Motor control device

Abstract

A motor control device is provided. The motor control device comprises: a plurality of motor starters, each of the plurality of motor starters being connected to a corresponding one of a plurality of motors and being configured to measure data including bus voltage and voltage and current of the connected motor and to perform real-time communication with a centralized controller through an internal high-speed bus to send the measured data; and the centralized controller connected to the plurality of motor starters and configured to receive the data sent from each motor starter and to configure and perform edge-side control of each motor starter based on the received data. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present application, the motor starter can be controlled quickly and efficiently without relying on external control and communication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a motor control device, and more specifically, to a motor control device in an intelligent motor control cabinet system. Background Technology

[0002] Due to lightning strikes, short circuits, heavy load startups, etc., when short-term power grid fluctuations (power dips) occur at the production site, causing the motor to stop and be unable to be restarted in time; or when the motors start simultaneously, causing undervoltage, overcurrent, etc., the entire production unit will be shut down in a chain reaction, forcing the continuous production process to be interrupted.

[0003] In response to the above situation, an improved technical solution is needed that can quickly control all motors without the use of additional equipment when a power outage occurs on the production site. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a motor control device is provided, comprising: a plurality of motor starters, each of the plurality of motor starters being connected to a corresponding one of a plurality of motors and configured to measure data including bus voltage and voltage and current of the connected motor, and to perform real-time communication with a central controller via an internal high-speed bus to transmit the measured data; and a central controller, connected to the plurality of motor starters and configured to receive data transmitted from each motor starter, and to configure each motor starter based on the received data and to perform edge-side control on each motor starter.

[0005] In one example, each of the plurality of motor starters is also configured to measure the internal temperature of the motor starter and transmit it to a central controller via an internal high-speed bus.

[0006] In one example, the central controller is configured to further perform edge-side control of the corresponding motor starter based on the internal temperature of each motor starter.

[0007] In one example, the plurality of motor starters and the central controller are configured with anti-power fluctuation function.

[0008] In one example, the centralized controller receives measured bus voltage, corresponding motor voltage and current, and internal temperature of each of a plurality of motor starters in a polling manner at a predetermined period.

[0009] In one example, the centralized controller stores the load capacity and starting priority of the power system, and performs edge-side control for each motor starter, including controlling the start of each motor starter one by one.

[0010] In one example, the motor starter is a smart motor starter, and the central controller is a smart central controller.

[0011] In one example, to control the starting of each motor starter individually, the centralized controller is further configured to: generate a list of candidate motor starters among the plurality of motor starters based on starting priority; for each candidate motor starter, determine whether to set the state of the candidate motor starter to a ready state based on the measured voltage and current of the corresponding motor and the internal temperature of the candidate motor starter; and select one or more candidate motor starters whose state is set to ready state based on system load capacity, to determine the motor to be started by the selected candidate motor starter one by one.

[0012] In one example, the start priority indicates the importance of each of the multiple motors.

[0013] In one example, if a candidate motor starter exists in the list of candidate motor starters and the state of no candidate motor starter is ready, the central controller is configured to alarm when the restart time expires.

[0014] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, an intelligent motor control cabinet system is also provided, including the motor control device as described above.

[0015] Therefore, according to embodiments of the present invention, the motor control device can record the operating parameters of all motors, and based on the operating conditions and parameters of each motor, can quickly and efficiently control the intelligent motor starter without relying on external control and communication. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate units of the same structure, and wherein:

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a motor control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown; and

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating the specific process of a motor control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] Furthermore, it should be noted that in this specification, A connected to B can mean "A is directly connected to B" or "A is connected to B via other middleware". A connected between B and C can mean "A is directly connected to both A and B" or "A is connected to both B and C via other middleware".

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a motor control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the motor control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a motor starter 110 (hereinafter also referred to as ST) and a central controller 120 (Header).

