Connector for a drive unit

Abstract

The application discloses a drive system (1) having a plurality of drive units (2), wherein the drive units (2) each comprise a converter (3) and preferably a motor (4), an energy supply system (5) designed to supply electrical energy to the drive units (2), and a control system (6) comprising a control computer (8) and at least one control line (9), wherein the control system (8) is designed to transmit control commands to the drive units (2). The drive system (1) is characterized in that the energy supply system (5) and the drive units (2) are connected to one another in a detachable manner via first connectors, preferably via plug connections, and the control system (6) and the drive units (2) are connected to one another in a detachable manner via second connectors, preferably via plug connections.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a drive system having a plurality of drive units, wherein the drive units each comprise a converter and a motor, to an energy supply system designed to supply the drive units with electrical energy, and to a control system comprising a control computer and at least one control line, wherein the control system is designed to transmit control commands to the drive units. The invention also relates to a connector for a drive system and to a method for establishing and disconnecting the connection of a drive unit to an energy supply system and to a control system. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the case of decentralized drive systems having a plurality of drive units, for example conveyor belts, it has previously been necessary to shut down the entire drive system when replacing individual drive units. This results in a standstill of the entire system, which is to be avoided. A known drive system is disclosed, for example, in DE 19716 908 A1. SUMMARY

[0003] It is an object of the invention to disclose a drive system having a plurality of drive units, wherein individual drive units can be replaced simply without the entire drive system having to be taken out of operation for this purpose.

[0004] This object is achieved by a drive system having a plurality of drive units, which has the features of the invention. Furthermore, this object is achieved by a connector according to the invention. Furthermore, this object is achieved by a method according to the invention for establishing and disconnecting the connection of a drive unit.

[0005] The drive system according to the invention comprises a plurality of drive units, each of which comprises at least one converter and one motor. The drive system also has an energy supply system designed to supply the drive units with electrical energy and a control system comprising a control computer and at least one control line, which is designed to transmit control commands to the drive units.

[0006] The drive system is characterized in that the energy supply system and the drive units are connected to one another in a detachable manner by means of first connectors, preferably by plug connections, and the control system and the drive units are connected to one another in a detachable manner by means of second connectors, preferably by plug connections.

[0007] For example, the motor connected to the converter can be controlled and / or regulated by means of the converter. In this case, the converter can specify, for example, the voltage amplitude or the voltage frequency applied to the motor. For example, the motor can be an electric motor.

[0008] The energy supply system can be any voltage source (fixed or mains driven) which can provide the electric energy for the electric machine via the converter of the drive unit so that the electric machine can be used as intended. The energy supply system is designed for supplying a plurality of drive units and is accordingly dimensioned in terms of its performance.

[0009] The control computer can be any arithmetic unit which is designed to generate control commands to the converter of the respective drive unit and / or to the electric machine and to transmit these control commands to the drive unit via control lines (e.g. copper lines or glass fibers).

[0010] The drive unit with integrated converter (and possibly electric machine) offers the possibility to reduce external connections to a minimum, since e.g. temperature sensors or position sensors can be implemented internally. The drive unit is only connected to the energy supply system and to the control system. The connection to the energy supply system can be a direct voltage or an alternating voltage connection (two- or three-phase). The connection to the control system can be purely optical, e.g. without an electrical connection.

[0011] The present application is based on the idea that the detachable connection between the individual drive units and the central energy supply and control system makes it possible to replace an individual (possibly defective or requiring repair) drive unit without having to shut down the entire drive system. In this way, for example, a plurality of drive units can be connected in series in a drive system (e.g. a frequently used conveyor belt) without having to interrupt the operation of the other drive units in order to replace a drive unit. The first and second connectors remain in the drive system and ensure normal operation.

[0012] The drive unit can also be a combination of a converter and a photovoltaic unit, e.g. a solar cell. The advantages of the drive system according to the present application come into play here in the case of a photovoltaic unit (or converter) that needs to be repaired or replaced, since the other drive units (e.g. in a drive system with a large number of photovoltaic units including converters) do not have to be shut down for this purpose.

[0013] The first and second connectors are preferably formed as a common connector in order to improve the handling.

[0014] The common connector is preferably designed such that the disconnection of the connection between the control system and the drive unit in time precedes the disconnection of the connection between the energy supply system and the drive unit when the connection between the common connector and the drive unit is removed. By separating the connection between the drive unit and the control system in advance, the motor or the converter can be prepared for the upcoming voltage drop, which is associated with the subsequent separation of the connection between the drive unit and the energy supply system. In principle, this can also be performed manually by the maintenance technician in the case of separate connectors (first and second connectors). However, the respective configuration of the (common) connector also has the advantage that the sequence of disconnecting the connections is performed automatically in an electrically advantageous order (without causing arcing, etc.).

