Apparatus and process for monitoring wear

Abstract

An apparatus (1) and process for wear monitoring can include scanning a wearable component (5) and providing scan data for analysis and evaluation. An evaluation device (11) can evaluate the scan data to monitor the wear experienced by the scanned component and provide an indication identifying when the component may need to be replaced, providing an output via an output device that can indicate a projected replacement time period for replacement of the component and / or scheduling a replacement for the component.

Description

APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR MONITORING WEARFIELD

[0001] The present innovation relates to processes and apparatuses for monitoring wear experienced by wearable comminution elements utilized in devices for comminution of material.BACKGROUND

[0002] Mills and other devices can be utilized to comminute material. Mills, presses, crushers, and other types of comminution devices used to comminute material (e.g. grind, crush, break-up, and / or pulverize the material) often include a crushing body or multiple crushing bodies that are configured to impact material to comminute the material. Examples ofsuch comminution devices and seals used in such devices may be appreciated from U.S. Patent Nos. 84,978, 252,755, 1 ,225,061 , 1 ,519,989, 1 ,589,302, 1 ,965,186, 3,833,273, 3,955,766, 3,964,717, 4,339,086, 4,369,926, 4,456,267, 4,485,974, 4,582,260, 5,203,513, 5,823,450, 6,523,767, 7,677,0798,281 ,473, 8,695,904, 8,632,028, 9,321 ,054, 9,527,087 and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2014 / 0151482 and 2016 / 0101426, and International Publication No. WO 2019 / 086577A1.

[0003] These types of comminution devices can have wearable components that can function as surfaces that experience wear from contact with material being comminuted. Examples of such wearable components can include mill liners, crusher liners, screen media, and trommels, for example.SUMMARY

[0004] Determining when a wearable component may need to be replaced is often a time consuming and difficult process. Often, an operator of a device may estimate when a component needs replaced based on empirical based experience. Other times, an operator may replace a component after it has clearly worn out and a fracture or other problem is experienced to indicate the worn component needs replaced. These types of issues can be detrimental to operations by reducing operational flexibility and resulting in operations that may need to be unexpectedly shut down to address production problems. Depending on the part that may need to be replaced, theunexpected downtime of the operation can also be relatively long, which can be problematic for an operator that may have production or delivery schedules.

[0005] Embodiment of an apparatus for wear monitoring can be provided to implement an embodiment of a process for wear monitoring. Embodiments can facilitate periodic scanning of component(s) of a comminution device to evaluate the wear experienced by the component(s) of the device to monitor the rate of wear that is being experienced by the component and to estimate a time when that component may need to be replaced. This type of evaluation can be updated periodically from subsequent scanning that can occur at operator specified times to further update the estimated time for replacement of the component(s).

[0006] This type of wear monitoring can permit a more reliable evaluation of the wear a component may experience during use so that a timely and expected replacement of the component can be scheduled that takes into account that particular component’ s experienced wear. This can avoid unnecessary replacement of components that may still have useful life remaining and also permit a replacement to be scheduled that can avoid unexpected operation stoppages or components being utilized after they have been fully worn out, which can contribute to causing other problems with the device that has the component or unexpected and surprising downturns in operation. Embodiments can therefore provide a more reliable and full utilization of a life of a wearable component while also permitting improved operational scheduling flexibility so that scheduled maintenance work can be performed at desired times while also avoiding damage to the machine having the component to be replaced.

[0007] Embodiments of the system and process can also be employed to permit wear monitoring and evaluation to occur more simply and quickly. Some embodiments may utilize hand-held scanning devices for capturing wear data about a component. That data can be utilized to analyze the wear that the component has experienced for determining the state of the component and / or forecasting a time for replacement of the component. The scanner device, a user device communicatively connectable to the scanner device, or a server device that may be communicatively connectable to the scanner device or user device can be configured to receive the collected wear data, analyze it, and provide output indicating a state of the component and / or a projected time in which the component may have experienced sufficient wear to require replacement. For example, in some embodiments, the scanning device that can be utilized tocollect wear data can be a user device (e.g. a smart phone or tablet) having a camera and scanning software for scanning the wearable component via the camera and / or other sensor(s) of the user device. The user device may then analyze that data or provide that data to a remote device (e.g. a cloud based server, an evaluation device that can be communicatively connected to the user device, etc.) for analysis of that data and receipt of information for use in generation of output to indicate the operational condition of the component and / or a projected time that the component may need to be replaced due to wear. The data may also be stored for use in subsequent analysis of subsequent monitoring that may occur in the future to provide updated scanning information on the condition of the component and updating the projected time for replacement of the component based on the updated wear data.

