Systems and processes for conducting field operations

Abstract

A transport apparatus for performing field operations, such as removing and / or installing wear parts on earthmoving equipment along a controlled path. The apparatus may include a crane, a three-articulated joint, and a tool.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to systems and processes for performing field operations. [Background technology]

[0002] In mining and construction, wear parts are commonly provided for earthmoving equipment such as excavators, crushers, dragline machines, cable shovels, face shovels, hydraulic excavators, loaders, shear drums, bucket wheel excavators, and the like. An example wear part is a tooth that includes a point attached to an adapter that is secured to a bucket. Wear parts such as points and other ground engaging components encounter weight loads and abrasive conditions during use such that the wear parts wear out and need to be replaced. However, such wear members may be large, heavy, and / or cumbersome, presenting challenges and hazards associated with their removal and installation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present disclosure relates to systems and processes for performing field operations such as removing and / or installing wear members onto earth moving equipment.

[0004] In one example, the wear member is secured to a base on the earth moving equipment. A tool supported by a manipulator is secured to the wear member. At least one sensor detects an attachment path of the wear member, and a controller using programmable logic moves the wear member along the attachment path to remove the wear member from the base. In one implementation, the attachment path can be linear or discrete nonlinear (e.g., arcuate, stepped, or some combination of linear and nonlinear).

[0005] In another embodiment, the transport apparatus includes a tool securable to the wear member, a manipulator capable of at least two distinct types of motion that movably supports the tool, at least one sensor that detects movement of each type of motion, and a controller that uses programmable logic to direct the movement of the manipulator and move the tool in a defined motion to remove the wear member from and / or attach it to the base.

[0006] In another example, a system for removing and / or attaching a wear member to earth moving equipment includes a transport apparatus having a tool securable to the wear member, an articulated arm for movably supporting the tool, an adjustable joint connecting the tool to the arm, a sensor for detecting the positions of portions of the articulated arm and adjustable joint along which the tool can be moved, and a controller using programmable logic to simultaneously direct the movement of the arm and joint to move the tool along a specified path of motion to remove and / or attach the wear member to the base. The sensor for determining the specified path may be part of the transport apparatus or may be separate from the transport apparatus.

[0007] In another embodiment, the transport apparatus includes a tool, a manipulator having a support and a joint, and a controller. The support includes a rotatable post, a first arm pivotally secured to the post, and a second arm pivotally secured to the first arm. The second arm is also optionally telescopic. A joint connects the tool to the support. The joint is pivotally secured to the second arm about a first axis and can provide movement of the tool about two axes perpendicular to the first axis. The controller using programmable logic directs operation of the manipulator to move the wear member along a specified path and remove it from the earthmoving equipment.

[0008] In another embodiment, a tool supported by the manipulator is secured to a wear member that is removable from and / or mounted on the base. At least one sensor detects the position and / or orientation of the path along which the wear member is mounted or removed from the base. A controller using programmable logic directs the movement of the manipulator to move the wear member off and / or onto the base along the specified path.

[0009] In another embodiment, removal and / or attachment of the wear member from the base is accomplished by gripping the wear member with a device that uses programmable logic to move the wear member from and / or onto the base along a path specified for the wear member.

[0010] In another embodiment, a mounting axis for removing and / or mounting the wear member from the base is detected. The wear member is gripped by a hydraulic drive which uses programmable logic to move the wear member along a mounting path from and / or onto the base.

[0011] In another embodiment, a transport apparatus for removing a worn wear member (e.g., a base adapter on an earthmoving equipment, a lip on a bucket, an adapter on a base adapter, etc.) from a mount and installing a replacement wear member on the same mount. The transport apparatus includes a tool for securing the wear member for the earthmoving equipment, a manipulator supporting the tool for moving towards and away from the earthmoving equipment, and a controller using programmable logic to direct the movement of the manipulator to detach the worn wear member, as well as to hold and install a replacement wear member after the worn wear member was removed. The controller automatically returns to the installation site to install the replacement wear member on the earthmoving equipment. Optionally, after the replacement wear member is installed, the controller may automatically move to the next wear member to be removed. This embodiment may also be provided, optionally, in combination with any of the embodiments described above.

[0012] Each of the adjustable components of the above and other embodiments can be driven by hydraulic motors and / or cylinders to provide the robustness and strength desired for removing wear members during earthmoving operations.

[0013] In one example, the three-point joint assembly includes a computer having a processor and a memory, the memory having instructions configured to provide control of the three-point joint assembly, the manipulator, and / or the supported tool head.

[0014] In another embodiment, a hydraulically driven manipulator includes a joint attached to the end of an articulated arm. The joint supports a tool that holds a wear member that is removed from the mount and / or attached to the mount. The joint includes components movably joined together to define three non-parallel axes of movement of the tool. In one example, at least one of the three axes (and preferably two axes) has a float mode mechanism associated with an actuator that controls the movement of the three-axis joint relative to the three axes. The float mode mechanism controls a valve pressure in a flow passage connecting both sides of at least one of the actuators that controls the manipulator about the axis. Fluid in the actuator can float between the two sides of the actuator, allowing the manipulator therein to move in small increments about each axis. In float mode, the actuator is moved by an external force external to the operator or controller or processor. In one implementation, at least one float mode mechanism can be activated. In another implementation, at least two float mode mechanisms are activated while a third actuator is controlled by either programmable logic or a user. In one implementation, if the attachment path mode is also activated while in float mode, the manipulator assumes that the float hydraulic actuator is controllable even though the actuator is controlled by an external force. In this example, once the attachment axis is determined, all other actuators are moved simultaneously along the attachment path, and the float actuator is assumed to follow the correct path along the attachment axis.

[0015] In another example, a process for removing a ground engaging wear part from earth moving equipment includes operating a manipulator and one or more tools supported by the manipulator to hold the wear part secured to the earth moving equipment. The manipulator includes a joint for securing the tool to the manipulator. The joint includes components movably coupled together to define three non-parallel axes of movement and a hydraulically driven actuator for selectively moving and holding the component about the axes. The process may further include determining the attachment axis. In another implementation, the process may include a float mode process in which the actuator moves to a neutral state and fluid is counterbalanced within the actuator to allow small incremental changes in attachment of the tool head to the wear member.

[0016] In another embodiment, a wear part transport system for removing and / or installing a wear part on a mount on an earth moving equipment includes a crane having movably coupled crane components and a crane actuator for selectively holding and moving the crane components at various positions relative to one another, a joint including at least one tool for selectively holding the wear part, a base for securing the joint to the crane, an adapter for securing the at least one tool to the joint, joint components movably coupled together between the base and the adapter, and a joint actuator for selectively moving and holding the joint components at various positions relative to one another, and a processing system configured to determine a path for removing and / or installing the wear part on the mount and directing movement of the crane actuator and the joint actuator to move the wear part along the path.

[0017] In another embodiment, a wear member transport system for removing and / or installing a wear member on a mount on an earth moving equipment includes a manipulator that supports the wear member and includes a hydraulic actuator to adjust the manipulator and thereby move the wear member, a processing system configured to determine a path for removing the wear member from the mount and / or installing the wear member on the mount and directing movement of the hydraulic actuator to move the wear member along the path, and a float manifold that directs fluid flow within the actuator to allow small adjustments to the joints from external forces as the wear member moves along the path.

[0018] In another embodiment, a wear member transport system for removing and / or mounting a wear member onto a mount on an earth moving equipment includes a manipulator that supports the wear member and includes a hydraulic actuator to adjust the manipulator and thereby move the wear member, a processing system configured to direct the movement of the hydraulic actuator to move the wear member along a predetermined path, and a controller having at least manually activated controls to signal the processing system as to which direction the wear member should move.

[0019] In another embodiment, a system for performing a site operation includes a manipulator including a hydraulic actuator and at least one sensor for detecting a position of the manipulator, at least one tool secured to the manipulator, and a processing system configured to determine a path for moving the at least one tool for the site operation and to direct the hydraulic actuator to coordinate the manipulator to move the at least one tool along the path.

[0020] In another example, a process of removing a ground engaging wear member from a mount of an earthmoving equipment and / or installing a ground engaging wear member on a mount includes positioning the ground engaging wear member in alignment with the mount, determining using a processing system a path to travel to remove the ground engaging wear member from the mount, and using the processing system to direct a manipulator supporting the ground engaging wear member to move the ground engaging wear member along the path and remove the ground engaging wear member from the mount and / or install the ground engaging wear member on the mount.

[0021] According to certain embodiments, the manipulator may be used to remove wear parts from and / or install wear parts onto equipment in mining, construction, dredging, and / or other earthmoving operations. By way of example, such earthmoving equipment may include, for example, various machines (e.g., excavators, crushers, cable shovels, cutterheads, etc.) and / or handling equipment (e.g., chutes, conveyors, track trays, etc.). Wear parts may include, for example, points, adapters, shrouds, runners, picks, runners, wear plates, track components, blades, etc.

[0022] According to certain embodiments, the manipulator may be usable for a variety of activities, particularly those involving difficult, dangerous, and / or time-consuming processes, such as refueling equipment, surface de-icing, tree felling, agricultural harvesting at elevated altitudes, and precision control operations in industrial settings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of an earth moving machine having a bucket with teeth.

[0024] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a digging tooth.

[0025] [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the tooth of FIG.

[0026] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another digging tooth.

[0027] [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the tooth of FIG.

[0028] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view of a portion of the transport system and earthmoving machine.

[0029] [Figure 7] 7 is a perspective view of a pin of the tooth lock of FIG. 2; FIG.

[0030] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a partial exploded view of the pin.

[0031] [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG.

[0032] [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a side view of the bucket.

[0033] [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a tool head for holding the tooth point of FIG. 2.

[0034] [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an alternative tool head for holding the tooth point of FIG. 2.

[0035] [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a three-axis joint.

[0036] [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a control module for user operation of the transport device.

[0037] [Figure 15] FIG. 15A is a side view of the float controlled manifold.

[0038] FIG. 15B is a perspective view of the fluid paths within the housing of the float-controlled manifold of FIG. 15A shown in phantom.

[0039] [Figure 16] FIG. 16A is a side view of an alternative float controlled manifold.

[0040] FIG. 16B is a perspective view of the fluid path with the housing of the float-controlled manifold of FIG. 16A shown in phantom.

[0041] [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is an example process for removing a wear component.

[0042] [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is an example process for installing wear components.

[0043] [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a schematic system diagram showing the system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0044] The present disclosure relates to systems, transport devices, and / or processes for removing and / or installing wear members, such as ground engaging products used in earthmoving operations, such as those found in mining, construction, mineral processing, or dredging. The systems, devices, and / or processes can be used to remove and / or install a wide variety of wear members (e.g., teeth, shrouds, runners, picks, etc.) from and / or onto earthmoving equipment, which can include a variety of different machines, such as hydraulic excavating machines, loaders, dragline machines, cable shovels, face shovels, dredge cutters, shears, communication devices, continuous miners, haul trucks, and / or a variety of components used in connection with the machines, such as buckets, cutterheads, shear drums, truck trays, chutes, etc.

[0045] With reference to Figure 1, an earthmoving machine, such as a hydraulic excavating machine 1, is illustrated as including a bucket 3 having a front digging edge 5 that includes, for example, a lip 16. Teeth and / or shrouds may be secured along the digging edge 5 to protect the bucket 3 and / or improve digging performance.

[0046] 2-3 show an example excavation tooth 7. The tooth includes a base adapter 9, an intermediate adapter 10, a point 11, and a lock 13. The base adapter 9 has a mounting end 15 with rearwardly extending legs 33A, 33B that straddle the lip 16 and are welded or otherwise secured to the lip 16, and a forwardly projecting nose 17 for mounting the intermediate adapter 10. A recess 19 is provided in each side wall of the forwardly projecting nose 17 to receive a tip 21 of a pin 29 that is part of the lock 13 for securing the intermediate adapter to the base adapter 9. The intermediate adapter 10 includes a rearwardly opening cavity 8 for receiving the forwardly projecting nose 17, a front nose 18 for mounting the point 11, and a lock opening in each side wall for receiving the lock 13. The front nose 18 includes a recess 20 for receiving a pin 29 of each lock 13 for securing the point 11 to the intermediate adapter 10. The point 11 includes a rearward opening cavity 12 for receiving the front nose 18, a front working end or bit 23, and a lock opening 25 for receiving the lock 13. The components of the tooth of this embodiment are more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,222,243, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. While the lock of this tooth is integrally secured to the point and intermediate adapter, the transport system 35 can remove and / or attach the wear member whose lock is separate from the point and intermediate adapter. This tooth is provided by way of example only. With respect to this tooth, the point, intermediate adapter, and base adapter are each considered wear members. That is, the point 11 is a wear member 7 that secures to a mount in the form of an intermediate adapter 10. The intermediate adapter 10 is a wear member 7 that secures to a mount in the form of a base adapter 9. The base adapter 9 is a wear member 7 that secures to a mount in the form of a lip 16. The systems, apparatus, and processes disclosed herein can be used with a variety of other types of teeth, other types of ground engaging wear parts, and / or other types of earthmoving equipment.

