Abstract:
This invention relates to a system for protecting rotating electromechanical systems against damages including a coupling configured to connect a moment provider with a load, having first communication means, a first CPU, a first energy providing means and at least one sensor, a control unit having second communication means, second energy providing means, and second CPU, the coupling configured to use the at least one sensor for performing measurements and to communicate with the control unit.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application claims priority from and is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/974,464, filed 3 Apr. 2014, this U.S. Provisional Patent Application incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to rotating electromechanical systems and specifically to computerized means for protecting rotating electromechanical systems against damages caused by mechanical overload. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A common practice in the design and construction of rotating electromechanical systems is the use of mechanical coupling devices. 
         [0004]    A coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power. The primary purpose of couplings is to join two pieces of rotating equipment while permitting some degree of misalignment. 
         [0005]    Shaft couplings are used in machinery for several purposes, the most common of which are the following:
   To provide for the connection of shafts of units that are manufactured separately such as a motor (motor and gear input, gear output and load) and to provide for disconnection for repairs or alterations.   To provide for misalignment of the shafts or to introduce mechanical flexibility.   To reduce the transmission of shock loads from one shaft to another.   To alter the vibration characteristics of rotating units.   
 
         [0010]    Mechanical overload may damage or interrupt the system operation. 
         [0011]    The consequences of undetected overload in mechanical systems can be grave. Countless systems suffer overload damages at all times. Overload can occur abruptly (for example some object falling into the rotating area) or build up gradually over many months of operation without being noticed. 
         [0012]    When overload failure occurs damages can manifest in many different ways such as local system breakage, production lines stalled for many hours or days, fire hazard etc. Economical impact may be very substantial. 
         [0013]    Couplings do not normally allow disconnection of shafts during operation, however there are specialized torque limiting couplings which can slip or disconnect when some torque limit is exceeded. State of the art protected couplings have some disadvantages:
   A slipping coupling may slip for a very long time without being noticed.   When slipping is detected maintenance people often tend to just tighten the adjustment screws as a quick fix, overriding intended protection level, therefore making this protection useless.   Disconnecting (mechanical fuse) type protection forces the replacement of the coupling unit device upon failure on top of expenses associated with fixing the major cause of overload.   
 
       SUMMARY 
       [0017]    According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for protecting rotating electromechanical systems against damages, comprising:
   a coupling configured to connect a moment provider with a load, comprising:
       first communication means;   first CPU;   first energy providing means; and   at least one sensor;   
       a control unit comprising:
       second communication means;   second energy providing means; and   second CPU;   
       
 
         [0027]    said coupling configured to use said at least one sensor for performing measurements and to communicate with said control unit. 
         [0028]    The first energy providing means may comprise an integrated generator. 
         [0029]    The first energy providing means may comprise a battery. 
         [0030]    The control unit may additionally comprise a switch configured to switch off or on said moment provider&#39;s power. 
         [0031]    The coupling may additionally comprise first input means. 
         [0032]    The control unit may additionally comprise second input means. 
         [0033]    The first input means may comprise at least one of keyboard, computer mouse and a laptop. 
         [0034]    The second input means may comprise at least one of keyboard, computer mouse and a laptop. 
         [0035]    The coupling may additionally comprise a display connected with said first CPU. 
         [0036]    The control unit may additionally comprise a display connected with said second CPU. 
         [0037]    The at least one sensor may comprise at least one of torque sensor, vibration sensor, speed sensor, inertial sensor, hall effect sensor, temperature sensor, spin direction sensor and a microphone. 
         [0038]    The control unit may additionally comprise at least one sensor. 
         [0039]    The at least one sensor may comprises at least one of a temperature sensor, vibration sensor and a microphone. 
         [0040]    The first and second communication means may comprise at least one of wireless and wired communication. 
         [0041]    The second energy providing means may comprise a power supply. 
         [0042]    The second energy providing means may comprise a battery. 
         [0043]    According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a coupling configured to connect a moment provider with a load, comprising:
   a CPU;   energy providing means; and   at least one sensor;   
 