[0023] The number of motor starters 110 in the motor control device 100 can be multiple, for example, 64. The number of central controllers 120 can be one or more, for example, two, and each central controller 120 can control a portion of the 64 motor starters 110 respectively.

[0024] It should be noted that the number of motor starters 110 and central controllers 120 is not limited to this; the motor control device 100 may include more or fewer motor starters 110 and central controllers 120. Furthermore, each central controller 120 is not limited to controlling the same number of motor starters 110.

[0025] Each of the multiple motor starters 110 can be connected to a corresponding one of the multiple motors (not shown) and is configured to measure data including bus voltage and voltage and current of the connected motor, and to perform real-time communication with the central controller 120 via an internal high-speed bus to transmit the measured data.

[0026] The central controller 120 can be connected to multiple motor starters 110 and is configured to receive data sent from each motor starter 110, configure each motor starter 110 based on the received data, and perform edge-side control on each motor starter 110.

[0027] Therefore, according to embodiments of the present invention, the motor starter can be controlled quickly and efficiently based on the operating conditions and parameters of each motor, without relying on external control and communication.

[0028] The motor starter 110 can be an intelligent motor starter, and the central controller 120 can be an intelligent central controller.

[0029] The Starter 110 can be connected to the motor in a one-to-one manner.

[0030] Multiple Starter 110s can communicate with Header 120 in real time via an internal high-speed bus.

[0031] The motor control device 100 can configure parameters for all, for example, 64, starters 110 via Header 120. The operating parameters of each starter must match the characteristics of the motor it is connected to, thereby activating the motor's protection function. In one example, the starter's operating parameters may include the rated operating voltage and current of the connected motor, as well as its peak starting current and starting current limits. These operating parameters need to be configured into the corresponding starter so that if an abnormality occurs during motor operation, the motor will activate relevant protection functions according to its configured values, thus ensuring motor safety.

[0032] Header 120 can store the parameters of each Starter 110, so that it does not need to be reconfigured when Starter 110 is replaced.

[0033] The following data can be pre-configured in Header 120: the load capacity of the power system; the operating parameters of the motors connected to each Starter 110, such as the reference voltage, reference current, and temperature protection threshold under normal operating conditions of each Starter 110; the starting priority of the motors connected to each Starter 110; the motor restart time; and the actions after a motor restart failure, such as an alarm.

[0034] Starter 110 can measure and collect electrical parameters such as voltage and current of the connected motor in real time, and can also measure its own internal temperature, as well as perform start-stop operations and protection for the motor. Simultaneously, Starter 110 can also synchronize the measured data and / or its internal temperature to Header 120 via its internal high-speed bus, for example, by sending it to Header 120.

[0035] Header 120 can further perform edge-side control of the corresponding Starter 110 based on the internal temperature of each Starter 110.

[0036] In one example, multiple Starter 110 and Header 120 are configured with anti-power-drop functionality.

[0037] Therefore, according to embodiments of the present invention, no additional external power supply is required to ensure the normal operation of each device during power fluctuations. The cabinet-wide intelligent motor starter has high density and a small footprint.

[0038] In one example, Header 120 receives measured bus voltage, corresponding motor voltage and current, and the internal temperature of the motor starter from each of a plurality of Starters 110 in a polling manner at a predetermined period.

[0039] Header 120 can also store the load capacity and start-up priority of the power system. Edge-side control for each Starter 110 means that Header 120 controls the start-up of each Starter 110 one by one based on the bus voltage, the voltage and current of the corresponding motor, and the internal temperature of the Starter 110 measured by each Starter 110, and further based on the load capacity and start-up priority of the power system.

[0040] In one example, based on the internal temperature of Starter 110 and a pre-set temperature protection threshold, Header 120 decides whether to start the motor. If the internal temperature of the Starter is too high, the start-up process will not be performed to prevent the Starter from overheating and burning out due to frequent restarts.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present invention, Header 120 can be configured to automatically restart all motors on site after a power outage occurs, and can also be configured to perform a cold start on all motors on site after production shutdown for maintenance.

