Air compressor controller

Abstract

The invention provides an air compressor controller. The air compressor controller comprises a processor, a detection circuit and a control circuit. The processor is used for outputting control signals; the detection circuit is connected to the processor and detects working parameters of the air compressor; the control circuit is connected to the processor and comprises a drain valve switch module and an air compressor control module, and the drain valve switch module controls the drain valve to be opened or closed based on a control signal output by the processor; and the air compressor control module controls the working state of the air compressor based on the control signal output by the processor. According to the scheme, the air compressor control function and the drain valve control function are integrated in the air compressor controller, so that the drain valve does not need to be controlled independently, external equipment of the controller is reduced, the complexity of a circuit structure is reduced, combined control over the drain valve and the air compressor is facilitated, and then reliability is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed embodiments of the present application relate to the field of electrical control technology, and more specifically, to an air compressor controller. Background Art

[0002] An air compressor is a device used to compress gas, while a cold dryer is a device that uses refrigerant to exchange heat with compressed air to cool the compressed air, condense the moisture in the air, and then remove the moisture in the compressed air.

[0003] When the air compressor and the cold dryer need to work together, the air compressor controller is usually equipped with multiple detection devices, contactors and other devices, and the drain valve of the cold dryer needs to be controlled independently, and cannot be controlled in an associated manner, resulting in low reliability, complex circuit structure and poor correlation.

[0004] Therefore, it is currently necessary to solve the problems of low reliability and complex circuit structure when the air compressor and the cold dryer work together. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present application, the present invention proposes an air compressor controller to solve the problems of low reliability and complex circuit structure when an air compressor and a cold dryer work together.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present application, an exemplary air compressor controller is disclosed, including: a processor, a detection circuit and a control circuit; the processor is used to output a control signal; the detection circuit is connected to the processor to detect the operating parameters of the air compressor; the control circuit is connected to the processor, including a drain valve switch module and an air compressor control module, the drain valve switch module opens or closes the drain valve based on the control signal output by the processor; the air compressor control module controls the operating state of the air compressor based on the control signal output by the processor.

[0007] In the above scheme, the air compressor controller integrates the air compressor control function and the drain valve control function, so the drain valve does not need to be controlled independently, and the external devices of the controller are reduced, thereby reducing the complexity of the circuit structure, facilitating the joint control of the drain valve and the air compressor, and thus improving reliability.

[0008] The drain valve switch module is also connected to the power supply and the drain valve, and cuts off or closes the power supply circuit between the power supply and the drain valve based on the control signal of the processor.

[0009] The above scheme further improves reliability by controlling the drain valve through the drain valve switch module.

[0010] Among them, the air compressor control module includes an intake valve control unit, which is connected to the processor and controls the working state of the intake valve based on the control signal of the processor; a cooling fan control unit, which is connected to the processor and controls the working state of the cooling fan based on the control signal of the processor; and a compressor control unit, which is connected to the processor and controls the working state of the compressor based on the control signal of the processor.

[0011] The above scheme controls the working state of the cooling fan by the processor, controls the working state of the compressor by the compressor control unit, and controls the working state of the intake valve by the intake valve control unit, thereby reducing the number of external devices of the controller, reducing the size and cost of the equipment, simplifying the circuit structure, and further improving reliability.

[0012] It also includes a power supply circuit, which receives external industrial frequency input and converts electrical energy into power to supply power to the air compressor controller and the air compressor.

[0013] Among them, the power supply circuit includes a rectifier and filter module, which converts the external industrial frequency input into a direct current output; an inverter module, which is connected to the rectifier and filter module, and converts the direct current output by the rectifier and filter module into alternating current for the operation of the compressor; a drive module, which is connected to the inverter module, and drives the inverter module to operate; a DC-DC module, which is connected to the rectifier and filter module, the drive module and the processor, and adjusts the voltage of the direct current output by the rectifier and filter module and outputs it to the drive module and the processor.

[0014] Wherein, the detection circuit comprises an external power frequency input phase sequence detection module, which is connected to the external power frequency input and detects the phase sequence of the external power frequency input;

[0015] The above scheme detects the phase sequence through the phase sequence detection module, which can prevent the phase sequence of the industrial frequency power input to the cooling fan from being wrong, thereby causing the cooling fan to run in the wrong direction, thereby further improving reliability.