         [0047]    said coupling configured to sample measurements from said at least one sensor. 
         [0048]    The coupling may additionally configured to save said samples. 
         [0049]    The at least one sensor may comprise at least one of torque sensor, vibration sensor, speed sensor, inertial sensor, hall effect sensor, temperature sensor, spin direction sensor and a microphone. 
         [0050]    The energy providing means may comprise an integrated generator. 
         [0051]    The energy providing means may comprise a battery. 
         [0052]    The coupling may additionally comprise communication means. 
         [0053]    The communication means may comprise at least one of wireless and wired communication. 
         [0054]    The coupling may additionally comprise input means. 
         [0055]    The input means may comprise at least one of keyboard, computer mouse and a laptop. 
         [0056]    The coupling may additionally comprise a display connected with said CPU. 
         [0057]    According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a control unit configured to communicate with a moment provider, comprising:
   a CPU;   at least one sensor;   energy providing means; and   a cutoff switch configured to cut said moment provider power;   
 
         [0062]    said control unit configured to sample measurements from said at least one sensor. 
         [0063]    The control unit may additionally be configured to save said samples. 
         [0064]    The at least one sensor may comprise at least one of a temperature sensor, a vibration sensor and a microphone. 
         [0065]    The control unit may additionally comprise input means. 
         [0066]    The input means may comprise at least one of keyboard, computer mouse and a laptop. 
         [0067]    The control unit may additionally comprise a display connected with said CPU. 
         [0068]    The control unit may additionally comprise communication means. 
         [0069]    The communication means may comprise at least one of wireless and wired communication. 
         [0070]    The energy providing means may comprise a power supply. 
         [0071]    The energy providing means may comprise a battery. 
         [0072]    According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of protecting rotating electromechanical systems against damages, comprising:
   sampling by a remote device inputs from a moment provider;   comparing said inputs to pre-determined thresholds;   continuously broadcasting messages to a control unit, said messages indicating the remote device&#39;s status and the comparison results;   analyzing said messages by the control unit; and   determining whether to cutoff said moment provider&#39;s power according to said analysis.   
 
         [0078]    The method may additionally comprise generating power by a generator. 
         [0079]    The method may additionally comprise receiving by at least one of said control unit and said remote device at least one operating parameter. 
         [0080]    The method may additionally comprise sending by at least one of said control unit and said remote device at least one notification relating to operational measurements. 
         [0081]    The method may additionally comprise displaying at least one of event log, notification log and event graph. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0082]    For better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, purely by way of example, to the accompanying drawings. 
           [0083]    With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. In the accompanying drawings: 
           [0084]      FIG. 1A  is a schematic drawing showing system components for carrying out the present invention; 
           [0085]      FIG. 1B  is a block diagram showing the system components for carrying out the present invention; 
           [0086]      FIG. 2A  is a schematic view of an exemplary rotary mechanical coupling according to the present invention; 
           [0087]      FIG. 2B  is a schematic view of section C-C of  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0088]      FIG. 2C  is an integrated generator&#39;s disk; 
           [0089]      FIG. 3  shows an exemplary rotary mechanical coupling according to the present invention; 
           [0090]      FIG. 4  shows an exemplary control unit according to the present invention; 
           [0091]      FIG. 5  is a schematic drawing showing the system communication; 
           [0092]      FIG. 6  is an exemplary graph representing monitoring in the time domain; 
           [0093]      FIG. 7  is an exemplary graph representing monitoring in the frequency domain; 
           [0094]      FIG. 8  is an exemplary events log; 
           [0095]      FIG. 9  is an exemplary notification log; 
           [0096]      FIG. 10  is a flowchart showing the process performed by the control unit according to the present invention; and 
           [0097]      FIG. 11  is a flowchart showing the process performed by the remote device according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0098]    Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is applicable to other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0099]    A common practice in the design and construction of rotating electromechanical systems is the use of mechanical coupling devices. 
         [0100]    A coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power. The primary purpose of couplings is to join two pieces of rotating equipment while permitting some degree of misalignment. 
         [0101]    The present invention aims to provide means for protecting electromechanical systems against damages caused by mechanical overload. 
         [0102]    In the following description: 
         [0103]    Rotary mechanical coupling refers to remote device. 
         [0104]      FIG. 1A  is a schematic drawing showing a system  100  components, comprising: a control unit  140  connected or adjacent to a moment provider  140 A such as a motor, a rotating device  110 A such as a pump, compressor, etc. and a rotary mechanical coupling  110  (remote device) that connects the moment provider  140 A with the rotating device  110 A. 
         [0105]    According to embodiments of the present invention, a power or moment transmitting shaft may be connected between the moment provider  140 A and the rotary mechanical coupling  110 , or between the rotary mechanical coupling  110  and the rotating device  110 A. 
         [0106]      FIG. 1B  is a block diagram showing the system components for carrying out the present invention. 
         [0107]    The system  100 A comprises two parts:
   1. A rotary mechanical coupling  110 , comprising: an embedded torque (moment) gage  115 , an electronic module (CPU circuit)  120 , a wireless connection  125  and an integrated generator  130 .   2. A control unit  140  comprising: an electronic module  145 , a wireless connection  150 , a cutoff switch  155  and input/output means  160 .   
 
