the evaluation of the measurement signals or measurement data.

[0018] Advantageously, the measuring device can be connected by means of an insulated and in particular shielded cable, which in turn can form part of the signal transmission connection to the storage unit and / or the evaluation unit. For this purpose, the cable is guided inside the housing by a guide (which can be part of the fixing device for the measuring device to be described in detail below) to an outer wall hole on the housing and led out of the housing through this outer wall hole. By means of this cable, the measurement signal or measurement data can be read out at a preset frequency and evaluated in the evaluation unit or temporarily stored in the storage unit in advance.

[0019] Different from contact measuring devices with mechanical sensors, the non-contact measuring device according to the present invention can avoid measurement errors caused by sensor wear, thus enabling more reliable measurement. Another advantage is that the measurement or distance determination and the evaluation based thereon, in particular the inspection of the wheel state (load and / or wear), can be carried out remotely without disassembly and without the use of fitters, in particular from the outside of the running wheel housing.

[0020] Particularly advantageously, the measuring device includes an inductive distance sensor, preferably an analog inductive distance sensor. The characteristic of such a distance sensor is that, compared with other non-contact distance sensors, its function is not affected by the increase in dust or the formation of deposits (such as caused by debris, particles or abrasion), which are particularly inevitable in industrial applications. Another advantage of the inductive distance sensor compared with other non-contact distance sensors is the lower procurement cost.

[0021] A simple structure solution is that the measuring device is arranged between the inner wall of the housing and the wheel and mounted on the inner wall, and preferably positioned such that when the running wheel housing is in the installed position, the measuring device is above or laterally above the rotational axis of the wheel. Otherwise, in particular, the materials deposited on the housing and the measuring device due to operating conditions will lead to incorrect measurement results. Preferably, the measuring device is also arranged at the lower end of its measuring range, where the measuring range defines the distance between the measuring device and the wheel (especially its rolling surface) when the wear limit is reached, and the wear limit depends on the size of the running wheel housing, for example, it can be between 0 and 5 mm. In other words, the measuring device should be installed in such a way that the distance corresponding to the wheel wear limit can be reliably detected.

[0022] In another technical solution of the walking wheel box, it can be further configured such that the measuring device is mounted on a section of the inner wall by means of a fixing device, and the fixing device preferably includes, in particular, a shaped element in the form of a block and / or a spacer block and / or a fixing strut preferably in the form of a retaining plate. The inner wall section for mounting forms the outer wall of the housing on the back, or the inner wall section is part of the inner contour of the housing (the inner contour is preferably symmetrical), where the inner contour serves as a reinforcing element and / or a receiving portion for at least one screwing element and may, for example, have corresponding holes for this purpose. The fixing device itself can also be mounted by means of a screw connection.

[0023] The embodiment of the walking wheel box with the measuring device fixed by the shaped element is characterized in that the fixing method is simple, the existing receiving portions can be utilized, in particular, the receiving portions on the inner contour formed by the inner wall are used to establish a screw connection, and the weakening of the material of the outer wall of the housing can be avoided. The shaped element is preferably designed such that its contact surface is complementary to the particularly arcuate contour line of the inner contour forming the inner wall to optimize the fixing stability and minimize the vibration affecting the distance measurement accuracy.

[0024] Relatively speaking, the spacer block, especially in the form of a cube, helps to achieve a more easily manufacturable embodiment of the fixing device. Specifically, the spacer block is mounted on the inner wall section of the housing formed on the back of the outer wall, for example, above the axis of rotation, where there is no inner contour serving as a reinforcing element and / or a receiving portion for the screw element. Fixing the measuring device in this way also has the following advantages: the spacer block is easy to place in the walking wheel box or its housing, and due to its geometric shape, it can be conveniently adjusted if necessary.