[0042] In one example, to control the startup of each Starter 110 individually, Header 120 can also be configured to: generate a list of candidate motor starters among the multiple Starters 110 based on startup priority; for each candidate motor starter, determine whether to set the status of the candidate motor starter to a ready state based on the measured voltage and current of the corresponding motor and the internal temperature of the candidate motor starter; and select one or more candidate motor starters whose status is set to ready state based on system load capacity to determine the motor to be started by the selected candidate motor starter one by one.

[0043] In one example, start-up priority indicates the importance of each of multiple motors. For instance, suppose there are six starters in motor control unit 100, namely ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST5, and ST6, each connected to six motors in the field. Their start-up priorities could correspond to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively. The lower the index value of the start-up priority, the higher the priority level. With start-up priorities ranging from 1 to 6, priority 1 represents the highest priority, and priority 6 represents the lowest priority.

[0044] Specifically, when the voltage and current of the corresponding motor and the internal temperature of the Starter 110 connected to it are within the normal range, the Header 120 sets the status of the Starter 110 to "ready". Then, based on the load capacity of the system, the Header 120 selects one or more Starters 110 that are "ready" in the priority order to be started simultaneously.

[0045] Therefore, according to embodiments of the present invention, there is no need to use additional electricity meters and high-performance programmable controllers (PLCs). Instead, the intelligent motor starter can be configured and edge-controlled at the motor control device 100 based on voltage, current conditions and the load capacity of the on-site power grid, thereby improving control efficiency.

[0046] Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present invention, one or more motors that can be started simultaneously can be flexibly determined without waiting, thereby enabling continuous and rapid starting of all motors.

[0047] In one example, Starter 110 and Header 120 can have anti-voltage fluctuation capabilities. When the system supply voltage experiences a short-term drop, the entire system can continuously monitor the power grid.

[0048] If a candidate motor starter exists in the list of candidate motor starters and the status of no candidate motor starter is ready, then Header 120 can issue an alarm when the motor restart time expires.

[0049] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart illustrating the specific process of a motor control method 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. This method 300 can be... Figure 1 Header 120 in the code executes according to the predetermined polling cycle.

[0050] As mentioned earlier, the Header 120 has pre-configured or stored reference voltages and currents under normal operating conditions for each motor, temperature protection thresholds for each Starter, starting priorities for each motor, system load capacity, starting current requirements for each Starter, and motor restart times. This data can be generated, for example, based on statistics.

[0051] In other words, Figure 2 The method 200 shown is the process executed by Header 120 in one cycle, and during the motor start-up time, Header 120 can execute the multi-cycle shown in method 200.

[0052] like Figure 2As shown, in step 201 of method 200, after the motor stops, a list of candidate motor starters, or a list to be started, can be generated from multiple Starters 110 according to the motor's starting priority. The candidate motor starters can be Starters connected to the motor that needs to be restarted, and can be all or some of the multiple Starters 110.

[0053] In 202, for each Starter, the voltage and current of the connected motor, as well as the internal temperature of the Starter, can be received in real time by the Starter.

[0054] In step 203, determine if the motor current is within the normal range. Specifically, this can be done by comparing the motor current with its reference current. Also in step 203, the motor current can be used to determine if any motors started in the previous cycle are still starting. If the current is not within the normal range (No in step 203), it indicates that a motor is still starting, and the current cycle ends. The process proceeds to step 216, ending the selection of the motor to be started and waiting for the next cycle. No further polling of other Starters is performed. This avoids overloading the power grid by repeatedly starting motors. If the current is within the normal range (Yes in step 203), the process proceeds to step 204.

[0055] At 204, determine whether the motor voltage has recovered to the normal operating voltage of the system, for example, by comparing it with a reference voltage. If it has recovered to the normal operating voltage (as in 204), then the process proceeds to 205. Otherwise, the process proceeds to 217.