         [0110]    The electronic module  120  informs the control unit  140 , via wireless connection  125 , when a pre-programmed torque threshold has been exceeded (fault condition). 
         [0111]    The electronic module  145  may decide to disconnect the moment provider&#39;s electrical power in the event of mechanical overload measured by the coupling  110 . When the mechanical load exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the moment provider&#39;s electrical power is cutoff by a cutoff switch  155 . 
         [0112]    The integrated generator  130  is the power source of the electronic module  120 , which utilizes system rotation to harvest its low required energy consumption. The generator comprises magnets ( 245  of  FIG. 2B ) and inductors ( 250  of  FIG. 2B ). While the rotary mechanical coupling  110  is rotating, the electrical energy that is created is collected and used as the power source of the electronic module  120 . The integrated generator has a charge time close to real time which makes it reliable. In case of a generator&#39;s operation failure, the control unit  140  cuts the moment provider&#39;s power supply and may issue an alert, thus preventing any possible damage. 
         [0113]      FIG. 2A  is a schematic view of an exemplary rotary mechanical coupling  110  according to embodiments of the present invention, comprising: a user connection  205  and a moment provider connection  230 . 
         [0114]      FIG. 2B  is a schematic view of section C-C of  FIG. 2A , comprising: a torsion axis  235 , a power supply circuit disk (integrated generator disk)  240 , magnets  245 , inductors  250 , a CPU circuit (electronic module)  120  and a strain gauge  255 . 
         [0115]    The coupling  110  is configured to join two pieces of rotating equipment while permitting some degree of misalignment, furthermore, it comprises a torque measurement system. The torque measurement system measures the torque using an electrical circuit that measures the resistance, such as, for example, Wheatstone bridge. The resistors value changes depending on the mechanical deformation of the torsion axis. 
         [0116]    According to embodiments of the present invention, the torque measurement system may measure the torque by any torque measurement method known in the art and is not limited to the one described hereinabove. 
         [0117]    The electronic module  120  measures operational parameters such as torque and optionally speed, spin direction, vibrations, sound, temperature, etc. and transmits the measured values to the control unit  140 . The control unit receives the measurements transmission(s) and may comprise additional sensors such as a temperature sensor and a microphone, for noise measurements, which enables it to perform additional tests. 
         [0118]    The measurements may be saved both in the rotary mechanical coupling  110  and in the control unit  140 . 
         [0119]      FIG. 2C  demonstrates the integrated generator disk  240  with the connection  270  that is configured to ensure fixation of the disk while the rotary mechanical coupling  110  is rotating. 
         [0120]      FIG. 3  shows an exemplary rotary mechanical coupling  110  according to embodiments of the present invention, comprising:
   Generator  305 —a module equipped with coils and rectification circuits used for utilizing device rotation for generating electrical power for powering coupling device electronics. The generator may be mechanically and electrically connected to the main coupling device electronic module  120 .   Chargeable Battery  310 —enables powering full functional operation of the coupling device in the first seconds after power down till generator power is fully available.   Battery Charger IC  315 —and supporting electronics for recharging the chargeable battery when generator power is available for future use.   Vin Selector  320 —selects the power source—generator if available, battery otherwise.   Super Capacitor  325 —stores generator energy for coupling device&#39;s operation on main voltage bus.   LDO (Low Dropout Voltage regulator)  330 —regulates voltage bus and produces all low DC voltages required by the various components.   Torque Gage  335 —one or few strain gage stickers bonded to the coupling device&#39;s mechanical structure—measures real-time torque value between coupling input and output.   AMP  340 —an analog amplifier that amplifies low voltage received from the strain gage.   ADC (Analog to Digital Converter)  345 —an analog to digital conversion module equipped with an analog switch. Used for translating real-time analog voltage levels into digital values that can be processed by the CPU.   Sensors  350 —various additional and optional analog or digital output sensors devices such as inertial, temperature, hall effect, encoders and the like.   CPU  355 —controls, monitors, coordinates and supervises all coupling device&#39;s chips and operation.   Radio  360 —transmits and receives data between the coupling&#39;s CPU  355  and the control unit&#39;s CPU  435  ( FIG. 4 ).   
 