[0016] The detection circuit further includes a bus voltage detection module, which is connected to the rectification and filtering module and detects the output voltage of the rectification and filtering module.

[0017] The above scheme detects the output voltage of the rectifier and filter module through the bus voltage detection module, determines whether the rectifier and filter module is working normally through the output voltage of the rectifier and filter module, and adopts different control strategies based on different bus voltages, which can further improve reliability.

[0018] Wherein, the detection circuit also includes a pressure detection module, which is connected to the processor and sends the pressure information of the air compressor air tank to the processor; a compressor status detection module, which is connected to the processor and the power supply circuit and sends the compressor status information to the processor; and a cooling fan status detection module, which is connected to the processor and the power supply circuit and sends the cooling fan status information to the processor.

[0019] In the above scheme, the pressure detection module detects the pressure of the gas tank, the compressor status detection module detects the compressor status, and the cooling fan status detection module detects the cooling fan status information. The processor controls each module based on the above status information to prevent each module from continuing to work in an abnormal state and causing equipment damage. Therefore, reliability can be further improved.

[0020] Among them, the compressor status detection module includes a first current detection unit, a voltage detection unit, and a temperature detection unit. The first current detection unit, voltage detection unit, and temperature detection unit respectively detect the current and voltage between the power circuit and the compressor and the temperature of the compressor.

[0021] The above scheme detects the current, voltage and temperature respectively by the current, voltage and temperature detection units, which can prevent each module from continuing to work under abnormal conditions and causing equipment damage, thereby further improving reliability.

[0022] Wherein, the heat dissipation fan state detection module includes a second current detection unit, and the second current detection unit detects the current flowing through the heat dissipation fan.

[0023] The above scheme detects the current flowing through the heat dissipation fan by the second current detection unit, which can prevent the heat dissipation fan from continuing to work in an abnormal state and causing equipment damage, thereby further improving reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and implementation methods, in which:

[0025] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of an air compressor controller of the present application;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of an air compressor controller of the present application;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of an air compressor controller of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the technical solution of the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0029] Air compressors are used to generate compressed air. In production, compressed air usually contains impurities such as water, oil, and dust. If they are not removed, they will damage pipelines and pneumatic equipment, and cause product process degradation. Therefore, air purification equipment needs to be installed after the air compressor. Among them, freeze dryers (cold dryers) are equipment used to remove moisture from compressed air. Air compressors usually consist of multiple solenoid valves and compressors, intake valves, exhaust valves, sensors, cooling fans, etc. Cold dryers include components such as solenoid valves. During the operation of the cold dryer, the solenoid valves need to be opened or closed to complete drainage; usually, the control of the air compressor will collect sensor signals through the air compressor controller and complete the control of the cooling fan, while the control of the compressor also requires an external frequency converter to achieve, and the solenoid valve control of the cold dryer also requires a separate control device. Therefore, the circuit structure of the air compressor control device is complex, the cold dryer control accuracy is low, the cold dryer and the air compressor cannot be jointly controlled, and the reliability is low. The air compressor controller proposed in this application integrates functions such as air compressor sensor parameter acquisition, valve control, compressor control, and integrates the solenoid valve control function of the cold dryer. It can reduce the circuit structure complexity of the air compressor control device, improve the control accuracy of the cold dryer, jointly control the cold dryer and the air compressor, and improve reliability.

[0030] This application proposes an air compressor controller, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of an air compressor controller 100 of the present application. Specifically, the air compressor controller 100 includes: a processor 110, a detection circuit 120 and a control circuit 130; the processor 110 is used to output a control signal; the detection circuit 120 is connected to the processor 110 to detect the working parameters of the air compressor; the control circuit 130 is connected to the processor 110, including a drain valve switch module 131 and an air compressor control module 132, the drain valve switch module 131 opens or closes the drain valve based on the control signal output by the processor 110; the air compressor control module 132 controls the working state of the air compressor based on the control signal output by the processor 110.

[0031] In the above scheme, the air compressor controller 100 integrates the air compressor control function and the drain valve control function, so the drain valve does not need to be controlled independently, and the external devices of the controller are reduced, thereby reducing the complexity of the circuit structure, facilitating the joint control of the drain valve and the air compressor, and thus improving reliability.

