MONITORING AND ALERT SYSTEM FOR INDUSTRIAL CABLES

Abstract

The present invention refers to the field of industrial automation, with particular reference to industrial robotics and handling in general. In this field, in the present case, cable chains or sheaths for transporting and containing cables, cable bundles or flexible hoses are particularly relevant, said cables or hoses being led to the robotic or handling systems in which they are used. It is well known to those skilled in the art that the cables or hoses transported and housed in sheaths or chains are protected from external agents that could cause abrasions or breakages, but are still subjected to mutual rubbing and rubbing against the inner wall of said sheaths or chains. Moreover, the environments in which said cable means are used are harsh environments, so that the cable sheaths or chains are also subjected to shocks and strong external stresses and said stresses may, and often do, reverberate and cause equivalent damages to the cables or hoses they contain. The object of the present invention is a monitoring and alert system to check the actual state of use and wear of an industrial cable.

Claims

1. A monitoring and alert system (1) for industrial cables (2) comprising at least a pair of conductors (7a, 7b) to be arranged along the length of said industrial cable (2), said at least one pair of conductors (7a, 7b) being interposed between a first layer (6a) and a second layer (7b) of insulating material enveloping said cable (2), said pair of conductors forming an electrically closed circuit, and comprising at least means for detecting the opening of said circuit, characterized in that said means for detecting the opening of said at least one circuit are included in a smart device (10) suitable at least for detecting and monitoring in real time the state of the circuit formed by said conductors (7a, 7b) during a dynamic operating phase of said industrial cable (2), for monitoring the actual wear conditions of said industrial cable (2).

2. The monitoring and alert system (1) for industrial cables (2) according to claim 1, wherein said smart device (10) comprises means for transmitting at least detected data relating to the opening of said circuit, at least in wireless mode (15).

3. The monitoring and alert system (1) for industrial cables (2) according to claim 1, wherein said smart device (10) comprises at least a temperature sensor for measuring the operating temperature of at least one industrial cable (2) on which it is arranged.

4. The monitoring and alert system (1) for industrial cables (2) according to claim 1, wherein said smart device (10) comprises at least one accelerometer for measuring in real time the number of working cycles of said at least one industrial cable (2) on which it is arranged.

5. The monitoring and alert system (1) for industrial cables (2) according to claim 1, wherein said smart device (10) can be arranged on said at least one industrial cable (2) or can be integrated in at least one connector (12) of said industrial cable (2).

6. The monitoring and alert system (1) for industrial cables (2) according to claim 1, wherein said smart device (10) is integrated within a standard power supply for industrial use (18) and can perform one-off or regular-interval tests on the industrial cable (2) to check at least the condition of said at least one electrically closed circuit formed by said at least one pair of conductors (7a, 7b).

7. The monitoring and alert system (1) for industrial cables (2) according to claim 1, wherein said smart device (10) comprises alert means for generating an alarm when detecting the interruption of said at least one electrically closed circuit.

8. The monitoring and alert system (1) for industrial cables (2) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one pair of conductors (7a, 7b) are wound coil-like along the length of the industrial cable (2).

9. The monitoring and alert system (1) for industrial cables (2) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one pair of conductors or conductive plates (7a, 7b) is arranged along the industrial cable (2) following its longitudinal development.

10. The monitoring and alert system (1) for industrial cables (2) according to claim 1, wherein said system comprises one or more pairs of conductors (7a, 7b) arranged along the cable following the longitudinal development or length of said industrial cable (2) to obtain the maximum coverage of the surface of the industrial cable (2) to detect any possible abrasion or breaking.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] These and further advantages obtained through the innovative monitoring and alert system for industrial cables described by the present invention will be further described and illustrated by the description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0038] FIG. 1a is a section of a cable housing a part of the monitoring and alert system;

[0039] FIG. 1b is the same embodiment of FIG. 1a in an exploded view;

[0040] FIG. 2a is a particularly preferred embodiment of a part of said cable monitoring and alert system for industrial cables;

[0041] FIG. 2b is a further preferred embodiment of a part of said cable monitoring and alert system for industrial cables;

[0042] FIG. 3 is a further preferred embodiment of a part of said monitoring and alert system for industrial cables.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0043] Referring to FIG. 1, it shows a section of an example of a multipole industrial cable 2 suitable for the monitoring and alert system 1 for industrial cables described by the present invention. In particular, said multipole cable 2 comprises inside it a plurality of further conductive cables 3, said cables 3 being usually sheathed and/or shielded by means of a special shielding material 4. The main structure of said multipolar cable 2 may further comprise material 5, e.g. reinforcing plastic. Said cables 2, e.g. multipole cables, usually comprise a layer of inner insulating material 6a and a layer of outer insulating material 6b. Moreover, they generally comprise a protective outer sheath 8 and an outer shield 9 arranged between said first layer of insulating material 6a and the inner structure of the multipole cable 2.