[0008] A method of monitoring wear of a wearable component of a comminution device can be provided in a first aspect. Embodiments of the method can include scanning the wearable component to collect wear data, analyzing the wear data to determine a wear status of the wearable component and / or forecast a time for replacement of the wearable component, and providing at least one notification of the determined wear status of the wearable component and / or the time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data.

[0009] In a second aspect, the method can include other steps. For example, the method can also include performing an initial scan of the wearable component prior to the wearable component experiencing wear via use of the comminution device and / or storing scan data from the scanning of the wearable component.

[0010] In a third aspect, a user device can perform the scanning of the wearable component. The user device can include a laser scanner, a smartphone, a tablet, or other type of mobile scanning device in some embodiments.

[0011] In a fourth aspect, a user device or a wear evaluation device can perform the analyzing of the wear data to determine the wear status of the wearable component and / or the forecast of the time for replacement of the wearable component. As noted above, the user device can include a smartphone, a tablet, or other type of mobile use communication device configured to perform scanning. The wear evaluation device can be a computer device having a processorconnected to a non-transitory memory (e.g. a server that can host a wear evaluation service via at least one network, a workstation or desktop computer that can host a wear evaluation service via at least one network, etc.).

[0012] In a fifth aspect, a mobile scanning device can be used to perform the scanning of the wearable component to collect the wear data.

[0013] In a sixth aspect, a user device or a wear evaluation device can perform the providing of the at least one notification of the determined wear status of the wearable component and / or the time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data. In some embodiments, the at least one notification can include one or more of: a graphical illustration of a heat map for wear experienced by the wearable component, text or a graphical illustration of a thickness of the wearable component, text or a graphical illustration of a time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data, and / or a report on the wear experienced by the wearable component.

[0014] In a seventh aspect, the method can also include generating a report on the wear experienced by the wearable component based on the wear data. The report can include a document or other materials. In some embodiments, the report can be stored electronically and communicated to a user device or other device.

[0015] In an eight aspect, the method of the first aspect can include one or more features of the second aspect, third aspect, fourth aspect, fifth aspect, sixth aspect and / or seventh aspect. It should therefore be appreciated that embodiments of the process can also include other features or elements. Examples of such other features or elements are discussed in the exemplary embodiments of the method discussed herein, for example.

[0016] In a ninth aspect, a wear monitoring system is provided. Embodiments of the wear monitoring system can be configured to implement an embodiment of the method of monitoring wear of a wearable component of a comminution device. In some embodiments, the wear monitoring system can include a wear evaluation device having a processor communicatively connected to a non-transitory memory. The wear evaluation device can be communicatively connectable to a scanning device to receive scan data from scanning of a wearable component of a comminution device to store wear data for the wearable component. The wear evaluationdevice can be configured to analyze the wear data to determine a wear status of the wearable component and / or forecast a time for replacement of the wearable component and generate at least one notification of the determined wear status of the wearable component and / or the time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data.

[0017] In some embodiments, the at least one notification includes one or more of: (i) a graphical illustration of a heat map for wear experienced by the wearable component; (ii) text or a graphical illustration of a thickness of the wearable component; (iii) text or a graphical illustration of a time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data; and / or (iv) a report on the wear experienced by the wearable component. Documentation related to such aspects of the notification can also be stored in memory of the wear evaluation device.

[0018] In a tenth aspect, the wear monitoring system can also include the scanning device. The scanning device can be configured to perform a three dimensional scan of the wearable component to collect the wear data for sending to the wear evaluation device. Tn some embodiments, the scanning device can be a smart phone, a tablet, or a laptop computer or can include a smart phone, a tablet, or a laptop computer. In some embodiments, the scanning device can be being configured as a laser scanner, a photogrammetry scanner, a structured light scanner, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanner.

[0019] In an eleventh aspect, the wear evaluation device can be a user device, a computer device, or a server having a processor connected to a non-transitory computer readable medium.

[0020] In a twelfth aspect, the comminution device can be a mill, a ball mill, a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill, a roller mill, a roller press, a crusher, a gyratory crusher, or a cone crusher. Other embodiments may be utilized in conjunction with other comminution devices as well.

[0021] In a thirteenth aspect, the wear monitoring system of the ninth aspect can include one or more features of the tenth aspect, eleventh aspect, and / or twelfth aspect. It should therefore be appreciated that embodiments of the system can also include other features or elements.Examples of such other features or elements are discussed in the exemplary embodiments of the wear monitoring system discussed herein, for example.

