Self-powered wireless grab opening detection device

Abstract

This utility model belongs to the technical field of bulk material handling equipment, specifically relating to a self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device. It includes a housing with a partition inside, dividing the housing into a mechanical compartment and an electrical compartment. A wire rope lead-out hole is provided at the bottom of the housing. The mechanical compartment houses a wire rope drum, a spiral spring, a ratchet gear set, a generator, and a magnetic encoder. A wire rope groove is formed on the outer surface of the wire rope drum, and a drum shaft is fixedly connected to the center of the drum. This utility model utilizes the spiral spring, ratchet gear set, and generator. When the grab bucket opens, the wire rope pulls the drum to rotate, driving the generator to generate electricity. The electrical energy is stored in a lithium battery via a battery charging management chip. When the grab bucket closes, the generator does not operate, eliminating the need for external power supply and manual battery swapping. This device is suitable for the 24-hour high-frequency operation of ship unloaders, avoiding downtime and power swapping interruptions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the technical field of bulk material loading and unloading equipment. Specifically, it relates to a self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device, which is suitable for double-jaw four-rope grab buckets, especially for detecting the grab bucket opening during the loading and unloading of bulk materials such as coal and iron ore by ship unloaders in the metallurgical industry. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of bulk material handling, grab cranes are core equipment for the transfer of bulk materials such as coal, grain, and ore. Especially in the metallurgical industry, ship unloaders are key equipment for loading and unloading coal and iron ore. Their core lifting device is a double-jaw four-rope grab bucket. Accurate detection of the grab bucket opening is a core prerequisite for ensuring loading and unloading efficiency, equipment safety, and automated operation. With the improvement of industrial automation and intelligence, ship unloaders are gradually developing towards unmanned operation, which places higher demands on the real-time performance, accuracy, and reliability of grab bucket opening detection.

[0003] In existing technologies, grab opening detection solutions are mainly divided into two categories: One type is the traditional indirect detection scheme, which obtains the grab bucket opening degree by calculating the length difference between the opening / closing wire rope and the supporting wire rope. The fundamental reason for adopting this scheme is that the ship unloader operates at a high speed (usually 1.5-3 m / s) and has a large lifting height (generally exceeding 20 m). In addition, the mechanical structure of the double-jaw four-rope grab bucket is special (the distance between the moving pulley and the fixed pulley changes dynamically with the opening degree), which makes the laying of the suspension cable extremely difficult. It is impossible to achieve a stable electrical connection between the ship unloader and the grab bucket, and therefore it is impossible to directly deploy sensors on the grab bucket for opening degree detection. However, this indirect detection scheme has significant drawbacks: on the one hand, the wire rope will experience elastic tension under load, directly leading to deviations in the opening calculation; on the other hand, when the grab bucket contacts the material surface, the wire rope is prone to slack, further aggravating the detection error, making the judgment of the opening after the grab bucket closes inaccurate, causing grab bucket closing impact, and long-term operation will cause wear and damage to the grab bucket mechanical structure (such as jaw plate hinges and wire rope drums), which will not only shorten the service life of the equipment and reduce operational safety, but also restrict the improvement of the efficiency of automated operation of the ship unloader.

[0004] Another type is the sensor-based direct detection scheme, such as the patent authorization announcement number CN211393584U "A Rotatable Grab Device for Ship Unloaders", which discloses a technical solution that collects opening signals by setting a displacement sensor at the jaw plate of the grab bucket and uses a lithium battery power supply in conjunction with a wired transmission module to realize data transmission. While this solution overcomes the limitations of traditional indirect detection and achieves direct acquisition of opening degree, it still has shortcomings that make it difficult to adapt to the harsh working conditions of ship unloaders: First, the lithium batteries used require regular manual disassembly and replacement, and cannot be recharged independently. In the 24-hour high-frequency operation scenario of ship unloaders in the metallurgical industry, frequent shutdowns for battery replacement will severely disrupt the loading and unloading process and significantly reduce operational efficiency. Second, although the device simplifies the cable structure, it still requires a short-distance cable to connect the displacement sensor and the data transmission module. Under the severe vibration generated by the high-speed operation of the ship unloader and the dynamic pulling action during the opening and closing of the grab bucket, the cable is prone to wear and breakage, leading to signal interruption. Third, the sensor installation position depends on the fixed structure of the grab bucket jaw plate, which cannot adapt to the special working conditions of dynamic changes in the distance between the moving pulley and the fixed pulley of the double-jaw four-rope grab bucket, resulting in poor detection stability and adaptability.

