DEVICE FOR EXAMINING A CONVEYOR SYSTEM, AND CONTROL UNIT, MOTORIZED ROLLER, CONVEYOR SYSTEM, AND METHOD

Abstract

A device for examining a conveyor system having one or more motorized rollers comprises a measuring unit for determining a current profile of the motorized roller, wherein the measuring unit has a first interface and a second interface which are adapted to switch the measuring unit in the conveyor system between the motorized roller and a control unit controlling the motorized roller. A third interface is provided for receiving data on an operating situation present during the determination of the current profile. An evaluation unit is adapted to compare the determined current profile of the motorized roller with a reference profile which is characteristic for the operating situation.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A device for examining a conveyor system having one or more motorized rollers, the device comprising: a measuring unit for determining a current profile of the motorized roller, wherein the measuring unit has a first interface and a second interface which are adapted to switch the measuring unit in the conveyor system between the motorized roller and a control unit controlling the motorized roller; a third interface for receiving data on an operating situation present during the determination of the current profile; and an evaluation unit which is adapted to compare the determined current profile of the motorized roller with a reference profile which is characteristic for the operating situation.

17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the operating situation comprises two or more different operating states.

18. The device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the operating situation comprises at least one or more of acceleration, loading, transport, unloading, idling, braking, deceleration, or standstill.

19. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the evaluation unit is adapted to perform a comparison between the determined current profile of the motorized roller and a reference subprofile which is characteristic for the respective operating state.

20. The device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the evaluation unit is adapted to output an optimization parameter on the basis of the comparison.

21. The device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the optimization parameter comprises at least one or more of the following values: a change in the conveying speed of the system, subsystem, and/or motorized roller; a change in the power of a motorized roller; exchange of a first motorized roller for a second motorized roller; a change in the number of motorized rollers, conveyor rollers, and/or conveyor zones of the conveyor system; a change in the number of motorized rollers and/or conveyor rollers in a conveyor zone of the conveyor system; a change in a gear mechanism step-down ratio; a change in the standstill time of the conveyor system, subsystem, and/or motorized roller; or a change in the acceleration of the motorized roller.

22. The device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the evaluation unit is adapted to output a control signal for control on the basis of the comparison.

23. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first or the second interface comprises an adapter.

24. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the third interface is adapted to receive data on the operating situation present during the determination of the current profile from an operating state sensor.

25. The device as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a memory unit in which a plurality of reference profiles which are characteristic for different operating situations are stored.

26. The device as claimed in claim 16, comprising a memory unit in which a plurality of optimization parameters are stored.

27. The device as claimed in claim 26, wherein the plurality of optimization parameters comprise optimization parameters for different characteristic reference profiles.

28. The device as claimed in claim 26, wherein the plurality of optimization parameters comprise optimization parameters for different comparison results.

29. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the measuring unit is adapted to determine a fed-back current.

30. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the measuring unit is adapted to determine total performed electrical work of the motorized roller.

31. A method for examining a conveyor system having one or more motorized rollers, the method comprising the steps of: determining a current profile of the motorized roller; detecting an operating situation present during the determination of the current profile; and comparing the determined current profile of the motorized roller with a reference profile which is characteristic for the detected operating situation.

32. A conveyor system comprising: a motorized roller; a control unit controlling the motorized roller; a measuring unit for determining a current profile of the motorized roller, wherein the measuring unit has a first interface and a second interface which are adapted to switch the measuring unit in the conveyor system between the motorized roller and the control unit controlling the motorized roller; a third interface for receiving data on an operating situation present during the determination of the current profile; and an evaluation unit which is adapted to compare the determined current profile of the motorized roller with a reference profile which is characteristic for the operating situation.

33. The conveyor system as claimed in claim 32, further comprising an operating state sensor for detecting an operating situation present during the determination of the current profile; wherein the evaluation unit further compares the determined current profile of the motorized roller with the reference profile which is characteristic for the detected operating situation.

34. A motorized roller adapted for use in a conveyor system comprising: a control unit controlling the motorized roller; a measuring unit for determining a current profile of the motorized roller, wherein the measuring unit has a first interface and a second interface which are adapted to switch the measuring unit in the conveyor system between the motorized roller and the control unit controlling the motorized roller; a third interface for receiving data on an operating situation present during the determination of the current profile; and an evaluation unit which is adapted to compare the determined current profile of the motorized roller with a reference profile which is characteristic for the operating situation.

35. A control unit adapted for use in a conveyor system comprising: a motorized roller controlled by the control unit; a measuring unit for determining a current profile of the motorized roller, wherein the measuring unit has a first interface and a second interface which are adapted to switch the measuring unit in the conveyor system between the motorized roller and the control unit controlling the motorized roller; a third interface for receiving data on an operating situation present during the determination of the current profile; and an evaluation unit which is adapted to compare the determined current profile of the motorized roller with a reference profile which is characteristic for the operating situation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] A preferred embodiment of the invention is described by way of example on the basis of the appended figures, in which:

[0059] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of one embodiment of the device for examining a conveyor system having a motorized roller;

[0060] FIG. 2 shows the determined current profile of four motorized rollers;

[0061] FIG. 3 shows a comparison of four motorized rollers in different operating states; and

[0062] FIG. 4 shows a comparison of the average values for the determined current profile of a motorized roller with respective average values for the reference profiles in four operating states.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0063] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of one embodiment of the device for examining a conveyor system having a motorized roller.

