Roller with a sensor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a grinder roller for use in a grinder roller pair, in particular a grain roller pair, comprising at least one sensor for the detection of measured values which characterize a state of the grinder roller, wherein the sensor is arranged in a receiving opening of the grinder roller, at least one data transmitter for the contactless transmission of the measured values of the at least one sensor to a data receiver, wherein the sensor is enclosed in the receiving opening by means of a cap made from ceramic material. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a corresponding grinder roller pair, to a production plant which comprises a grinder roller pair of this type, to a corresponding cap, to a kit consisting of a corresponding cap and a fastening device, and to a method for operating a product processing plant of this type.

Claims

1. A grinder roller for use in a grinder roller pair comprising: at least one sensor for detecting measured values which characterize a state of the grinder roller, wherein the at least one sensor is arranged in a receiving opening of the grinder roller; and at least one data transmitter for contactless transmission of the measured values of the at least one sensor to a data receiver, wherein the at least one sensor is enclosed in the receiving opening by means of a cap made of ceramic material, the cap having an external thread and an internal thread, wherein the cap is fixed at the outer end of the receiving opening by way of a conductive ring made of a metallic material.

2. The grinder roller according to claim 1, wherein the cap made of ceramic material is manufactured from zirconium oxide (ZrO.sub.2).

3. The grinder roller according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is surrounded at least in one section by a metal with high electrical conductivity for improving a transmission and reception of a radio signal.

4. The grinder roller according to claim 3, wherein the at least one sensor is surrounded in a region of its head by the material with high electrical conductivity.

5. The grinder roller according to claim 3, wherein the material with high electrical conductivity surrounds the at least one sensor in a form of a foil or a ring.

6. The grinder roller according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor has at least one battery for supplying energy to the sensor.

7. The grinder roller according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor has at least one electronic component for data transmission, signal conversion, or both.

8. The grinder roller pair comprising at least one the grinder roller according to claim 1.

9. A product processing plant containing at least one the grinder roller pair according to claim 8.

10. A method for operating a product processing plant containing at least one the grinder roller pair according to claim 8, comprising the step of detecting the state of the grinder roller by means of the at least one sensor arranged in the grinder roller.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of detecting the state of the grinder roller is carried out continuously during the operation of the product processing plant.

12. The cap made of ceramic material and configured or adapted for use as a cap for enclosing the at least one sensor in the receiving opening of a grinder roller according to claim 1.

13. A kit consisting of the cap according to claim 12 and a fastening device consisting of a ring made of a metallic material.

14. The grinder roller according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic material is adapted to have relative permittivity in the range of 5 to 50.

15. The grinder roller according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic material is adapted to be permeable to electromagnetic waves in the range of the radio signal transmission at about 2.4 GHz.

Description

(1) The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to non-limiting, exemplary embodiments and drawings. The following are shown:

(2) FIG. 1 a schematic view of a grinder roller according to the invention with a sensor arranged therein;

(3) FIG. 2 a schematic view of a receiving opening of a grinder roller according to the invention with a sensor arranged therein;

(4) FIG. 3 a schematic view of a cap according to the invention made of ceramic material;

(5) FIG. 4 a schematic view of a fastening device according to the invention.

(6) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a grinder roller 1 according to the invention with a sensor 2 arranged therein. Grinder rollers 1 of this type are well known. The grinder roller 1 according to this embodiment has four receiving openings 1a (shown in more detail in FIG. 2), into which a sensor 2 or a measuring device with several sensors can be arranged. The receiving openings 1a are located and arranged symmetrically (to avoid imbalances) in the circumferential region of the roller, i.e., close to the lateral surface of the roller, in order to determine the physical values corresponding to the roller surface.

(7) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a receiving opening 1a of a grinder roller 1 according to the invention with a sensor 2 arranged therein. The sensor 2 is located completely in the receiving opening 1a. A cap 4 made of ceramic materialpreferably zirconium oxideis fixed on the head 3 of the sensor 2. The cap 4 made of ceramic material closes off the receiving opening 1a from the surroundings, and thus protects the sensor 2 or prevents any product contamination due to damage to the sensor 2.

(8) The cap 4 made of ceramic material is fixed at the outer end of the receiving opening 1a with the aid of a fastening device 5preferably a steel ring.

(9) In order to improve the transmission and reception of a radio signal, the sensor 2 according to this embodiment is surrounded in the region of its head 3 by a material 6 with high electrical conductivitypreferably a metal. According to the embodiment shown here, the material 6 with high electrical conductivity surrounds the head 3 of the sensor 2 in the form of a foil or a ring.

(10) FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a cap 4 according to the invention made of ceramic material. The cap 4 has an interior chamber (in the form of a blind bore) for receiving the sensor 2 and is designed at its closed end in such a way that a fastening device, such as the ring 5 shown in FIG. 4, can be fixed thereon.

(11) FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a fastening device 5 according to the inventionhere, in the form of a metal ring. The fastening device 5 is designed in such a way that it can be fixed on a cap 4 made of ceramic material, such as the cap 4 shown in FIG. 3.