[0047] 4-5 show another embodiment of a digging tooth 22 with which the present system and process may be used. The tooth 22 includes a base adapter 9, a rearwardly opening cavity 27 for receiving a forwardly projecting nose 17, and a point 24 having a forward working end or bit 26, and a lock 13 on one side wall. As with the tooth 7, a pin 29 of the lock 13 advances into the recess 19 to secure the point 24 on the base adapter 9.

[0048] As the bucket 3 digs, the wear parts (including the points 11, 24 and adapters 9, 10) wear down until they are replaced. By way of example, a conventional operation may involve one or more workers to release the lock and remove the points from the adapters. This may pose a hazard to workers as the parts may be large, heavy, and / or cumbersome and may result in injury. The lifting eyes 28 typically provided on large new parts are usually worn down and unavailable for removal of the worn parts. As a result, some workers simply lower the parts to the floor when the lock 13 is released. Falling wear parts may be a hazard to workers.

[0049] However, sometimes, due to the presence of soil particles, wear members such as points 11 may cling to the earthmoving equipment (e.g., adapters 10, 11) even when lock 13 is removed. This can make removal of the wear members from the base difficult and increase the time it takes an operator to remove them. Longer removal times not only result in longer machine downtime and lost productivity, but also longer time for workers in hazardous work areas. Additionally, leverage, pulling, hammering, etc. that workers may use to release the wear members may also pose danger to workers, especially as the wear members shift and / or release.

[0050] Complex rigging arrangements, including chains or straps, are used to support the points that are to be removed when the lock is released. While this can create a safer environment, workers are still exposed to danger if the rigging arrangement is unsafe, slippery, and / or creates pinch points. Additionally, because the chains and straps go under the points, removal can be problematic if the wear members are grounded, creating additional hazards. Lifting eyes 28 are also sometimes welded to the worn points to support the points during removal, but this is often undesirable due to the need for mobile welding equipment, welding bans at many mine locations, and / or the time-consuming process required to weld to the points, as they are made from very hard steel materials that can require special processes to ensure a good weld.

[0051] US Patent Publication 2017 / 0356167 discloses a transport device, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. This device allows an operator to remove and install the points while away from the bucket. While this is a safer arrangement for the operator, removal of the points can sometimes be a difficult process. Given the tight fit (e.g., small tolerances) that may exist between the wear member and the base and / or the accumulation of impacted particulates, the wear member must generally be pulled out of the mount in a linear (or other) motion along the tooth installation path (e.g., along the installation axis 31), i.e., the path 31 along which the wear member is installed on and removed from the base. Because this transport device is a hydraulically driven, manually controlled system, direct and precise linear motion is not possible. As a result, the wear member often falls off during removal and generally requires some time by a skilled operator operating the control to finally manipulate the points 11 from the front nose 18 of the adapter 10. Furthermore, generally, the deeper the mounting cavity (such as cavity 27 in tooth 24 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), the greater the need to remove point 11 along mounting axis 31.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 6, a system 35 can be used to remove and / or install wear members (e.g., points 11, 24 and other types of wear members) from and / or onto a bucket 3 (or other types of earthmoving equipment). In this example, the earthmoving equipment includes electronic devices 39, such as sensors, beacons, RFID tags, Bluetooth transmitters, and / or some combination of such devices. As shown, the earthmoving equipment includes a bucket 3 for carrying a load. The bucket 3 has a lip 16 that supports teeth 7, one or more of which include electronic devices 39. Alternatively, or additionally, the bucket 3 may further include electronic sensors 39A (e.g., sensors, beacons, and / or combinations of such devices) (FIG. 10). The locations of sensors or similar in the drawings are shown as examples. These electronic devices 39, 39A may be included, for example, in points, adapters, lips, shrouds, bucket walls, and / or on top of the bucket. The sensors 39, 39A are optional.

[0053] In one implementation, when one or more wear parts need to be replaced, an operator of an earthmoving equipment 1, such as the hydraulic excavation machine 1 shown in FIG. 1, sets the bucket 3 in a position where the teeth 7, 22 can be accessed by the transport device 37 to remove the worn points. As can be understood, the operator of the earthmoving machine 1 does not have to set the bucket 3 in any kind of precise position when the points 11 need to be replaced. The spatial position, inclination and orientation of the bucket 3 change each time the points 11 need to be replaced. Furthermore, the position and orientation of the transport device 37 and the vehicle 49 relative to the bucket 3 also change. Electronic devices (e.g., sensors 39, 39A) may be used to assist in determining the position and / or orientation of the worn wear parts. In such a case, the system 35 includes a complementary electronic device 41 in the transport device 37, or elsewhere, that can detect the position and / or orientation of the wear parts to be removed by programmable logic. Alternatively, or additionally, sensors may be in the form of cameras, laser scanners, or the like, and may be fixed to the transport device, service vehicle, or elsewhere to determine the location and / or orientation of the wear parts to be removed and replaced. Various sensors may also be used to determine when to replace wear parts as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,670,649, U.S. Pat. No. 10,011,975, and / or U.S. Published Application No. 2016 / 0237640, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0054] Additionally, the bucket (or other equipment) position can make assessing the condition of wear parts and / or replacing wear parts difficult and / or dangerous. It is common for mining machinery to be shut down with a lockout / tagout safety precaution before personnel can approach the machine to inspect and / or replace wear parts. Sometimes the bucket 3 is not positioned in a convenient or acceptable position before the personnel stops to assess and / or replace wear parts because the bucket is oriented to allow other maintenance (e.g., welding) by the operator or to cause a mistake. In such cases, especially with the increased emphasis on personnel ergonomics and safety, authorized personnel have had to untag, unlock and restart the machine and adjust the bucket to the proper position, all of which leads to longer machine downtime and less production. By using the system 35 with an appropriate tool head, inspection and / or replacement of wear parts 7 can be accomplished even when the bucket 3 is not in the appropriate position (e.g., the digging edge 5 is too high off the ground, tilted too upward, oriented below the equipment, etc. for manual inspection and / or operation).

[0055] In some cases, multiple operations need to be performed on the bucket 3 when the machine 1 is shut down. As an example, the bucket 3 may require a welding repair as well as replacement of a wear part 7. Sometimes these operations are scheduled consecutively rather than simultaneously due to the risk associated with one or more workers. For example, a welding operation may require a portion of the bucket 3 to be isolated and shielded as a safety precaution that may prohibit the inspection and / or replacement of the wear part 7 on the bucket 3. The use of the system 35 with the appropriate tool 59 may allow for the simultaneous operations as it would otherwise exclude additional workers from the isolated area. Furthermore, the system 35 with the appropriate tool can perform both operations simultaneously without risk of harm to workers. The use of the system 35 also eliminates additional time that may otherwise be required in accordance with safety precautions such as erecting a safety barrier.

[0056] The system 35 improves the ease, speed and / or safety of the process for removing the points 11 from the front nose 18 (or other wear members from earthmoving equipment). In other examples, the system 35 may be used to remove and / or install other types of components or equipment, especially those that are heavy or involve hazards such as high positions, tight spaces, extreme temperatures, hazardous environments (e.g., dust, toxic, caustic, etc.). The system 35 may also be used to perform other operations such as inspection and / or repair of components, equipment, and / or other things. In one example, the manipulator may support tools in the form of cameras, scanners, range finders, or other means for performing or assisting in inspection and / or repair, especially when the components, etc. to be inspected and / or repaired are in tight spaces, difficult to access or dangerous, or difficult for a person to manually access and / or inspect. Such inspections and / or repairs may include, for example, chutes or truck trays, bridge structures, roofs or other building structures, power or telephone poles and lines, runners or wear plates in soil beds and / or other soil structures (such as for inspecting bank stability). System 35 may be used to hold and control nozzles for cleaning (e.g., using water and / or abrasives), replacing blades on earthmoving equipment, replacing rail car couplings, etc. Manipulators may be used for a variety of field activities, especially those involving difficult, dangerous, and / or time-consuming processes such as refueling equipment, surface de-icing, tree felling, elevated agricultural harvesting, etc.

[0057] The term tool herein is also intended as a general term referring to one or more apparatus, devices, components, assemblies, subassemblies, or the like that perform, participate, assist, and / or are involved in an operation, which may include, for example, removal, installation, inspection, repair, refueling, de-icing, harvesting, and / or other operations. A tool may consist of, for example, one component, multiple components that operate cooperatively, and / or multiple components that perform different operations simultaneously or separately. As some examples, a tool head may include one or more of a gripper, a pulling assembly, a vibrator, a vacuum cleaner, a threadless and / or threading assembly, a welding device, an impact device, a cutting device, a dispensing tool, a magnet, a camera, a range finder, a sensor, and the like.

[0058] Relative terms, such as front, rear, top, bottom, etc., are used for convenience of discussion. The terms front or forward are generally used to indicate a direction toward a component, equipment, machine, structure, ground, vegetation, etc., that is the subject of an operation being performed (such as removing, installing, inspecting, repairing, cleaning, oiling, harvesting, or other operation). Similarly, the terms upper or upper surface are generally used as a direction or position of the manipulator that is away from the ground or other support. Nevertheless, in various operations, it is recognized that the manipulator may be oriented in different ways and move in all kinds of directions during use.

[0059] In one example, the system 35 may include a vehicle 49, a transport device 37, at least one computer 43 having a memory, a processor or controller using stored programmable logic, sensors 39, 39A, 41, a storage bin 75, and a storage section 77. The vehicle 49 may house the computer 43, the transport device 37, the storage bin 75, and / or the storage section 77. The transport device 37 includes a tool or tool head 59, such as a gripper 60 and / or a driver 65, and a manipulator 62. The transport device 37 may be a stand-alone device or may be fixed to the vehicle 49 or other mobile base. In the illustrated example of FIG. 6, the manipulator 62 includes a crane 47, a tool head 59, such as a gripper 60, and a joint 71 or other coupling for securing the tool head to the crane. The tool 59 may grip or otherwise hold the wear part 7 for removal from and / or installation to the base.

[0060] Other arrangements are possible. Tool head 59 and manipulator 62 may include features and / or auxiliary tools as disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 2015 / 0104075 and / or U.S. Publication No. 2017 / 0356167, which are incorporated herein in their entireties.

[0061] The transport device 37 may include a host computer 43. The computer 43 may have a processor and memory having computer instructions, applications, programmable logic, and the like written therein and readable. In the illustrated example, the computer 43 may also be remote from the device 37. The computer 43 may include various components discussed below (FIG. 19). As used herein, the term processor may include one or more processors for the system. The host computer 43 may be one or more computers with a CPU mounted on a truck, crane, joint, and / or tool head, or may be separate from the transport device 37, such as a handheld device, a mobile device, a fixed station, and / or part of an office, and may provide wireless or wired control for autonomous and / or controlled movement of the transport device 37.

[0062] The computer 43 may include instructions for a processor configured to provide information and analysis from data received from sensors 39, 39A, 41, databases, other data sources, other remote devices, etc. In one example, the computer 43 may facilitate communication between the transport device 37 and various system components (e.g., manipulator 62, gripper 60, crane 47, etc.), for example, via a network by a communication device. Each of the various components of the system may include individual computers and memory, or a single computer 43 (distributed or otherwise) may control each of the various components of the system 35. In one example, the various components of the computer system 43 may be virtually co-located and / or geographically distributed. As one skilled in the art would appreciate, other exemplary computer systems 43 according to embodiments of the present technology may include components different from those shown and described herein.

[0063] The computer 43 may include instructions for a processor or controller configured to control the transport apparatus 37 and / or the electronic devices or sensors 39, 39A, 41. Some or all of the operations of the transport apparatus 37 may be fully or partially automated. The computer 43 may use data from the sensors 39, 39A, 41 to control the valves of the various hydraulic cylinders, actuators, and motors. Other types of arrangements may be used, especially when other motors and actuators are used. This type of control allows the operator to avoid contact with the wear parts and to keep a safe distance from the parts during the transport operation. Lasers (not shown) may be provided on various components of the transport apparatus 37 or on various other machines to provide a line of sight that can help the operator position the drive tool 67 in the lock 13. Cameras may be provided (in addition to the lasers or on their own) to assist in connecting the apparatus 37 to the wear parts. The use of cameras may also be used to assist the operator or to fully automate the operation of the apparatus 37. Additionally, some processes may be performed manually. For example, in other constructions, the lock 13 may be manually released by an operator after the tool head 59 engages and supports the wear part.