[0044] In this case, the monitoring and alert system 1 described in the present invention involves the introduction of at least one pair of conductors or conductive plates 7a and 7b between said at least one first layer of insulating material 6a and said at least one second layer of insulating material 6b. Said materials may obviously be of any suitable nature.

[0045] Said at least one pair of conductors or conductive plates 7a and 7b are preferably wound coil-like along the length of the industrial cable 2 as shown in FIG. 2, which is a perspective view of an example of a multipole industrial cable 2 suitable for the purpose of the present invention. Said at least one pair of conductors or conductive plates 7a and 7b may also be arranged along the cable following its longitudinal development or cable length. In this case, in order to have the maximum coverage of the cable surface, it would be preferable to have at least two pairs of conductors along the whole length of the cable and forming at least one further electrically closed circuit.

[0046] Said modification may advantageously be carried out on any industrial cable without varying its general electrical, mechanical, etc. characteristics. Moreover, said modification may be carried out at a very low cost. The cables relevant to the present invention, as previously stated, are particular cables suitable for a dynamic, linear or twisting use, in particular usually (but not necessarily) together with cable chains or sheaths for housing them. A functionally effective management mode of said cables has to be carefully planned based on the type of the cables, so that the management of an industrial cable 2 is necessarily different from the one of a cable for domestic or civil use.

[0047] Referring now to FIGS. 2a and 2b, they show with more completeness two examples of two particularly preferred embodiments of the innovative monitoring and alert system 1 described in the present invention. In particular, FIG. 2a is an example (not to scale, for the sake of descriptive clarity) of a smart device 10 included in the described innovative monitoring and alert system 1. Said at least one smart device in this case is connected by any suitable connecting means 11 to at least an industrial cable 2. With reference to FIG. 2a, said cable further comprises at least one connector 12. In this example, it has a circular shape, but it may be rectangular, with a clamp or have any suitable shape. As already known, said connectors 12 are suitable for connecting said one or more industrial cables 2 to the respective devices to be supplied or, for example, to the devices by which the cables are supplied. Advantageously, said smart device 10 can control at least that the conductor pair 7a and 7b always forms a closed circuit. Said at least one pair of conductors 7a and 7b, e.g. wound along the length of the cable keep an electrically closed circuit if the industrial cable 2 works under optimum conditions. If, on the other hand, said cable 2 is worn because of its prolonged use or friction or continuous bending or twisting efforts, etc., said pair of conductors housed immediately below the protective sheath 8 of the cable, e.g. between said at least one outer insulating layer 6b and one inner insulating layer 6a, will be among the first sensitive elements of the cable to be possibly affected in case of wear. Therefore, they will be the first element sensitive to the optimal operation of the cable to be subjected to interruptions before such wear may damage the sensitive inner structure of the cable 2 with the aforesaid extremely serious consequences for the manufacturing continuity. Particularly advantageously, said smart device 10 will be able to control in real time the conditions of the electrical circuit formed at least by said pair of conductive plates 7a and 7b. More advantageously, said smart device 10 of said system 1 comprises means for transmitting said data, at least in wireless mode, to any suitable further detection system for receiving said data. Said monitoring and alert system 1, therefore, will particularly advantageously alert in real time to the wear conditions of an industrial cable 2. In particular, each industrial cable is suitable to be monitored by said innovative system 1 since positioning said system 1 on said cables is extremely simple and effective. Said device may advantageously be housed on the cable 2, or close to it, or on the connector of said cable 2, without thereby causing the minimum encumbrance or hindrance to the industrial cable 2.

[0048] FIG. 2b shows in more detail an example of connection between said smart device 10 and said industrial cable 2. In particular, it shows an example of how said smart device 10 is connected to said pair of conductors 7a and 7b. The monitoring and alarm system 1 therefore comprises at least said industrial cable 2 housing at least one pair of conductors 7a and 7b forming an electrically closed circuit together with said smart device 10, to monitor at least, e.g. in real time, the electrical continuity of said at least two conductors or plates 7a and 7b connected to each other, and to transmit said data to one or more control units or system 14 for sending at least one alarm when said electrically continuous circuit formed by said at least two conductors 7a and 7b is interrupted.