[0032] In some embodiments, see Figure 2 , Figure 2It is a structural diagram of another embodiment of an air compressor controller of the present application; the drain valve switch module 131 is also connected to the power supply and the drain valve, and cuts off or closes the power supply circuit between the power supply and the drain valve based on the control signal of the processor 110.

[0033] In a specific implementation scenario, the power supply may be an externally provided 220V industrial frequency power supply, the drain valve switch module 131 may include more than one switch, and each drain valve switch may control one drain valve, or each drain valve switch may control multiple drain valves, or multiple drain valve switches may control one drain valve; in this implementation scenario, multiple drain valves are powered by one power supply, and in other implementation scenarios, multiple power supplies may be configured for multiple drain valves to further improve reliability.

[0034] In a specific implementation scenario, the switch in the drain valve switch module 131 can be a relay, and the switching time of the relay can be controlled by software, that is, the switching of the relay can be controlled by the processor 110, and the switching time of adjacent relays can also be controlled by the processor 110; in other implementation scenarios, the switch in the drain valve switch module 131 can also be a controllable semiconductor switching device; the switch in the drain valve switch module 131 can also adopt other forms, as long as it can be controlled to be turned on or off under the control of the processor 110.

[0035] In a specific implementation scenario, the air compressor controller 100 can also be equipped with an external touch screen, and the switching time of the switch in the drain valve switch module 131 or the switching interval of adjacent switches can be set through the external touch screen. After the processor 110 determines that the preset switching time or switching interval has been reached, it can control the switch to be turned on or off to enable the corresponding drain valve to work.

[0036] The above solution further improves reliability by controlling the drain valve through the drain valve switch module 131.

[0037] In a specific implementation scenario, please continue to refer to Figure 2 The air compressor controller also includes a digital input circuit 210, which receives an external digital signal. The external digital signal may include a start signal, a stop signal, and an emergency stop signal. The external digital signal enters the optocoupler through a switch and a resistor. The optocoupler is connected to the processor 110. The optocoupler outputs high and low level signals to the processor 110 based on the external digital signal, so that the processor 110 responds to stop or start the air compressor.

[0038] In a specific implementation scenario, please continue to refer to Figure 2The air compressor controller may further include an indication module 220, which may include a power indicator light, an operation indicator light, and a fault indicator light, which are used to indicate that the air compressor controller is in a power-on state, an operation state, and a fault state, respectively.

[0039] In a specific implementation scenario, please continue to refer to Figure 2 The air compressor controller can also be equipped with an external keyboard interface for connecting a keyboard.

[0040] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 , Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of an air compressor controller of the present application; the air compressor control module includes an intake valve control unit 310, which is connected to the processor 110 and controls the working state of the intake valve based on the control signal of the processor 110; a cooling fan control unit 340, which is connected to the processor 110 and controls the working state of the cooling fan based on the control signal of the processor 110; a compressor control unit 330, which is connected to the processor 110 and controls the working state of the compressor based on the control signal of the processor 110.

[0041] In a specific implementation scenario, please continue to refer to Figure 3 The intake valve control unit 310 may include an intake valve control switch K3, which is connected between the intake valve and the power supply circuit, and selectively opens or closes based on the control signal of the processor 110 to control the power supply circuit to supply power to the intake valve, thereby controlling the operation of the intake valve. Specifically, the intake valve control switch K3 may be an optical coupling switch, a controllable semiconductor switch device, or a magnetic coupling switch (such as a relay), etc., as long as it can be controlled to be turned on or off. The specific selection of the intake valve control switch K3 is not limited in this application.

[0042] In the above scheme, the processor 110 controls the working state of the cooling fan by the cooling fan control unit 340, the compressor control unit 330 controls the working state of the compressor, and the intake valve control unit 310 controls the working state of the intake valve, thereby reducing the number of external devices of the controller, reducing the size and cost of the equipment, simplifying the circuit structure, and further improving reliability.

[0043] In one embodiment, a power supply circuit 320 is further included. The power supply circuit 320 receives external power frequency input and converts electrical energy to supply power to the air compressor controller and the air compressor.

