System for determining a position of a sensor or actuator within an industrial device

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for determining the position of sensors or actuators in an industrial plant, wherein a mobile device acquires the positions of the sensors or actuators without a self-positioning system and transmits the positions to a superior system. The mobile device transmits the position data to the sensors or actuators in a wireless manner, the sensors or actuators store the position data and forward the position data to the superior system. This makes it possible to determine the positions at low cost and with high energy efficiency.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for determining the position of a sensor or actuator, particularly for use in industrial equipment.

[0002] In modern industry, networked sensors and actuators are increasingly used to monitor and control production processes. These devices provide valuable data that helps optimize equipment efficiency and safety. Especially in large industrial equipment, these sensors and actuators are often widely distributed, making the management and location of individual devices difficult.

[0003] An obvious solution for determining device location is to equip each device with its own GPS module. However, this solution comes with several drawbacks. On the one hand, GPS modules increase the cost and energy requirements of the devices. On the other hand, GPS signals are often difficult to receive or impossible to receive indoors or in densely built-up industrial environments, which compromises the accuracy of location determination. Another drawback is that GPS modules increase the structural size of the devices.

[0004] Another obvious solution is to manually locate these devices and record their positions in a central system. However, this solution is time-consuming, error-prone, and requires a significant manpower investment.

[0005] One drawback of these solutions is that the devices themselves must possess complex functionalities to determine and transmit their location. This increases the complexity of the devices and, consequently, the probability of failure.

[0006] The applicant’s unpublished application 102024118005.6 describes the combined action of sensors and mobile wireless devices, in which as many tasks and computational processing as possible are transferred to the mobile wireless device, such as a smartphone, during the configuration of mobile wireless communication; then, the optimally configured mobile wireless connection is transmitted to the sensor in a low-power manner, preferably via NFC or Bluetooth data connection.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved system for determining the position of sensors and actuators in industrial equipment, which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages and enables simple, low-cost and reliable positioning of the equipment.

[0008] This objective is achieved according to the invention by a system having the features described in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0009] According to the present invention, a system for determining the location of a sensor or actuator within an industrial device includes: a mobile device having a positioning system and a first wireless communication interface; a sensor or actuator lacking an integrated positioning system; and a second wireless communication interface at the sensor or actuator, the second wireless communication interface being configured to: receive location data from the mobile device, wherein the location data is acquired by the positioning system of the mobile device when the mobile device is near the sensor or actuator; store the location data; and transmit the location data to a higher-level system. This enables low-cost and energy-efficient location tracking of devices within an industrial device, without requiring each device to have its own positioning system.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wireless communication interface is based on Bluetooth, NFC, or WiFi standards. This provides flexible and extensive options for short-range wireless communication between mobile devices and sensors or actuators.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mobile device is a smartphone. This leverages the widespread availability and computing power of smartphones to facilitate simple and convenient location data collection.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper-level system is a PLC. This enables seamless integration with existing industrial control systems for real-time monitoring and control.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the positioning system of the mobile device includes a GPS module. This utilizes a widely available and accurate positioning technology to obtain reliable location data.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the location data includes geographic longitude and latitude coordinates. This provides accurate and standardized location information for precise mapping and tracking.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, once location data is received from and stored from the mobile device, the wireless communication interface of the sensor or actuator automatically transmits the location data to the upper-level system. This enables real-time location updates to improve detection and responsiveness.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sensor is a device for acquiring pressure, temperature, flow rate, volume, and liquid level; it may be an optical, capacitive, or inductive proximity switch or proximity sensor; or a vibration monitoring device. This enables the position tracking of various sensors used to monitor key parameters in industrial processes.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the actuator is a valve, an actuating motor, a switch, a relay, or a pump. This makes it possible to track the position of various actuators used to control industrial processes.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sensor or actuator is connected to the upper-level system via a fieldbus. This ensures reliable and standardized data transmission between the sensor / actuator and the control system.

[0019] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a system for determining the location of a sensor 1 or actuator within industrial equipment is shown. The system includes the sensor 1 or actuator, a mobile device 2, a higher-level system 5 in the form of a PLC, and a wireless communication connection 3c.