[0015] In the context of a preferred development of the application, the first connector, the second connector or the common connector and the drive unit each have a supplementary connection for supplying energy to the drive unit via a direct-voltage power supply and in addition each have a supplementary connection for pre-charging the converter of the drive unit. Pre-charging the converter in a manner known per se can result in a reduction of current peaks when the converter is connected to the energy supply system and thus prevent components of the converter from being damaged or excessively degraded.

[0016] It is particularly preferred that the first connector and / or the second connector or the common connector have a detachable connection to the energy supply system and / or to the control system. As a result, the drive unit together with the associated connectors can be easily removed from an existing drive system or added to an existing drive system. The detachable connection described above is preferably a plug connection, i.e. a connection comprising a plug and an associated corresponding socket.

[0017] The drive system can be designed such that a plurality of steps have to be taken in a predetermined order in order to be able to detach the detachable connection or connections. This has the advantage that an accidental detachment of the connection can be prevented.

[0018] Here, the converter and / or the first connector and / or the second connector and / or the common connector can have a lever-based locking device and / or a guide contact and / or a magnetic locking device, such that a plurality of steps have to be taken in a predetermined order in order to be able to detach the detachable connection or connections. In this way, the required order of the steps to be performed can be specified in a particularly simple and effective manner.

[0019] In an advantageous refinement of the application, the drive unit and / or the first connector and / or the second connector and / or the common connector have optical elements, in particular light-emitting diodes, by means of which a signal can be emitted that the pre-charge process of the converter has ended or that the drive unit has reached a predetermined state. The installer of the drive system thereby receives information about, for example, whether the converter is ready for connection of the main (energy) supply after the pre-charge process. Or he receives a statement about whether the connection between the drive unit and the energy supply system can be broken.

[0020] The first connector and / or the second connector or the common connector can have filter elements, in particular capacitors, and / or shielding, in order to increase the electromagnetic compatibility of the connectors. These measures are also possible for the converter and / or the electric machine. Furthermore, measures can be provided on the connections of the connectors (first, second and / or common), which protect the electrical contacts of the connectors from electrical arcs (for example in the form of a magnetic burst) or by appropriate wiring of the contacts.

[0021] The object is also achieved by a connector for a drive system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector is designed such that the disconnection of the connection between the control system and the drive unit is temporally earlier than the disconnection of the connection between the energy supply system and the drive unit when the connection of the common connector to the drive unit is removed.

[0022] The connector can be used not only for one drive system. It can also be used for a combination of a converter and a power generation unit, for example a photovoltaic unit.

[0023] Here, the connector advantageously has a connection to the energy supply system and / or to the control system.

[0024] The connector particularly preferably has a supplementary connection to the drive unit for supplying energy to the drive unit via a direct-voltage power supply and also a supplementary connection for pre-charging the converter of the drive unit.

[0025] The object is also achieved by a method for connecting and disconnecting a drive unit to an energy supply system and a control system, the drive unit comprising a converter (preferably an electric machine), the energy supply system being designed to supply electrical energy to the drive unit, and the control system comprising a control computer and at least one control line, wherein the control system is designed to transmit control commands to the drive unit, the method comprising the following steps:

[0026] a) establishing a connection of the drive unit to the energy supply system and the control system by means of a common connector;

[0027] b) sending a signal to the drive unit that the connection to the energy supply system is about to be disconnected, the signal preferably being effected by disconnecting the connection between the drive unit and the control system;

[0028] c) subsequently, by removing the connection of the drive unit to the connector, the connection of the drive unit to the energy supply system is removed.

[0029] Here, in the method step a, first a connection of the pre-charge connection of the energy supply system to the drive unit is established by means of the connector, in order to prevent excessive current peaks and associated wear / damage of the drive unit, as already described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] The above-mentioned characteristics, features and advantages of the application as well as the way of realizing them will become more apparent and more easily understood in connection with the description of embodiments explained in the following in conjunction with the attached drawings. In the drawings:

[0031] Figure 1 schematically shows a drive system with a drive unit and a connector according to the application;

[0032] Figure 2 schematically shows a first embodiment of a connector according to the application;

[0033] Figure 3 schematically shows a second embodiment of a connector according to the application; and

[0034] Figure 4 schematically shows a third embodiment of a connector according to the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Figure 1 A drive system 1 with a plurality of drive units is shown, of which only one single drive unit 2 is shown for the sake of clarity. At least one further (not shown) drive unit of the drive system 1 has essentially the same design as the drive unit 2 shown in Figure 1 The drive unit 2 has a converter 3 and a motor 4.

[0036] The drive system 1 further comprises an energy supply system 5 and a control system 6. The energy supply system 5 is designed for supplying the drive unit 2 with electrical energy via energy conductors 7a, 7b (here via a DC voltage source). The control system 6 has a control computer 8 and control lines 9.