[0044] In one embodiment, the power supply circuit 320 includes a rectifier and filter module 321, which converts external industrial frequency input into direct current output; an inverter module 322, which is connected to the rectifier and filter module 321, and converts the direct current output by the rectifier and filter module 321 into alternating current for operation of the compressor; a drive module 323, which is connected to the inverter module 322, and drives the inverter module 322 to operate based on the control signal output by the processor 110; a DC-DC module 324, which is connected to the rectifier and filter module 321, the drive module 322 and the processor 110, and adjusts the direct current output by the rectifier and filter module 321 and outputs it to the drive module 323 and the processor 110.

[0045] In a specific implementation scenario, please continue to refer to Figure 3 The rectifying part of the rectifying and filtering module 321 may include a three-phase bridge rectifier circuit composed of multiple diodes; in other implementation scenarios, the rectifying part may be a three-phase bridge fully-controlled rectifier circuit composed of multiple IGBTs, or a half-controlled rectifier circuit composed of other controllable semiconductor switching devices and diodes. The specific circuit structure of the rectifying part is not limited in this application.

[0046] In a specific implementation scenario, please continue to refer to Figure 3 The filtering part of the rectifier and filter module 321 may include a resistor-capacitor parallel filtering circuit, and the number and parameters of the resistors and capacitors in the resistor-capacitor parallel filtering circuit are not limited.

[0047] In one embodiment, the detection circuit includes an external power frequency input phase sequence detection module (not shown in the figure), which is connected to the external power frequency input to detect the phase sequence of the external power frequency input.

[0048] Since the cooling fan directly receives the voltage of the external power frequency input, the rotation direction of the cooling fan is affected by the phase sequence of the input power. In order to ensure the correct rotation direction of the cooling fan, it is necessary to ensure that the phase sequence of the power frequency input is correct. The external power frequency input phase sequence detection module can detect the phase sequence of the external power frequency input, and report a fault when the phase sequence is wrong to remind the user to connect the correct phase sequence and ensure the normal operation of the cooling fan.

[0049] The above scheme detects the phase sequence through the phase sequence detection module, which can prevent the phase sequence of the industrial frequency power input to the cooling fan from being wrong, thereby causing the cooling fan to run in the wrong direction, thereby further improving reliability.

[0050] In one embodiment, the detection circuit further includes a bus voltage detection module (not shown in the figure), which is connected to the rectifier and filter module to detect the output voltage of the rectifier and filter module. In a specific implementation scenario, the bus voltage detection module can be connected to the bus after the rectifier and filter module to detect the bus voltage after rectification and filtering, and judge whether the rectifier and filter circuit is working normally and whether the bus voltage is normal through the bus voltage. Different motor control strategies can be adopted according to the bus voltage.

[0051] The above scheme detects the output voltage of the rectifier and filter module through the bus voltage detection module, determines whether the rectifier and filter module is working normally through the output voltage of the rectifier and filter module, and adopts different control strategies based on different bus voltages, which can further improve reliability.

[0052] In one embodiment, the detection circuit also includes a pressure detection module (not shown in the figure), which is connected to the processor 110 and sends pressure information of the air compressor air tank to the processor 110; a compressor status detection module 330, which is connected to the processor 110 and the power supply circuit 320, and sends compressor status information to the processor 110; and a cooling fan status detection module 340, which is connected to the processor 110 and the power supply circuit 320, and sends cooling fan status information to the processor 110.

[0053] In the above scheme, the pressure detection module detects the pressure of the gas tank, the compressor status detection module detects the compressor status, and the cooling fan status detection module detects the cooling fan status information. The processor controls each module based on the above status information to prevent each module from continuing to work in an abnormal state and causing equipment damage. Therefore, reliability can be further improved.

[0054] In one embodiment, the compressor status detection module 330 includes a first current detection unit 331, a voltage detection unit 332, and a temperature detection unit 333. The first current detection unit 331, the voltage detection unit 332, and the temperature detection unit 333 respectively detect the current and voltage between the power supply circuit 320 and the compressor and the temperature of the compressor.

[0055] The above scheme detects the current, voltage and temperature respectively by the current, voltage and temperature detection units, which can prevent each module from continuing to work under abnormal conditions and causing equipment damage, thereby further improving reliability.