[0064] The system 35 can detect, for example, using suitable sensors 39, 39A, 41, databases and / or computers, the position and / or orientation of the wear member 7 and its attachment / removal path (which may be along an axis) 31, i.e., the path for removing (or attaching) the wear member, whether it is linear, curved or a different defined path. Optionally, input regarding the type of wear member 7 can be received via a sensor 39 on the wear member and / or a sensor 41 on the conveying device 37, for example by accessing a database, receiving input from a cord on the earthmoving equipment or the like. However, the sensors 39, 39A, 41 are optional. Alternatively, the attachment path can be preloaded to be a straight line (or other defined) movement when the worn wear member is gripped by the conveying device, such that this occurs automatically (via sensors and computer processing on the crane, joints and / or tool head) when the operator indicates, for example, by a joystick controller, switch or the like, that the wear member needs to be removed. Removal along the removal path can also occur autonomously. Such a process may also be used for mounting, ie, the transport device may move the wear member along a linear or other mounting path onto the mount.

[0065] 7-9, one or more sensors 39 can determine the position and / or orientation of the wear member to be removed. Such sensors can take a number of different forms. For example, a sensor 39 can be provided in point 11 to identify the 3-D orientation of the attachment path, which in this example is along attachment axis 31. Such a sensor 39 can be provided in pin 29 of lock 13 and / or an opening (not shown) in the cast body of point 11. For example, pin 29 can include a recess 45 that can receive and hold sensor 39 as well as receive a tool for driving pin 29 in and out of contact with intermediate adapter 10. Sensor 39 can be, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,024,033, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. Sensor 39 can detect the orientation of the wear member and / or the spatial location of the wear member and wirelessly transmit a signal having position information that is used by controller 43 in determining the orientation and / or location of attachment axis 31. The sensor 39 may also have other functions, such as detecting unintentional separation and / or wear of the wear members during use.

[0066] 10, in the illustrated example, a sensor 39A may be provided on the bucket 3 to detect the spatial position and / or orientation of the attachment axis of a point on the bucket 3. Such sensors 39, 39A on the wear part 24 and / or bucket 3 may include, for example, a GPS and / or an inclinometer. Providing digital coordinates to the transport device 37 may enable the device 37 to automatically drive a machine having a wear part 24 in need of replacement and / or provide navigation to a driver.

[0067] As another example, an image sensor such as a camera may be used on the transport device 37 or separate therefrom, along with programmable logic such as visual recognition software configured by the controller 43 to determine a particular 3-D orientation and / or location of the attachment axis 31 of the tooth 7. The controller 43 may optionally access a database having details of the points 11 and the attachment axis 31 to make the desired determination. Other types of sensors are possible and / or two or more different types of sensors may be used in combination with each other.

[0068] The sensor 41 may be an encoder or other type of sensor. If the second arm 55 is telescopic (e.g., an inner boom), a sensor 41 may be provided to detect the extension of the arm (FIG. 13). The sensor 41 may be physically coupled to and / or mounted on the transport apparatus 37 and configured to detect or monitor the position of worn wear members. For example, the sensor 41 on the transport apparatus 37 may be a passive sensor that collects data. In another embodiment, the sensor 41 on the transport apparatus 37 may be active and / or located on the earth moving device 1. The sensor 41 may operate in conjunction with a second sensor (e.g., 39) that is separate from the transport apparatus 37.

[0069] In one implementation, computer 43 may provide or receive information to and / or from sensors 39, 39A, 41 and / or communicate directly therewith. Transport device 37 may also collect and communicate data regarding wear parts being installed and / or removed. Data may include, for example, pictures of wear parts, weight, force required for installation / removal, time required for installation / removal, notification of personnel of changes due to wear part exhaustion, etc. Transport device 37 may further communicate with and / or receive data from sensors provided on wear parts. Transport device may provide data to wear part sensors relating to, for example, changes in date, time, location, duration, etc. of wear part replacement. Transport device may also receive data from wear part sensors relating to, for example, wear life, impact, performance, etc. as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,011,975. Sensor data, and / or data from other sources may be processed by computer 43 to provide various outputs.

[0070] The computer 43 may include instructions for a processor or controller configured to receive signals from the sensors 39, 39A, 41, for example, by wireless transmission including data such as the position and / or orientation of the mounting axis 31. The computer 43 may control hydraulic cylinders and / or motors using data including the detected position and / or orientation of the mounting axis 31 and the relative positions of the crane 47 and joint components 71 to move the tool head 59 in a linear motion (or other removal motion) along the mounting axis 31 regardless of the 3-D orientation of the mounting axis 31. The movement of the gripper 60 along the removal path may be a coordinated simultaneous movement of different adjustable components directed by the controller through programmable logic. This may involve coordinated movement of all adjustable components or may involve less than coordination of all adjustable components. It is envisioned that the wear members 7 are removed along a defined removal path or axis 31. Other removal paths are also possible. For example, certain wear members (e.g., points and shrouds) may be removed and / or installed along an installation path that is non-linear (e.g., arcuate).

[0071] As used herein, the term manipulator refers to an apparatus, device, assembly, subassembly, etc. for movably supporting a tool to perform an operation, e.g., removal, installation, inspection, repair, etc. The term manipulator is intended as a general term that can include multiple components, such as, for example, (i) a combination of bases, arms, joints, tool supports, or heads, (ii) subassemblies, such as articulated arms, joints, and / or tool supports, and / or (iii) other assemblies or subassemblies that movably support and work with other assemblies or subassemblies to movably support a tool to perform an operation.

[0072] The manipulator 62 may include a crane 47 and a joint 71. In the illustrated example, the crane 47 includes a post 51 rotatable about a vertically oriented first axis A1, a first arm 53 pivotally fixed to the post 51 for movement about a horizontally oriented second axis A2, and a second arm 55 pivotally fixed to the first arm 53 for movement about a horizontally oriented third axis A3. The post 51 may be fixed to a vehicle 49 that allows for movable positioning of the crane 47. The crane 47 may include one or more segments 53, 55 pivotally connected together and controlled by a hydraulic cylinder (not shown), but may have other structures and / or drivers. More or fewer arms and joint axes are possible. The second arm 55 is optionally telescopic. The rotation of the post 51 is preferably driven by a hydraulic motor, and the pivotal movement of the arms 53, 55 is driven by a hydraulic cylinder. To enable rotation about the first axis A1, a crane 47 may optionally be mounted on a turntable. Other types of equipment having different types of possible movements and / or different arrangements may be used. One alternative example is to use a boom 2 and stick 4 of a mining machine 1 as seen in FIG. 1 and custom components and / or other assemblies.

[0073] In one example, the tool head 59 is secured to the second arm 55 by a joint 71. In the example shown, the joint 71 articulates about axis A4. Alternatively, the joint 71 may be adjustable about three perpendicular axes A4-A6, as discussed below. The various adjustments of the joint 71 are driven by hydraulic motors in one example. A sensor 41 is provided for each adjustment to detect the relative position of each of the arms 53, 55 moving about axes A1-A4 in the example shown in FIG. 6 and axes A1-A6 in the example shown in FIG. 13, in one example.

[0074] In one example, the manipulator 62 is hydraulically driven to be sufficiently robust in a variety of environmental conditions, such as those found in terrestrial working environments, although other drives are possible for particular operations and / or conditions. A hydraulically driven manipulator 62 is less prone to failure (e.g., compared to an electric drive) in field operations that may be exposed to a variety of environmental conditions, such as heat, cooling, sedimentation, dirt, particulates, dust, smoke, corrosive materials, etc. A hydraulic drive can also provide substantial force by a compact means (e.g., compared to an electric drive) that is useful for certain applications. One such example includes removing and / or placing wear parts in mining environments, boom structure inspection, any elevated platform application that may lead individuals to harm, etc. (many other uses are possible).

[0075] In one example, a manipulator 62 according to the present disclosure can be used with a tool head, such as a gripper 60, to remove and / or install a ground engaging wear part 11 onto a bucket (not shown). The manipulator 62 can be used using methods and operations and tools 59 as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0104075 and / or using methods and operations and tools as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0356167. These are intended as examples, as the manipulator 62 can have many other uses. Tool heads can be interchangeably secured to the manipulator to enable different operations, as desired and / or multiple tool heads can be secured to the manipulator 62 simultaneously and used cooperatively, independently, simultaneously, and / or sequentially.

[0076] The defined path 31 for removing the wear member 7 may also optionally include a release action to better release the wear member from its base before and / or during its movement along its attachment path. Examples of release actions may include, for example, short and / or rapid swings of the wear member vertically and / or laterally to help release a stuck wear member from its base (e.g., from the presence of impacted particulates). The use of a release action may occur before or during withdrawal of the wear member 7 along its attachment path. A release action may be programmed to occur automatically during each removal of the wear member and / or only if the force to remove the wear member exceeds a predetermined limit and / or may be manually activated. Sensors (not shown) may be provided in the system 35 to detect when a threshold pulling force is met and a release action should be initiated. Such sensors may also be provided to detect higher than expected forces during installation, for example, when there is an unexpected mispositioning of the base for receiving the replacement wear part, such as intervening movement of the bucket, misalignment of teeth, etc. Sensors may also be provided that will stop operation if the transport device encounters an unexpected barrier. As discussed further below, the release operation may also and / or alternatively include a float mode.

[0077] 11-12, in one example, tool head 59 includes a base tool mount 76 (such as a hook 78) and an actuation device (such as a gripper 60). In this illustrated example, tool head 59 has a hook 78 at a rear end for securing tool head 59 to an adapter 6 or crane 47, and an actuation device 60 at a front end for gripping a wear member 7. As can be seen, tool head 59 can have a pin 80 for securing hook 78.

[0078] A wear part 7 (such as point 11) may become stuck on the base to which it is attached due to friction, impacted particulates, bent components, corrosion, etc. In one example, the tool head includes a vibrator that can cooperate with the gripper 60 in removing the ground engaging wear part 7 from the earthmoving equipment 1. The use of a vibrator in conjunction with a device for removing the wear part (e.g., gripper 60) can reduce the force required to remove the wear part, thereby facilitating and / or shortening the removal process. For example, to remove point 11, the tool head 59 engages the point 11 mounted on the forward nose 18 with a gripper 60 having a pair of opposing arms 61, although other arrangements for holding the wear member are possible. The arms 61 can include an inward flange 63 on its distal end to engage a trailing edge 64 along a side of the point 11. The tool head 59 seen in FIG. 11 includes a driver 65 that is adjustable toward and away from the lock 13 to unlock and / or secure the lock 13. Each driver 65 includes a pivot arm 83 and a tool 67 (e.g., a hex tool) engageable with the recess (or other tool engagement formation) 45 to move the pin 29 into or out of engagement with the recess 20 of the intermediate adapter 10 and / or the locking opening 25 of the point 11. This is intended as an example. Other assemblies can be used to release the lock 13 and / or other types of locks that can be plucked, pulled, impacted, from the wear assembly. The term release in relation to a lock is intended to include adjusting the lock while it is secured to the wear member and / or removing the lock from the wear member so that it no longer secures the wear member to the mount.

[0079] In one implementation, to remove the point 11, the arm 61 presses the forward end of the point against a stop 69 and grips the point at the flange 63 on the trailing edge 64. The drive arm 65 is lowered so that the tool 67 is received in the recess 45 and rotates to move the tip 21 of the pin 29 out of the recess 20. The tool 59 in one example is driven by a hydraulic motor. The point 11 is now ready to be pulled from its mount (e.g., the front nose 18).

[0080] In another implementation, to mount the exchange point 11A on a mount (e.g., the front nose 18 of the intermediate adapter 10), the transport device 37 grasps the exchange point 11A and positions the point 11A in alignment adjacent to the intermediate adapter 10 along the mounting axis 31. The position may be determined by the computer 43 based on data from the sensors 39, 39A, 41, and / or the removal process and / or a database memory, and / or by manual (or semi-manual) control by an operator.

[0081] The control of the transport apparatus 37 may have several modes or controls. FIG. 14 shows a handheld or mobile control unit 100 of the transport apparatus 37. The mobile control unit 100 includes a user interface 101, a stop switch 102, a display 103, a speed control switch 104, a toggle switch 105, a float mode switch 107, shortcut buttons 108, deadman switches 109, 110, and / or joysticks 111, 113, 115. The control unit 100 may be secured to a post, or strapped to a user via a strap 116. The display 103 may indicate different operating modes that a user controls via the user interface 101. The display may indicate the percentage of full extension of a particular component of the transport apparatus 37 (e.g., the second arm 55).

[0082] The user interface 101 includes a rotate button 117, an enter button 119, and an esc button 121. The rotate button 117 allows the user to select a particular function (e.g., an operating mode). The enter button 119 allows the user to accept the selection, and the esc button 121 allows the user to return the selection to a previous screen or cancel the selection. The user interface 101 may also be a touch screen display that allows the user to select various functions or modes of the transport device 37 via tactile feedback with the display 103.