[0056] At 205, determine whether the internal temperature of the current Starter has returned to a normal value, for example, by comparing it with the temperature protection threshold. If it has not returned to a normal value (No at 205), the process proceeds to 217. At 217, the current cycle for that Starter ends, waiting for the next cycle. If the internal temperature has returned to a normal value (Yes at 205), the process proceeds to 206.

[0057] In each cycle, steps 202 through 205 are performed for all Starters, unless it is determined at step 203 that the current has not returned to the normal range.

[0058] In 206, the status of a Starter that meets the startup conditions can be set to ready.

[0059] It should be noted that there may be a situation in a certain loop where no Starter meets the restart conditions, that is, there may be a situation in a certain loop where no motor is started.

[0060] In step 207, check if the start-up list is empty. That is, determine if all starters (and their connected motors) have been successfully started. If the start-up list is empty (as in step 207), it means that all stopped motors have been successfully started, and the process proceeds to step 215. In step 215, a notification indicating that all motors have been successfully started can be issued.

[0061] If the list of startups is not empty (No in 207), the process proceeds to 208. In 208, it is determined whether a Starter with a status of "Ready" exists in the list of startups. If it exists (Yes in 208), the process proceeds to 209.

[0062] In section 209, starters that can be started simultaneously can be selected based on the power system's load capacity and the starters in the list of starters with a status of "ready". For example, for starters in the list of starters with a status of "ready", one or more starters with the highest priority can be selected, provided that the load capacity is not exceeded.

[0063] At 210, start one or more of the selected Starters.

[0064] At step 211, determine if the startup was successful. If unsuccessful (No in 211), proceed to step 218, ending this cycle. If successful (Yes in 211), proceed to step 212.

[0065] In step 212, remove the Starter (or multiple Starters) that have successfully started from the list of startups to be started, and then proceed to step 218, at which point the current cycle ends.

[0066] At 208, if there is no Starter with a status of "ready" in the list of startups (No in 208), the process proceeds to 213.

[0067] At step 213, determine if the restart time has expired. If it has expired (yes in 213), the process proceeds to step 214, the motor restart process ends, and an alarm sounds. If it has not expired (no in 213), the process proceeds to step 218, the current cycle ends, and the process waits for the next cycle.

[0068] Therefore, according to embodiments of the present invention, the intelligent motor starter can be configured and controlled at the edge by the intelligent motor centralized controller based on voltage, current conditions, and the load capacity of the on-site power grid, without the need for additional equipment, thus improving control efficiency. Furthermore, it can flexibly determine one or more motors that can be started simultaneously, eliminating the need for idle waiting, thereby enabling continuous and rapid starting of all motors by flexibly generating starting batches based on individual motors / starters.

[0069] For example, continuing the previous example, in a motor control device, such as an intelligent motor control cabinet, there are 6 intelligent motor starters (ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST5, ST6) connected to 6 motors in the field, and their starting priorities are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 respectively. Priority 1 represents the highest priority, and priority 6 represents the lowest priority.

[0070] When a power outage occurs on-site and all motors stop, the central controller (Header) generates a list of motor starters to be started, consisting of ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST5, and ST6, with all devices in an empty or "not ready" status.

[0071] In the first cycle, ST1, ST3, and ST4 meet the startup conditions, and their status in the startup list is changed to "ready". Based on the grid load capacity configured / stored in the central controller (Header), it can be determined that ST1 and ST3 meet the conditions for simultaneous startup. The Header can then send commands to ST1 and ST3 to start the corresponding motors and remove these two Starters from the startup list.

[0072] At this time, the list of vehicles to be started by the smart motor starter includes ST2, ST4, ST5 and ST6, and only ST4 is in the "ready" state.

[0073] In the second cycle, if ST2, ST4, and ST6 meet the starting conditions, their status in the starter list of the intelligent motor starter will be either "ready" or changed to "ready". Similarly, based on the grid load capacity configured / stored in the intelligent motor central controller (Header), since ST2, ST4, and ST6 are all low-power motors, they meet the simultaneous starting conditions. Therefore, the intelligent motor central controller (Header) can send commands to ST2, ST4, and ST6 to start the corresponding motors and remove these three starters from the starter list.