[0005] In summary, existing grab bucket opening detection solutions cannot simultaneously meet the requirements of "direct detection, autonomous power supply, wireless transmission, and adaptation to high-speed and high-lift conditions." There is an urgent need to develop a detection device that can directly detect grab bucket opening without relying on external cable connections, achieve autonomous and stable power supply, and adapt to the high-speed operation of ship unloaders and the special structure of grab buckets. This would address the shortcomings of existing technologies and promote the stable realization of automated ship unloader operations. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of the deficiencies in the existing technology, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device.

[0007] According to the present invention, a self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device includes a housing, and a partition is provided inside the housing, the partition dividing the housing into a mechanical compartment and an electrical compartment. The mechanical compartment is equipped with a wire rope drum, a spiral spring, a ratchet gear set, a generator, and a magnetic encoder. The center of the wire rope drum is fixedly connected to a drum shaft, and both ends of the drum shaft are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the mechanical compartment. A power gear is fixedly connected to the right output shaft of the drum shaft. The outer end of the spiral spring is connected to the wire rope drum, and the inner center end is fixed to the housing; the ratchet gear set meshes with the power gear and is connected to the generator drive; the magnetic encoder meshes with the power gear. The electrical compartment contains a battery, a battery charging management chip, an ESP32 module, a 2.4G antenna, and a 3.3V voltage regulator chip. The generator is electrically connected to the battery charging management chip, and the battery charging management chip is electrically connected to the battery. The battery supplies power to the ESP32 module and magnetic encoder through the 3.3V voltage regulator chip. The magnetic encoder is signal-connected to the ESP32 module, and the 2.4G antenna is signal-connected to the ESP32 module. The wire rope drum is fixedly connected to one end of the wire rope, and the other end of the wire rope extends outside the shell.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment: a wire rope groove is formed on the outer surface of the wire rope drum, and one end of the wire rope is fixed in the wire rope groove.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment: the ratchet gear set includes a driving gear, a driven gear, a central shaft, a pawl, and a spring. The driven gear has an inner ratchet at its center, the central shaft has a groove, the pawl and the spring are assembled in the groove, and the pawl cooperates with the inner ratchet.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment: the driving gear includes a shaft seal and a gear, the shaft seal has a central shaft mating hole, and the central shaft sleeve is tightly fitted with the central shaft mating hole.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment: the generator is fixed in the mechanical compartment by a generator bracket and a generator cover plate, and the magnetic encoder is fixed in the mechanical compartment by a magnetic encoder bracket and a magnetic encoder cover plate. Both are connected to the electrical compartment by connectors.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment: the electrical compartment is provided with a circuit board and a cable inlet, the battery charging management chip, ESP32 module and 3.3V voltage regulator chip are integrated on the circuit board, and the top edge of the housing is provided with a cover plate mounting post.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment: the ratchet gear set further includes a sealing end cap, which is embedded in the bushing of the driven gear, wherein the intermediate shaft hole has the same size as the shaft hole of the driving gear.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment: the edge of the housing has 4 to 6 symmetrically distributed mounting holes, the mechanical compartment is provided with a drum support, and the drum shaft is fixed to the drum support by a drum shaft cover plate.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment: the transmission ratio between the power gear and the generator gear of the generator is 1:25, and the transmission ratio between the magnetic encoder gear and the power gear of the magnetic encoder is 1:5.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment: the battery is a 5000mAh lithium battery, the casing is made of reinforced flame-retardant ABS material, and its exterior is equipped with a metal guardrail.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. This utility model uses a spiral spring, a ratchet gear set and a generator to work together. When the grab bucket is opened, the wire rope pulls the drum to rotate, which drives the generator to generate electricity. The electrical energy is stored in the lithium battery through the battery charging management chip. When the grab bucket is closed, the generator does not work, so there is no need for external power supply and manual battery replacement. It is suitable for the 24-hour high-frequency operation of ship unloaders and avoids the interruption of the process by stopping the machine to replace the battery.