[0025] When using a cable as part of the signal transmission connection between the measuring device, the storage unit, and / or the evaluation unit, the embodiment of the fixing device including the fixing strut (preferably in the form of a retaining plate) can achieve simple guiding in a particularly advantageous manner. Similar to the shaped element, the fixing strut can also be fixed using the existing receiving points (such as the receiving portions on the inner contour of the housing) without reworking the housing to optimize the contact surface for the shaped element or the spacer block. Here, preferably, the symmetry of the housing and the inner contour is utilized, and the two ends of the fixing strut are screwed to the housing through two oppositely arranged receiving portions for the screwing elements, so that the structure of the fixing strut can also be symmetrical. In this case, the measuring device is fixed to the fixing strut between the two receiving points or the two ends of the fixing strut.

[0026] Furthermore, it can be arranged that the housing has at least one outer connection surface with at least one hole, and the housing can be fixed to the connection structure through this outer connection surface. The connection structure is preferably a load-bearing structural part of a mobile overhead crane, especially a load-bearing structural part of the chassis beam of a mobile overhead crane. Wherein the housing preferably includes two housing shells, and the housing shells preferably have a symmetrical and identical design and can be detachably connected to each other to form the housing, especially by means of a screw connection.

[0027] The housing of the wheel carriage can in particular be box-shaped and can be open at the bottom surface, where the wheels project from an opening and the rest is surrounded by the remaining preferably five side walls of the housing. In this case, the housing can consist of parts in the form of a plurality of housing shells, preferably two identical housing halves, so as to form a corresponding symmetrical housing structure.

[0028] Then, the housing can have a connection surface on the side opposite to the bottom surface, also called the top connection surface, which is used to connect the wheel carriage to, for example, the chassis beam of the crane. In this case, these connection surfaces can each be connected to the corresponding surface by means of screws or bolts so as to establish a corresponding connection, such as a connection to the chassis beam or the drive unit. For the screw or bolt connection, corresponding connection holes are provided, and then the corresponding screws or bolts engage with these corresponding connection holes.

[0029] Particularly advantageously, the wheel carriage according to the invention can also be used in a system having an evaluation unit and / or a storage unit. Wherein, the evaluation unit and / or the storage unit can be interconnected and / or connected to the measuring device in a signal-transmitting manner, so as to store the measuring signals or measuring data of the measuring device (especially the measuring signals or measuring data as raw signals or raw data) in the storage unit and / or evaluate them with the evaluation unit, and store in the storage unit the information about the current wear and / or predicted wear of the wheels (preferably including the calculation of the maintenance interval) and / or the information about the load of the wheel carriage (especially the no-load state and / or the overload state) obtained through the evaluation.

[0030] Wherein, the storage unit can include a cloud-based network server and / or a local data carrier, so as to store the measuring signals or measuring data and / or the information obtained by evaluating these measuring signals or measuring data. The storage unit can also be at least partly a part of the evaluation unit.

[0031] In addition, the evaluation unit and / or the storage unit can be connected to a display in a signal-transmitting manner, so as to display the measuring signals or measuring data and / or the information obtained through the evaluation to the operator. In order to visualize the measuring signals or measuring data and / or the information, the display can have a screen and / or at least one lighting device for displaying light signals of preferably different colors, preferably at least one LED lamp.

[0032] In this way, offline evaluation and online evaluation can be achieved in an advantageous manner.

[0033] When performing online evaluation, the necessary data is stored on a storage unit (such as a cloud-based network server), and at this time, the network server serves as the background of the GUI (Graphical User Interface) of the client application and is visualized on the screen of a smartphone or tablet acting as a display for relevant operators. This can temporarily connect the smartphone, tablet or other terminal devices (such as a laptop or a personal computer) to the storage unit, so that the measurement signals or measurement data and / or information can be called and / or visualized without being restricted by location. In this way, the operator can obtain the identification results and / or determination results of wear and / or load without having to go to the location where the walking wheel box is located or disassemble it into its components.

[0034] For example, according to the degree of wear, the expected service life and maintenance interval date of the walking wheel box are displayed as the walking wheel box status information. In addition, the following three status information items can also be selectively displayed: "Wheel is normal", "Wheel needs to be replaced as soon as possible", and "Wheel is worn".

