Automated electrical product monitoring and dismounting system

Abstract

An automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring and disassembly system is described. The system includes using digital twins of industrial electrical products and determining the status of the products and its components prior to generating executable code to run a robotic or other flexible automation system to detach the industrial electrical products for reuse, recovery, refurbishment, or destruction. Digital twinning uses a combination of expected operating data and actual operating data of an industrial electrical product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated electrical product status monitoring system and an automated method for disassembling electrical products using the system. Background Art

[0002] In the procurement and disposal of industrial electrical products, sustainability has been receiving increasing attention. This broadly encompasses environmental, economic, and social factors in material use, especially the recycling and reuse of electronic materials and components. When industrial electrical products (such as electric motors, drives, or controllers) approach the end of their service life, they are typically destroyed without any targeted disassembly or automation for reuse. This may occur at e-waste treatment facilities or even landfills. An exception to this is the Apple TM Materials Recycling Lab, where Daisy robots disassemble old Apple TM components for component recycling. However, such projects have not been widespread and currently only cover a small geographical area and product line.

[0003] Recent EU legislation (Directive (EU) 2019 / 771) gives consumers the right to repair products during the product warranty period and is part of the EU-wide push for a circular economy and the use of repairable technologies. This will lead to an increased demand for the automated repair, disassembly for refurbishment or destruction of industrial electrical products over time. Individual components and entire products need to be available for reuse, whether they are obtained from recyclers, scrap companies, or customers. Targeted disassembly will enable specific materials (such as plastics and metals / alloys) to be recycled and used in new components, as well as to be maintained or refurbished for reuse.

[0004] Currently, there is no system that can specifically disassemble industrial electrical products such as motors, drives, or controllers. Although it is possible to train automation using robots to disassemble a small number of items (such as the Apple TM Daisy system), this has not been achieved for various industrial electrical products. To give a simple example, controllers may have a wide variety of housings and the screw positions may also vary slightly. In addition, the working principle of such robots is to retrieve materials for recycling, but they do not evaluate the status of these materials or the components they contain. In other words, there is no provision to determine whether these materials or components can be reused or refurbished as they are. Therefore, there is a need for an automated industrial electrical product status monitoring system and an automated disassembly method, especially for industrial electrical products. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides, in a first aspect, an automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system, comprising: a data input device adapted to read a digital identity credential attached to an industrial electrical product; a data memory containing the condition information of the industrial electrical product; an inspection device adapted to obtain data from the industrial electrical product related to measurements of physical characteristics indicating the operating history and current functionality of the industrial electrical product; a processor adapted to identify the industrial electrical product based on the digital identity credential read by the data input device; to find the condition information related to the industrial electrical product and retrieve the condition information for further processing, and to simulate the industrial electrical product based on the condition information and the data related to the measured physical characteristics; and a data output device adapted to output the simulated condition of the industrial electrical product to a predetermined destination.

[0006] By combining information on the expected service life and actual operating conditions in the digital twin of an industrial electrical product, the condition of the industrial electrical product and its components can be accurately simulated, enabling efficient automated disassembly of industrial electrical products optimized around economic and environmental factors.

[0007] Preferably, the data input device is a vision inspection system. The data input device and the inspection device may be combined in a vision inspection system. Alternatively, the inspection device may be adapted to digitally query software stored in the industrial electrical product.

[0008] Preferably, the data memory is a database located remotely from the industrial electrical product, where condition data on multiple industrial digital products are stored by digital identity credentials.

[0009] Alternatively, the data memory is located within the industrial electrical product, and wherein the inspection device is further adapted to read the data memory.

[0010] Preferably, the processor is adapted to simulate the condition of the industrial electrical product using the digital twin of the industrial electrical product.

[0011] Preferably, the condition information includes at least one of the following: the expected life of the components of the industrial electrical product, the bill of materials information of the components of the industrial electrical product, the computer-aided model of the industrial electrical product, detailed information on the expected component, material, and product life, and the allowable wear and component aging limits.