[0018] 2. This utility model uses an ESP32 module with a 2.4G antenna to achieve wireless communication, eliminating the need for a suspension cable and avoiding cable wear and breakage caused by vibration; it directly detects the change in wire rope length through a magnetic encoder to calculate the opening degree, avoiding detection errors caused by the elastic stretching and slack of the wire rope, and improving the accuracy of opening degree detection.

[0019] 3. The shell edge of this utility model is provided with multiple symmetrical mounting holes, which can be stably fixed to the fixed pulley end of the double jaw four-rope grab bucket; the mechanical compartment and the electrical compartment are isolated and sealed, and the outer shell is provided with metal guardrails, which can withstand the vibration of the ship unloader at high speed and adapt to the working conditions of high lifting height and special grab bucket structure.

[0020] 4. This utility model adopts the SGM41574 chip with a shutdown mode current consumption as low as 0.4uA, the ESP32 module that supports deep sleep mode, and a 5000mAh lithium battery. The equipment has a standby time of at least 1 year, which greatly reduces the frequency of maintenance and lowers the operation and maintenance cost of the ship unloader. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Other features, objects, and advantages of this invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a bottom view of the present invention; Figure 3 This utility model Figure 1 AA cross-section view; Figure 4 This utility model Figure 1 BB cross-section; Figure 5 This utility model Figure 1 CC cross-section; Figure 6 This utility model Figure 1 DD cross-section; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the ratchet gear assembly structure of this utility model; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the central shaft structure in the ratchet gear set of this utility model; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the driving gear structure in the ratchet gear set of this utility model; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of this utility model on the grab bucket; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the geometric path for calculating the opening degree of the grab bucket in this utility model; Figure 12 This utility model is made by Figure 10 The extracted opening calculation geometry.

[0022] The following are the labeling elements in the figure: Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the present invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several changes and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 1 - Figure 9 As shown, this utility model discloses a self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device, including a housing 1. The housing 1 is divided into a mechanical compartment 2 and an electrical compartment 3 by a partition. The mechanical compartment 2 is used to install mechanical parts, and the electrical compartment 3 is used to house electrical components, including a battery 10 and a circuit board 44. The isolation between the two compartments can prevent environmental pollution caused by the steel wire rope 27 passing through the mechanical compartment 2 from affecting the operation of the electrical components, keeping the compartment clean, and improving the stability, safety, and reliability of the circuit. A steel wire rope lead-out hole 28 is machined at the bottom of the housing 1 for leading out the steel wire rope 27. Multiple mounting holes 59 are opened in the edge area of ​​the housing 1. The number and diameter of the mounting holes 59 need to be designed according to the installation requirements of the grab bucket's fixed pulley end, usually 4 to 6, symmetrically distributed to ensure balanced force on the equipment and avoid loosening of the equipment due to vibration generated by the high-speed operation of the grab bucket.

[0025] The mechanical compartment 2 is equipped with a wire rope drum 5, a spiral spring 6, a ratchet gear set 7, a generator 8, and a magnetic encoder 9.

[0026] The outer surface of the wire rope drum 5 is provided with a wire rope groove 48 for orderly winding of the wire rope 27. A drum shaft 14 is fixedly connected to the center of the wire rope drum 5, and both ends of the drum shaft 14 are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the machine compartment 2 to ensure that the wire rope drum 5 can rotate freely. A connecting post 15 is provided on the left end face of the wire rope drum 5 near the outer edge. The connecting post 15 is welded and fixed to the connecting ring 49 of the spiral spring 6 to ensure that the spiral spring 6 stores energy synchronously when the wire rope drum 5 rotates.

[0027] A connecting ring 49 is provided at the outer end of the spiral spring 6, and the connecting ring 49 is fixedly connected to the connecting post 15 of the wire rope drum 5; a fixing buckle 16 is provided at the inner center end of the spiral spring 6.