[0049] Said smart device 10, in at least one of its preferred embodiments, may comprise at least one microprocessor, a power supply battery, wireless communication means 15 and means for connecting said conductors 7a and 7b. Advantageously, in some particularly preferred embodiments, said smart device 10 may further comprise at least one accelerometer to monitor the number of cycles actually performed by the monitored cable 2.

[0050] Even more advantageously, in some embodiments, said smart device 10 might further comprise at least one temperature-detecting sensor. As already known to those skilled in the art, the operating temperature of industrial cables is essential for the correct operation of said cables. If, for example, the operating temperature fell below a certain value, for example 30 C., the outer sheath could crystallize, and once come back to higher temperatures it could crack and get damaged, thus causing a cable breakage. The operating temperature is usually constant along the cable, so that only one temperature detecting sensor housed e.g. in this smart device 10, as previously stated, is needed.

[0051] Obviously, if said smart device 10 includes also at least one accelerometer and at least one temperature sensor, also said data would be detected at intervals or in real time and transmitted at intervals or in real time to a suitable control unit or control system. Therefore, these further data would also be advantageously used to accurately check the working conditions of said industrial cables, thereby preventing their breakage or any serious damage. This innovative monitoring and alert system 1 can therefore advantageously monitor the actual working conditions of industrial cables even when they are housed in sheaths or cable chains, in real time and based on actual data and not on mere statistical assessments.

[0052] More advantageously, it is possible to set the monitoring and alert system 1 according to the customer's needs. In fact, the system can be set to send the detected information in real time, at time intervals, or only in case of an alert about a cable wear, i.e. about an interruption of the circuit formed by the conductors, and/or about having reached the total number of life cycles of the monitored industrial cable (for a possible preventive replacement) and/or about reaching particularly high or particularly low temperature thresholds that could damage the industrial cable due to its physical characteristics.

[0053] In a variant of a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 3, said monitoring and alert system 1 for dynamic industrial cables includes also in this case at least two conductors 7a and 7b to form an electrically closed circuit arranged along the length of said cable 2, preferably between said first layer of insulating material 6 and said second layer of insulating material 6b.

[0054] In particular, in this embodiment, the smart device 10 is separate from the cable 2 it monitors. Said smart device 10 may be integrated with a standard industrial power supply 18 and can be used to perform tests on the cable 2 provided with conductors according to the present invention, one-off or at regular intervals to check whether the electrically closed circuit formed by said at least two conductors is intact, so that the cable is working properly and shows no relevant abrasion, or whether the cable is damaged and the circuit is open. In case of damage, since tests are usually performed at regular intervals, it will advantageously be possible to act on the damage before the cable is badly damaged. Obviously, said smart device 10 can transmit said data in any suitable mode, wireless or via cable, etc., or it may emit an alarm signal in case of breakdown, so that the operator performing the control is promptly alerted.

[0055] In a further innovative variant, the smart device 10 may be integrated in the connector 12 of the industrial cable 2 in an extremely simple and advantageous way by easily inserting the components of said device in the structure of the connector 12.

[0056] Therefore, particularly advantageously, the monitoring and alarm system 1 described in the present invention can monitor industrial cables and, more particularly, can effectively control the cable by means of actual measurements, not based on statistical data. More advantageously, said system may be simply integrated in industrial cables and is inexpensive to manufacture, besides being particularly efficient and reliable on all types of industrial cables, be they housed in a sheath or in a cable chain or otherwise used.

[0057] It is therefore clear that variants included in the object of the present invention as described by the appended claims are to be considered all types of industrial cables e.g. multipole, power supply cables for motors and servomotors (including versions with brake and/or temperature probe), feedback cables for motors and servomotors, encoder and resolver cables, data bus cables, hybrid cables (power, and/or bus and/or feedback), auxiliary input/output cables, sensor cables, as well as variations in materials, diameters, physical characteristics of said cables, provided that said cables are for industrial use, as well as variations in the shape or size or position of said smart device 10, provided that it is capable of detecting the condition of said cable 2, as well as variations in the data transmitting mode from said cable 2 to said device and/or from said device 10 to a suitable control system or the like.