[0022] In a fourteenth aspect, an apparatus for monitoring wear is provided. Embodiments of the apparatus can include the wear monitoring system and / or be configured to implement an embodiment of the method of monitoring wear of a wearable component of a comminution device. Embodiments of the apparatus can include a comminution device having a wearable component. The comminution device can be configured to comminute material.

[0023] The apparatus can also include a wear evaluation device having a processor communicatively connected to a non-transitory memory. The wear evaluation device can be communicatively connectable to a scanning device to receive scan data from scanning of the wearable component of the comminution device to store wear data for the wearable component. The wear evaluation device can be configured to analyze the wear data to determine a wear status of the wearable component and / or forecast a time for replacement of the wearable component and generate at least one notification of the determined wear status of the wearable component and / or the time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data.

[0024] In some embodiments, the at least one notification can include one or more of: (i) a graphical illustration of a heat map for wear experienced by the wearable component, (ii) text or a graphical illustration of a thickness of the wearable component, (iii) text or a graphical illustration of a time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data, and / or (iv) a report on the wear experienced by the wearable component.

[0025] In a fifteenth aspect, the apparatus can include the scanning device. The scanning device can be a mobile scanning device and can be being configured as a laser scanner, a photogrammetry scanner, a structured light scanner, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanner. For instance, in some embodiments the scanning device is a laser scanner, a smart phone, a tablet, a photogrammetry scanner, a structured light scanner, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanner.

[0026] In a sixteenth aspect, the wear evaluation device can be a computer device that is remote from the scanning device and is also remote from the comminution device. The wear evaluation device can be communicatively connectable to the scanning device via a networkconnection (e.g. internet connection, large area network connection, wide area network connection, etc.).

[0027] In a seventeenth aspect, the apparatus for monitoring wear of the fourteenth aspect can include one or more features of the fifteenth aspect and / or sixteenth aspect. It should therefore be appreciated that embodiments of the apparatus can also include other features or elements. Examples of such other features or elements are discussed in the exemplary embodiments of the apparatus for monitoring wear discussed herein, for example.

[0028] Other details, objectives, and advantages of an apparatus for monitoring wear, process for monitoring wear, wear monitoring system, and methods of making and using the same will become apparent as the following description of certain exemplary embodiments thereof proceeds.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Exemplary embodiments of the apparatus for monitoring wear, process for monitoring wear, wear monitoring system, and methods of making and using the same are shown in the drawings included herewith. It should be understood that like reference characters used in the drawings may identify like components.

[0030] Figure 1 is block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 1 for monitoring wear. An embodiment of the apparatus 1 can include an exemplary embodiment of a wear monitoring system 13.

[0031] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a computer device 21, which can be utilized in embodiments of the apparatus 1 and wear monitoring system 13.

[0032] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for monitoring wear.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Referring to Figures 1-3, an apparatus 1 for monitoring wear can include a wear monitoring system 13 that can be provided to facilitate monitoring of wear experienced by at least one wearable component 5 of a comminution device 3. The comminution device 3 can be a mill, a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill, a ball mill, a roller mill, a roller press, a crusher, a cone crusher, a gyratory crusher, or other type of comminution device. The wearable component 5 can include, for example, a mill liner, a discharge grate of a mill, a sleeve of a roller, a crushingsurface of a table or anvil, a crushing surface of a crushing jaw, a mantle of a cone crusher or gyratory crusher, a die of a mill, a trommel, crusher liners, screen media, or other type of wearable component of a comminution device that may engage material to be comminuted or contact such material during comminution.

[0034] The wear monitoring system 13 can include a scanning device 7. The scanning device 7 can be a mobile scanner that includes one or more sensors for scanning the wearable component 5 to collect scan data of the component that can be used to indicate how worn the component is. In some embodiments, the scanning device 7 can include a laser scanner, an optical scanner, or other type of scanner. In some embodiments, the scanning device 7 can utilize at least one camera to provide a scan of the wearable component 5 to measure the wear experienced by the component. In other embodiments, another type of mechanism can be utilized by the scanning device 7 for scanning the wearable component to collect wear data.

[0035] The scanning device 7 can be a type of computer device 21 that includes a processor 21a that can be communicatively connected to a non- transitory memory 21c and at least one transceiver 21b. The transceiver (TRCVR) can include a local area network transceiver, a wide area network transceiver, a Wi-Fi transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a cellular network transceiver, and / or other type of transceiver or combination of transceivers. The non- transitory memory 21c can include flash memory or other memory. The processor 21a can include a central processing unit, microcontroller, core processor, array of processors, or other type of hardware processor. The memory (Mem.) can be communicatively connected to the processor (Pre.) so that the processor 21a can run at least one application (App) stored in the memory 21c. The memory 21c can also have at least one data store (DS), which can include code, scan data, files, databases, or other types of stored data that may be utilized when the processor 21a runs one or more applications (App). For instance, the processor 21a can process code of an application (App) to run the application to perform a pre-defined method in accordance with programming code for the application that defines the method to be performed.