[0028] A drum shaft sleeve 17 is located at the center of the inner side of the left shell 1 of the mechanical compartment 2. The drum shaft 14 is connected to the drum shaft sleeve 17 for fixation. The inner side of the drum shaft sleeve 17 is clearance-fitted with the drum shaft 14 and can rotate freely inside the drum shaft sleeve 17. A fixing buckle groove 18 is opened on the outer edge of the drum shaft sleeve 17. The fixing buckle 16 of the spiral spring 6 is inserted into the fixing buckle groove 18, so that the center of the spiral spring 6 is fixed on the shell 1. The outer connecting ring 49 of the spiral spring 6 is connected to the connecting post 15 of the wire rope drum 5. When the grab bucket is opened, the wire rope 27 is stretched, which drives the wire rope drum 5 to rotate counterclockwise, thereby driving the spiral spring 6 to rotate and store energy through the connecting post 15. When the grab bucket is closed, the spiral spring 6 releases potential energy, which drives the wire rope drum 5 to rotate clockwise and recover the wire rope 27.

[0029] The right-side output shaft of the drum shaft 14 is connected to the power gear 19; the power gear 19 rotates synchronously with the drum shaft 14 and is the core component for power transmission.

[0030] The ratchet gear set 7 is fixed inside the machine compartment 2 by the ratchet gear set mounting shaft 42. The ratchet gear set 7 includes a driving gear 20, a driven gear 21, a central shaft 22, two pawls 23, two springs 24, and a sealing end cap 37.

[0031] The driven gear 21 has bushings 46 on both the left and right sides of its center, and the center hole is an internal ratchet structure; the central shaft 22 has a disc structure, with bushings 46 on the outer side of the central shaft 22, and a through shaft hole 53 machined in the center of the bushings 46. The central shaft 22 has grooves 51 on the upper and lower sides, and spring holes 52 are opened at the bottom of the grooves 51. The pawl 23 is inserted into the grooves 51, the lower end of the spring 24 is inserted into the spring hole 52, and the upper end of the spring 24 is in contact with the pawl 23.

[0032] Therefore, when pressure is applied from the outside of the pawl 23 towards the center, the pawl 23 will rotate around its tail and compress the spring 24 to store energy. When the pressure is released, the pawl 23 will rotate and pop out under the potential energy of the spring 24. When the central shaft 22, the two pawls 23, and the two springs 24 are combined and embedded into the ratchet structure at the center of the driven gear 21, the ratchet gear set 7 structure is realized. When the central shaft 22 rotates clockwise, the pawl 23 cannot engage the ratchet 50, so the rotation of the central shaft 22 cannot drive the driven gear 21 to rotate. However, when the central shaft 22 rotates counterclockwise, the pawl 23 will engage the ratchet 50, causing the rotation of the central shaft 22 to drive the driven gear 21 to rotate together.

[0033] The driving gear 20 includes a shaft seal 38 and a gear 54. A central shaft mating hole 55 is formed on one side of the shaft seal 38. The central shaft mating hole 55 is a countersunk hole, and its depth is the same as the thickness of the shaft seal 38. A through hole is machined into the center of the gear 54, and its dimensions match those of the shaft hole 53 of the central shaft 22. The bushing 46 of the central shaft 22 fits tightly into the central shaft mating hole 55, and the two will rotate synchronously. After the driving gear 20 is assembled onto the central shaft 22, the shaft seal 38 will be embedded in the bushing 46 of the driven gear 21, sealing one side of the structural component of the central shaft 22.

[0034] The sealing end cover 37 is a disc mechanism with a shaft hole machined in the middle. The size of the shaft hole is the same as that of the shaft hole of the driving gear 20. The sealing end cover 37 is embedded in the bushing 46 of the driven gear 21 to seal the other side of the central shaft 22 structure, thereby achieving sealing protection for the ratchet gear set 7.

[0035] The driving gear 20 has a module of 1 and 10 teeth. The power gear 19 has a module of 1 and 50 teeth. The driven gear 21 has a module of 1 and 50 teeth. The generator gear 25 has a module of 1 and 10 teeth. The driving gear 20 meshes with the power gear 19, and the driven gear 21 meshes with the generator gear 25 of the generator 8.

[0036] When the drive gear 19 rotates counterclockwise (the grab opens), the pawl 23 engages with the inner ratchet of the driven gear 21, and the drive gear 20 drives the driven gear 21 to rotate, which in turn drives the generator gear 25 to rotate, causing the generator 8 to generate electricity; when the drive gear 19 rotates clockwise (the grab closes), the pawl 23 disengages from the inner ratchet, the driven gear 21 does not rotate, and the generator 8 stops working, so as to avoid consuming the potential energy of the vortex spring 6 and affecting the recovery of the wire rope 27.