[0012] Preferably, the data indicating the operating history and current functionality of the industrial electrical product includes at least one of the following: information on the operating time, operating temperature, humidity of the operating environment, exposure to magnetic or electric fields or radiation, shock or other external forces of the components within the industrial electrical product, data on the operation, errors, fault codes, and restarts of each component.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides an automated industrial electrical product disassembly system, including the above-mentioned automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system and a flexible automation system, where the flexible automation system is adapted to be programmed based on the condition of the industrial electrical product to disassemble the industrial electrical product.

[0014] In a third aspect, the present invention further provides an automated method for disassembling an industrial electrical product, including: a) reading a digital identity credential attached to the industrial electrical product; b) inspecting the industrial electrical product to obtain data related to measurements of physical characteristics indicating the operating history and current functions of the industrial electrical product; c) identifying the industrial electrical product from a data memory based on the digital identity credential; looking up and retrieving status information related to the industrial electrical product for further processing; d) simulating the industrial electrical product based on the status information and data related to measurements of physical characteristics indicating the operating history and current functions of the industrial electrical product; e) outputting the status of the industrial electrical product to a user display device and the flexible automation system based on the simulation; and f) using the flexible automation system to disassemble the industrial electrical product.

[0015] Preferably, the simulation step includes using a digital twin of the industrial electrical product.

[0016] Preferably, for each component of the industrial electrical product, the status of the industrial electrical product includes: i) an estimated component life; ii) an indicator of the reusability of the component; and iii) an indicator of the recyclability of the component, and preferably, the status of the industrial electrical product further includes a list of disassembly steps to be performed by the flexible automation system and computer code to be executed to enable the flexible automation system to perform the disassembly steps.

[0017] The method may further include displaying a computer-aided model of the industrial electrical product on the user display and performing a dynamic demonstration of the model to match the steps of the disassembly steps being performed by the flexible automation system.

[0018] Preferably, the step of identifying the industrial electrical product based on the digital identity credential includes: i) looking up a database located away from the industrial electrical product, where status data on multiple industrial digital products are stored by digital identity credentials; or ii) reading a data memory located within the industrial electrical product. Description of the Drawings

[0019] The present invention will now be described only by way of example and with reference to the drawings, where:

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an automated industrial electrical product status monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of an automated industrial electrical product disassembly system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a flowchart outlining the steps in a method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a photograph of an automated industrial electrical product disassembly system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 It is a screenshot showing the initial reading of a digital identity credential; Figures 6a and 6b are screenshots of a visual inspection of component presence; Figures 7a and 7b are screenshots of a visual inspection of component damage;

[0025] Figure 8 It is a first screenshot of a user interface generated by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 9 It is a second screenshot of a user interface generated by an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0027] Figure 10 It is a third screenshot of a user interface generated by an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description

[0028] The method adopted in the embodiments of the present invention is that the basis of the automated disassembly system is an automated industrial electrical product status monitoring system. The industrial electrical product status monitoring system includes multiple components, and these components include a data input device adapted to read the digital identity credentials attached to the industrial electrical product. Such digital identity credentials actually act as a "digital passport", enabling access to the data of the industrial electrical product to which they are attached. The data is stored in a database, and the database contains the status information of the industrial electrical product where the digital identity credentials are stored. The status information includes information from the PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) database and product information based on the digital identity credentials. In order to obtain data on the measured values of the physical characteristics indicating the operating history and current functions of the industrial electrical product, an inspection device is included. The processor is adapted to identify the industrial electrical product based on the digital identity credentials read by the data input device and look up the status information matching the industrial electrical product in the database, and then retrieve the status information for further processing. The processor also simulates the industrial electrical product based on the status information retrieved from the database and the data related to the physical characteristics obtained from the inspection device. The data output device is used to output the status of the simulated industrial electrical product to a predetermined destination. The destination may be a user display, a robot, or both, depending on the next stage of any disassembly method used by the automated industrial electrical product status monitoring system. This will be described in more detail below.