[0036] The scanning device 7 can also include at least one sensor S (e.g. at least one laser, at least one camera, a temperature sensor, a height detection sensor, a gyroscope, a compass, etc.). The scanning device 7 can also include a combination of sensors 7. The scanning device 7 can also include or be communicatively connectable to at least one input device ID and / or at leastone output device OD. For instance, a processor 21a of the scanning device 7 can be communicatively connected to at least one input device ID (e.g. a keyboard, a pointer device, a button, a touch screen display, a microphone, etc.) to receive input from a user and also be communicatively connected to at least one output device OD (e.g. a speaker, a display, a touch screen display, a printer, etc.) to provide output to the user.

[0037] The one or more transceivers 21b can be provided to facilitate communicative connections CC between the scanning device 7 and one or more other computer devices 21 and / or sensors S as well as one or more input devices ID and / or one or more output devices OD. This type of communicative connection can facilitate collection and storage of scan data and the processing and / or providing of that data to a user and / or other computer device 21.

[0038] In some embodiments, the scanning device 7 can be a mobile laser scanner, photogrammetry scanner, structured light scanner, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanner, or other type of scanning device that can be positionable in a comminution device 3 to scan at least one wearable component 5 to collect scan data SD for that component. The scan data SD that is collected can be stored in the memory of the scanning device 7 and / or provided to a user device 9 for storage and evaluation of that data. The scan data SD could also, or alternatively, be provided to a wear evaluation device 11 for the storage and evaluation of that data. The wear evaluation device 11 can be a server, an array of servers, a workstation, a laptop computer, or other computer device 21 that can be positioned and configured to collect and store wear data and process that collected scanned data received from the scanning device 7 to determine an extent to which that component 5 has experience wear and estimate or determine a projected replacement data for the component. Such information can be utilized for scheduling maintenance work for repair or replacement of the component(s) 5. Such scheduling can be scheduled automatically or can be facilitated via providing output to a user to identify such information for use in scheduling repair or maintenance work for the component(s) 5.

[0039] In some embodiments, the scanning device 7 can be a user device (e.g. smart phone, laptop computer communicatively connected to at least one camera, etc.) that can perform the scanning via at least one sensor, stored that data, and process the data to evaluate the data and determine an extent to which the scanned component has experienced wear and / or a projectedestimated date at which time the component may need replaced. In such a configuration, the scanning device 7 can be configured to store scanning data and perform the evaluation work.

[0040] In other embodiments, the scanning device 7 can perform the scanning (e.g. be a user smart phone, be a laser scanner, etc.) and can subsequently transmit that data to a user device 9 of the wear monitoring system 13. The user device (UD) can be a user smart phone, tablet, laptop computer, workstation, or other type of user computer device 21. The use device 9 can receive that scan data, store it, and evaluate it to provide output to a user to indicate an extent to which the scanned component has experienced wear and / or a projected estimated date at which time the component may need replaced. The user device 9 may also automatically schedule maintenance based on the performed evaluation or provide output to a user to facilitate the user scheduling such maintenance work.

[0041] In yet other embodiment, the scanning device 7 or user device 9 that receives scanned data from the scanning device 7 can provide that data to a remote wear evaluation device 11 of the wear monitoring system 13 so that the scan data can be stored and evaluated via processing performed by the wear evaluation device 11. The wear evaluation device (ED) can be communicatively connected to the scanning device 7 and / or the user device 9 via a network connection (e.g. local area network connection, internet connection, etc.) or a near field communication connection (e.g. Bluetooth connection, etc.). In some embodiments, the wear evaluation device 11 can be a remote cloud based server. In other embodiments, the wear evaluate device 11 can be a workstation, tablet, or laptop computer that is communicatively connectable via a local area network to receive scan data from a scanning device 7 or user device 9, store the data, and evaluate that data. One or more notifications or other information that is determined by the wear evaluation device 11 via its use of the stored data and evaluation of wear made based on that data can be provided to the user device 9 or scanning device 7 to provide output to a user to indicate the extent of wear the component has experienced and / or identify a projected time at which the component may subsequently need to be replaced for use in monitoring the extent to which the scanned component has experienced wear for scheduling maintenance work or repair work. Such output data can include graphs, heat maps indicating worn portions of the scanned component and a severity of the experienced wear, or other visual indications of the evaluated wear of the component.