[0083] For example, one mode may be a mode for control over the crane 47. By way of example, a joystick 111 (or other controller) may control the movement of only the crane 47. A second mode may be for control of the three axis joint assemblies 71, 71A. The handheld control unit 100 may include a second joystick 113 (or other controller) that controls the movement of only the joint assemblies 71, 71A. A third mode may be for collective control over the crane and joints. The control may include a third joystick 115 that controls the combined movement of the crane and joints.

[0084] In this example, pushing the first joystick 111 forward moves the crane hydraulic cylinders in concert to coordinate the linear (or other) movement of the end of the crane 47 (i.e., at 41). Pushing backwards is the opposite direction, pushing the first joystick 111 to the right moves the end of the crane to the right, and so on. Pushing the second joystick 113 forward causes the joints to move the tool head to tilt downward. Pushing the second joystick 113 sideways causes the joints to rotate the tool head to the right. Pushing the third joystick 115 forward can control the crane 47 and joint assemblies 71, 71A to move the tool head directly forward in a linear motion (or other motion if programmed to do so differently). This is the control that is preferably performed to withdraw the wear member from the base and / or to attach the wear member to the base.

[0085] In the example of removal, the tool head grips the wear part 7 and releases the lock. The third joystick 115 is then moved backwards relative to the transport device to automatically move the wear part in the reverse direction along the removal path 31, which in the illustrated example is a linear motion. To attach the replacement wear part 7aA, movement of any or more of the joysticks 111, 113, 115 moves the wear part 7A into alignment with the base. The third joystick 115 can then be pushed forward, with the computer controlling hydraulic cylinders and / or motors in cooperation with the sensor 41, to move the tool head with the replacement wear part 7A along the attachment path 31 (e.g., in a linear motion) to fully position the wear part on the base. The tool head is then operated to move (or attach) the lock to a hold position to secure the wear part to the base. The wear part may be released and the transport device can be removed. The controls for the tool head can be separate from the crane / joint controls (and optionally on a handheld control). Other embodiments are possible, including fully automated processes. Although joystick control is shown, other arrangements are possible. For example, a single joystick capable of operating in different modes may be used. As another example, the joystick may be replaced with other types of controllers.

[0086] In another embodiment, one mode controls the crane 47 and the three-axis joint to move. The joystick 111 may control the post 51 or pivot or swing rotation (e.g., by rotating the joystick 111 left and right) and the up and down movement of the main boom or arm 53 (e.g., by moving the joystick 111 up and down or right / left). The joystick 113 may control the three-axis joint assembly 71A such that the up and down, left and right directions and left and right rotation control particular axes on the three-axis joint assembly 71A (e.g., pitch, roll, yaw). The joystick 115 may control the inner and outer booms. For example, left / right movement controls the extension and retraction of the inner boom and up and down movement controls the outer boom or arm 55.

[0087] In another implementation, the toggle switch 105 switches between several modes that control different tool heads, such as, for example, an adapter installation / removal tool, or a point installation / removal head or gripper 60 (FIG. 11). In such modes, the joystick 111 may control the adapter stabilizer to move in and out with up and down movements of the joystick 111. The joystick 111 may also control the gripper arm 61 to move in and out with movements of the joystick 111 (e.g., left / right movements). The joystick 113 may move the driving tool 67 up and down and rotate the tool clockwise and counterclockwise (e.g., through up and down and left / right movements). The joystick 115 may move the driving tool 67 back and forth and left to right to align with the lock. In one example, the deadman switch 109 may be required to be pressed while holding the toggle switch 105 so that there is an intentional switch between modes. In another implementation, the float mode switch 107 may activate a float mode for the triaxial joint assembly 71A during tool head mode. The float mode switch 107 may also be toggled on / off during crane solo mode and crane and triaxial joint assembly mode. The float mode activation may further determine which axes float (e.g., A4, A5, A6, or some combination), as discussed further below. The deadman switch 110 needs to be pressed when pressing the float mode switch 107, as intended purpose for switching to float mode.

[0088] In another embodiment, the toggle switch 105 may select a mode for mounting axis control of both the crane 47 and the joint assembly 71, 71A. Such mounting axis may be, for example, a linear motion mode. In this case, the mounting axis 31 is determined or set by an operator by manipulating a transport device adjacent to the wear part to be replaced or installed. Once the mounting path 31 is determined, the joysticks 111, 113, 115 may be used to simultaneously control the control of both the crane 47 and the three-axis joint assembly. For example, the joystick 111 may control the xy movement along the path 31, while the joystick 115 may control the z direction (e.g., forward and backward). The three-axis joint assembly 71, 71A may pitch, roll, and yaw in any number of directions, and the joysticks 111 and 115 control both the crane 47 and the three-axis joint assembly 71 to move along the path 31. The joystick 113 may be used to solely control the three-axis joint assembly, even during the mounting axis or linear motion modes.

[0089] In one implementation, the speed control switch 104 may control the speed at which the crane 47 and joint components move. In one example, the stop switch 102 may stop all operations from being performed until the stop switch 102 is disabled. This may be the reason for any missteps during field operations.

[0090] In another implementation, the shortcut button 108 may allow for switching between functions in other modes other than the currently selected mode. For example, in crane 47 only mode, the shortcut button 108 may be pressed to clamp the arms of the gripper head tool or to extend / retract the stabilizers on the gripper head tool. This would alleviate the user from having to switch between modes and use any shortcuts to specific functions regardless of what mode the handheld unit 100 was in.

[0091] Whether a joystick or other form of control is used, one example mode of operation simultaneously controls the orientation and position of the crane 47, manipulator 62, three-axis joint assembly 71A, and tool head 59 such that a tool 59 holding a wear member moves along a single mounting path 31, which in this example is along a linear mounting axis. Once the exchange point 11A is aligned with the base or adapter, the computer 43 moves the point 11A forward in a straight line or other defined motion along the mounting axis or other mounting path 31 to mount the point 11A on the intermediate adapter 10. A degree of freedom of movement adjustment provided by a spring (or other means such as a float, discussed below), known as "fit," can be used to alleviate the need for the point to be placed on the mount (e.g., intermediate adapter 10) and move strictly along a specified or defined path and / or be precisely aligned with the mounting path of the mount (e.g., front nose 18 of intermediate adapter 10). The degree of freedom of movement provided by a spring or the like (if provided) is generally locked (at least part of the time) and cannot be used during removal due to the amount of force sometimes required to remove the point from the front nose 18 of the intermediate adapter 10.

[0092] 6, to facilitate the act of removing and installing wear members 7 / 7A (such as points 11, 11A, or 24), a computer 43 having a processor using programmable logic can automate the movement of the apparatus 37. During replacement of wear member 11A, the worn wear member 7 is replaced and disposed of in a bin or other storage location 75.

[0093] New wear parts 7A may be provided on the vehicle 49 by a rack, storage location, or carousel 77. The replacement wear parts 7A are picked up at the storage location 77 and mounted on the mount from which the worn wear parts 7 were removed (e.g., base adapter 9, mid-adapter 10, lip 16, or other mounting site). The carousel 77 may include several compartments that hold the individual wear parts 7A to be mounted. The carousel 77 may be computer controlled and rotated to indexed positions. When the device 37 pulls a replacement wear part 7A (e.g., point 11A) from the carousel 77 for installation, the carousel 77 may rotate to an indexed position to present the next new wear part 7A in the same position as the previous wear part 7A. This allows the device 37 to access the same position each time in memory to pull out another part. The carousel 77 may have one tier, or may have multiple storage tiers with multiple index positions. Alternatively, the carousel 77 can present an empty bin at the indexed location and the device 37 can place the used worn wear parts 7 removed from the earthmoving equipment 1 in the empty bin 75. The carousel 77 can then rotate to present new wear parts 7A that the device 37 can pull for installation. Alternatively, the device 37 can place the used wear parts 7 in a bin 75, such as a bin on the vehicle 49. At the end of the installation operation, the bin 75 can be dumped and the used parts recycled. The carousel 77 can also include a library for different tool heads, which can be similarly configured to dispense tool heads to the indexed location. Alternatively, the carousel 77 can dispense both wear parts 7A and tool heads.

[0094] In one example, the computer 43 may include instructions for a processor or controller configured to move the worn wear member 7 that has been pulled from the base or mount (e.g., along the attachment axis 31) and discard it in a bin or other storage location 75. The controller using programmable logic grips (or otherwise secures) a replacement wear member 7A for attachment onto the base or mount from which the worn wear member 7 was removed. The controller can store the path 31 and the location (e.g., the intermediate adapter 10) from which the worn wear member 7 was pulled from the mount, and can recall the previous operation by programmable logic (without returning to the discard bin 75) to align the replacement wear member 7A with the attachment axis 31 for attachment to the base or mount. The controller can then use programmable logic to move the wear member 7A onto the base 9, intermediate adapter 10, lip 16, or other attachment site. The controller can also move the gripper 60 autonomously by programmable logic, or manually by user control (with or without programmable logic), to the next wear member 7 to be removed. Alternatively, the controller may be configured to have a learn mode, whereby the operator learns a motion path by manually moving the transport apparatus through a repeating course or in the field, and then invokes the learn mode to repeat the same motion or a slightly adjusted motion for the next worn part.

[0095] The disclosed use and construction of the transport apparatus 37 and tool head 59 is exemplary and other arrangements are possible. The transport apparatus 37 may have a different configuration and / or may have less or different freedom of movement.

[0096] 13, the manipulator 62 may include a triaxial joint assembly 71A (as an example of a joint 71) for securing the tool head 59 to the manipulator 62. The joint assembly 71A may have a structure as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 370,868, filed March 29, 2019, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The triaxial joint assembly 71A may be located at the far end or distal end of the second arm 55. The tool head 59 may be removably secured to the far end 70 of the triaxial joint assembly 71A.

[0097] The triaxial joint assembly 71A may include a base 14 and an adapter 6. The adapter 6 may mount a number of different tool heads 59 secured together in series or may support different tool heads 59 in sequence. The base 14 is preferably fixed to a distal end 71 of the arm 55, which in this embodiment terminates in a base plate 30. The base plate 30 may be fixed in a single orientation relative to the arm 53 or may include joints that provide a pivotable, universal or other connection. In one example, the base 14 includes closely spaced movable components that define three axes A4, A5, A6 for compound movement of a supported tool such as the tool head 59. The joint components or articulations are secured together to form three articulation points or three axes (or more or less than three). In one example, one axis always intersects the other two axes. Alternatively, the triaxial joint assembly 71A may be constructed such that the three axes always intersect. Alternatively, the triaxial joint assembly 71A may be constructed such that two of the three axes always intersect. In another embodiment, none of the axes A4, A5, A6 intersect. In one construction, the axes A4-A6 are closely juxtaposed to facilitate controlled movement in a compact space.

[0098] The base 14 is fixed to the distal end of the arm 55 by a first support 28. The first support 28 in this example includes a spaced apart fixed plate 32 that is attached (e.g., by bolting) to a base plate 30. In the illustrated example, the axes A4-A6 are oriented successively from the distal end as pitch axis A4, yaw axis A5 and roll axis A6, although they may be oriented in a different order.

[0099] In the illustrated example, the base 14 includes a first actuator 34 for movement about the pitch axis A4. The first actuator 34 includes a housing 36 fixed to the fixed plate 32 and a first internal rotatable element (not shown) attached to and movably held by a second support 38. The second support 38 includes a pair of arms 40 extending around opposite ends of the housing 36 for attachment to the first internal rotatable element, a base plate 42, and a fixed plate 44 for holding a second actuator 46. In this example, the first actuator 34 may be a hydraulic rotary actuator such as those available from Parker-Helac Corporation. In this example, the actuator 34 provides movement about the pitch axis A4 of approximately 100°. In this example, the first or pitch actuator 34 provides a degree of freedom of movement ranging from -10° to +90° from neutral, in this case where the base plate 42 is parallel to the base plate 30. Other drivers, configurations, and freedoms of movement are possible.

[0100] In this embodiment, the second or yaw actuator 46 may be a hydraulic rotary actuator such as those available from Parker-Helac Corporation. The second actuator 46 includes a housing 48 secured to the fixed plate 44 and a second internal rotating element (not shown) attached to and movably supporting the third support 66. In this embodiment, the third support 66 includes an arm 52 secured to the second internal rotating element and a base plate 54 supporting the fourth support 50. In this embodiment, the second or yaw actuator 46 provides a movement about a second or yaw axis A5 of approximately 160°. In this embodiment, the actuator 46 provides a degree of freedom of movement ranging from -80° to +80° from neutral, in this case where the base plate 55 of the support 50 is parallel to the base plate 42. Other drivers, configurations, and freedoms of movement are possible.