[0037] The ratchet gear set 7 is fixed to the drum bracket 31 through the shaft hole 53 of the central shaft 22 via the ratchet gear set mounting shaft 42. The gear part of the driving gear 20 meshes with the power gear 19, and the gear part of the driven gear 21 meshes with the generator gear 25. The sealing end cover 37 is interference-fitted with the bushing 46 of the driven gear 21 to prevent dust from entering the inside of the ratchet gear set 7.

[0038] The generator 8 is mounted on the generator bracket 33 via a generator cover 34, and then secured to the mechanical compartment 2 via the generator bracket 33. The generator cover 34 provides protection for the generator 8. The input shaft of the generator 8 is keyed to the generator gear 25. The output end of the generator 8 is led out through the generator connector 40, and the wires pass through the wire holes to connect to the circuit board 44 in the electrical compartment 3. The generator 8 is electrically connected to the battery charging management chip 11 in the electrical compartment 3, transmitting the generated electrical energy to the battery 10 for storage.

[0039] The magnetic encoder 9 is a high-resolution multi-turn absolute magnetic encoder, which is fixed to the magnetic encoder bracket 35 by the magnetic encoder cover plate 36 and fixed to the inner wall of the mechanical compartment 2 by the magnetic encoder bracket 35. The magnetic encoder cover plate 36 provides protection. The input shaft of the magnetic encoder 9 is keyed to the magnetic encoder gear 26. The signal end leads out the wire through the magnetic encoder connector 41 and the wire is connected to the ESP32 module 12 interface of the circuit board 44.

[0040] The driven gear 21 of the ratchet gear set 7 meshes with the generator gear 25. The drive gear 19 also meshes with the magnetic encoder gear 26.

[0041] The generator gear 25 is tightly connected to the input shaft of the generator 8. The generator gear 25 has a module of 1 and 10 teeth.

[0042] The magnetic encoder gear 26 is tightly connected to the input shaft of the magnetic encoder 9. The magnetic encoder gear 26 has a module of 1 and 10 teeth.

[0043] When the drive gear 19 rotates counterclockwise, the pawl 23 of the ratchet gear set 7 will mesh with the driven gear 21 of the ratchet gear set 7, thereby causing the drive gear 20 of the ratchet gear set 7 to rotate, which in turn causes the driven gear 21 of the ratchet gear set 7 to rotate, which in turn causes the generator gear 25 to rotate, so the generator 8 is in the power generation state.

[0044] When the drive gear 19 rotates clockwise, the pawl 23 of the ratchet gear set 7 will disengage from the driven gear 21 of the ratchet gear set 7, thereby causing the drive gear 19 to drive the driving gear 20 of the ratchet gear set 7 to rotate. However, the driven gear 21 of the ratchet gear set 7 will not rotate, so the generator 8 is in a stopped state.

[0045] Based on the gear parameters above, the transmission ratio between the power gear 19 and the generator gear 25 can be calculated to be 1:25. Therefore, even the slow rotation of the wire rope drum 5 can cause the generator 8 to rotate at high speed, allowing for the storage of a significant amount of electricity during the brief opening of the grab bucket. Of course, if the grab bucket operates at a very high or very low speed, the number of teeth in the ratchet gear set 7 and the generator gear 25 can be adjusted to achieve different transmission ratios, thus enabling various models of testing equipment to adapt to different working conditions. Furthermore, to further reduce wear and improve transmission efficiency, the structure of the rotating components can be modified by adding bearing components.

[0046] The magnetic encoder 9 is fixedly connected to the magnetic encoder gear 26 on its input shaft. The drive gear 19 meshes with the magnetic encoder gear 26, and the transmission ratio between the drive gear 19 and the magnetic encoder gear 26 is 1:5. Regardless of whether the drive gear 19 rotates forward or backward, the magnetic encoder gear 26 will rotate with the drive gear 19. The magnetic encoder 9 can record the number of rotations of the wire rope drum 5, and then calculate the change in the tensile length of the wire rope 27.