         [0133]      FIG. 4  shows an exemplary control unit  140  according to embodiments of the present invention, comprising:
   Motor in  405 —single or multiphase motor voltage enters the control unit from the system&#39;s electrical cabinet. The power required for operation of the control unit is taken from the motor voltage or optionally directly supplied from the electrical cabinet.   Power Supply  410 —converts AC motor voltage into DC low voltage to supply control unit requirements.   DC Selector  415 —selects power source for the unit—direct DC supply if available or power supply output.   LDO (Low Dropout Voltage Regulator)  420 —regulates voltage bus and produces all low DC voltages required by the various components.   M  425 —system motor or actuator connects to the protected rotating mechanical system that is mechanically attached to the coupling device.   Relay  430 —switches motor ON or OFF by CPU control (cutoff switch).   CPU  435 —controls, monitors coordinates and supervises control unit&#39;s chips, communication devices and operation system.   Communication Chips—various communication chips enable connection to Ethernet LAN, Internet and Cellular networks by wired and wireless communication links. The various communication chips are controlled and operated by the CPU:   USB to UART  445 —enables direct USB link to computer, laptop, tablets, smart phones and the like.   LAN Module  450 —enables wired Ethernet LAN link.   Wi-Fi Module  455 —enables wireless Ethernet LAN link.   Cellular Modem  460 —enables wireless communication to cellular networks.   Radio  465 —communicates CPU  435  to CPU  355 . Receives data, fault alarms and notifications from the coupling. Transmits configuration data and handshakes with coupling radio.   Sensors  470 —various additional analog or digital output sensors such as temperature sensors can be monitored in real-time.   
 
         [0148]      FIG. 5  is a schematic drawing showing the system  100 A communication. 
         [0149]    The control unit  140  may be connected to a laptop  510 , PC  520 , tablet  530 , smart phone  540 , etc. via wired or wireless connection in order to receive operating parameters such as torque limit, send notifications and diagnostics about the system behavior that inform of a problem in real time, provide a periodic report by day, week, month, etc., event logs, graphs, etc. to a control center, a mechanical support technician, etc. The control unit  140  and the rotary mechanical coupling  110  are connected via wireless connection:
   The rotary mechanical coupling  110  may receive the torque limit input value from the control unit  140 .   The control unit  140  receives a notification from the rotary mechanical coupling  110  when a torque threshold is exceeded.   The control unit  140  receives measurements of: torque and optionally speed, spin direction, vibrations, etc. from the rotary mechanical coupling  110 .   
 