[0101] In this embodiment, the third or roll actuator 56 is a hydraulic cylinder supported by the fourth support 50 for moving the turntable 57. In this embodiment, the roll actuator 56 provides movement about a roll axis A6 of approximately 40°. In this embodiment, the actuator 56 provides a degree of freedom of movement ranging from -20° to +20° from neutral, in this case the adapter legs 85 extend downward to set on the ground or other support when not in use. In one example, the roll axis A6 always intersects with the other two axes A4, A5, i.e., in all orientations. Other drivers, configurations, and freedoms of movement are possible. In an alternative configuration, the yaw actuator 46 is shifted back over the pitch joint so that the pitch and yaw axes A4, AA5 always intersect. In this arrangement, it is preferred that the roll axis A6 intersects with the other two axes A4, A5 such that all three axes always intersect (not shown). In another configuration, none of the axes A4, A5, A6 intersect.

[0102] The adapter 6 includes a tool mount 70, which in this example is on a forward end 80 opposite the turntable 57. The tool mount 70 may include a connector for securing a tool head to the tool mount 70. In this example, the tool mount 70 includes a pin 64 and a support plate 65 to which a tool, such as a tool head 59, is secured. In one example, the tool head 59 is a gripper assembly 60 that holds a wear part 7 (such as point 11) during placement on or removal from the earth moving equipment 1. However, other types of tool heads and mounts can be used to accommodate tools having different types of connections. In one embodiment, another tool head can be secured in series. As an example, a tool head in the form of a sensor module can be mounted in series with the tool head 59. As an example, the sensor module can detect one or more of a pulling force applied to remove the wear part, a level of vibration applied, a signal from a sensor in the wear part, and / or other characteristics of operation. The sensor module may include a connector in the form of a hook 78, although other arrangements are possible. Each tool head can be operated depending on what is needed or desired, such as when needed, continuously, when a particular event occurs, etc. Other tool heads can be secured in series from the adapter 6, including, for example, one or more sprayers for cleaning particulates, welding equipment, cameras, etc. The various tools can be secured and removed as needed for the desired operation. Although tool mounts and hooks are illustrated, other securing arrangements are possible. Additionally, although examples including two or three tools in series are discussed, other numbers of tools can be secured together.

[0103] Additionally, the adapter 6 may be provided with various means for attaching different types of tools, such as having holes to allow for bolting and / or other common or custom connection devices. Different adapters may be secured to the base 14 to accommodate different tools and / or operations.

[0104] The couplers 68 are secured to the adapter 6 outside the adapter housing 72 to facilitate hydraulic, pneumatic and / or electrical connections to the tool, i.e., to drive and / or control various mechanisms and operations of the tool. They may be secured in other manners. In this embodiment, two six port hydraulic couplers 68 are included to provide a simple and quick source of hydraulic pressure for the tool. Other arrangements are possible. An electrical connector (not shown) may also be provided for use with the tool.

[0105] In one example, the arm 55 and the joint assembly 71A are operated together by the same control, whether manual, automatic, or semi-automatic. For example, the operation of the joint assembly 71A may be coupled with the operation of the crane 47 or other base manipulator so that they work together. In such a case, the three-axis joint assembly 71A may include a computer 43 and a multi-valve manifold 73 to operate the supported tool head 59 through the coupling 68. In an alternative implementation, the arms 53, 55 may be operated by the control of the crane 47 or other manipulator, and a separate computer 43 and manifold 73 may be used to operate the actuators 34, 46, and 56, as well as the supported tool head. Such independence allows the joint assembly 71A to be fixed to virtually any crane, stick, arm, or other support without the need to incorporate controls into the crane, stick, arm, or other support.

[0106] In other alternatives, the crane 47, the joint assembly 71A, and the tool head 59 may each have a separate computer, or all may be operated by a single host computer 43. Hoses and / or internal ducts provide hydraulic fluid or the like from a source to the manipulator 62, the joint assembly 71A, and / or the components of the supported tool. The hoses and / or ducts are omitted from the drawings and may have virtually any arrangement. Similarly, electrical wiring may be provided to the manipulator 62, the joint assembly 71A, and / or the supported tool. The electrical wiring is also not shown in the drawings. The computer 43 may be powered by a power source, such as the crane, the excavating machine, the vehicle, a power unit, and / or a battery in an adapter or elsewhere. Batteries may be provided in addition to or instead of such electrical wiring. Hydraulic fluid (and electrical power, if necessary) for the joint assembly 71A and / or the tool may be provided by the crane, the excavating machine, the vehicle, or other device supporting the joint, or from a separate drive unit. The computer 43 may be located remotely from the transport device.

[0107] The computer 43 may include instructions for a processor or controller configured to direct the actions of the crane 47, the triaxial joint 71A and / or the supported tool head 59. The computer 43 may have a processor with instructions configured to receive signals from another computer, handheld, or mobile device to perform real-time operations (e.g., operations such as removal, installation, inspection, repair, refueling, tree felling, harvesting, etc.). The computer 43 may be included in a portable and / or handheld device having a joystick or other type of control to control and operate the crane 47, the triaxial joint 71A and / or the tool head 59. Alternatively, instructions from the computer 43 may provide directions for automatic or semi-automatic operations by the crane 47, the triaxial joint 71A and / or the tool head 59. In such a system, instructions for automated operations are preferably pre-stored in a database (remote or adapter 6) and used to perform the desired operations. In automatic operation, the crane 47, triaxial joint 71A and / or tool head 59 may be provided with encoders (linear or rotary) and / or positioning sensors at the actuators 34, 46, 56 to identify their position and / or orientation. The automatic and manual controls may operate cooperatively, sequentially, or separately. Signals may alternatively or additionally be received from sensors included in the components and / or equipment being removed, installed, inspected, for example, to identify the components and / or equipment, guide the crane 47, triaxial joint 71A and / or tool head 59, or communicate other information regarding the position, status, or operation of the wear components 7 and / or equipment. Examples of sensors that may be included are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,670,649, U.S. Pat. No. 10,011,975, and / or U.S. Publication No. 2016 / 0237640. Signals may be received from other cranes, triaxial joints and / or tool heads operating near or in conjunction with the crane 47, triaxial joint 71A and / or tool head 59.All or some of these signals in various embodiments may be used collectively or available for use together. Alternatively, they may each be used by themselves or in various combinations with others of the types of signals and operations. Furthermore, whether they are used together or alone, they may be received in combination with other types of signals. The communication device may also or alternatively transmit signals for a variety of purposes, including any or all of those mentioned above. The transmitted signals may be of any of a variety of different types, of which radio waves are one example.

[0108] In one example, the transport apparatus 37 may be used to inspect and / or replace wear parts on an excavation bucket. A camera or other tool may be coupled to the adapter 6, for example, to perform an inspection of the condition of the wear parts. A tool such as the illustrated tool head 59 may be used to replace the wear parts. The camera or other inspection tool may be provided as part of the tool head 59, may be a tool that is separately attached to the adapter 6, or may be secured to the adapter 6 in place of the illustrated tool head 59 for inspection.

[0109] The manipulator 62 and / or tool head 59 may be fully manually controlled by a processor having instructions stored in memory for gripping, unlocking, and removing the wear parts. Alternatively, the computer 43 may manually adjust the manipulator to position the tool in proximity to or engagement with the wear part, and use a programmed sequence of instructions to manipulate the manipulator and / or tool to perform one or more of the actions of gripping, unlocking, and / or removing the wear part. Alternatively, the entire operation may be controlled by a sequence of programmed instructions. Cameras and / or sensors may be used for manual, automatic, and / or semi-automatic operation. The computer 43 may receive information from such cameras (or similar) and / or sensors, and / or sensors in the wear part or the equipment supporting the wear part. By way of example, the computer 43 may receive information identifying the type of wear part 7 attached to the bucket, the position of the wear part 7 on the bucket 3, the orientation of the wear part 7, the condition of the wear part 7, etc.

[0110] Freedom of movement adjustment, known as compliance or float, may be provided by float controlled manifolds 81, 82 (or other means). Floating or float may remove control from the operator and allow or direct fluid to flow freely (by a barrier or valve) or exchange through a flow path (e.g., in the actuator or in a float controlled manifold) from one side of the hydraulic actuator to the other. The direction of flow through the flow path is influenced by an external acting force, such as contact with a wear member 7 or a mount (e.g., intermediate adapter 10). Float adjustment may be used, for example, when mounting the point 11 on a mount (e.g., front nose 18 of intermediate adapter 10) or when initially gripping the point 11 during removal, to alleviate the need to move strictly along a specified or defined path 31 and / or align precisely with the mounting / removal path 31. Float adjustment may be automated and / or controlled by computer 43. Float mode or adjustment may be initiated in several different ways, including float to one or more actuators of the crane, joint and / or tool head. As examples, all three actuators 34, 46, 56 of the three axis joint assembly 71A float about their respective axes A4, A5, A6 while one or more of the crane arm joints float about their respective axes A1, A2, A3, or a combination thereof; two of the three actuators 34, 46, 56 float about their respective axes A4, A5, A6; one of the three actuators 34, 46, 56 float about their respective axes A4, A5, A6; or none of the three actuators 34, 46, 56 float about their respective axes A4, A5, A6.

[0111] In the illustrated example, the actuator 34 can float about axis A4 and the actuator 46 can float about axis A5, while axis A6 is controlled (e.g., both axes are in float mode). This arrangement allows for small or fine adjustments along axes A4, A5 during installation or removal of the mounting path. The manipulator 62 moves the tool head 59 along axis A6, while the float can provide selected, minor movement to help align the tool with the removal / installation path (if slightly misaligned) along axes A4 and / or AA5 so that the tool head can more easily remove and / or install the wear member on the mount. The three-axis joint assembly 71A can include float control manifolds 81, 82 and / or alarms 84.

[0112] The float control manifolds 81, 82 engage or disengage the float mode of the triaxial joint assembly 71A (e.g., a barrier or valve engages to block or disengage a flow path to allow fluid flow through the flow path). In float mode, the triaxial joint assembly 71A may be adjusted by a joint actuator and / or manipulator while at least one actuator controlling a joint component for movement about axes A4 and / or AA5 is in float mode. The float mode effectively turns off control of that actuator (e.g., neutral state) so that other external forces are aligned with either attachment to a wear part or attachment to a mount. Such manipulation may require smaller incremental adjustments than achievable via control of the joint and / or manipulator alone. The float may be manually activated and / or automatically activated, e.g., for a short period of time, when the force exceeds a predetermined level.

[0113] The alarm 84 (if included) is activated whenever the float mode is activated. The alarm 84 may be, for example, a visual alarm, tactile feedback, and / or an audio alarm. In one example, the alarm 84 may be activated by an electrical switch. Alternatively, the alarm 84 may activate a wireless transmitter to generate a notification or alert. The illustrated embodiment shows one alarm 84 on the arm 52 secured to the second internal rotating element that is a light visible to the transport device 37 and / or an operator of a nearby earthmoving machine 1. The device 37 may provide the alarm 84 wirelessly to the device operator or others and / or to a handheld or wireless device for access by the operator or others. Additionally, the programmable logic may be programmed to generate the alarm 84 when the programmable logic determines that a float mode is required or controls the device 37 to the float function.

[0114] 15A and 16A, the float control manifold 81, 82 may, in one example, include a counterbalance valve 86, a bent arm pipe 87, a needle valve 88, an input value 89, and a float mode assembly 90. The actuators 34, 46, 56 each have an input port 96, 97, which is an inlet to each side of the actuator, for example, to control a piston, rotary device, or the like. Each of the components of the float control manifold 81, 82 may be fluidly connected, as discussed further below.

[0115] The counterbalance valve 86 maintains fluid pressure in the manifold when no direct fluid pressure is introduced, for example when the system 35 is stopped at a particular position. The needle valve 88 may be adjustable and may act like a flow control valve where the flow of fluid (e.g. hydraulic fluid) is attenuated in two different directions. The needle valve 88 is adjustable by threading a needle into or away from the connection between passage R and passage T in FIG. 15B and the connection between R, S, and T in FIG. 16B. The smaller the tolerance allowed by the needle in the needle valve 88, the smaller the increment of movement that the actuators 34, 46, 56 move along their respective axes A4-A6. The needle valve 88 cuts off passages R, T for hydraulic flow to move the actuators 34, 46, 56 in either direction in FIG. 15B. The needle valve 88 cuts off passages R, S, T in either direction in FIG. 16B. In one example, these directions dictate which way a hydraulic rotary actuator rotates. Or the needle controls which way a piston moves in a piston actuator. Disconnecting the passage from the needle affects how much fluid is allowed to pass (e.g., damping), and therefore the amount the actuator 34, 46, 56 moves. Alternatively, the needle valve 88 may be fixed. In another example, the needle valve may control the amount of float allowed (e.g., 1-2 degrees).