[0064] FIG. 1 shows a motorized roller 10 and a control unit 20 controlling the motorized roller 10. The motorized roller 10 and the control unit 20 are part of a conveyor system which can comprise still further elements.

[0065] The device 90 comprises a measuring unit 40, an evaluation unit 60, and a memory unit 70 and also a first interface 51, a second interface 52, and a third interface 53.

[0066] The first and second interfaces 51, 52 are used to connect the device between the motorized roller 10 and the control unit 20. The first and second interfaces 51, 52 are designed as an adapter by which an interconnection at a present, releasable (plug) connection between the motorized roller and control unit is possible in a particularly simple manner.

[0067] The third interface 53 serves to obtain data on an operating situation present during the determination of a current profile of the motorized roller 10 from an operating state sensor 30.

[0068] The evaluation unit 60 is designed to compare the determined current profile of the motorized roller 10 with a reference profile which is characteristic for the operating situation. For this purpose, the evaluation unit 60 can access data stored in the memory unit 70, in particular, reference profiles characteristic for different operating situations and/or optimization parameters for different characteristic reference profiles and/or for different comparison results.

[0069] FIG. 2 shows the determined current profile of four motorized rollers (current 1, current 2, current 3, current 4) and also the associated operating situations, which have been detected by four operating state sensors (sensor 1, sensor 2, sensor 3, sensor 4), over time.

[0070] The operating situations determined by the four operating state sensors are represented by the lines 101, 201, 301, 401. The signal profile of the first operating state sensor has a first maximum 101a and a second maximum 101b. These maxima 101a, 101b indicate that a conveyable item reaches the first motorized roller or the associated first conveyor zone. Corresponding, but time-staggered maxima are also evident in the signal profiles 102, 202, 302, 402 of the further operating state sensors. Different operating states can be derived therefrom, in particular, operating states before, during or after the maxima 101a, 101b.

[0071] Before the maxima 101a, 101b, the determined current profile of the first motorized roller also shows the maxima 112a, 112b. After descending to local minima, the determined current profile of the first motorized roller then shows ascending phases 122a, 122b to local maxima 132a, 132b and also subsequent idling situations 142a, 142b, with minima 152a, 152b. Corresponding, but time-staggered profiles are also evident in the profiles 202, 302, 402 of the determined currents of the further motorized rollers.

[0072] These current profiles 102, 202, 302, 402 are compared with reference profiles which correspond to the respective operating situations. In particular, use can be made for this purpose of reference subprofiles which are characteristic for different operating states of operating situations and are correspondingly compared with portions of the current profiles 102, 202, 302, 402.

[0073] FIG. 3 shows a comparison of four motorized rollers in different operating states. In the upper part of FIG. 3, a conveyor system 900 is schematically illustrated first of all. The conveyor system 900 has a plurality of conveyor rollers 910 (both motorized rollers and nondriven conveyor rollers) in four conveyor zones Z0, Z1, Z2, Z3. Each conveyor zone Z0, Z1, Z2, Z3 has a respective operating state sensor and a motorized roller. There is also schematically illustrated a conveyable item 920 which is moved in conveying direction 930 from conveyor zone to conveyor zone.

[0074] In the lower part of FIG. 3, the operating situations with different operating states, said operating situations being determined with the four operating state sensors S0, S1, S2, S3, and also the associated states of the four motorized rollers in the four conveyor zones are schematically illustrated over time. Represented by Z0, Z1, Z2, Z3 is first of all the general activity of a conveyor zone. The loading state by a conveyable item is then represented by LOAD Z0, LOAD Z1, LOAD Z2, LOAD Z3, and the state without loading is represented by NO LOAD Z0, NO LOAD Z1, NO LOAD Z2, NO LOAD Z3.

[0075] FIG. 4 shows a comparison of the average values for the determined current profile of a motorized roller with respective average values for the reference profiles in four operating states BZ1, BZ2, BZ3, BZ4. Operating state BZ1 corresponds to loading, operating state BZ2 corresponds to transport, operating state BZ3 corresponds to unloading, and operating state BZ4 corresponds to the idling situation.

[0076] For the illustration in FIG. 4, average values for the reference profiles in the different operating states are formed from a number of reference measurements. Likewise, average values in the different operating states have been formed for the respectively determined current profiles.

[0077] Average values for the reference profiles in the respective operating states BZ1, BZ2, BZ3, BZ4 for a conveyable item are represented by 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104.

[0078] Also represented in FIG. 4 are the average values for the determined current profile for a conveyable item, specifically by 1201, 1202, 1203, 1204 in the respective operating states BZ1, BZ2, BZ3, BZ4.

[0079] As is evident, the average values 1201, 1202, 1203, 1204 for the determined current profile lie above the average values for the reference profiles. This can be an indication of a fault or disturbance case which results in the overcoming of a relatively high mass inertia. This can be caused, for example, by a disturbing body or the defect of a drive component. A drive component can be any component which causes a movement; for example, a drive component can be a motorized roller, a slave roller, a drive belt, a drive element or a drive unit.

[0080] Also represented in FIG. 4 are the average values for the determined current profile for a conveyable item, specifically by 1301, 1302, 1303, 1304 in the respective operating states BZ1, BZ2, BZ3, BZ4.

[0081] As is evident, the values 1301, 1302, 1303, 1304 for the determined current lie below the reference values. This can be an indication of a fault or disturbance case which, for example, decouples a passive drive component, such as an interrupted power transmission/drive belt.