         [0153]    Operating parameters such as torque limit may be pre-programmed manually by a technician using a laptop, tablet, smart phone, etc. via wired or wireless connection with the control unit  140 . 
         [0154]    According to embodiments of the invention, the rotary mechanical coupling  110  or the control unit  140  may collect torque measurements for a pre defined time, calculate the average torque and set it as the torque limit. 
         [0155]    The rotary mechanical coupling  110  may also allow a torque range and not only a single value. The torque range prevents cases of moment provider&#39;s disconnection due to momentary overload, moreover, the torque range may enable the control unit  140  to send notifications in different levels of importance and urgency to the control center or the mechanical support technician and thus anticipate system failure. For example, if the control center or the mechanical support technician gets frequent notifications about measured torques near the torque range&#39;s upper limit, they may conclude that at least one of the elements of the system is about to fail. 
         [0156]    Notifications and diagnostics may be sent by the control unit  140  as mentioned above and may also be saved as a log and/or graphs in the control unit or in internet cloud services etc. to be derived later. 
         [0157]    The control unit  140  monitors the system behavior. Monitoring may be done in several ways. 
         [0158]      FIG. 6  is an exemplary graph representing monitoring in the time domain. For each day the control unit may monitor the torque, speed, vibration, noise, temperature, etc. and display them in a graph (some of the data may be received from the rotary mechanical coupling  110 ). 
         [0159]      FIG. 7  is an exemplary graph representing monitoring in the frequency domain. For each frequency the control unit may monitor the torque, vibration, noise, speed, etc. and display them in a graph (some of the data may be received from the rotary mechanical coupling  110 ). 
         [0160]    For each graph the user may choose to view the real time data or the history data that has been saved in the system. The user may also choose to add a filter on the graph in order to observe specific characteristics. He may also choose to save or export the data that has been collected. 
         [0161]      FIG. 8  is an exemplary events log according to embodiments of the invention. For each event the log may save the date and hour, device type, device UID, event, value and event details for a periodic monitoring. 
         [0162]    Each device ( 110  and  140 ) has a unique UID in order to ensure that the electronic module  120  communicates only with its specific control unit  140  and not other system&#39;s unit. 
         [0163]    The events log may be shared, saved, printed, etc. for various uses. 
         [0164]      FIG. 9  is an exemplary notification log according to embodiments of the invention. The control unit  140  may send the notifications as mentioned above by voice, SMS, E-Mail, messaging applications (such as WhatsApp), etc. 
         [0165]    According to embodiments of the present invention, a number of systems may be connected in hierarchical order. For example, if a number of moment providers are connected in a row and the first moment provider ceases to work the system may stop all the other moment providers as well in order to prevent overload. 
         [0166]      FIG. 10  is a flowchart showing the process performed by the control unit  140  according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0167]    The process starts in step  1005  as soon as the moment provider&#39;s (the motor in this embodiment) power is turned on. In step  1010  the control unit  140  is initialized and in step  1015  the motor relay (cutoff switch) is turned on. The relay enables/disables the moment provider&#39;s operation as mentioned above. In step  1020  the unit resets the “sign of life” timer. The “sign of life” is a sign that the remote device is working. In step  1025  the unit checks if a “sign of life” message has been received from the remote device  110 . If it hasn&#39;t, the unit checks in step  1030  if the “sign of life” timer is timed out. If it isn&#39;t, the process goes back to step  1025 ; if it is, it means that there is a problem with the remote device  110  and the relay (cutoff switch) is turned off (step  1035 ) to prevent any possible damage. In step  1040  the unit may issue a notification according to predefined specifications (optional) and in step  1045  it waits for restart. If in step  1025  a “sign of life” message has been received, the unit continues to step  1050  and checks if a “trip motor” message has been received. The “trip motor” message indicates a problem detected by the remote device (such as overload). If the “trip motor” message has been received, the unit continues to steps  1035 ,  1040  and  1045 . If it hasn&#39;t, the unit checks in step  1055  if a notification is required, according to predefined specifications, if it isn&#39;t, the process goes back to step  1020 ; if it is, the unit issues a notification in step  1060  and goes back to step  1020 . 
         [0168]      FIG. 11  is a flowchart showing the process performed by the remote device according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0169]    The process starts in step  1105  as soon as the generator starts to work. In step  1110  the remote device is initialized and in step  1115  the device starts to sample inputs. In step  1120  the device constructs a “sign of life” message and checks, in step  1125 , if a trip notification is required according to the inputs. If it is, the device adds a “trip motor” message to the “sign of life” message in step  1130  and broadcasts the “sign of life” message in step  1135 . If it isn&#39;t, the process continues directly to step  1135  and broadcasts the “sign of life” message. In step  1140  the device goes to “sleep” for X milliseconds in order to save energy and “wakes up” in step  1145 . The “sleep” time enables the system to save energy in cases where the harvested voltage is low. As soon as the process “wakes up” it goes back to step  1115 . 
         [0170]    It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative examples and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiments and examples be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Further, it is understood that certain features of specific aspects of the invention could be combined with specific features detailed in other aspects of the invention, so that any embodiment of the invention could include one or all of the features disclosed herein.