[0116] The float mode assembly 90 includes a motor 92 and a barrier 94. The float mode assembly 90 may be located at least partially within the float manifold 81, 82 or may be mounted separately as a stand-alone device. The motor 92 may be, for example, a solenoid valve or a DC motor, and controls the position of the barrier 94 (e.g., engaged to block or disengaged to open). The pathways or passages S, T, U create a channel between the two input valves 96, 97 of the actuator, and the barrier 94 blocks or opens the channel in FIG. 15B. The input valves of the hydraulic actuator control the direction along a particular axis of the manipulator. The pathways R, S, T, U create a channel between the two input valves 96, 97 of the actuator in FIG. 16B. When the barrier 94 is in a closed position, the channel is blocked and the float mode is off. When the barrier 94 is open, the channel is open and fluid can freely exchange and move between both ports 96 and 97, and the float mode is on. The float mode assembly 90 creates a float function in that at least one of the actuators 34, 36, 56, and the crane 47 move, for example, approximately -2.5 to 2.5 degrees about their respective axes A4, A5, A6 from an external source or force. In the illustrated embodiment, the external source is an earthmoving device or a wear part fixed to a mount on the earthmoving device. These small degrees of movement allow the tool head 59 to make small incremental movements that may not be available to the transport device 37 during complex transfer operations. These small movements allow installation and removal of low tolerance parts with tight fit tolerances. These small movements also account for small variations in the installation and removal process where the device 37 is slightly out of alignment with either the mounting axis 31 or the front of the worn product. In one example, the manipulator can be controlled while the joint is in float mode. The float mode is beneficial due to the preferred hydraulic drive, which is powerful and robust in earthmoving operations. Electric motors provide the precision needed, but cannot withstand the rigors typically found in mines, construction sites, or other earthmoving operations.

[0117] 15B and 16B, the fluid passages P, Q shown may not completely intersect with the openings 86', 87', 88', 89', 90', where components of the float manifolds 81, 82 are attached thereto and only a portion of the passages may intersect. The counterbalance valve openings 86' are connected to each other by passages P and Q. Passage Q connects the input opening 89' to the counterbalance opening 86' opposite the input opening 89'. Passage P connects the counterbalance valve openings 86' together. The input valve openings 89' may intersect the counterbalance valve openings 86'.

[0118] One of the counterbalance openings 86' may be connected to a bend arm valve opening 87'. A float valve opening 90' may be connected to the bend arm valve opening 87' through passage U in FIG. 15B. The float valve 90' ​​may be connected to an input valve opening 89' through passage U in FIG. 16B. The float valve opening 90' may be connected to a needle valve opening 88' through passage T in FIG. 15B and passages S, T in FIG. 16BB. The needle valve opening 88' may be connected to the other counterbalance valve opening 86' through passage R. Passage R may be connected to passage S. Passage S may be connected to an input valve 96 of the actuator 34 as shown in FIG. 15B. Other constructions for the float control are possible.

[0119] The manipulator 62 and / or tool head 59 disclosed herein may be used to remove and / or install wear parts from and / or onto equipment in mining, construction, dredging, mineral processing, and / or other earthmoving operations. By way of example, earthmoving equipment includes various machines (e.g., excavators, cable shovels, shears, continuous miners, crushers, etc.) and / or transport equipment (e.g., chutes, conveyors, track trays, etc.). Wear parts 7 may include, for example, points, adapters, picks, shrouds, runners, wear plates, track components, blades, etc. The above description of the system 35 in a mining environment (e.g., for replacing wear parts) is provided as an example of possible structure, operation and use of the manipulator. The system 35 according to the present disclosure may have many other uses.

[0120] FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a method or process or program 200 for removing a worn wear component from an earth moving machine. The process 200 may be implemented in program instructions in the context of a software application, module, component, or any other such programming element deployed on a computer 43. The program instructions may direct an underlying physical or virtual computing system or systems to operate as follows, with reference now to the steps of FIG. 17. Additionally, the various steps may be performed via manual and / or semi-automatic control. The various steps may be performed in different orders and / or may include more or fewer steps.

[0121] First, in one example, the position and / or orientation of the worn wear member is determined (step 201). This determination may be accomplished by sensors 39, 39A, 41, for example, in conjunction with programmable logic and / or manually directed placement. In another example, a camera may assist in the determination. From the position and / or orientation, a mounting path or axis 31 may be determined by computer 43 (step 203). The mounting path 31 is the path along which the wear member is to be removed from and / or attached to the mount. The mounting path 31 may optionally be set manually by an operator who aligns the gripper of the tool head with the wear member to be removed. The transport device 37 may have several modes. One mode may be for specific control over the crane 47. Another mode controls the crane 47 and the three-axis joint 71A simultaneously such that the device 37 moves the wear member along a single mounting axis 31. The computer 43 may control hydraulic cylinders and motors using data from the sensors 41, including the detected orientation of the mounting axis 31 and the relative positions of the crane 47 and joint components 71, to move the tool head 59 in a linear motion along the mounting axis 31, regardless of the 3-D orientation of the mounting axis 31. A suitable tool head 59 is selected and attached to the manipulator 62 (step 205), which may be the first step. The manipulator is manipulated to align with the wear part (step 206). The transport device 37 is manipulated to engage the wear part (step 207). The engagement may cause the forward end of the point 11 to press against the stop 69 of the gripper tool. Moving the transport device 37 may include directing the movement of the crane actuator and the joint actuators to move the tool head along the mounting axis simultaneously with the wear part in one solid motion. It is determined whether the tool 59 is properly secured to the worn wear part (step 209). For example, for a gripper tool, the arm attempts to grip point 11 with flange 63 fully on trailing edge 64 of point 11 .If the lock onto the wear member fails, the float mechanism is enabled (step 211). In another embodiment, the float mechanism may be automatic. Additionally, an alarm 84 may be activated to indicate that the float mode has been initiated.

[0122] The float mechanism may be controlled by the host computer 43 with or without an operator (e.g., automated). The float mechanism may be initiated in a number of different ways, as described above. The float mechanism may be initiated several times before attaching to the worn wear member. Such examples include floating one actuator to attempt attachment, and if unsuccessful, floating a second actuator. The actuators may alternatively float simultaneously.

[0123] In the illustrated example of FIG. 13, the three-axis joint assembly 71A includes float mechanisms 81, 82 on the actuators 34, 46, respectively. Float mode may allow control of axis A6 while axes A4 and / or A5 are in float mode. In this embodiment, movement along the removal / installation path 31 may be better accomplished in small increments from the actuators 34, 46. This step may include, for example, preparing the worn point 11 to be removed such that the tool 67 is received within the recess 25 of the point 11 and the drive arm 65 is lowered to rotate and move the tip 21 of the pin 29 out of the recess 20. This may further include sensor data confirming complete pin extraction from the point 11 or adapter 10, 9. In another implementation, the sensor may also help determine when the pin has been removed from the adapter 10 such that the point 11 may be removed without pulling the pin out completely. In another implementation, the sensor may help determine when the pin is fully installed in the adapter 10. The pin determination may be from a GPS or accelerometer monitoring a predetermined distance the lock must travel to be fully engaged or fully removed, or from sensor data for comparison to other locks already installed or removed on the earthmoving equipment. If installation is successful, the worn wear member 7 is removed along the installation axis 31 (step 213). This may be done by manual control or through a computer processing system with programmed removal path instructions or logic, such that the transport apparatus, including the crane 47 and joint assemblies 71, 71A, move simultaneously about the installation axis. The worn wear member 7 may be located by placing the worn wear member 7 in a bin 75 on the system 35.

[0124] The removal step 213 may also optionally include a release action to better release the wear member 7 from its base before and / or during its movement along its attachment path 31. Examples of release actions may include, for example, short and / or rapid swings of the wear member vertically and / or laterally to help release a stuck wear member from its base (e.g., from the presence of impacted particulates). The use of a release action may occur before or during withdrawal of the wear member along its attachment path. A release action may be programmed to occur automatically during each removal of the wear member and / or only if the force removing the wear member exceeds a predetermined limit.

[0125] The process 200 may begin again by moving the gripper 60 to the next wear member 7 to be removed, or the process may continue to install a new replacement wear member where the worn wear member has been removed. The process 200 may also learn the path of motion by having an operator manually move the transport apparatus through a repeated course or steps of removing and installing wear parts in a learn mode. The process 200 may store those operations and repeat them exactly or with slight adjustments in the movement to the next worn member 7.

[0126] FIG. 18 illustrates one example of a method or process or program 300 for installing a new wear component 7A on an earth moving machine. The process 300 may be implemented in program instructions in the context of a software application, module, component, or any other such programming element deployed on the computer 43, or may be operator controlled by manual and / or semi-automatic control. The program instructions direct the underlying physical or virtual computing system or systems to operate as follows, with reference in passing to the steps of FIG. 18. The various steps may be performed in different orders and / or may include more or fewer steps.

[0127] First, the transport device 37 secures to the replacement wear part 7A (e.g., point 11A) (step 301). For example, this may be a gripper tool head that grips the wear part and removes the replacement wear part from a storage location. The storage location may be a carousel 77 or other similar holding location. The attachment path 31 is determined (step 303). The path 31 may be determined by sensors 39 (such as those disclosed for the removal process or others), based on the removal process, by the computer 43, and / or by manual (or semi-manual) control by an operator. For example, the operator may stop the device 37 in manipulator or crane mode at a predetermined ground point, the stop of the crane or manipulator sets the attachment axis 31, and then swap the control to another mode, e.g., the attachment axis mode or the "linear motion" mode, causing all components of the system 35 to move along the set attachment axis 31 (e.g., in a linear path). The process 300 may further include storing the operation and path 31 and location by which the worn wear member 7 was pulled from the mount (e.g., intermediate adapter 10), and may recall the stored information from any previous operation (without returning to the waste bin 75) to align the replacement wear member 7A with the mounting axis 31 for attachment to the base or mount.

[0128] The next step involves manipulating the transport apparatus 37, which may include the crane 47, joint assembly 71A, and tool head secured to the wear member 7A (e.g., point 11A) adjacent the mounting location on the earthmoving equipment (e.g., front nose 18 of the intermediate adapter 10), to align or set the mounting path (step 305). Once the exchange point 11A is aligned, the process 300 may simultaneously manipulate the transport apparatus components (e.g., crane, joint assembly, tool head) (step 306) so that the point 11A moves forward in a straight line or other defined motion along the mounting path 31 to mount or attach the point 11A onto the mount (e.g., intermediate adapter 10). It is determined whether the mounting of the point is misaligned (step 307). This may be accomplished, for example, by checking the clearance of the lock 13, since the lock must be positioned on the mount (e.g., intermediate adapter 10) through the wear member 7. In one example, positioning of lock 13 may be aided by sensor data (e.g., from a sensor on lock 13) that confirms that the lock is in place or is misaligned. If misaligned, for example, lock 13 may not be aligned to lock into recess 19. If misaligned, the float mechanism is enabled (step 309). Additionally, an alarm 84 may optionally be activated to indicate that float mode has been initiated.

[0129] The float mechanism, as previously discussed, can be initiated in a number of different ways. The float mechanism can be initiated several times before the replacement wear part is fully installed. Examples include floating one actuator to attempt installation, and if unsuccessful, floating a second actuator. Alternatively, float can occur on two axes simultaneously.

[0130] The float mode may allow control of axis A6 while axes A4 and A5 are in float mode. In this embodiment, the mounting axis 31 can be better achieved with small increments from the actuators 34, 46. The float mechanism compensates for misalignment (e.g., relative positioning) of the mating parts. In one example, this is because of the tight fit (e.g., small tolerances) that may exist between the point and the mount, and the point 11 must generally be mounted on the base with linear motion along the tooth mounting axis 31. In another example of misalignment, the point 11 may tilt during installation. In yet another example, the deeper the mounting cavity 27 (such as the tooth 24 shown in Figures 4 and 5), the greater the need to mount the point 11 along a linear mounting axis 31.

[0131] The installation process is completed by reading the replacement wear part 7A as aligned and locked onto the mount (step 310). Once the installation process is complete, the process 300 locks the wear part 7A onto the mount (step 311). This step may further include lowering the driver 65 so that the lock 13 is received within the recess 19 of the wear part 7 and rotating to move the pin within the lock to the retaining position. If installation is successful, the wear part is removed along the installation axis 31 (step 313).

[0132] Process 300 may begin again by moving gripper 60 to the next wear member 7 to be installed, or may continue with the process for removing the worn wear member on which a replacement wear member is installed. Process 300 may also have a learn mode in which an operator learns the path of motion by manually moving the transport apparatus through a repeated course or steps of removing and installing wear parts. Process 300 may save those operations and repeat them exactly or with slight adjustments to move to the next mount for installation. Various steps of process 300 may be performed in a different order and / or may include more or fewer steps.