[0042] A user can review the provided wear analysis data received from the wear evaluation device 11 and use that data to schedule maintenance work (if needed) or take other steps to account for how the component has experience wear for further operations of the comminution device 3.

[0043] It should be appreciated that the user device (UD) and / or wear evaluation device (ED) can also be computer devices 21. Each of these devices can include a processor 21a that can be communicatively connected to a non-transitory memory 21c and at least one transceiver 21b. The transceiver (TRCVR) can include a local area network transceiver, a wide area network transceiver, a Wi-Fi transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a cellular network transceiver, and / or other type of transceiver or combination of transceivers. The non-transitory memory 21c can include flash memory, a hard drive, a solid state drive, or other memory. The processor 21a can include a central processing unit, microcontroller, core processor, array of processors, or other type of hardware processor. The memory (Mem.) can be communicatively connected to the processor (Pre.) so that the processor 21a can run at least one application (App) stored in the memory 21c. The memory 21c can also have at least one data store (DS), which can include code, scan data, files, databases, or other types of stored data that may be utilized when the processor 21a runs one or more applications (App). For instance, the processor 21a can process code of an application (App) to run the application to perform a pre-defined method in accordance with programming code for the application that defines the method to be performed.

[0044] The user device 9 and the wear evaluation device 11 can also include or be communicatively connectable to at least one input device ID and / or at least one output device OD. For instance, the processor 21a can be communicatively connected to at least one input device ID (e.g. a keyboard, a pointer device, a button, a touch screen display, a microphone, etc.) to receive input from a user and also be communicatively connected to at least one output device OD (e.g. a speaker, a display, a touch screen display, a printer, etc.) to provide output to the user.

[0045] The one or more transceivers 21b can be configured to facilitate communicative connections CC with other computer devices 21, one or more input devices ID and / or one or more output devices OD. The communication connections CC with other computer devices 21 can facilitate collection and storage of scan data and the processing and / or providing of that data to a user, for example.

[0046] Embodiments of the apparatus 1 and wear monitoring system 13 can be provided and configured to implement a method of monitoring wear of a wearable component 5 of a comminution device 3. Such a method can include a first step SI of scanning one or more wearable components 5 of a comminution device 3 to collect wear data. In some embodiments, this first step S 1 can occur after an initial scan of a newly installed wearable component was performed so that the collected scan data can be compared to the initial, new component scan data for use in evaluation the extent of wear that has occurred after the new component was installed.

[0047] The collected scan data can be provided via a laser scanner or at least one camera sensor of a scanning device 7, which can be a user smart phone, a user tablet, or a mobile laser scanning device, for example. The scan data can include three dimensional (3D) scan data that is captured via a laser scanner or at least one camera sensor, for instance. The scan data can be considered wear data because the scan data is collected to monitor the extent to which the scanned component has experienced wear.

[0048] The scan data can be stored as collected wear data for analysis of that data in a second step S2. The stored data can be stored so that this newly acquired scan data can be compared with prior scan data (e.g. scan data from a prior scan, scan data from scanning of a newly installed component 5, etc.).

[0049] The stored scan data can be stored directly by the scanning device 7 or can be provided by the scanning device 7 to a user device 9 and / or a wear evaluation device 11 for storage and subsequent evaluation in a second step S2. For instance, in some embodiments, the scan data can be provided to a wear evaluation device 11 for storage via a network connection. As another example, the scan data can be sent to the wear evaluation device 11 via the scanning device 7 providing the data to a user device 9 for subsequently having the data sent to the wear evaluation device 11 via an application programming interface (API) connection or other communicative connection CC the user device 9 can have with the wear evaluation device 11 for storge and use of the scan data. In yet other embodiments, the user device 9 can receive the scan data and store it locally on the user device’s memory for subsequent analysis and use of the scan data.

[0050] In a third step S3, the collected wear data (e.g. scan data from the scanning of the wearable component 5) can be analyzed to determine a status of the component and / or forecast atime for replacement of the component. The analysis can include comparing the new scan data with scan data from prior scans and / or an initial scan of the component after it was installed and prior to it being used to evaluate how much wear the component has experienced. The analysis can include, a determination of how thick the component 5 may be, an evaluation of how the thickness of the component 5 has changed as compared to at least one prior scan, performance of a wear analysis of the component 5 based on the scan data from the current scan and at least one prior scanning included in the stored data for the component 5 that is accessible to the device performing the analysis, and / or performance of other pre-selected evaluations based on the stored, collected wear data for the component.