[0037] The energy supply system 5 and the drive unit 2 are connected to one another in a detachable manner via a connector 10. For this purpose, the connector 10 has a first connection part 11 and a second connection part 13, which are designed in the form of a plug or a pin, respectively.

[0038] The first connection 11 of the connector 10 is designed in such a way that it can be inserted into the first connection 12 of the drive unit 2, which is designed in the form of a socket. The electrical energy for driving the motor 4 (main energy supply) can be transmitted from the energy supply system 5 to the drive unit 2 via the first connections 11, 12.

[0039] The second connection 13 of the connector 10 is designed in such a way that it can be inserted into the second connection 14 of the drive unit 2, which is designed in the form of a socket. The electrical energy for pre-charging the converter 3 of the drive unit 2 (pre-charge energy supply) can be transmitted from the energy supply system 5 to the drive unit 2 via the second connections 13, 14. Usually, the connections 13, 14 for the pre-charge are smaller in size than the connections 11, 12 for the main energy supply.

[0040] The connector 10 also has a third connection 15, which is designed in the form of a plug or pin and can be inserted into the corresponding connection 16 of the drive unit 2 in the form of a socket. The control system 6 can be connected to the drive unit 2 in a detachable manner via this connection 15, 16. In the present example, the connection is achieved via optical fibres as control lines 9.

[0041] The method for establishing and disconnecting the connections of the drive unit 2 to the energy supply system 5 and to the control system 6 can be carried out as follows. The connector 10, which is connected to the energy supply system 5 and to the control system 6, is connected to the drive unit 2. For this purpose, the plug of the second connection 13 is designed to be longer than the plug of the first connection 11, which can be seen in Figure 1 When the connector 10 is inserted into the drive unit 2 (or more precisely: the plugs of the connections 11, 13, 15 are inserted into the corresponding connections 12, 14, 16 of the drive unit 2), the connection for the pre-charge of the drive unit 2 is established earlier than the main energy supply to the motor 4 due to this design of the plug 13 (this also relates to the so-called "pilot contact"). As a result, the pre-charge of the converter 3 can be carried out automatically without the assembly worker having to pay particular attention to this, which leads to the advantages already described above in connection with the durability and wear of the drive unit 2. The drive unit 2 can emit a signal via the light-emitting diode 17 as optical element (or optical operating element) that the pre-charge process has ended.

[0042] In subsequent steps, drive unit 2 signals to disconnect again (e.g., in the case of planned replacement of drive unit 2). For this purpose, control computer 8 can transmit a signal to drive unit 2, causing motor 4 or converter 3 to switch to a safe state. Alternatively, however, the connection between drive unit 2 and control system 6 can also be disconnected, for example, through the corresponding design of connector 10 or connection portions 15, 16 of drive unit 2. These can be designed such that when connector 10 is unplugged / removed from drive unit 2, the control connection is disconnected first (especially before the main energy supply connections 11, 12). In other words, connector 10 is designed such that when connector 10 is disconnected from drive unit 2, the disconnection of the connection between control system 6 and drive unit 2 occurs earlier in time than the disconnection of the connection between energy supply system 5 and drive unit 2.

[0043] Then, disconnect the drive unit 2 from the power supply system 5 by disconnecting the drive unit 2 from the connector 10 (by pulling the connector 10 out of the drive unit 2). Alternative methods for preparing the drive unit 2 are also possible, one of which will refer to... Figure 3 To explain.

[0044] Figure 2 The diagram shows connector 10 and associated drive unit 2. This figure is consistent with... Figure 1 Compared to the simplified aspect, which only represents the specific operational steps that must be performed in a predetermined sequence to disengage the connection between connector 10 and drive unit 2, drive unit 2 has a (electro)magnetic locking device 18 that allows pin 19 to move along its axis. Connector 10 has a bolt 20 that, when connected to drive unit 2, is inserted into recess 21 of drive unit 2. A recess 22 exists in bolt 20, into which pin 19 can be inserted via locking device 18 when connector 10 is connected to drive unit 2. Therefore, bolt 20 cannot move further downwards (in the plane of the figure), thus fixing connector 10 and drive unit 2 relative to each other. If disengagement is desired, locking device 18 receives a corresponding control command (via control system 6 or via manual operation on drive unit 2) and removes pin 19 from recess 22, allowing connector 10 to be subsequently removed. Thus, drive unit 2 has sufficient time to prepare for separation from energy supply system 5.

[0045] Figure 3An alternative embodiment of the connector 10 is shown. Here, the connection 15 for connecting the control system 6 with the drive unit 2 is designed in such a way that it can be moved relative to the connections 11, 13 for the energy supply. For this purpose, a locking device based on a lever 23 can be used. Due to this design of the connector 10, it can be ensured that, in order to signal to the drive unit 2 that the connection to the energy supply system 5 is about to be broken, the connection of the drive unit 2 to the control system 6 is first interrupted.

