Method of monitoring a vibratory grinding process

Abstract

In a method of monitoring a vibratory grinding process, parameters from different parameter groups are detected and evaluated to output a command for operating the vibratory grinding system.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring and controlling a vibratory grinding process, comprising: providing a vibratory grinding system having a control unit configured in operable communication with a plurality of sensors and with a vibratory grinding device, the vibratory grinding device including a container configured to be set into vibration by a drive motor, and with a process water treatment system configured in communication with the container via a feed line and a drain line; filling the container with process water from the process water treatment system; detecting parameters of at least three parameter groups of the vibratory grinding process via the plurality of sensors; analyzing and correlating the detected parameters of at least three parameter groups with an evaluation device and outputting at least one control command from the evaluation device to the control unit, the detected parameters of at least three parameter groups including a) a first parameter group consisting of at least one of a rotational speed and a temperature of the drive motor; b) a second parameter group consisting of at least one of a conductivity and a degree of turbidity of the process water; c) a third parameter group consisting of at least one of a process medium consumption and production quantity; and controlling and operating the vibratory grinding system in response to a control signal from the control unit, wherein the control signal is generated in response to the at least one control command from the evaluation device.

2. The method of claim 1, further including manually inputting detected parameters into an input device and configuring the input device in communication with the control unit.

3. The method of claim 1, further including detecting the parameters continuously in an automated manner.

4. The method of claim 1, further including transmitting the detected parameters to the evaluation device via remote data transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, further including configuring the vibratory grinding device to output an alarm message in response to a detected parameter falling outside a desired parameter range.

6. The method of claim 1, further including detecting a parameter in the second parameter group via a visual and/or olfactory assessment and supplying the result of this assessment to the evaluation device.

7. The method of claim 1, further including outputting at least one action instruction from the control unit as a command in response to the analyzed parameters, wherein the command comprises a request to an operator to initiate a maintenance of at least one component of the vibratory grinding system.

8. The method of claim 1, further including detecting at least one machine parameter of a vibratory grinding device, a centrifuge, a pump, and/or a waste water purification apparatus in the first parameter group.

9. An apparatus that performs the method of monitoring and controlling a vibratory grinding process of claim 1, comprising: the vibratory grinding system of claim 1.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein an input device is connected to the control unit of the vibratory grinding system and reads out at least one of the parameters from the control unit.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein an output device is connected to the control unit of the vibratory grinding system and outputs at least one control command for operating the vibratory grinding system to the control unit.

12. The method of claim 1, further including detecting a parameter in of the second parameter group with an image sensor and/or an odor sensor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will be described in the following purely by way of example with reference to an advantageous embodiment and to the enclosed drawing. There is shown:

(2) FIG. 1 a highly schematized vibratory grinding system with an apparatus for monitoring the vibratory grinding process; and

(3) FIG. 2 a schematic diagram of a monitoring apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) FIG. 1 shows an exemplary vibratory grinding system having a vibratory grinding device 10 that comprises a container 12 that can be set into vibration by means of a vibration motor 14. The vibratory grinding device 10 further has various sensors, for example, a filling level sensor 16 and a temperature sensor 18.

(5) A control unit 20 is provided for the operation of the vibratory grinding device, for example, a PLC control that is in communication with all the electrical components of the vibratory grinding device 10. Thus, the control unit 20 not only outputs control signals to control the vibration motor 14 and to determine the filling level or the temperature within the container 12. The control unit 20 rather also detects the temperature, the energy consumption, the current, and the rotational speed of the drive motor 14. Furthermore, the control unit 20 controls all the feed valves and outlet valves and other components of the vibratory grinding device 10.

(6) The container 12 of the vibratory grinding device 10 is in communication with a process water treatment system 26 via a drain line 22 and a feed line 24, wherein the process water treatment system 26 includes further components such as a centrifuge, a fresh water tank, a dirty water tank, a stirrer, filling level sensors, metering devices, lifting stations, pumps, sensors, and the like. Thus, the appearance, the temperature, the pH value, the conductivity, the refractive index, the water hardness, the odor, the degree of turbidity, the degree of transmission, or also a foam formation of the process water can be detected in the process water treatment system 26, in the container 12, in the wastewater treatment or elsewhere, wherein different ones of these parameters can also be varied by adding compound agents, wastewater treatment products, or fresh water. All of the detected process water parameters are transmitted via a data link 28 to an evaluation device 30 that is connected to the control unit 20 of the vibratory grinding device 10 via a further data link 32. The evaluation device 30 is furthermore connected to input devices M, P, and PW, by which further parameters of the three parameter groups can be input or detected, and to an output device 34 by which the output of commands for the operation of the vibratory grinding system and the process water treatment system is possible, for example, in the form of an action instruction and/or as a control command.

(7) In operation, the evaluation device 30 detects a respective at least one parameter from the group of machine parameters, process water parameters, and process parameters and analyzes the detected parameters in a correlated manner. Due to the linked examination and evaluation of the parameters of the electrical components and the process water circuit and the vibratory grinding process per se, commands for the further operation of the vibratory grinding system can be output that enable the operator to return to regular operation.

(8) FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an apparatus for monitoring a vibratory grinding process. In this apparatus, an evaluation device 30 is again provided that receives parameters detected by a respective input device M, P, and PW. In this respect, machine parameters M1, M2, M3, . . . Mn are input into the input device M, while process parameters P1, P2, P3, . . . Pn are input into the input device P. Process water parameters PW1, PW2, PW3, . . . PWn are input into the input device PW.

(9) A correlated evaluation of all the parameters of the three parameter groups is then performed in the evaluation device 30 and control commands are output to the control unit 20 of the vibratory grinding device 10 via a connected output device 34 or action instructions are output to an operator via a display 35.

(10) Due to the correlated monitoring of the parameters from the three parameter groups described, it is possible to react to process anomalies. For example, it can be found in ongoing operation that the machine parameters of the input device M are within the prescribed limits, but that parameters are forwarded from the input device P and the input device PW to the evaluation device 30 that exceed or fall below predefined limits. Thus, it can, for example, be determined that not only the compound concentration is too low, but also that the grinding body quantity is below a predefined limit. Based on this check, the evaluation device 30 can then output the action instruction to add compound in the process water, on the one hand, and to increase the grinding body quantity, on the other hand.

(11) It is understood that the method described above is only one example for correcting a process anomaly and that a plurality of limit values and correlations of the parameters are predefined in the evaluation device 30 so that a return to a regular operation can be made in the event of a process deviation.