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an automated industrial electrical product status monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automated industrial electrical product status monitoring system 1 includes a data input device 2, which is adapted to read the digital identity credentials 3 attached to the industrial electrical product 4. The inspection device 5 is positioned to be able to inspect the physical characteristics of the industrial electrical product 4, where both the data input device 2 and the inspection device 5 are connected to a processor 6 within a housing 7. The processor is also provided with a plurality of I / O ports 8, a storage device 9, a wireless adapter 10 (which can be omitted depending on the method used to inspect the industrial electrical product 4), and a main data bus 11 that connects the various components together. In the example, the data input device 2 and the inspection device 5 are physically connected to the processor 6 via a data bus 12, but alternatively, the wireless adapter 10 can be used to connect wirelessly. In this embodiment, the data output device 13 is provided in the form of a data bus 14, but alternatively, it can also be a wireless adapter 10. Each of these components will now be discussed in more detail.

[0030] The digital identity credential 3 acts as a Digital Passport (DPP). Status data related to the industrial electrical product 4 can be stored in a data memory 15 located within the industrial electrical product 4 itself, in which case the inspection device 5 can be further adapted to read the said data memory. Alternatively, the data memory can be a database 16 in which all status data related to the industrial electrical product 4 is stored. The database can be hosted on a local server 17, a remote web server 18 or a cloud-based server 19 and the status data is stored via the digital identity credential 3. The status data includes any data related to the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) of the industrial electrical product 4, such as a Bill of Materials (BOM) related to the components forming the industrial electrical product 4, computer-aided models CAx (such as CAD - Computer Aided Design, CAM - Computer Aided Manufacturing and CAE - Computer Aided Engineering) associated with the industrial electrical product 4 and its components, details of the expected components, materials and product life, allowable wear and component aging limits. The digital identity credential 3 itself can be an optical or other machine-readable marker, such as a one-dimensional bar code, a two-dimensional matrix code or a QR code, a string, an image, an RFID (Radio Frequency ID) device, an NFC (Near Field Communication) device or other electronically readable device. A two-dimensional matrix code is used in the example below, but this is purely for illustrative purposes. The digital identity credential 3 stores unique identification data, such as a serial number, of the industrial electrical product 4 in a read-only format. Any change to the digital identity credential 3 will render it invalid. Thus this creates a permanent identity for the industrial electrical product 4 to which the digital identity credential 3 is attached. To reduce the likelihood of being changed, the digital identity credential 3 can be tamper-proof or hidden within a housing 7 or replicated within the industrial electrical product. Depending on the type of digital identity credential 3 used, the data input device can be a visual inspection system, which includes a camera, such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor device) camera and / or an RFID reader, an NFC reader or other electronic data reader.

[0031] The inspection device 5 is adapted to obtain data related to measurements of physical characteristics indicating the operating history and current functionality of an industrial electrical product. The data related to the physical characteristics of the industrial electrical product 4 is mainly divided into two categories: data recorded during the service life of the industrial electrical product 4 and data from visual inspections of the industrial electrical product 4. During the life of the industrial electrical product 4, operating data can be obtained from various sensors provided within the digital electronic product 4 or within the environment in which the industrial electrical product 4 operates and downloaded into a memory or storage device provided within the industrial electrical product 4. Such operating data includes information on the operating time of components within the industrial electrical product 4 (including details of electrical signals, operating temperature, overheating, high / low current or voltage alarms), operating temperature, humidity of the operating environment, exposure to magnetic or electric fields or radiation, impacts or other external forces. In addition, data on the operation, errors, fault codes, restarts and other reliability data of the individual components can also be recorded. When evaluating the current functionality of the industrial electrical product, it may be necessary to evaluate characteristics such as running a motor or performing a ground test, which can be done by querying the software running the industrial electrical product 4 to perform certain functional tests. For such operating data, the inspection device 5 is adapted to digitally query the software stored in the industrial electrical product 4 and may include a wireless query unit (e.g., including a power system, memory, microcontroller, wireless adapter, antenna and clock), a data bus adapted to be inserted into the industrial electronic product 4 and connected to the main data bus 11, or an NFC / RFID reader, depending on the available data output provided by the industrial electrical product 4. The visual inspection data indicates the actual state of the industrial electrical product 4 during condition monitoring and can be used, for example, to detect damage to the industrial electrical product 4 and / or any of its components. This can be done using a visual inspection system and can be combined with the data input device 2. Alternatively, the inspection device 5 can download relevant data related to the physical characteristics indicating the operation.