[0047] One end of the wire rope 27 is spirally wound in the wire rope groove 48 of the wire rope drum 5 and is fixedly connected to the wire rope drum 5. The other end extends to the outside of the housing 1 through the wire rope lead-out hole 28 at the bottom of the housing 1 and is connected to the wire rope fixed end 47 at the moving pulley end of the grab bucket. Pulling the wire rope 27 will drive the wire rope drum 5 to rotate, which in turn drives the spiral spring 6 to rotate for energy storage. Conversely, when the wire rope 27 is slack, the potential energy released by the spiral spring 6 will drive the wire rope drum 5 to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby rewinding the wire rope 27 onto the wire rope drum 5.

[0048] The machine compartment 2 is equipped with a drum support 31. The right side of the drum shaft 14 can be fixed on the drum support 31 by the drum shaft cover plate 32, and the drum shaft 14 can rotate on the drum support 31 but cannot move left or right.

[0049] A wire hole will be machined on the partition between electrical compartment 3 and mechanical compartment 2 to connect the leads of generator 8 and magnetic encoder 9 to electrical compartment 3. After the leads are connected, the wire hole should be sealed to ensure the protective isolation between mechanical compartment 2 and electrical compartment 3.

[0050] The electrical compartment 3 contains a battery 10, a battery charging management chip 11, an ESP32 module 12, a 2.4G antenna 13, a 3.3V voltage regulator chip 30, and a circuit board 44. The top edge of the housing 1 is provided with a cover plate mounting post 43, and the side wall of the electrical compartment 3 is provided with a cable inlet hole 45.

[0051] Battery 10 is a 5000mAh lithium battery used to store the electrical energy generated by generator 8 and power the entire device.

[0052] The battery charging management chip 11 uses an SGM41574 chip for battery charging management. The SGM41574 chip has an input voltage range of 3.6V to 30V, which can adapt to the unstable operating conditions of generator 8. Its shutdown mode current consumption is as low as 0.4uA, meeting the low power consumption requirements of long-term standby. Its input terminal is electrically connected to generator 8, and its output terminal is electrically connected to battery 10, realizing the charging management of battery 10.

[0053] The 3.3V voltage regulator chip 30 has its input terminal electrically connected to the battery 10, and its output terminal electrically connected to the ESP32 module 12 and the magnetic encoder 9, respectively, providing a stable 3.3V operating voltage for both and ensuring the stable operation of electrical components.

[0054] The ESP32 module 12, acting as the core controller, connects to the magnetic encoder 9, reads the number of rotations recorded by the encoder, and calculates the change in length of the wire rope 27 and the opening value of the grab bucket. It supports a deep sleep mode, reducing power consumption during equipment standby or maintenance to ensure the battery 10 can sustain operation for at least one year. The ESP32 module 12 also supports free TCP communication and Modbus TCP communication; with the addition of a ProfiNET chip, wireless ProfiNET communication can be achieved. The ESP32 module 12 calculates the change in length of the wire rope 27 by reading data from the magnetic encoder 9, and then calculates the opening value of the grab bucket.

[0055] The 2.4G antenna 13 is connected to the ESP32 module 12 with a gain of 4dB, which can extend the WIFI signal output range to about 100 meters, fully meeting the working conditions of the unloader's lifting height.

[0056] Circuit board 44 integrates battery charging management chip 11, ESP32 module 12 and 3.3V voltage regulator chip 30 to improve the integration of electrical system.

[0057] The partition has wiring holes through which the connection wires between the generator 8 and the battery charging management chip 11, and between the magnetic encoder 9 and the ESP32 module 12, pass. These wiring holes are sealed to further ensure isolation and protection between the mechanical compartment 2 and the electrical compartment 3, preventing contaminants from entering the electrical compartment 3 and damaging components. The housing 1 is made of reinforced flame-retardant ABS material to avoid blocking wireless signals; a metal guardrail is installed on the outside of the housing 1 to prevent damage from impacts.

[0058] Working principle In this invention, the device is fixed to the fixed pulley end of the grab bucket through the mounting hole 59 of the housing 1. The free end of the wire rope 27 passes through the wire rope lead-out hole 28 and is bolted to the fixed end 47 of the wire rope at the moving pulley end of the grab bucket, ensuring that the wire rope 27 can freely extend and retract with the opening and closing of the grab bucket.