[0021] A sensor, or actuator, is a device used in industrial equipment to acquire or influence specific physical or chemical variables. Examples of sensors include pressure sensors, temperature sensors, flow sensors, level sensors, optical proximity switches, capacitive proximity sensors, inductive proximity sensors, and vibration monitoring devices. Examples of actuators include valves, actuator motors, switches, relays, and pumps.

[0022] Sensor 1 or the actuator lacks an integrated positioning system, such as a GPS module, to save cost and energy. Instead, the location of sensor 1 or the actuator is determined via mobile device 2.

[0023] The mobile device 2 is preferably a smartphone or tablet computer, and has a positioning system 4, such as a GPS module, and a wireless communication interface 3a. The mobile device 2 is configured to collect the current location data of the mobile device and wirelessly transmit this location data to the sensor 1 or actuator.

[0024] The mobile device 2 approaches the sensor 1 or actuator, causing the location data of the mobile device 2 to correspond to the location of the sensor 1 or actuator. Upon approaching, the mobile device 2 wirelessly transmits its location data to the sensor 1 or actuator. For this purpose, the sensor 1 or actuator 2 also has a wireless communication interface 3b.

[0025] The wireless communication connection 3c between sensor 1 or actuator and mobile device 2 is preferably based on standards such as Bluetooth, NFC, or WiFi. These standards enable simple and low-cost short-range data transmission.

[0026] Sensor 1 or actuator stores the received location data in a storage unit. The location data preferably includes geographic longitude and latitude coordinates.

[0027] Once location data is received and stored from mobile device 2, the wireless communication interface 3b of sensor 1 or actuator automatically transmits this location data to the upper-level system 5.

[0028] The upper-level system 5 is preferably a programmable logic controller (PLC) that manages the position data of the sensor 1 and the actuator and uses it to control the equipment.

[0029] Sensor 1 or actuator is connected to the upper-level system 5 via fieldbus 6. Fieldbus 6 ensures reliable and standardized data transmission between sensor 1 or actuator and upper-level system 5.

[0030] The positioning symbol is shown in the attached figure to illustrate that when the mobile device 2 is located in close proximity to the sensor 1, the mobile device 2 acquires the position of the sensor 1.

[0031] The system according to the invention enables simple, low-cost, and reliable positioning of sensors 1 and actuators in industrial equipment. Since sensors 1 and actuators do not need to have their own positioning systems, costs and energy are saved. Position determination using a mobile device 2 allows for the acquisition of locations in indoor or densely built-up industrial environments where GPS signals are difficult to receive. List of reference numerals

[0032] 1. Sensor or actuator

[0033] 2. Mobile devices, smartphones

[0034] 3a wireless communication interface

[0035] 3b wireless communication interface

[0036] 3C wireless communication connection

[0037] 4 Positioning System

[0038] 5. Upper-level system, PLC

[0039] 6 Fieldbus

Claims

1. A system for determining the location of a sensor (1) or actuator (1) within an industrial device, comprising: ○ Mobile device (2), the mobile device having a positioning system (4) and a first wireless communication interface (3a); ○ The sensor (1) or actuator (1), wherein the sensor (1) or actuator (1) lacks an integrated positioning system; and ○ The second wireless communication interface (3b) at the sensor (1) or actuator (1) is configured as follows: Location data is received from the mobile device (2), wherein the location data is collected by the positioning system (4) of the mobile device (2) when the mobile device (2) is near the sensor (1) or actuator (1); Store the location data; and The location data is transmitted to the upper-level system (5).

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The wireless communication interface (3b) is based on Bluetooth, NFC or WiFi standards.

3. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The mobile device (2) is a smartphone.

4. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The upper-level system (5) is a PLC.

5. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The positioning system (4) of the mobile device (2) includes a GPS module.

6. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The location data includes geographic longitude and latitude coordinates.

7. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Once the location data is received from the mobile device (2) and stored, the wireless communication interface (3b) of the sensor (1) or actuator (1) automatically transmits the location data to the upper-level system (5).

8. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The sensor (1) is a device for collecting pressure, temperature, flow rate, flow volume, liquid level, optical, capacitive or inductive proximity switch or proximity sensor, or vibration monitoring device.

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The actuator (1) is a valve, an actuator motor, a switch, a relay, or a pump.

10. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The sensor (1) or actuator (1) is connected to the upper-level system (5) via a fieldbus (6).

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