[0074] At this point, the list of devices to be started only includes ST5, and its status is not "ready". If the restart time has not expired at this time, the next cycle will begin.

[0075] In the third cycle, ST5 meets the start-up conditions and its status changes to "ready". Based on the grid load capacity configured / stored in the intelligent motor central controller (Header), if ST5 meets the start-up conditions at this time, the Header sends a command to ST5 to start the corresponding motor.

[0076] At this point, all motors have successfully restarted.

[0077] Therefore, as described above, according to the embodiments of the present invention, the intelligent motor central controller can configure and control the intelligent motor starter at the edge based on voltage, current conditions, and the load capacity of the on-site power grid, without the need for additional equipment, thus improving control efficiency. Furthermore, it can flexibly determine one or more motors that can be started simultaneously, eliminating the need for idle waiting, thereby enabling continuous and rapid starting of all motors by flexibly generating starting batches based on individual motors / starters.

[0078] Although Figure 2 Steps 201 to 218 are shown to be performed sequentially, but those skilled in the art will understand that they can be performed in a different manner. Figure 2 Method steps 201 to 218 may be performed in an order other than that shown, without departing from the teachings of the embodiments of the invention. For example, steps 202 to 205 and step 201 may also be performed simultaneously.

[0079] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various embodiments described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this invention can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the composition and steps of each embodiment have been generally described in terms of functionality in the foregoing description. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this invention.

[0080] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0081] In the embodiments provided by this invention, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0082] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0083] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0084] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0085] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A motor control device, comprising: Multiple motor starters, each of which is connected to a corresponding one of the multiple motors, and is configured to measure data including bus voltage and voltage and current of the connected motor, and to perform real-time communication with a central controller via an internal high-speed bus to transmit the measured data; as well as A centralized controller is connected to multiple motor starters and is configured to receive data sent from each motor starter, configure each motor starter based on the received data, and perform edge-side control on each motor starter.

2. The motor control device according to claim 1, wherein Each of the plurality of motor starters is also configured to measure the internal temperature of the motor starter and transmit it to a central controller via an internal high-speed bus.

3. The motor control device of claim 2, wherein, The centralized controller is configured to further perform edge-side control of the corresponding motor starter based on the internal temperature of each motor starter.

4. The motor control device of claim 2, wherein, The multiple motor starters and centralized controllers are configured with anti-power fluctuation function.

5. The motor control device of claim 2, wherein, The centralized controller receives, in a polling manner, measured bus voltage, corresponding motor voltage and current, and internal temperature of each of the multiple motor starters at a predetermined cycle.

6. The motor control device of claim 3, wherein, The centralized controller stores the load capacity and starting priority of the power system, and performs edge-side control for each motor starter, including controlling the start of each motor starter one by one.

7. The motor control device of claim 1, wherein, The motor starter is an intelligent motor starter, and the centralized controller is an intelligent centralized controller.

8. The motor control device of claim 6, wherein, In order to control the starting of each motor starter individually, the centralized controller is also configured to: A list of candidate motor starters is generated from the plurality of motor starters based on the start-up priority; For each candidate motor starter, based on the measured voltage and current of the corresponding motor and the internal temperature of the candidate motor starter, determine whether to set the status of the candidate motor starter to the ready state. as well as Based on the system load capacity, one or more candidate motor starters with their status set to ready are selected to determine, one by one, which motors will be started by the selected candidate motor starters.

9. The motor control device according to claim 6, wherein, Start-up priority indicates the importance of each of the multiple motors.

10. The motor control device according to claim 8, wherein, If a candidate motor starter exists in the list of candidate motor starters and the state of no candidate motor starter is ready, the central controller is configured to alarm when the restart time expires.

11. An intelligent motor control cabinet system, comprising the motor control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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