[0059] When the grab bucket opens, the distance between the movable pulley and the fixed pulley increases, stretching the wire rope 27 and causing the wire rope drum 5 to rotate counterclockwise. The magnetic encoder 9, via the magnetic encoder gear 26, follows the rotation of the power gear 19, recording the number of rotations of the wire rope drum 5. Based on the outer diameter of the wire rope drum 5 (100 mm), the change in the stretched length of the wire rope 27 is calculated using the formula: "Wire rope 27 length = number of rotations × π × outer diameter of wire rope drum 5". Combining this with the mechanical dimensions of the grab bucket, the grab bucket opening value is calculated using a geometric algorithm. When the grab bucket closes, the spiral spring 6 releases its potential energy, causing the wire rope drum 5 to rotate clockwise, retrieving the wire rope 27. The magnetic encoder 9 continues to record the number of rotations, updating the wire rope 27 length and the grab bucket opening value in real time.

[0060] When the grab opens, the drive gear 19 rotates counterclockwise, driving the drive gear 20 of the ratchet gear set 7 to rotate. The pawl 23 engages with the ratchet 50 inside the driven gear 21, which in turn drives the generator gear 25 to rotate, causing the generator 8 to generate electricity. The electrical energy is transmitted through the generator connector 40 to the battery charging management chip 11 for processing and storage in the battery 10. The battery 10 supplies power to the ESP32 module 12 and the magnetic encoder 9 through the 3.3V voltage regulator chip 30. When the grab closes, the drive gear 19 rotates clockwise, disengaging the pawl 23 from the ratchet 50 inside the driven gear 21. The driven gear 21 stops rotating, and the generator 8 stops generating electricity, avoiding the consumption of the potential energy of the spiral spring 6 and ensuring the smooth retrieval of the wire rope 27. The ESP32 module 12 converts the calculated grab opening value into a wireless signal and transmits it to the host device through the 2.4G antenna 13, realizing real-time monitoring and automated control of the grab opening.

[0061] like Figure 10 - Figure 12 As shown, the left support 56 and right support 57 of the grab bucket are rigid supports, so the length AB in the figure is fixed. The rotation center of the left grab bucket is C. Therefore, when the grab bucket opens and closes, points B and G both rotate around the center C. The opening position of the grab bucket is the distance between G and G'. Since the grab bucket is a symmetrical mechanism, the horizontal distance between point G and the horizontal center of the grab bucket can be calculated.

[0062] Based on the mechanical structure of the grab bucket, a geometric model for calculating the opening degree is extracted, and the following parameters are defined: BC has a length of a (related dimensions of the grab bucket support); AB has a length of c (length of the fixed rigid support); BG has a length of d (length of the grab bucket component); GC has a length of e (grab bucket rotation radius); CD has a length of g (half the distance between the rotation centers of the two grab buckets, a fixed value); AD has a length of h (the 27mm elongation of the wire rope measured by this equipment). AD and AE are perpendicular and collinear. CD = FE, therefore the length of FE is also g.

[0063] AC has length b; GF has length f; ∠ACD = C1; ∠ACB = C2; ∠BCG = C3; ∠GCF = C4.

[0064] The grab opening is the distance between G and G'. Since the grab is symmetrical, the opening value is 2(f+g).

[0065] The calculation steps are as follows: 1. According to the Pythagorean theorem, given AD=h and CD=g, calculate the length of AC: b²=h²+g²→b=√(h²+g²). 2. Calculate ∠ACD(C1) using trigonometric functions: sin(C1) = h / g → C1 = arcsin(h / g); 3. According to the Law of Cosines, in △ABC, calculate ∠ACB(C2): cos(C2) = (a² + b² - c²) / (2ab), C2 = arccos[(a² + b² - c²) / (2ab)]; 4. According to the Law of Cosines, in △BCG, calculate ∠BCG(C3): cos(C3) = (a² + e² - d²) / (2ae), C3 = arccos[(a² + e² - d²) / (2ae)]; 5. Since ∠FCD = 90°, calculate ∠GCF(C4): C4 = 360° - C1 - C2 - C3 - 90°; 6. Calculate the length of GF (f) using trigonometric functions: cos(C4) = f / e → f = e × cos(C4); 7. Calculate the grab opening value: Opening = 2(f + g).