[0035] Similar to the online evaluation, the offline evaluation can also define three status information items and display them through at least one light source (in the form of, for example, one or more LED signal lights on the walking wheel box or its housing). For example, in this embodiment, the green LED light indicates "Wheel is normal", the yellow LED light indicates "Wheel needs to be replaced as soon as possible", and the red LED light indicates "Wheel is worn". Compared with the online evaluation, the offline evaluation has an advantage in quickly and simply displaying the wear status.

[0036] In addition, if a mobile overhead crane, especially a bridge crane or a gantry crane, has a walking wheel box or a system according to the present invention, it will be advantageously improved. The related advantages described above correspondingly apply to this mobile overhead crane.

[0037] The chassis beam can be designed as, for example, a T-beam, a double T-beam, a box beam, an L-profile beam or a C-profile beam in both the crane and other applications. Multiple walking wheel boxes according to the present invention can be arranged on a single chassis beam. In the case of setting two walking wheel boxes, these walking wheel boxes are particularly arranged one in front of the other in the traveling direction of the rotating wheel. Of course, it is conceivable that the walking wheel boxes are also arranged side by side relative to the traveling direction of the rotating wheel. A combination of both is also feasible.

[0038] In the case of a crane application, the chassis beam can be arranged at the bridge of a mobile overhead crane or the support of a gantry crane and / or at the trolley of a mobile overhead crane or a gantry crane. Of course, the running wheel box according to the present invention and the system according to the present invention can also be used for other types of cranes.

[0039] In addition, the advantages of the present invention also apply to a method of operating such a system or a crane (especially a mobile overhead crane). Accordingly, the evaluation unit can obtain the measurement signals or measurement data of the measuring device, especially the measurement signals or measurement data as the original signals or original data, and evaluate them at a definite evaluation frequency so as to identify and / or determine and / or predict the current possible and / or future possible wear and / or the load of the running wheel box at the wheels. As an alternative or in addition, the measurement signals or measurement data of the measuring device (especially the measurement signals or measurement data as the original signals or original data) and / or the information about the current wear and / or predicted wear of the wheels (preferably including the calculation of the maintenance interval) and / or the information about the load of the running wheel box obtained by evaluating these measurement signals or measurement data are also stored in the storage unit.

[0040] In another technical solution, it is set that one or more of the following steps are executed for the evaluation:

[0041] - Calculate the arithmetic mean of the measurement signals or measurement data (especially the original signals or original data)

[0042] - Generate the limit values and / or limit ranges of wear and / or load by using the mean value

[0043] - Adopt a filtering method, especially by means of a high-pass filter and / or a low-pass filter, to generate the limit values and / or limit ranges of wear and / or load

[0044] - Adopt a statistical smoothing method, especially the three-point median method, to eliminate the extreme values and outliers that appear during operation due to unevenness or electronic measurement signal interference

[0045] - Generate the information about the current wear and / or predicted wear of the wheels (preferably including the calculation of the maintenance interval) and / or the information about the load of the running wheel box.

[0046] Advantageously, since the wear behavior of the wheels under relevant load conditions has been stored, the maintenance interval can be determined particularly reliably in an application-oriented or customer-oriented manner by continuously evaluating the measurement signals or measurement data.

[0047] As described above, subsequently, the measurement signals or measurement data and / or the information obtained by evaluation can be called by the operator and / or displayed to the operator via a display.

[0048] Further details of the invention result from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings, in which

[0049] Figure 1 a schematic perspective view of a mobile overhead crane is shown,

[0050] Figure 2 a schematic perspective view of a walking wheel box is shown,

[0051] Figure 3a and Figure 3b a sectional view of a walking wheel box with a measuring device is shown, the measuring device being fixed by a fixing device with a forming element,

[0052] Figure 4a and Figure 4b a sectional view of a walking wheel box with a measuring device is shown, the measuring device being fixed by a fixing device with a spacer block, and

[0053] Figure 5a and Figure 5b a sectional view of a walking wheel box with a measuring device is shown, the measuring device being fixed by a fixing device with a retaining plate.