[0046] In Figure 4 which the drive unit 2 has an internal controller 24 which can be addressed directly (via a button, etc.) or via the control system 6. The controller 24 can trigger a magnetically acting device 25 which can move a locking lever 26 of the connector 10 between a locking position and a removal position via a magnetic pulling force. It can thus be ensured that the connection of the drive unit 2 to the connector 10 cannot be removed accidentally.

Claims

1. A drive system (1) comprising: a plurality of drive units (2), wherein, The drive unit (2) includes a converter (3) and a motor (4); and an energy supply system (5) designed to provide electrical energy to the drive unit (2). and a control system (6), the control system including a control computer (8) and at least one control line (9), wherein the control system (6) is designed to transmit control commands to the drive unit (2). Its features are, The energy supply system (5) and the drive unit (2) are detachably connected to each other via a first connector, and the control system (6) and the drive unit (2) are detachably connected to each other via a second connector. The first connector and the second connector are designed as a common connector (10). The common connector (10) is designed such that if the connection between the common connector (10) and the drive unit (2) is removed, the disconnection of the connection between the control system (6) and the drive unit (2) occurs earlier in time than the disconnection of the connection between the energy supply system (5) and the drive unit (2).

2. The drive system (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The energy supply system (5) and the drive unit (2) are connected to each other in a detachable manner via plug connections.

3. The drive system (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The control system (6) and the drive unit (2) are connected to each other in a detachable manner via plug connections.

4. The drive system (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The first connector, the second connector or common connector (10) and the drive unit (2) each have supplementary connections (11, 12) for supplying energy to the drive unit via a DC voltage power supply, and additionally have supplementary connections (13, 14) for pre-charging the converter (3) of the drive unit (2).

5. The drive system (1) according to any one of claims 1, wherein, The first connector and / or the second connector or the common connector (10) have a detachable connection to the energy supply system (5) and / or the control system (6).

6. The drive system (1) according to claim 5, wherein, The detachable connection is the plug connection.

7. The drive system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, In order to remove one or more removable connections, multiple operational steps must be performed in a predetermined sequence.

8. The drive system (1) according to claim 7, wherein, The converter (3) and / or the first connector and / or the second connector and / or the common connector (10) may have a lever-based locking device and / or a dominant contact and / or a magnetic locking device, such that in order to remove one or more removable connections, multiple operating steps must be performed in a predetermined sequence.

9. The drive system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The drive unit (2) and / or the first connector and / or the second connector and / or the common connector (10) have optical elements (17).

10. The drive system (1) according to claim 9, wherein, The optical element is a light-emitting diode, and the light-emitting diode is capable of emitting a signal indicating that the pre-charging process of the converter (3) has been terminated or that the drive unit (2) has reached a defined state.

11. The drive system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The first connector and / or the second connector or the common connector (10) have filter elements and / or shielding to improve electromagnetic compatibility.

12. The drive system (1) according to claim 11, wherein, The filter element is a capacitor.

13. A connector (10) for a drive system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The connector (10) is designed such that, in the event that the connection between the control system (6) and the drive unit (2) is removed, the disconnection of the connection between the control system (6) and the drive unit (2) occurs earlier in time than the disconnection of the connection between the energy supply system (5) and the drive unit (2).

14. The connector (10) according to claim 13, having a detachable connection to the energy supply system (5) and / or to the control system (6).

15. The connector (10) according to claim 13 or 14 has a connection (11) for supplementing the drive unit (2) for supplying energy to the drive unit (2) via a DC voltage power supply, and the connector additionally has a supplementary connection (14) for pre-charging the converter (3) of the drive unit (2).

16. A method for establishing and disconnecting a drive unit (2) from an energy supply system (5) and a control system (6), the drive unit including a converter (3) and a motor (4), the energy supply system being designed to provide electrical energy to the drive unit (2), and the control system including a control computer (8) and at least one control line (9), wherein, The control system (6) is designed to transmit control commands to the drive unit (2), the method comprising: a) A connection is established between the drive unit (2) and the energy supply system (5) and the control system (6) via a common connector (10), the common connector (10) being designed such that, in the event that the connection between the common connector (10) and the drive unit (2) is removed, the disconnection of the connection between the control system (6) and the drive unit (2) occurs earlier in time than the disconnection of the connection between the energy supply system (5) and the drive unit (2); b) Send a signal to the drive unit (2) that it is about to disconnect from the energy supply system (5); c) Subsequently, the connection between the drive unit (2) and the energy supply system (5) is removed by disconnecting the drive unit (2) from the connector (10).

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, Signal transmission is achieved by disconnecting the drive unit (2) from the control system (6).

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein, In step a of the method according to claim 16, a pre-charge connection (14) between the energy supply system (5) and the drive unit (2) is first established via the connector (10).

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