DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING WEAR OF A TRANSPORT SYSTEM HAVING SLIDING CONTACTS

Abstract

If a failure of components of a transport-system sliding contact can be predicted, preventive maintenance that is sometimes unnecessary is eliminated and an alternative run-to-failure approach associated with downtime can be avoided. A system and a method detect wear of a transport system, which system has a sliding contact with a current collector and a current-carrying conductor. A current-collector vibration sensor mounted on the current collector is configured to register vibrations produced by driving motion of the vehicle along the current-carrying conductor and to wirelessly transmit the vibrations to a background system. The background system is configured to subject data transmitted to the background system, in particular the registered vibrations, to an analysis and to signal wear of the transport system, in particular wear of the current collector and/or of the current-carrying conductor, on the basis of the analysis.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A system for detecting wear of a conveying system, the system comprising: a sliding contact having a current collector and a current-carrying conductor, said current collector being mountable on a vehicle and the vehicle can be supplied with energy via said current collector; a background system; a vibration sensor disposed on a current collector side, said vibration sensor on the current collector side, mounted on said current collector, configured to register vibrations produced by a driving motion of the vehicle along said current-carrying conductor and to wirelessly transmit the vibrations to said background system; and said background system configured to subject data transmitted to said background system to an analysis and to signal wear of the conveying system on a basis of the analysis.

17. The system according to claim 16, further comprising a locating means for transmitting a position of said vibration sensor on the current collector side to said background system.

18. The system according to claim 16, further comprising at least one further stationary vibration sensor attached to said current-carrying conductor and configured to register vibrations produced by said current collector passing thereby and to wirelessly transmit the vibrations to said background system.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein said current-carrying conductor is a busbar and/or said current collector is a carbon brush.

20. The system according to claim 18, further comprising a gateway for transmitting recorded data from said vibration sensor and said at least one further stationary vibration sensor to said background system.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein said vibration sensor and said at least one further stationary vibration sensor are configured to transmit status data of said vibration sensor and said at least one further stationary vibration sensor to said background system in addition to the registered vibrations.

22. The system according to claim 16, wherein said current collector has a spring configured to press said current collector against said current-carrying conductor.

23. The system according to claim 16, wherein: the conveying system is an airport baggage conveying system; and the data includes registered vibrations of said current collector and/or of said current-carrying conductor.

24. A method for detecting wear during an operation of a conveying system containing a sliding contact having a current collector and a current-carrying conductor, wherein the current collector being mountable on a vehicle and the vehicle being supplied with energy via the current collector, which comprises the steps of: a) moving the current collector along the current-carrying conductor, causing it to vibrate; b) registering vibrations by a vibration sensor attached to the current collector on a current collector side; c) wirelessly transmitting registered vibrations from the vibration sensor on the current collector side together with a timestamp and an identity of the vibration sensor to a background system; and d) subjecting, via the background system, data transmitted to the background system to an analysis and, in an event of deviations, detected and signaled as wear of the conveying system.

25. The method according to claim 24, which further comprises: e) registering the vibrations produced by a passing current collector on the current-carrying conductor by a further stationary vibration sensor; f) wirelessly transmitting the vibrations registered by the further stationary vibration sensor together with an identity of the further stationary vibration sensor to the background system; and g) subjecting, via the background system, further data transmitted from the further stationary vibration sensor to the background system to an analysis and, in an event of deviations, detected and signaled as wear of the conveying system.

26. The method according to claim 24, which further comprises transmitting the data from the vibration sensor to the background system via a gateway, wherein the gateway is installed at a fixed location along the current-carrying conductor and a zero time is set each time a chassis having the vibration sensor 12 passes over.

27. The method according to claim 24, which further comprises detecting the deviations by means of a statistical comparison with preceding registrations or by means of a comparison with a fixed variable.

28. The method according to claim 24, which further comprises transmitting status data of each said vibration sensor to the background system in addition to the registered vibrations.

29. The method according to claim 24, which further comprises transmitting a position of the vibration sensor on the current collector side to the background system.

30. The method according to claim 24, which further comprises providing the current collector with a spring configured to press the current collector against the current-carrying conductor.

31. The method according to claim 24, wherein the current-carrying conductor is a busbar and/or the current collector is a carbon brush.

32. The method according to claim 24, wherein: the conveying system is an airport baggage conveying system; and the data includes registered vibrations of said current collector and/or of said current-carrying conductor.

Description

[0041] Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the figures, for example. In the drawings:

[0042] FIG. 1 schematically shows the system according to the invention;

[0043] FIG. 2 shows stationary and current collector-side vibration sensors on a vehicle and the busbars;

[0044] FIG. 3 shows a sliding contact of a busbar system together with the contact block; and

[0045] FIG. 4 illustrates the different wear of two contact blocks having springs.