[0133] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary machine representing a systemization of a computing system or host computer 401 used to monitor one or more ground engaging products or at least a portion thereof (e.g., rear or bottom). Examples of computing systems 401 include, but are not limited to, server computers, web servers, cloud computing platforms, and data center equipment, as well as any other type of physical or virtual server machine, vessel, and any variation or combination thereof. Computing system 401 may be implemented as a single apparatus, system, or device, or may be implemented in a distributed manner as multiple apparatus, systems, or devices. Information and / or data may be processed by processing system 402. Processing system 402 may be part of a standalone or monitoring system of transport equipment 37, earthmoving equipment 1, system 35, handheld equipment, mobile device, computer 43, sensor 39, 39A, 41, and / or remote equipment.

[0134] The host computing system 401 includes, but is not limited to, a processing system 402, a storage system 403, software 405, a communication interface system 407, and an optional user interface system 409. The processing system 402 is operatively coupled to the storage system 403, the communication interface system 407, and the user interface system 409.

[0135] The computing system 401 may process information using a central processing unit (CPU) or processor. The processing system 402 may be implemented in a single processing device, but may be distributed across multiple processing devices or subsystems that cooperate in the execution of program instructions. Examples of the processing system 402 include programmable general-purpose central processing units, special purpose microprocessors, programmable controllers, graphic processing units, embedded components, application-specific processors, and programmable logic devices, as well as any other type of processing device, combination, or variation thereof. The processing system 402 may facilitate communication between co-processor devices. The processing system 402 may be implemented in a distributed computing environment, where tasks or modules are performed by remote processing devices linked via a communication network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, or the like. In a distributed computing environment, program modules or subroutines may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. Distributed computing may be utilized to load balance and / or aggregate resources for processing.

[0136] In one implementation, the processing system 402 or other elements of the system 401 may be operatively coupled to or may be the appliance control unit ECO. In another implementation, the processing system 402 may expedite encryption and decryption of requests or data.

[0137] The processing system 402 may include a microprocessor and other circuitry that retrieves and executes computer instructions, programs, applications, and / or software 405 from the storage system 403. The processing system 402 executes program components in response to user and / or system generated requests. One or more of these program components may be implemented in software, hardware, or both hardware and software 405. The processing system 402 may pass instructions (e.g., operational instructions and data instructions) to enable various operations.

[0138] The communication interface system 407 may include communication connections and devices that allow it to communicate with other computing systems over a communication network. For example, the communication interface system 407 may be in communication with a network.

[0139] Examples of connections and devices that enable inter-system communication may include network interface cards, antennas, power amplifiers, RF circuits, transceivers, and other communication circuits. The communication interface system 407 may use a variety of wired and wireless connection protocols, such as direct connections, Ethernet, wireless connections such as IEEE 802.11ax, miracast, and the like. The connections and devices may communicate over a communication medium to exchange communications with other computing systems or networks of systems, such as metal, glass, air, or any other suitable communication medium. The aforementioned media, connections, and devices are well known and need not be discussed in detail here.

[0140] The communication interface system 407 may, in some implementations, include a firewall that can control and / or manage permissions to access / proxy data within a computer network and track different levels of trust between different machines and / or applications. A firewall can be any number of modules having any combination of hardware and / or software components that can enforce a predefined set of access rights between specific sets of machines and applications, machines and machines, and / or applications to regulate the flow of traffic and resource sharing between these changing entities, for example. Other network security functions performed or included in the function of a firewall can be, for example, but are not limited to, intrusion prevention, intrusion detection, next generation firewall, personal firewall, etc., without departing from the novel techniques of the present disclosure.

[0141] The user interface system 409 facilitates communication between user input devices, peripherals, and / or the like, and components of the computing system 401 using protocols such as protocols for handling voice, data, video interfaces, wireless transceivers, or the like (e.g., Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® Low Energy, IEEE 1394a-b, serial, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), 802.11a / b / g / n / x, cellular, etc.).

[0142] The user input devices may include a card reader, a fingerprint reader, a joystick, a keyboard, a microphone, a mouse, a remote control, a retina reader, a touch screen, a sensor, and / or the like. The peripheral devices may include an antenna, an audio device (e.g., microphone, speaker, etc.), a camera, an external processor, a display, a communication device, a radio frequency identifier (RFID), a scanner, a printer, a storage device, a transceiver, and / or the like. By way of example, the user interface 409 may receive data and format the data to be displayed on a display.

[0143] User input devices and peripherals may be connected to the user interface 409 and potentially other interfaces, buses and / or components. Additionally, user input devices, peripherals, co-processor devices, etc. may be connected to the system bus via the user interface system 409. The system bus may be connected to a number of interface adapters, such as the processing system 402, the user interface system 409, the communication interface system 407, the storage system 405, etc.

[0144] The storage system 403 may employ any number of magnetic disk drives, optical drives, solid-state memory devices, and other storage media. The storage system 403 may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of storage media include tangible non-transitory storage devices, or systems, including fixed or removable random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, flash memory, virtual and non-virtual memory, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, solid-state memory devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other suitable processor-readable storage media. In no case is the computer-readable storage medium a propagating signal. The storage system 403 may employ various forms of memory, including on-chip CPU memory (e.g., registers), RAM, ROM, and storage devices. The storage system 403 may communicate with several storage devices, such as storage devices, databases, removable disk devices, and the like. The storage system 403 may use a variety of connection protocols, such as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), IEEE 1394, Ethernet, Fiber, Universal Serial Bus (USB), and the like.

[0145] In addition to computer-readable storage media, in some implementations storage system 403 may also include computer-readable communication media over which at least a portion of software 405 may be communicated internally or externally. Storage system 403 may be implemented as a single storage device, but may be implemented across multiple storage devices or subsystems, either co-located with one another or distributed. Storage system 403 may include additional elements, such as a controller that can communicate with processing system 402 or other systems.

[0146] The storage system 403 may be a database or a database component capable of storing programs for execution by a processor to process the stored data. The database component may be implemented in the form of a relational, scalable, and secure database. Examples of such databases include DB2, MySQL, Oracle, Sybase, etc. Alternatively, the database may be implemented using a variety of standard data structures, such as arrays, hashes, lists, stacks, structured text files (e.g., XML), tables, and / or the like. Such data structures may be stored in memory and / or structured files.

[0147] Computer-executable instructions and data may be stored in memory accessible by the processor (e.g., registers, cache memory, random access memory, flash, etc.). These stored instruction codes (e.g., programs) may engage with the processor components, motherboard, and / or other system components to perform desired operations. The computer-executable instructions stored in memory may include an interactive human-machine interface or platform having one or more program modules, such as routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. For example, the memory may include an operating system (OS), modules, processes, and other components, database tables, etc. These modules / components may be stored and accessed from a storage device, including from an external storage device accessible via an interface bus.

[0148] The software 405 (including the movement process 411, the removal process 413, the attachment axis process 415, the installation process 417, and the float mode process 419) may be implemented in program instructions that, among other functions, when executed by the processing system 402 may direct the processing system 402 to operate as described with respect to the various operating scenarios, sequences, and processes illustrated herein. For example, the software 405 may include program instructions for performing the installation and removal processes described herein.

[0149] In particular, the program instructions may include various components or modules that cooperate or otherwise interact to perform the various processes and operational scenarios described herein. The various components or modules may be embodied in compiled or interpreted instructions, or some other variation or combination of instructions. The various components or modules may be executed in a synchronous or asynchronous manner, serially or in parallel, in a single threaded environment or multi-threaded, or according to any other suitable execution paradigm, variation, or combination thereof. Software 405 may include additional processes, programs, or components, such as operating system software, virtualization software, or other application software. Software 405 may also include firmware or other forms of machine-readable processing instructions executable by processing system 402.

[0150] In general, the software 405, when loaded and executed on the processing system 402, may generally transform a suitable apparatus, system, or device (of which computing system 401 is representative) from a general-purpose computing system to a specialized computing system customized to provide packet redirection. Indeed, the encoding software 405 on the storage system 403 may transform the physical structure of the storage system 403. For example, if the computer-readable storage medium is implemented as a semiconductor-based memory, the software 405 may transform the physical state of the semiconductor memory when the program instructions are encoded therein, such as by transforming the state of the transistors, capacitors, or other discrete circuit elements that make up the semiconductor memory. Similar transformations may occur with respect to magnetic or optical media. Other transformations of physical media are possible without departing from the scope of this description, with the foregoing examples being provided only to facilitate this discussion.

[0151] The transfer process 411 includes instructions that control the transport apparatus 37. Some or all of the operations of the transport apparatus 37 may be fully or partially automated. The transfer process 411 may control valves for various hydraulic cylinders, actuators, and / or motors. The transfer process 411 may include instructions for a processor or controller configured to manually direct the actions of the crane 47, the triaxial joint 71A, and / or the supported tool head 59. The transfer process 411 may have a processor with instructions configured to be received by another host computer, a handheld device, or a mobile device that performs actions in real time (e.g., actions such as removal, installation, inspection, repair, etc.).

[0152] In the moving process 411, the instructions of the automated operations are preferably pre-stored in a database (remote or adapter 6) and are used to perform the desired operations (e.g., processes 413, 415, 417, and 419). In the moving process 411, the transport device 37 and / or the triaxial joint assembly 71A and / or the tool head 59 are provided with encoders (linear or rotational) and / or positioning sensors 41 at the actuators 34, 46, 56 to identify their position and / or orientation. The automatic and manual controls may operate cooperatively, sequentially, or separately. Signals may alternatively or additionally be received from sensors 41 included in the components and / or equipment to be removed, installed, inspected, for example, to identify the components and / or equipment, guide the crane 47, the triaxial joint 71A and / or the tool head 59, or communicate other information regarding the position, status, or operation of the wear components 7 and / or equipment. The signals may be received from other triaxial joint assemblies and / or tool heads working near or in cooperation with the crane, triaxial joint assembly 71A and / or tool head 59. Process 411 allows personnel to avoid contact with wear parts and maintain a safe distance from the parts during transfer operations.

[0153] The removal process 413 is used to remove worn wear components 7 from the earth moving machine 1. When the earth moving machine may be shut down at any given location, the removal process 413 must determine the orientation and amount of worn wear components. The removal process 413 may receive information generated, for example, from electronic sensors 39, 39A, 41 that capture data. The process 413 may receive information from such cameras (or similar) and / or sensors and / or sensors in the wear components or equipment supporting the wear components. By way of example, the removal process 413 may receive information identifying the type of wear components 7 attached to the bucket, the position of the wear components 7 on the bucket 3, the orientation of the wear components 7, the condition of the wear components 7, etc.

[0154] For example, sensors 39, 39A, 41 may detect the orientation of the wear members and / or the spatial position of the wear members and wirelessly transmit signals with position information for use by process 413 in determining the orientation and / or position of the wear members. As another example, an image sensor such as a camera on or separate from the transport device 37 may be used by process 413 to determine a particular 3-D orientation and / or position of tooth 7 (e.g., point 11). Other types of sensors are possible and / or two or more of different types of sensors may be used in combination with each other (e.g., a wear sensor in combination with a location sensor, tilt sensor, or accelerometer).

[0155] The removal process 413 may use a mounting axis process 415. The removal process 413 may provide information and analysis from data received from the sensors 39, 39A, 41, databases, other data sources, other remote devices, etc. Alternatively, the mounting axis process may receive signals from the sensors 39, 39A, 41, in one example by wireless transmission (other arrangements are possible) including data such as the position of the mounting axis 31. The mounting axis process 415 may determine the mounting axis 31 using data collected from the sensors including the detected orientation of the worn wear component. The mounting process 415 may optionally access a database having details of the points 11 and the mounting axis 31 to make the desired determination.

[0156] The removal process 413 may determine that an appropriate tool head 59 is selected and attached to the manipulator 62. The removal process 415 may use data from the attachment axis process 415, including the detected orientation of the attachment axis 31, the orientation of the worn wear member, and the relative position of the crane 47 and the joint component 71, to control hydraulic cylinders and motors to move the tool head 59 in a linear or non-linear motion along the attachment axis 31, regardless of the 3D orientation of the attachment axis 31. The movement of the tool head 59 along the attachment path 31 may be a coordinated simultaneous movement of different adjustable components directed by the removal process 413. This may involve coordinated movement of all adjustable components or may involve adjustment of less than all adjustable components. It is assumed that the wear members 7 are removed along a defined attachment path or axis 31. Other attachment paths are also possible. For example, certain wear members 7 (e.g., points and shrouds) may be removed and / or attached along attachment paths that are non-linear (e.g., arcuate).