[0056] In one embodiment, the cooling fan state detection module 340 includes a second current detection unit 341, the second current detection unit 341 detects the current flowing through the cooling fan, and the cooling fan state detection module 340 is connected to the processor 110, and the processor 110 protects the cooling fan based on the data fed back by the cooling fan state detection module 340. It should be noted that the processor 110 can also output a control signal to control the exhaust valve to open based on the excessive air pressure in the gas storage tank or the external gas demand, thereby controlling the working state of the exhaust valve to meet the current demand.

[0057] In a specific implementation scenario, a fuse is connected in series to the power input line of the heat dissipation fan to prevent short-circuit current from damaging the heat dissipation fan.

[0058] In a specific implementation scenario, a switch group K34 is also provided on the power input line of the cooling fan. If the data fed back to the processor 110 by the cooling fan status detection module 340 is abnormal, for example, the current is too large, the processor 110 controls the switch group K34 to be disconnected, and the cooling fan temporarily stops working to protect the cooling fan from being damaged by overload current. In other implementation scenarios, the switch group K34 can be set to be turned on when the main compressor is running, or set to be turned on when the temperature feedback from the temperature detection unit 333 reaches a specified temperature, or it can be turned on when either condition is met. In addition, other control methods can be adopted, which are not limited in this application; the switch group K34 can be a relay, a controllable semiconductor switch device, an optocoupler, etc., which are not limited in this application.

[0059] The above solution can prevent the cooling fan from continuously operating in an abnormal state and causing equipment damage by detecting the current flowing through the cooling fan through the second current detection unit 341, thereby further improving reliability.

[0060] It is easy for a person skilled in the art to know that many modifications and changes can be made to the device and method while maintaining the teaching content of the present application. Therefore, the above disclosure should be considered as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An air compressor controller, characterized in that: include, A processor outputs a control signal; A detection circuit, connected to the processor, for detecting operating parameters of the air compressor; The control circuit is connected to the processor and includes a drain valve switch module and an air compressor control module. The drain valve switch module opens or closes the drain valve based on the control signal output by the processor; the air compressor control module controls the working state of the air compressor based on the control signal output by the processor.

2. The controller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drain valve switch module is also connected to the power supply and the drain valve, and cuts off or closes the power supply circuit between the power supply and the drain valve based on the control signal of the processor.

3. The controller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air compressor control module includes: An intake valve control unit, connected to the processor, and controlling the working state of the intake valve based on a control signal from the processor; A cooling fan control unit, connected to the processor, and controlling the working state of the cooling fan based on a control signal of the processor; A compressor control unit is connected to the processor and controls the working state of the compressor based on a control signal from the processor.

4. The controller according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a power supply circuit, which receives external industrial frequency input and converts electrical energy into power to supply power to the air compressor controller and the air compressor.

5. The controller according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power supply circuit comprises, Rectification and filtering module, converting external power frequency input into DC output; An inverter module, connected to the rectifying and filtering module, converting the direct current output by the rectifying and filtering module into alternating current for the operation of the compressor; A driving module, connected to the inverter module, driving the inverter module to work; The DC-DC module is connected to the rectifying and filtering module, the driving module and the processor, and regulates the direct current output by the rectifying and filtering module and outputs it to the driving module and the processor.

6. The controller according to claim 4, characterized in that: The detection circuit comprises: The external power frequency input phase sequence detection module is connected to the external power frequency input to detect the phase sequence of the external power frequency input.

7. The controller according to claim 5, characterized in that: The detection circuit also includes a bus voltage detection module, which is connected to the rectification and filtering module and detects the output voltage of the rectification and filtering module.

8. The controller according to claim 4, characterized in that: The detection circuit further includes: A pressure detection module, connected to the processor, sending pressure information of the air compressor tank to the processor; A compressor status detection module, connected to the processor and the power supply circuit, and sending the compressor status information to the processor; The cooling fan status detection module is connected to the processor and the power supply circuit, and sends the cooling fan status information to the processor.

9. The controller according to claim 8, characterized in that: The compressor status detection module includes a first current detection unit, a voltage detection unit, and a temperature detection unit. The first current detection unit, the voltage detection unit, and the temperature detection unit respectively detect the current and voltage between the power circuit and the compressor and the temperature of the compressor.

10. The controller according to claim 8, characterized in that: The heat dissipation fan state detection module includes a second current detection unit, and the second current detection unit detects the current flowing through the heat dissipation fan.

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