[0032] The processor 6 is adapted to perform a number of tasks to enable the overall status of the industrial electrical product 4 to be output via the data output device 13. First, the processor identifies the industrial electrical product 4 based on the digital identity credential 3 read by the data input device 2. The processor also locates the status information related to the industrial electrical product and retrieves the status information for further processing. As described above, the data may be stored in the data memory 15 located within the industrial electrical product or in the database 16 remote from the industrial electrical product, and the status data is stored in the database via the digital identity credential. The processor also simulates the industrial electrical product based on the status information and the data related to the measured physical characteristics. This is accomplished using a digital twin. A digital twin is a digital representation of a physical system, and the digital twin is created using sensor data from the twin physical system, and CAx software simulates the twin system and processes the sensor data to virtually recreate the twin physical system. The digital twin can then be utilized to explore the twin physical system, such as investigating problems, performance, and status. In an embodiment of the present invention, a digital twin of the industrial electrical product 4 is created to determine the status of the industrial electrical product 4 and its components in terms of recycling, reuse (such as repair or remanufacturing), refurbishment, maintenance, and destruction. The digital twin includes CAx models and simulations generated in the early stages of the life cycle of the industrial electrical product. For example, information about the temperature or current at a location inside the industrial electrical product can be learned by using sensor readings. By providing these known values as inputs to the thermal model and the electrical model from the design stage, the temperature of other components of the industrial electrical product can be evaluated and thus the impact on their lifespan can be evaluated. The status is then used as the basis for a targeted automated disassembly system and a method for disassembling the industrial electrical product 4. The status based on the simulation is output to a predetermined destination, which may be a user display and / or form the basis for executable code to operate a robot to disassemble the industrial electrical product 4.

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of an automated industrial electrical product disassembly system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1The automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system is placed within unit 20. A flexible automation system, such as robot 21, is positioned to receive industrial electrical product 4 in unit 20 on platform 22. This can be done by manually placing industrial electrical product 4 in the unit through hinged door 23 or by a conveyor belt (not shown) with a dedicated opening. Tool rack 24 is provided to hold the tools required by robot 21 for disassembling industrial electrical product 4. A number of bins 25 are placed near platform 22 to receive the components removed by robot 21 from industrial electrical product 4. Then, the items in these bins 25 can be reused, recycled, refurbished, or destroyed as needed. A user display 26 is provided outside unit 20 to enable the user to query the condition of industrial electrical product 4 and monitor its disassembly.

[0034] Figure 3 is a flowchart outlining the steps in a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automated method 300 for disassembling an industrial electrical product begins at step 302, where the digital identity credential 3 attached to industrial electrical product 4 is read. As described above, depending on the format of digital identity credential 3, this can be done optically or electronically. Next, at step 304, industrial electrical product 4 is inspected to obtain measurements of physical characteristics indicating the operating history and current functionality of the industrial electrical product. This can be done by remotely or digitally querying the software stored on industrial electrical product 4 via a data bus and / or by optical inspection. Then, there are two possibilities for how the method proceeds, depending on whether the status information of industrial electrical product 4 is stored in data memory 15 located within industrial electrical product 4 or remotely stored in database 16. At step 306, the inspection device reads the status information from data memory 15 located within industrial electrical product 4. Alternatively, at step 308, industrial digital product 4 is identified from digital identity credential 3, and status information matching the industrial electrical product is found in database 16 containing the status information of industrial electrical product 4 stored by digital identity credential 3. Then the data is retrieved for further processing. In step 310, an industrial electrical product 4 is simulated based on the status information and data regarding physical characteristics. This is achieved by using the digital twin of industrial electrical product 4 to simulate the possible physical states of the components of industrial electrical product 4. Once completed, at step 312, the status of the simulated industrial electrical product is output to robot 21 and can additionally be output to user display 26. Finally, at step 314, industrial electrical product 4 is disassembled using robot 21.