[0051] The analysis that can be performed in the third step S3 can include, for example, fetching scan data from memory that has the scan data from multiple different scans of the component stored therein, aligning an inspection scan that occurred after the component was installed with at least the current scan data, removal of noise from the scan data, and cropping of the scan data for comparison of the scan data to calculate average wear of the component. A prediction of when replacement of the component will be needed can be estimated based on such data as well. A report can subsequently be generated using calculated wear and replacement determinations. One or more graphical illustrations can also be generated to provide visual outputs of the determined wear based on the scan data (e.g. one or more heat maps or other graphs can be generated for output to visually indicate how the component has worn based on the received and analyzed scan data).

[0052] In situations where a projected estimated time for replacement of a component is determined, the estimated time of replacement can be based on stored initial scan data and other stored scan data (e.g. the most recent scan data, etc.), and at least one value related to the amount of mass being comminuted in a pre-selected time period for future operations (e.g. a predicted mass of material to be comminuted per day, a predicted mass of material to be comminuted per week of operation, etc.). The conducted analysis performed in the third step S3 can also be performed for use in generation of a report on the determined wear experienced by the component that underwent scanning.

[0053] In a fourth step S4, at least one notification can be provided concerning the status of the component that was scanned and / or a forecasted time for replacement of the component. Thenotification can be provided based on the analyzed wear data. This notification can include a generated report, a text or graphical item indicating a predicted time for the replacement of the component, an automatic notification for scheduling of the replacement of the component, and / or at least one graphical illustration of the wear data to indicate the wear experienced by the component (e.g. a heat map graphical illustration, etc.).

[0054] The notification that is provided can alternatively, or also, include information that is formatted to indicate a thickness remaining in the component before replacement may be warranted or a remaining thickness of the component. Such a notification can include text and / or a graphical illustration.

[0055] In some embodiments, a comminution device 3 having at least one wearable component 5 can have that component initially scanned when it is installed. The scanned data can be stored as initial scan data for use in subsequent comparisons with future scans for use in evaluation of how the component has worn as compared to its initial state. After the comminution device is operated for a first operational cycle, the operations can be stopped and a subsequent scan of the component 5 can be performed so that the collected wear data can subsequently be stored. The new scan data and initial scan data can be sent to an evaluation device 11 for storage and evaluation. The evaluation of the scan data can include utilization of the initial scan data and other more recent scan data in at least one pre-defined wear rate forecasting model. The modeling can utilize the scan data to determine a rate of wear being experienced by the component 5 and generation of one or more graphical illustrations of the determined wear. The graphical illustrations can include at least one heat map or other type of graph, for example. The conducted evaluation can also be performed to generate an editable report that includes the scan data and the evaluation results (e.g. graphical illustrations, determined wear rate, determined thickness of component, determined thickness change of component, etc.). A user can review the report and provide input via an input device to sign the report and / or authenticate the report’s accuracy for subsequently providing the report to a customer or operator. For instance, the report can be provided to a user’s device 9 for the user to edit via an input device of the user device 9 or the report can be provided to the user via a graphical user interface (GUI) generated on a display of the user device 9 while the user has logged into a service hosted by the evaluation device 13 for editing. The finalized and approved report can be communicated via the servicehosted by the evaluation device 13 or via a message (e.g. email, notification, etc.) sent by the user device of the user to a device of the operator.

[0056] Embodiments can permit the wear of the component 5 to be more quickly determined based on actual wear experienced by the component at a site. This can avoid an operator guessing as to the actual worn state of the component and permit an operator to monitor wear more accurately and more proactively schedule maintenance or repair work to help avoid unexpected shutdowns in operation. This can provide improved operational capacity and improved operational flexibility. Further, the analysis of the conducted scanning can be provided relatively promptly. In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the generation of the analysis results may be provided within 30 minutes of the scanning being completed, for example. This can facilitate shorter maintenance downtime for monitoring of wear so that proactive preventive maintenance can be performed while also lowering the risk of a more catastrophic failure occurring due to wear that may result in substantial damage or unexpected repair work being needed.

[0057] Embodiments can therefore improve safety and minimize downtime. Also, the evaluation of wear of the componcnt(s) 5 can permit operators to better understand the comminution operations for more proactive management of the operation to provide a more efficient comminution operation.

[0058] Embodiments of the apparatus 1, wear monitoring system 13, and method can also be configured to utilize machine learning for updating the processing utilized to evaluate scan data for predicting or forecasting a time at which the component may need to be replaced. Such processing can utilize saved data from scans of numerous different components over time and can be configured to adjust processing to improve accuracy based on empirical data of prior scans of components and data indicating when those components were replaced due to wear and the overall throughput of material processed prior to their replacement.