[0054] Figure 1 A schematic perspective view of a mobile overhead crane 1 is shown, which is exemplary designed as a so-called double-girder bridge crane in this case. The mobile overhead crane 1 can move substantially horizontally in the crane travel direction K on a track path having two tracks 100 (also referred to as wheel tracks, schematically indicated by a dotted line) that are parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other.

[0055] The mobile overhead crane 1 includes two parallel and spaced-apart box girders 2, which exemplary form a horizontal crane girder and serve as a travel path for a trolley 3 having a lifting device 4. In this case, the trolley 3 moves on the box girders 2 in a horizontal trolley travel direction k, which is at a right angle to the crane travel direction K. Correspondingly, the box girders 2 also extend in the trolley travel direction k. Alternatively, in the manner of a single-girder bridge crane, only a single box girder 2 or a double-T profile can be provided. Then, the trolley 3 moves, for example, at the lower chord of the box girder 2. To form the corresponding crane girder, a chassis girder can be used instead of the box girder 2.

[0056] The box girder 2 rests at its respective opposite ends against the chassis girder 5 which is transverse to the crane travel direction K and thus in the crane travel direction. At the opposite ends of the chassis girder 5, travel wheel boxes 6 are respectively arranged, and at least one of the two travel wheel boxes 6 of each chassis girder 5 is driven by a motor 10. The travel wheel boxes 6 can each move along the track 100 in the crane travel direction K with their wheels 11 (see Figure 2 , Figure 3a -b, Figure 4a -b, Figure 5a -b).

[0057] Figure 2 Fig. shows a schematic perspective view of the travel wheel box 6.

[0058] The travel wheel box 6 has a housing 7 which is exemplary box-shaped and consists of two identical housing shells 7d screwed together. The two housing shells 7d are symmetric and identical in construction. The housing 7 houses the wheels 11 (see also Figure 3a -b, Figure 4a -b, Figure 5a -b), and a rolling surface 11a is formed at the circumference of the wheel, and the wheel is mounted to be rotatable about its rotation axis D which is horizontally oriented in the mounting position. The rolling surface 11a is defined by a rim 11b (see Figure 3b , Figure 4b , Figure 5b ).

[0059] The two housing shells 7d are connected to form the housing 7 by a plurality of (e.g., six) screw connections 7e, and these screw connections are preferably arranged in equal numbers on opposite sides of the rotation axis D. To form each screw connection 7e, a receiving portion 7f for a screwing element is provided on each housing shell 7d, and the receiving portion preferably passes through the two housing shells 7d parallel to the rotation axis D and can accommodate, for example, relevant screws or bolts. In the housing 7, the receiving portion 7f is defined by an inner contour 7c, and thus, the inner contour not only serves as the receiving portion 7f for the screwing element (such as the above-mentioned screw or bolt) but also as a reinforcing element.

[0060] The bottom surface of the housing 7 is open, so that the wheels 11 designed as rotating wheels project from the bottom surface of the housing 7 in the mounting position, and the rest is surrounded by the remaining five side walls of the housing 7.

[0061] The traveling wheel housing 6 can be fixed to the connecting structure through its housing 7, and this connecting structure can be, for example, the chassis beam 5 of a crane chassis (especially the crane chassis of the mobile overhead crane 1). For this purpose, the housing 7 has at least one connecting surface 8, which can be arranged, for example, on the side opposite to the bottom surface and can thus also be called the top connecting surface. In order to achieve an anti-torsion fixing effect, it is preferably provided with at least two connecting surfaces 8 located in one plane. In this embodiment, four connecting surfaces 8 are arranged on the outer wall 7b of the housing 7 opposite to the open bottom surface, and each housing shell 7d is provided with two connecting surfaces 8. Each connecting surface 8 has a connecting hole 9. When the traveling wheel housing 6 is installed at the chassis beam 5, the connecting surface 8 fits the corresponding surface (not shown) at the chassis beam 5 so as to be fixed to the chassis beam via screws or bolts engaged with the connecting holes 9. For this purpose, the connecting holes 9 can be provided with threads and are accordingly designed as threaded holes.