[0157] Alternatively, the removal process 413 may involve manually adjusting the manipulator 62 to position the tool head 59 in proximity to or engagement with the wear member 7, such as by pressing it against a stop 69. A laser (not shown) may be provided on the manipulator 62 to provide a line of sight that may assist the operator in positioning the drive tool 67 within the lock 13. Cameras and / or sensors may be used for manual, automatic, and / or semi-automatic operation. A camera may be provided (in addition to a laser or by itself) to assist in connecting the tool 59 to the wear part. The use of a camera may also be used to assist the operator or to fully automate the operation of the transport apparatus 37.

[0158] The forward end of the point 11 is pressed against the stop 69 along the mounting axis 31. The removal process 413 may determine if the tool head 59 has properly gripped the worn wear member 7. In the removal process 413, the lock 13 may be removed. In one example, the positioning of the lock 13 may be aided by sensor data (e.g., from a sensor on the lock 13) that confirms that the lock has been removed, is removable, or is not aligned. The pinning determination may be from a GPS or accelerometer that monitors a predetermined distance that the lock 13 must travel to be partially or fully removed, or from sensor data for comparison to other locks already installed or removed on the earthmoving equipment. In the removal process 413, the arm 61 of the gripper 60 attempts to grip the point 11 with a flange 63 on the trailing edge 64 of the point 11. If unsuccessful, the removal process 413 may call a float mode process 419. The float mode process 419 places the actuators 34, 46, 56 in a neutral state so that the valve pressures are balanced back and forth and the actuators move in smaller increments in each direction on axes A4 and / or A5.

[0159] The float mode process 419 may be initiated in a number of different ways, as discussed above. The float mode process 419 may be initiated several times in different ways, as described above, before achieving attachment to the worn wear member. The removal process 413 may also optionally include the release operation described above to better release the wear member 7 from its base before and / or during its movement along its removal / attachment path 31.

[0160] The removal process 413 may further include preparing the worn wear member 7 to be removed such that the tool 67 is received in the recess 45 of the wear member 7 and the drive arm 65 is lowered to rotate and move the tip 21 of the pin 29 out of the recess 19. Once unlocked, the worn wear member 7 is removed along the attachment axis 31. The removal process 413 may dispose of the worn wear member 7 by placing the worn points 11 in a bin 75. The process 413 may begin again by moving the gripper 60 to the next worn wear member 7 to be removed. The process 413 may also have a learning mode in which the operator learns the operation path by manually moving the transport device through repetitive sessions. The process 413 may store those operations and repeat them exactly or with slight adjustments in the movement to the next worn wear member 7.

[0161] The installation process 417 is used to attach a new wear component 7A to the earthmoving machine 1. The installation process 417 attaches a replacement wear component 7A, such as point 11A, from a pre-set destination, such as a carousel 77 or similar holding location. The location of the replacement point 11A may be determined by a sensor on the replacement point 11A or from a location programmed into the process 417. The installation process 417 uses the attachment axis process 415 as described above. The attachment axis 31 may be determined by a sensor 39 (such as those disclosed for the removal process or other), and / or by manual (or semi-manual) control, based on the finer details of the removal process 413. The installation process 417 may further include storing the operation and path 31 and the location where the worn wear member 7 was pulled out of the mount, and may recall the stored information from any previous repetitive movements and reverse those movements to align the replacement wear member 7A with the attachment axis 31 for attachment to the base 9, nose 10, lip 16, or other attachment site.

[0162] Once the replacement point 11A is aligned along the mounting axis 31, the installation process 415 may move the point 11A forward in a straight line or other defined motion along the mounting axis or other mounting path 31 to mount the point 11A on a mount (e.g., the front nose 18 of the intermediate adapter 10). The installation process 415 may determine if the mounting of the point 11 is misaligned. This may be accomplished, for example, by checking the clearance of the lock 13, since the lock must be positioned on the mount (e.g., the front nose 18 of the intermediate adapter 10) through the wear member 7. Alternatively, this may be accomplished by a visual check through camera image data. In another example, the positioning of the lock 13 may be aided by sensor data (e.g., from a sensor in the lock 13) that confirms that the lock is in place or not aligned. The determination of the pin of the lock may be from a GPS or accelerometer monitoring a predetermined distance that the lock must travel to be fully engaged or fully disengaged, or sensor data for comparison to other locks already installed or disengaged on the earthmoving equipment. If the alignment is off, the installation process may enable the float mode process 419, as described above.

[0163] The float mode process 419 compensates for misalignment (e.g., relative positioning) of the mating parts. In one example, this is due to a tight fit (e.g., small tolerances) that may exist between the point and the mount, and the point 11 must generally be mounted on the intermediate adapter 10 or base adapter 9 with linear or non-linear motion along the tooth mounting axis 31. In another example of misalignment, the point 11 may tilt during installation. In yet another example, the deeper the mounting cavity 27 (such as the tooth 24 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 ), the greater the need to mount the point 11 along the mounting axis 31.

[0164] An installation process 419 then locks the wear member 7A to the base adapter 9, intermediate adapter 10, or attachment site once alignment is completed with the float mode process 419. The installation process may include a drive arm 65 to attach the lock. In one example, the drive arm lowers so that the lock 13 is received within the recess 19 of the wear member 7 and rotates to lock. If installation is successful, the tool 59 is removed from the replacement wear member 7A.

[0165] As will be appreciated, embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied as a system, method, or computer program product. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of entirely hardware examples, entirely software examples (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or examples combining software and hardware, all of which may be generally referred to herein as circuits, modules, or systems. Furthermore, implementations of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

[0166] Although the above discussion has discussed the present disclosure primarily in relation to wear members on buckets, the tool may be used to remove and install end bits from and / or on shrouds, wings, and / or runners on chutes, picks on crushers, pipes, valves, truck trays, blades, or other earthmoving equipment attachments and components.

[0167] The disclosure above describes a specific example of a tool for installing and removing wear products for earthmoving equipment. The system may include different implementations or features of the disclosure. Features of one example may be used with features of another example. The combination of features of a given example and the disclosure is not intended to be limiting in the sense that they must be used together. The steps of the methods and processes may be performed in any order and may include fewer or more steps.

Claims

1. 1. A wear member transport system for removing a ground engaging wear member from a bucket of an earth moving machine, comprising: a crane having crane components movably coupled with at least two degrees of freedom and hydraulic actuators for selectively holding and moving the crane components in various positions relative to one another; a tool head including a gripper for selectively holding the wear member; said joint including a base for securing the joint to said crane, a tool mount for securing said tool head to said joint, joint components coupled between said base and said tool mount for movement together about three axes, and hydraulic actuators for selectively moving and holding said joint components in various positions relative to one another; a manual controller for operating the crane, the joints, and / or the gripper to grip and hold the wear part; a sensor module mounted in-line with the tool head for detecting a pulling force applied to remove the wear part when the wear part is gripped by the gripper; a processing system for determining a path for removing the wear part from the bucket, the processing system, when operated by the controller, directing movement of the hydraulic actuators of the crane and the hydraulic actuators of the joints to move the wear part along the path; a float mechanism for selectively directing fluid flow within at least one of said hydraulic actuators to permit small adjustments along one or two axes from external forces as said wear member moves along said path; a wear part transport system comprising:

2. 2. The wear part transport system of claim 1, including a crane sensor on the crane and a joint sensor on the joint to detect the relative positions of the crane components relative to each other and the joint components relative to each other, and the processing system communicates with the crane sensor and the joint sensor to determine the path and simultaneously direct the movement of the crane and the joint.

3. 3. The wear part transport system of claim 2, wherein the crane component includes at least two arms pivotally connected together for movement about spaced, parallel first axes.

4. The wear member transport system of claim 3 , wherein the at least two arms are movable about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.

5. 5. The wear part transport system of claim 4, wherein the three axes of the joint include a pitch axis, a yaw axis, and a roll axis for manipulating the tool head holding the wear part.

6. The wear part transport system of claim 5 , wherein the crane is supported by a movable base to enable transportation to the location of the earthmoving equipment.

7. 7. The wear member transport system of claim 6, wherein the manual controller has a first mode that causes the movement of only the crane component, a second mode that causes the movement of only the joint component, and a third mode that causes simultaneous movement of both the crane component and the joint component.

8. A wear member transport system according to any preceding claim, comprising an optical sensor and wherein the path is determined by visual recognition software which maps the three-dimensional orientation of the teeth.

9. A wear member transport system according to any preceding claim, wherein the path is along a linear axis.

10. A wear part transport system according to any preceding claim, wherein the path follows a discrete, non-linear course.

11. 1. A wear member transport system for removing and / or installing ground engaging wear members onto a bucket mount on an earth moving machine, comprising: a manipulator supporting the wear member and including a hydraulic actuator for adjusting the manipulator and thereby moving the wear member; a processing system comprising a host computer for determining the path for removing a wear member from and / or installing said wear member on said mount and directing movement of said hydraulic actuator to move said wear member along a path; a float mechanism that directs fluid flow in at least one of the hydraulic actuators while the processing system directs movement of at least one other hydraulic actuator of the manipulator along the path to allow small adjustments along one or two axes from external forces as the wear member moves along the path; The host computer, with or without an operator, selectively initiates operation of the float mechanism to direct the flow of the fluid within at least one of the hydraulic actuators.

12. 12. The wear member transport system of claim 11, wherein the float mechanism includes a motor and a barrier, the barrier having two positions, in a closed position, the barrier blocks a path between two fluid inlets of a hydraulic actuator, and in a float position, the barrier opens the path between the two fluid inlets of the hydraulic actuator, and the motor controls the position of the barrier.

13. 1. A process for removing and / or installing ground engaging wear members onto a mount on a bucket for earth moving equipment, comprising: holding the ground engaging wear members with a tool; manipulating a manipulator and the tool secured to the manipulator to remove and / or install the ground engaging wear members onto the mount; the manipulator includes: (i) a crane having at least two crane components movable relative to one another with at least two degrees of freedom and a crane hydraulic actuator for moving the crane components relative to one another; and (ii) a joint having a base for securing a joint to the crane, a tool mount for securing the tool which holds the ground engaging wear member to the joint, joint components movably coupled adjacent to one another between the base and the tool mount, the joint components defining three articulation axes, and a joint hydraulic actuator for moving the joint components relative to one another; and using the processing system. the processing system comprises a host computer for using input from at least one sensor to determine a path for removing and / or installing the ground engaging wear member on and from the mount, for operating the crane hydraulic actuators and / or the joint hydraulic actuators to move the ground engaging wear member along the path to remove and / or install the ground engaging wear member from and / or on the mount, and for selectively activating a float mechanism coupled to the joint hydraulic actuators to allow small adjustment of at least one of the joint components from external forces applied to the ground engaging wear member by the mount as the ground engaging wear member is moved along the path by at least one other crane hydraulic actuator and / or joint hydraulic actuator to remove and / or install the ground engaging wear member from and on the mount, with or without an operator.

14. 1. A process for removing and / or installing ground engaging wear members from mounts on a bucket of an earth moving equipment, comprising: holding the ground engaging wear members with a tool fixed to a manipulator; operating the manipulator and the tool, the manipulator comprising at least three hydraulic actuators for movement about three axes, to remove and / or install the ground engaging wear members onto and from the mount; using a processing system that uses input from at least one sensor to determine a path for removing and / or installing the ground engaging wear members onto and from the mount; activating a float mechanism to simultaneously float two hydraulic actuators associated with moving the manipulator about the first axis and / or the second axis such that the ground engaging wear members are moved in the first axis and / or the second axis by external forces caused by engagement of the ground engaging wear members with the mount during removal of the ground engaging wear members from and / or installation on the mount; The process includes:

15. a controller having at least a manually activated control for signaling in which direction the wear member should move when held by the manipulator; The wear part transport system of claim 11 , wherein the processing system is responsive to the signal to move the hydraulic actuator to remove and / or install the wear part onto the mount.

16. 1. A wear member transport system for removing a ground engaging wear member from a bucket of an earth moving machine, comprising: a crane having crane components movably coupled with at least two degrees of freedom and a crane hydraulic actuator for selectively holding and moving the crane components in various positions relative to one another; at least one tool for selectively holding the wear member; a joint including a base for securing the joint to the crane, a tool mount for securing the at least one tool to the joint, joint components movably coupled together about three axes between the base and the tool mount to provide movement about at least three axes, and joint hydraulic actuators for selectively moving and holding the joint components in various positions relative to one another, the joint hydraulic actuators each having an opposing surface for receiving a fluid; at least one sensor for detecting the position of the crane component and the joint component; a processing system configured to determine a path for removing the wear member from the bucket from a position detected by the at least one sensor, the processing system directing movement of the crane hydraulic actuators and / or the joint hydraulic actuators to move the wear member along the path; at least one float controlled manifold for simultaneously selectively directing fluid in two of said joint hydraulic actuators, said float controlled manifold allowing two small adjustments of said joint components about two of said axes from external forces applied to said wear member by said bucket while said wear member is being moved along said path to remove said wear member from said bucket; a wear part transport system comprising:

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