[0066] Based on the above algorithm, the ESP32 module 12 automatically calculates the grab opening value by combining the preset grab mechanical size parameters (a, c, d, e, g) and the detected h value, and transmits it to the host device through the 2.4G antenna 13.

[0067] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0068] The specific embodiments of this utility model have been described above. It should be understood that this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the substantive content of this utility model. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

Claims

1. A self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device, characterized in that, Includes a housing (1), and a partition (4) is provided inside the housing (1) to divide the housing (1) into a mechanical compartment (2) and an electrical compartment (3); The mechanical compartment (2) is equipped with a wire rope drum (5), a spiral spring (6), a ratchet gear set (7), a generator (8), and a magnetic encoder (9). The center of the wire rope drum (5) is fixedly connected to a drum shaft (14). Both ends of the drum shaft (14) are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the mechanical compartment (2). The right side of the drum shaft (14) is fixedly connected to a power gear (19). The outer end of the spiral spring (6) is connected to the wire rope drum (5), and the inner center end is fixed to the housing (1); the ratchet gear set (7) meshes with the power gear (19) and is driven by the generator (8); the magnetic encoder (9) meshes with the power gear (19). The electrical compartment (3) is equipped with a battery (10), a battery charging management chip (11), an ESP32 module (12), a 2.4G antenna (13), and a 3.3V voltage regulator chip (30). The generator (8) is electrically connected to the battery charging management chip (11), and the battery charging management chip (11) is electrically connected to the battery (10). The battery (10) supplies power to the ESP32 module (12) and the magnetic encoder (9) through the 3.3V voltage regulator chip (30). The magnetic encoder (9) is signal-connected to the ESP32 module (12), and the 2.4G antenna (13) is signal-connected to the ESP32 module (12). The wire rope drum (5) is fixedly connected to one end of the wire rope (27), and the other end of the wire rope (27) extends to the outside of the shell (1).

2. The self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surface of the wire rope drum (5) is provided with a wire rope groove (48), and one end of the wire rope (27) is fixed in the wire rope groove (48).

3. The self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ratchet gear set (7) includes a driving gear (20), a driven gear (21), a central shaft (22), a pawl (23), and a spring (24). The driven gear (21) has an inner ratchet (50) at its center. The central shaft (22) has a groove (51). The pawl (23) and the spring (24) are assembled in the groove (51). The pawl (23) cooperates with the inner ratchet (50).

4. The self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The drive gear (20) includes a shaft seal (38) and a gear (54). The shaft seal (38) has a central shaft mating hole (55). The bushing (46) of the central shaft (22) is tightly fitted with the central shaft mating hole (55).

5. The self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The generator (8) is fixed in the mechanical compartment (2) by the generator bracket (33) and the generator cover plate (34), and the magnetic encoder (9) is fixed in the mechanical compartment (2) by the magnetic encoder bracket (35) and the magnetic encoder cover plate (36). Both are connected to the electrical compartment (3) by connectors.

6. The self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electrical compartment (3) is equipped with a circuit board (44) and a cable inlet (45). The battery charging management chip (11), ESP32 module (12) and 3.3V voltage regulator chip (30) are integrated on the circuit board (44). The top edge of the housing (1) is provided with a cover plate mounting post (43).

7. The self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The ratchet gear set (7) also includes a sealing end cap (37), which is embedded in the bushing (46) of the driven gear (21), and the intermediate shaft hole is the same size as the shaft hole of the driving gear (20).

8. The self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shell (1) has 4 to 6 symmetrically distributed mounting holes (59) on its edge. The mechanical compartment (2) is provided with a drum support (31). The drum shaft (14) is fixed to the drum support (31) by a drum shaft cover plate (32).

9. The self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission ratio between the power gear (19) and the generator gear (25) of the generator (8) is 1:25, and the transmission ratio between the magnetic encoder gear (26) of the magnetic encoder (9) and the power gear (19) is 1:

5.

10. The self-generating wireless grab bucket opening detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery (10) is a 5000mAh lithium battery, and the casing (1) is made of reinforced flame-retardant ABS material, with a metal guardrail (56) on its exterior.

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