[0062] The traveling wheel housing 6 has a measuring device 20 (see Figures 3a - 3b , Figures 4a - 4b , Figures 5a - 5b ) inside its housing 7, and this measuring device is used to measure the distance between the measuring device 20 and the wheel 11 and is preferably designed as an analog inductive distance sensor. Based on the measurement signals or measurement data of the measuring device 20 and the evaluation of these measurement signals or measurement data, the current possible and / or future possible wear and / or the load of the traveling wheel housing 6 (especially the no-load state and / or overload state) at the wheel 11 can be identified and / or measured and / or predicted.

[0063] In this embodiment, the measuring device 20 is connected to the evaluation unit 12 and the storage unit 14 in a signal transmission manner through an insulated shielded cable 13. For this purpose, the cable 13 is guided by a guiding member inside the housing 7 to the outer wall hole 7g on the housing 7 and is led out of the housing 7 through this outer wall hole. The guiding member of the cable 13 for establishing a signal transmission connection between the measuring device 20 and the evaluation unit 12 and / or the storage unit 14 is arranged in the housing 7 and can be a part of the fixing device 21 for the measuring device 20 (see Figure 3a -b, Figure 4a -b and Figure 5a -b); this is independent of the specific implementation manner of the fixing device 21.

[0064] The measuring device 20 is installed on the inner wall 7a of the housing 7 by means of the fixing device 21. The measuring device 20 is arranged at an interval from the wheel 11 and is installed in the housing 7 so that even when the wheel 11 reaches the wear limit, the distance between the measuring device 20 and the wheel 11 (especially the rolling surface 11a) can still be measured.

[0065] The measurement signals or measurement data recorded by the measuring device 20 are transmitted via the cable 13 to the evaluation unit 12 and the storage unit 14 for evaluation and storage. There is also a signal transmission connection between the evaluation unit 12, the storage unit 14 and the display 15. The display 15 is used to display the measurement signals or measurement data and / or the information obtained through evaluation, and may have a screen for visualization and / or lighting fixtures, such as one or more LED lights. The signal transmission connection for the display 15 can also be established via the cable 13 or wirelessly.

[0066] Figure 3a -b, Figure 4a -b and Figure 5a -b exemplarily shows three alternative embodiments regarding the fixing device 21 and accordingly regarding the mounting and arrangement manner of the measuring device 20 in the housing 7. Among them, the description regarding the housing 7 correspondingly applies to all embodiments of the fixing device 21.

[0067] Figure 3a -b shows a cross-sectional view of the running wheel box 6, in which according to this first embodiment, the fixing device 21 includes a block-shaped forming element 21, and the measuring device 20 is mounted on the inner wall 7a through this forming element. The section for mounting on the inner wall 7a is a part of the inner contour 7c of the housing 7, and this inner contour serves as a reinforcing element and also has at least one receiving portion 7f for the screwing element. The fixing device 21 or its forming element 21 is mounted therein by means of a screw connection.

[0068] In this way, the measuring device 20 is arranged between the inner wall 7a of the housing 7 and the wheel 11, and is located above the side of the rotation axis D of the wheel 11, and is thus arranged between the rotation axis D and a corner of the housing 7, especially approximately on the imaginary direct line between the rotation axis D and this corner. The inner contour 7c of the housing 7 and the section for connection on the inner wall 7a (this section is here a part of the inner contour 7c, serves as a reinforcing element and forms a receiving portion 7f for the screwing element) also exist in the same way in all other housings 7, regardless of the embodiment adopted by the fixing device 21.

[0069] Figure 4a -b shows a cross-sectional view of the running wheel box 6, in which according to this second embodiment, the fixing device 21 includes a spacer block 21b, and the measuring device 20 is mounted on the inner wall 7a through this spacer block. In the section for mounting the fixing device 21, the inner wall 7a forms the outer wall 7b of the housing 7b on the back. The fixing device 21 is arranged approximately centered below the top surface of the housing 7, so that the measuring device 20 is arranged between the section for mounting on the inner wall 7a of the housing 7 above the rotation axis D of the wheel 11 and the wheel 11. The fixing device 21 itself can be mounted on the inner wall 7a of the housing 7 by means of a screw connection.