[0035] An example of disassembling industrial electrical product 4 using the system and method of an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. Figure 4This is a photograph of an automated industrial electrical product disassembly system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Unit 20 includes a robot 21 and a system 1 for monitoring the state of an automated industrial electrical product 4. A user display 26 is also mounted outside unit 20. The processor 6 and associated components are provided in the form of a PC on which machine vision and CAD models run. The controller 27 of the robot 21 is mounted below unit 20. To evaluate the systems and methods of the embodiments of the present invention, a SINAMICS G120 inverter (which can be found at www.siemens.com ) was selected for automated disassembly. The Siemens NX CAD model and data available in the existing PLM database were used. The vision inspection system is available from Cognex ( www.cognex.com / en-gb ). In the example, the status information is locally stored in the database 16.

[0036] Figure 5 This is a screenshot showing the initial reading of a digital identity credential. In the example, a QR code is used and read using a vision system, and the serial number 1P6SL3210-1KE14-3AP2 SXANN03-022374 is output. FIGS. 6a and 6b are screenshots of a visual inspection of the presence of components. FIG. 6a is a screenshot showing a visual inspection of an industrial electrical product 4 for connectors (for input plugs, motor plugs, and brake plugs). FIG. 6b is a screenshot showing a visual inspection of the industrial electrical product 4 for product types (in this example, a basic operation panel (BOP) and a front panel). The user display on the right side of each of FIGS. 6a and 6b indicates whether the component is present. In FIG. 6a, although the visual inspection has identified the presence of an input plug and a brake plug, there is no motor plug. In FIG. 6b, the BOP is present, but there is no front cover. Identifying non-existent components allows omission of disassembly steps related to these components from the overall disassembly process. FIGS. 7a and 7b are screenshots of a visual inspection of component damage. FIG. 7a is a screenshot illustrating the presence of damage to a control printed circuit board (PCB), and FIG. 7b illustrates an undamaged control PCB. In each example, the user is indicated on the right side of the screen whether damage is present.

[0037] Figure 8 This is a first example screenshot of a user interface generated by an embodiment of the present invention. This illustrates how to query the digital twin of an industrial electrical product to obtain information about components and disassembly. The illustrated product is a SINAMICS G120CPN inverter. The first tab "Information" shows the information obtained by reading the digital identity credential and displays a CAD image of the product. The information is obtained by searching the PLM database and illustrates manufacturing data, serial number, manufacturing date, manufacturer location, and owner. A log of previous inspections is also provided, and the status of the inverter that needs maintenance is identified and highlighted from the digital identity credential.Figure 9 This is a second example screenshot of a user interface generated by an embodiment of the present invention. This shows data related to the components of the inverter on the second tab. Each of these components is identified by name and is provided with a useful color coding to indicate the severity or status of other issues. The first element of the status is the estimated life of the component, and the color coding is red (short remaining life), amber (acceptable but remaining life is less than 50%), or blue (acceptable, remaining life exceeds 50%). This can be calculated by comparing the elapsed runtime of the component with the indicated life of the manufacturer related to any damage or runtime issues. Next, a score related to reusability and a score related to recyclability are given, again color coded and rated on a scale of 1 to 5. The scores are based on queries of the inverter digital twin, using information collected from the PLM database and inspections of the inverter. For example, rules related to wear, damage, and runtime can be used to calculate the reusability of the component. Rules related to the materials used in the component can be used to indicate the recyclability of the component. Finally, each entry for the component has space for additional notes, such as the external status (in the case of the main housing), the running hours (in the case of the cooling fan), and the appearance and electrical characteristics of the component (in the case of the PCB). Exploded CAD drawings of the various components are also shown. Figure 10 This is a third example screenshot of a user interface generated by an embodiment of the present invention. The third tab illustrates this, which outlines the disassembly steps to be taken by the robot. When the robot disassembles the inverter, these disassembly steps can be followed by an animation of a real-time CAD drawing.