[0059] As can be appreciated from the above, embodiments of the apparatus 1 , wear monitoring system 13, and method can be configured to implement a pre-defined workflow based on pre-defined parameters. For example, a user device can have an application stored thereon that can be run to facilitate the communication of scan data to trigger generation of aa report using an application programming interface (API) or other type of communicationconnection with a host device that can be configured as a wear evaluation device (ED) 11. The user device can be the scanning device SD utilized to obtain the scan data or another user device (UD) 9 that may be communicatively connectable to the scanning device 7. The application run by the scanning device 7 or user device 9 can provide the primary interface for users, facilitating the upload of scan data and triggering the report generation via the API in some embodiments. The application can be based on any of a number of suitable platforms or architecture. For instance, the user interface (UI) defined by the code of the application can be based on SwiftUI, Apple's declarative UI development framework, to help provide an intuitive user interface. The application can also follow other objectives, frameworks, or guidelines, such as clean architecture and Model View Presenter (MVP) design patterns to align with a pre-selected set of industry standards.

[0060] The connection between the scanning device 7 or user device 9 and the wear evaluation device 11 can be configured to account for a pre-selected set of design criteria. In some embodiments, connectivity can be integrated with Firebase and Google Cloud Platform (or other suitable platform) for efficient data handling, encompassing functionalities like authentication, machine management, profile management, triggering report generation API and report downloads. Implemented streaming support to facilitate real time communication with the backend. Additionally, the upload progress of 3D scanning data or 3D models can be tracked using a feature that displayed a status indicator via a graphical UI (GUI) that can be generated on a display of the scanning device 7 or user device 9.

[0061] The 3D scanning data that may be obtained via the scanning device 7 can be configured to utilize 3D models of the device to be scanned. Some embodiments can utilize a 3D reconstruction algorithm (e.g. ObjectCapture provided by Apple) or other pre-defined scheme that can utilize LiDAR data and / or photogrammetry techniques to enable the generation of intricate 3D models of wearable components (e.g. mill liners, crusher liners, screen media, trommels, etc.).

[0062] The wear evaluation device 11 can include a file management tool to efficiently handle storage and maintenance of scan data received form scanning devices 7. The evaluation device 11 can also be configured to generate heatmaps and 3D scan images depicting the wear on one or more components based on the received scan data from a scanning device and / or the prior scandata received for the component form prior scans. Some embodiments can utilize a flutter framework to help provide cross-platform compatibility and a unified user experience for different users that may utilize different types of user devices or scanning devices to utilize services hosted by the wear evaluation device 11. The wear evaluation device 11 can also be configured in accordance with clean architecture principles and an MVC design pattern to help facilitate scalability and maintainability while also permitting a more seamless file management functionality. The wear evaluation device 11 can also be configured to be integrated with Firebase to enable a quick uploading or downloading of 3D scan data and heatmap data for generation of GUI graphics to provide heat maps or other visual output to indicate determined wear of one or more components based on received scan data.

[0063] The report generation that can be provided can be generated by a report generation module that can be ran by the wear evaluation device 11 or a user device 9 in some embodiments. For example, the report generation module can be configured to generate a report via a Flask API and / or use of a 3D processing library (e.g. CloudCompare, etc.) based on installation scan data for associated with a scanned component, an inception scan that can represent a 3D scan of the mill during an inspection, an initial thickness of a component during installation, a pre-determined threshold thickness that indicates when a component is inoperable and needs replaced, a date of installation, a date of a scan for the scan data, and a value representing accumulated tonnage of material processed from the installation to the inception date, or date of a most recent scan data being utilized.

[0064] Report generation can be defined to occur so that scan data is fetched, inspection scan data is aligned with installation scan data, noise removal occurs, and cropping of the inspection scan data into multiple parts using one or more pre-defined libraries (e.g. Open3D). A comparison and wea analysis can be performed via a comparison of the distance between point clouds for generation of heatmaps based on distance variations, color-coded correlations to indicate severity indicated by the determined distance variations, and an average wear determined based on a pre-defined predictive analyzation process. In some embodiments, the generated report can also include a replacement indication determined based on a calculation of a wear rate and the number of tons of material processed per day or week of operation. The report generation can be performed so that the generated heat maps and / or other data (e.g. estimatedtime for replacement) can be included in a report document that can be generated, saved at the wear evaluation device 11, and also communicated to the user via a communicative connection the wear evaluation device 11 can have with the user device 9r or scanning device 7. The automatic generation of such reports can help expedite maintenance work, the documentation of performed maintenance work, and scheduling of replacement work for replacement of one or more wearable components.