[0070] Figure 5a -b shows the cross-section of the walking wheel box 6, in which, according to this third embodiment, the fixing device 21 includes a holding plate 21c serving as a fixing strut, and the measuring device 20 is mounted on the inner wall 7a through this holding plate. The section for mounting on the inner wall 7a is part of the inner contour 7c of the housing 7, which serves as a reinforcing element and also has a plurality of receiving portions 7f each for one screwing element. The feature of this embodiment is that, similar to the first embodiment, the fixing device 21 can be mounted in the inner wall 7a or on the inner contour 7c through the existing receiving points in the form of the receiving portions 7f. This fixes the measuring device 20 at the central position between the two receiving points or receiving portions 7f and above the wheel 11 and its rotation axis D on the inner wall 7a of the housing 7.

[0071] In addition, the description regarding Figure 1 and Figure 2 also applies equally to Figure 3a -b, Figure 4a -b and Figure 5a -b.

[0072] Reference Numerals of the Drawings

[0073] 1 Mobile overhead crane

[0074] 2 Box girder

[0075] 3 Trolley

[0076] 4 Lifting device

[0077] 5 Chassis beam

[0078] 6 Walking wheel box

[0079] 7 Housing

[0080] 7a Inner wall

[0081] 7b Outer wall

[0082] 7c Inner contour

[0083] 7d Housing shell

[0084] 7e Screw connection

[0085] 7f Receiving portion

[0086] 7g Outer wall hole

[0087] 8 Connection surface

[0088] 9 Hole

[0089] 10 Motor

[0090] 11 Wheel

[0091] 11a Rolling surface

[0092] 11b Rim

[0093] 12 Evaluation unit

[0094] 13 Cable

[0095] 14 Storage unit

[0096] 15 Display

[0097] 20 Measuring device

[0098] 21 Fixing device

[0099] 21a Forming element

[0100] 21b Spacer block

[0101] 21c Retaining plate

[0102] 100 Track

[0103] d Axis of rotation

[0104] k Trolley travel direction

[0105] K Crane travel direction

Claims

1. A walking wheel box (6), wherein the walking wheel box (6) includes a housing (7) and wheels (11) installed in the housing (7) and extending outside the housing (7), characterized in that, The traveling wheel housing (6) has a non-contact measuring device (20) for determining the distance between the measuring device (20) and the wheel (11) in order to identify and / or determine and / or predict possible current and / or future wear at the wheel (11) and / or the load on the traveling wheel housing (6) based on the measuring signal or measuring data of the measuring device (20) and the evaluation of the measuring signal or measuring data. The measuring device (20) is arranged between the inner wall (7a) of the housing (7) and the wheel (11), is mounted on the inner wall (7a), and is positioned such that when the traveling wheel housing (6) is in the installed position, the measuring device is above or laterally above the rotational axis (D) of the wheel (11).

2. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The traveling wheel housing (6) is a traveling wheel housing for a mobile overhead crane (1).

3. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 1, wherein, The load is an unloaded state and / or an overloaded state.

4. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The measuring device (20) includes an inductive distance sensor.

5. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 4, characterized in that, The inductive distance sensor is an analog inductive distance sensor.

6. The walking wheel box (6) according to any one of the above claims, characterized in that, The measuring device (20) is at the lower end of its measuring range.

7. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The measuring device (20) is mounted on a section of the inner wall (7a) by means of a fixing device (21), where the section on the inner wall (7a) for mounting forms the outer wall (7b) of the housing (7) at the back or is part of the inner contour (7c) of the housing (7), and the inner contour (7c) serves as a reinforcement element and / or a receiving portion (7f) for screwed elements.

8. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 7, characterized in that, The fixing device includes a forming element (21a) and / or a spacer block (21b) and / or a fixing strut.

9. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 8, wherein, The forming element (21a) is in block form, and the fixing strut is in the form of a retaining plate (21c).

10. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing (7) has at least one outer connection surface (8) with at least one hole (9), and the housing (7) can be fixed to a connection structure through the outer connection surface.

11. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 10, characterized in that, The connection structure is a load-bearing structural part of the mobile overhead crane (1).

12. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 11, characterized in that, The load-bearing structural part is a load-bearing structural part of the chassis beam of the mobile overhead crane (1).

13. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 10, characterized in that, The housing (7) includes two housing shells (7d).

14. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 13, characterized in that, The two housing shells have a symmetrical and identical design and can be detachably connected to each other to form the housing (7).

15. The walking wheel box (6) according to claim 13, wherein, The two housing shells (7d) can be detachably connected to each other by means of a screw connection.

16. A system, comprising a running wheel housing (6) according to any one of the above claims, as well as an evaluation unit (12) and / or a storage unit (14), wherein the evaluation unit (12) and / or the storage unit (14) can be interconnected with each other and / or connected to the measuring device (20) in a signal-transmitting manner, so as to store the measuring signals or measuring data of the measuring device (20) in the storage unit (14) and / or evaluate them with the evaluation unit (12), and store in the storage unit (14) information on the current wear and / or predicted wear of the wheel (11) and / or information on the load of the running wheel housing (6) obtained through the evaluation.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein The measuring signals are raw signals, and the measuring data are raw data.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein The information includes the calculation of maintenance intervals.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein The load is an unloaded state and / or an overloaded state.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein The storage unit (14) includes a cloud-based network server and / or a local data carrier, so as to store the measuring signals or measuring data and / or the information obtained by evaluating the measuring signals or measuring data.

21. The system according to claim 16 or 20, characterized in that, The evaluation unit (12) and / or the storage unit (14) can be connected to a display (15) in a signal-transmitting manner, so as to display the measuring signals or measuring data and / or the information obtained through the evaluation to an operator, wherein in order to visualize the measuring signals or measuring data and / or the information, the display (15) can have a screen and / or a lighting device for displaying optical signals.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein The optical signals are of different colors.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein, The lighting device is at least one LED lamp.

24. A mobile overhead crane (1), comprising a running wheel housing (6) and / or a system according to any one of the above claims.

25. The mobile overhead crane (1) according to claim 24, characterized in that, The overhead crane (1) is a bridge crane or a gantry crane.

26. A method of operating a system or a mobile overhead crane (1) according to any one of the above claims, wherein the evaluation unit (12) obtains the measuring signals or measuring data of the measuring device (20) and evaluates them at a definite evaluation frequency, so as to identify and / or determine and / or predict the current possible and / or future possible wear at the wheel (11) and / or the load of the running wheel housing (6), and / or, wherein the measuring signals or measuring data of the measuring device (20) and / or information on the current wear and / or predicted wear of the wheel (11) and / or information on the load of the running wheel housing (6) obtained by evaluating the measuring signals or measuring data with the evaluation unit (12) are stored in the storage unit (14).

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein Perform one or more of the following steps for the evaluation: - Calculate the arithmetic mean of the measuring signals or measuring data, - Generate limit values and / or limit ranges of wear and / or load using the mean value, - Adopt a filtering method to generate limit values and / or limit ranges of wear and / or load, - The statistical smoothing method is adopted to eliminate extreme values and abnormal values that occur during operation due to unevenness or electronic measurement signal interference. - Information on the current wear and / or predicted wear of the wheel (11) and / or information on the load of the walking wheel box (6) is generated.

28. The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that, The measurement signal is the original signal, and the measurement data is the original data.

29. The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that, The information on the current wear and / or predicted wear of the wheel (11) includes the calculation of the maintenance interval.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein Adopting a filtering method to generate limit values and / or limit ranges of wear and / or load includes adopting a filtering method to generate limit values and / or limit ranges of wear and / or load by means of a high-pass filter and / or a low-pass filter.

31. The method according to claim 27, wherein The statistical smoothing method is the three-point median method.

32. The method according to claim 26, wherein the measurement signal or measurement data and / or the information obtained through the evaluation are called by an operator and / or displayed to the operator through the display (15).

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