[0046] FIG. 1 schematically shows the system according to the invention for detecting wear in a reduced embodiment. The sliding contact comprises a current-carrying conductor 6 and a current collector 4, which is attached to a vehicle 8. The vehicle 8 can be supplied with energy via the current collector 4. The current-carrying conductor 6 can be arranged below, next to and/or above the vehicle 8. A vibration sensor 12 is attached to the current collector 4 and thus to the vehicle 8 and the vehicle 8 can be moved at least along the current-carrying conductor 6. The system also comprises a background system 10. The vehicle 8, together with the vibration sensor 12 on the current collector side, travels along the current-carrying conductor 6, the current collector 4 being pressed against the current-carrying conductor 6. The vibrations produced during the driving motion are registered by the vibration sensor 12 on the current collector side and wirelessly transmitted to the background system 10. The background system 10 analyzes the registered vibrations and any further data recorded by the vibration sensor 12 and/or further sensors, analyzes these and sends a message in the event of an abnormal analysis. If the vibration sensor 12 on the current collector side also comprises a locating means for transmitting the position of the vibration sensor 12 on the current collector side to the background system 10, the location of the fault can be analyzed with particular ease.

[0047] The further data transmitted by the vibration sensor 12 is dependent on the requirements of the respective conveying system. It is often expedient to record and transmit the temperature and residual battery capacity of the vibration sensor 12 at regular intervals or continuously.

[0048] The vibration pattern depends not only on the condition of the current collector 4, but also on the condition of the current-carrying conductor 6 and the conveying system. However, the condition of the current collector 4 and the current-carrying conductor 6 have the greatest influence on the vibration pattern. The vibration pattern measured by a new sliding contact without alignment errors or other problems is relatively consistent along the entire current-carrying conductor 6. A change in the vibration pattern at the location of this fault is perceived after some time due to wear or if another fault occurs (e.g. a burned-out busbar, a misaligned switch, or an incorrectly aligned connection between two busbar sections, etc.).

[0049] The busbar system itself may be several hundred meters long, constructed with the aid of connected busbar sections. The joints may be misaligned, and sections may be eroded or marked by burns, all of which may result in increased carbon brush wear.

[0050] There is a relationship between the force exerted by the spring 16 on the carbon brush 18 and the vibration pattern. As the wear increases, the force of the spring 16′ on the carbon brush 18′ is reduced. This can be seen in the vibration pattern.

[0051] FIG. 4 shows differences in the vibration pattern of a new current collector 4 with a new, non-worn carbon block of a carbon brush 18 and a tensioned spring 16 (on the left) and a current collector 4′ towards the end of its service life with a worn carbon block of a carbon brush 18′ and a stretched spring 16′ (on the right). As shown in FIG. 3, the spring 16 presses the current collector 4 against the current-carrying conductors 6 of the busbar 14, which in turn are supplied with current by a busbar connection 20, and thus ensures electrical contact during the driving motion of the vehicle 8. A typical arrangement of the vehicle 8 on its track 22 and current collector 4 together with the vibration sensor 12 on the current collector side and stationary vibration sensor 12′ along a busbar 14 having a plurality of current-carrying conductors 6 is shown in FIG. 2.

[0052] The contact block is the part of a current collector 4 which conducts current between the stationary busbar 14 or the current-carrying conductors 6 and the moving current collector 4. The contact block comprises a carbon brush which typically has one or more individual carbon blocks with one or more connections (shunts, terminals).

[0053] During a movement of the current collector 4, the vibrations are continuously measured by the vibration sensor 12. The vibration pattern of a new carbon brush (FIG. 4 on the left) and a carbon brush approaching the end of its life (FIG. 4 on the right) can be compared with one another in an analysis. The difference is used to predict the end of life of the carbon brush of the current collector 4.

[0054] In order to obtain an even more comprehensive image of the overall condition, a stationary vibration sensor 12′ can also be installed on the busbar 14, as shown in FIG. 2. Likewise, FIG. 2 shows in detail how the vibration sensor 12 on the current collector side is arranged on the current collector 4 in order to individually detect vibrations from all the carbon blocks of the current collector 4 and from all the conductors of the busbar 14. The recorded vibrations of the vibration sensors 12, 12′ are transmitted wirelessly to the background system 10 and subjected to an analysis.

[0055] The vibration sensor 12 on the current collector side, mounted on the current collector 4, continuously measures the vibration pattern produced during travel. This vibration pattern is mapped back to a fixed position along the busbar with a trigger/gateway sensor to determine the position of the current collector 4 during each measurement interval. This trigger/gateway sensor acts as a locating means. The locating means transmits the position of the vibration sensor 12 on the current collector side, and thus of the current collector 4, to the background system 10.

[0056] As a traveling sensor, the vibration sensor 12 on the current collector side can detect problems and the condition of the current collector 4 and of the current-carrying conductor 6, wear being of particular relevance. In order to detect problems only or additionally on the current-carrying conductor 6, but also on the normal track 22 of the vehicle 8, a stationary vibration sensor 12 is used for supplementary analysis.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the system according to the invention is monitored and encompassed by a SCADA system and is thus integrated into the SCADA system.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0058] 2 Sliding contact

[0059] 4 Current collector

[0060] 6 Current-carrying conductor

[0061] 8 Vehicle

[0062] 10 Background system

[0063] 12 Vibration sensor

[0064] 14 Busbar

[0065] 16 Spring

[0066] 18 Carbon brush

[0067] 20 Busbar connection

[0068] 22 Track