The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 10, 2006
Filed:
Aug. 01, 2002
Applicant:
Thomas P. Muller, Montgomery, IL (US);
Inventor:
Thomas P. Muller, Montgomery, IL (US);
Assignee:
Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US);
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
F16H 39/02 (2006.01); F16K 3/00 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
Abstract
Maintenance requirements for hydraulic cylinders used to actuate heavy equipment may be predicted by measuring actual use of the cylinders. Sensors measuring piston position within each cylinder are integrated and the results stored in histograms bins to provide a permanent record of motion. Hydraulic pressure and temperature are also recorded. Data are downloaded periodically and compared with data from laboratory tests and/or from other units in the field.