[0065] Other embodiments can utilize other types of configurations or workflows that may supplement or be an alternative to the above discussed exemplary embodiments. It should also be appreciated that other types of modifications to the apparatus, system, and process, and methods of making and using the same can be made to meet a particular set of criteria for different embodiments of the apparatus 1 for monitoring wear or process for monitoring wear. For instance, the type of comminution device or wearable component of such a device can be any of a number of different types. As another example, the type of user device, scanning device and / or wear evaluation device that may be utilized in a particular embodiment can be arranged and configured to account for a particular set of design criteria or service offering.

[0066] As yet another example, it is contemplated that a particular feature described, either individually or as part of an embodiment, can be combined with other individually described features, or parts of other embodiments. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described herein can therefore be combined to provide further embodiments. Thus, while certain exemplary embodiments of a process, an apparatus, a system, and methods of making and using the same have been shown and described above, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of monitoring wear of a wearable component of a comminution device, the method comprising:scanning the wearable component to collect wear data;analyzing the wear data to determine a wear status of the wearable component and / or forecast a time for replacement of the wearable component; andproviding at least one notification of the determined wear status of the wearable component and / or the time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:performing an initial scan of the wearable component prior to the wearable component experiencing wear via use of the comminution device.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:storing scan data from the scanning of the wearable component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a user device performs the scanning of thewearable component.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a user device or a wear evaluation device performs the analyzing of the wear data to determine the wear status of the wearable component and / or the forecast of the time for replacement of the wearable component.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a mobile scanning device is used to perform the scanning of the wearable component to collect the wear data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a user device or a wear evaluation device performs the providing of the at least one notification of the determined wear status of the wearable component and / or the time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one notification includes one or more of:a graphical illustration of a heat map for wear experienced by the wearable component; text or a graphical illustration of a thickness of the wearable component;text or a graphical illustration of a time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data; and / ora report on the wear experienced by the wearable component.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:generating a report on the wear experienced by the wearable component based on the wear data.

10. A wear monitoring system comprising:a wear evaluation device having a processor communicatively connected to a non-transitory memory, the wear evaluation device communicatively connectable to a scanning device to receive scan data from scanning of a wearable component of a comminution device to store wear data for the wearable component;the wear evaluation device configured to analyze the wear data to determine a wear status of the wearable component and / or forecast a time for replacement of the wearable component and generate at least one notification of the determined wear status of the wearable component and / or the time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data.

11. The wear monitoring system of claim 10, comprising:the scanning device, the scanning device configured to perform a three dimensional scan of the wearable component to collect the wear data for sending to the wear evaluation device.

012. The wear monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the wear evaluation device is a user device, a computer device, or a server.

13. The wear monitoring system of claim 10, comprising:the scanning device, the scanning device including a smart phone, a tablet, or a laptop computer.

14. The wear monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the at least one notification includes one or more of:a graphical illustration of a heat map for wear experienced by the wearable component; text or a graphical illustration of a thickness of the wearable component;text or a graphical illustration of a time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data; and / ora report on the wear experienced by the wearable component.

15. The wear monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the comminution device is a mill, a ball mill, a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill, a roller mill, a roller press, a crusher, a gyratory crusher, or a cone crusher.

16. An apparatus for monitoring wear, comprising:a comminution device having a wearable component, the comminution device configured to comminute material;a wear evaluation device having a processor communicatively connected to a non-transitory memory, the wear evaluation device communicatively connectable to a scanning device to receive scan data from scanning of the wearable component of the comminution device to store wear data for the wearable component;the wear evaluation device configured to analyze the wear data to determine a wear status of the wearable component and / or forecast a time for replacement of the wearable component and generate at least one notification of the determined wear status of the wearable component1and / or the time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, comprising:the scanning device, the scanning device being a mobile scanning device, the scanning device being configured as a laser scanner, a photogrammetry scanner, a structured light scanner, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanner.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the scanning device is a laser scanner, a smart phone, a tablet, a photogrammetry scanner, a structured light scanner, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanner.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one notification includes one or more of:a graphical illustration of a heat map for wear experienced by the wearable component; text or a graphical illustration of a thickness of the wearable component;text or a graphical illustration of a time for replacement of the wearable component that was forecasted based on the analyzed wear data; and / ora report on the wear experienced by the wearable component.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the wear evaluation device is a computer device that is remote from the scanning device and is also remote from the comminution device, the wear evaluation device being communicatively connectable to the scanning device via a network connection.

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