Claims

1. An automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system, comprising: a data input device adapted to read a digital identity credential attached to an industrial electrical product; a data memory containing condition information of the industrial electrical product; an inspection device adapted to obtain data related to measurements of physical characteristics indicating the operating history and current functionality of the industrial electrical product from the industrial electrical product; a processor adapted to: identify the industrial electrical product based on the digital identity credential read by the data input device; locate condition information related to the industrial electrical product and retrieve the condition information for further processing, and simulate the industrial electrical product based on the condition information and the data related to the measured physical characteristics; and a data output device adapted to output the condition of the industrial electrical product based on the simulation to a predetermined destination.

2. The automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the data input device is a vision inspection system.

3. The automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein the data input device and the inspection device are combined in the vision inspection system.

4. The automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inspection device is adapted to digitally query software stored in the industrial electrical product.

5. The automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the data memory is a database located remotely from the industrial electrical product, in which condition data of multiple industrial digital products are stored by digital identity credentials.

6. The automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the data memory is located within the industrial electrical product, and wherein the inspection device is further adapted to read the data memory.

7. The automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is adapted to simulate the condition of the industrial electrical product using a digital twin of the industrial electrical product.

8. The automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the condition information includes at least one of the following: the expected lifespan of components of the industrial electrical product, the bill of materials information of the components of the industrial electrical product, the computer-aided model of the industrial electrical product, detailed information on expected component, material, and product lifespans, and allowable wear and component aging limits.

9. The automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the data indicating the operating history and current functionality of the industrial electrical product includes at least one of the following: information on the operating time, operating temperature, humidity of the operating environment, exposure to magnetic fields or electric fields or radiation, shock or other external forces of the components within the industrial electrical product, data on the operation, errors, fault codes, and restarts of each component.

10. An automated industrial electrical product disassembly system, comprising the automated industrial electrical product condition monitoring system according to any one of the preceding claims and a flexible automation system, the flexible automation system being adapted to be programmed to disassemble the industrial electrical product based on the condition of the industrial electrical product.

11. An automated method for disassembling an industrial electrical product, comprising: a) Reading a digital identity credential attached to the industrial electrical product; b) Inspecting the industrial electrical product to obtain data related to measurements of physical characteristics indicative of the operating history of the industrial electrical product; c) Identifying the industrial electrical product from a data storage based on the digital identity credential; looking up status information related to the industrial electrical product and retrieving the status information for further processing; d) Simulating the industrial electrical product based on the status information and the data related to the measurements of the physical characteristics indicative of the operating history of the industrial electrical product; e) Outputting the condition of the industrial electrical product to a user display device and the flexible automation system based on the simulation; and f) Disassembling the industrial electrical product using the flexible automation system.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of simulating comprises using a digital twin of the industrial electrical product.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein for each component of the industrial electrical product, the condition of the industrial electrical product comprises: i) An estimated component life; ii) An indicator of the reusability of the component; and iii) An indicator of the recyclability of the component, and wherein the condition of the industrial electrical product further comprises a list of disassembly steps to be performed by the flexible automation system and computer code to be executed to enable the flexible automation system to perform the disassembly steps.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of: Displaying a computer-aided model of the industrial electrical product on the user display and dynamically demonstrating the model to match the disassembly steps being performed by the flexible automation system.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the step of identifying the industrial electrical product based on the digital identity credential comprises: i) Looking up a database located remotely from the industrial electrical product, in which status data on a plurality of industrial digital products are stored by digital identity credentials; or ii) Reading a data storage located within the industrial electrical product.

Images