System and method for operating a grinding process in a tumbling mill - Patents.com

Abstract

A method of operating a tumbling mill, the method including: monitoring a tip position of a first portion of material within the mill, the tip position being determined in response to a signal measured from a vibration sensor; determining a measure of a discharge characteristic corresponding to a second portion of material discharged from the mill; receiving an input corresponding to a desired discharge characteristic of the discharged material; and determining operating parameters of the mill based on the determined tip position, the received desired discharge characteristic, and a predetermined correlation between the tip position and the discharge characteristic.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of tumbling mills and the monitoring of tumbling mills. The present invention also relates to the field of a method for generating information about the internal state of a tumbling mill and the control of a tumbling mill. The present invention also relates to a method for operating a grinding process in a tumbling mill and to an apparatus for monitoring the internal state of a tumbling mill. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for controlling the internal state of a tumbling mill. The present invention also relates to a computer program for monitoring the internal state of a tumbling mill. The present invention also relates to a computer program for controlling the internal state of a tumbling mill. [Background technology]

[0002] In some industries, such as mining, materials coming in large pieces need to be crushed to reduce the size of the individual pieces of material received. Tumbling mills can achieve the crushing of materials.

[0003] A tumbling mill includes a shell containing a packing material that is tumbled and crushed as it rotates. US 2017 / 0225172 A1 discloses that grinding in a tumbling mill can be inefficient, especially when energy is wasted through impacts that do not break the particles, and that autogenous grinding (AG) mills and semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mills can operate unstably due to the difficulty of balancing the feed rate of large particles to the tumbling mill with the consumption of the packing. According to US 2017 / 0225172 A1, to control this process, it is essential to provide real-time information about the current state of the packing in the tumbler. US 2017 / 0225172 A1 discloses using rotor dynamics to determine the characteristics of the packing moving through the tumbling mill. According to US 2017 / 0225172 A1, a monitoring device for monitoring a tumble mill is provided. The apparatus includes vibration sensors mounted on the two main bearings of the tumble mill and on the thrust bearing of the mill, which generate vibration signals corresponding to the bearings on which the sensors are mounted. These vibration signals are transmitted to an analyzer which analyzes the signals and displays numerically or graphically the operating condition of the tumble mill.

[0004] Figure 5 of US 2017 / 0225172 A1 discloses two orbit plots, one created at time 1 and another created at time 2. According to US 2017 / 0225172 A1, by observing the change in the orbit plot from time 1 to time 2, a mill operator would observe a dramatic decrease in the magnitude of the vibrations, and a similar dramatic decrease in the orbit parameter, frequency, phase, precession, or other characteristic change of the orbit plot. This information, according to US 2017 / 0225172 A1, would tell the operator that something very significant about the overall operation of the mill rotor and the composite charge being processed has changed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Considering the state of the art, the problem to be addressed is how to generate improved information about the internal conditions of a tumbling mill and / or how to obtain an improved method for operating the grinding process in a tumbling mill.

[0006] This problem is addressed by the examples presented herein. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] For a quick understanding of the present invention, a description will now be made, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0008] [Figure 1A] 1 shows a somewhat schematic side view of a system comprising a tumbling mill. [Figure 1B] 1 shows another semi-schematic view of a system comprising a tumbling mill. [Figure 1C] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a tumbling mill as a box that receives multiple inputs and produces multiple outputs. [Figure 2] 1B shows another example of a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1A. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an example of the analytical device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 1 is a simplified diagram of a program memory and its contents. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an analysis device. [Figure 6A] 1 is a diagram of a pair of signals S(i) and P(i) emitted by an A / D converter; [Figure 6B] 1 is a diagram of a series of signal pairs S(i) and P(i) emitted by an A / D converter; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a portion of a status parameter extractor. [Figure 8] 1 is a simplified diagram of an example of a memory and its contents. [Figure 9] 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for operating the status parameter extractor of FIG. 7. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for executing step S#40 of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a method. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of a method for executing step S#40 of FIG. 9. [Figure 13] 1 is a graph showing a series of time-successive position signals P1, P2, P3, . . . in which each position signal P represents a full revolution of the shell being monitored. [Figure 14A] 1 shows another example of a cross-sectional view of the central portion 98 of a rotating mill shell in operation. [Figure 15A] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a status parameter extractor. [Figure 15B] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a status parameter extractor. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is an example of a visual display of the analysis results. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is another example of a visual display of the analysis results. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is another example of a visual display of the analysis results. [Figure 19A] FIG. 10 is a diagram of yet another example of a visual display of analytical results regarding the internal status of a tumbling mill. [Figure 19B] FIG. 10 is a diagram of yet another example of a visual display of analytical results regarding the internal status of a tumbling mill. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of a compensation decimator. [Figure 21] 21 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating the compensation decimator of FIG. 20. [Figure 22A] 21 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for operating the compensation decimator of FIG. 20. [Figure 22B] 21 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for operating the compensation decimator of FIG. 20. [Figure 22C] 21 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for operating the compensation decimator of FIG. 20. [Figure 23]1 shows another example of a cross-sectional view of the center of a rotating mill shell in operation. [Figure 24] 1 shows a somewhat schematic top view of another system comprising a tumbling mill; [Figure 25] 1 shows a semi-diagrammatic and schematic top view of yet another embodiment of a system comprising a tumbling mill. [Figure 26] 1 shows a semi-diagrammatic and schematic top view of yet another embodiment of a system including a tumbling mill. [Figure 27] 1 shows a semi-diagrammatic and schematic top view of yet another embodiment of a system including a tumbling mill. [Figure 28] 1 shows a semi-diagrammatic and schematic top view of yet another embodiment of a system including a tumbling mill. [Figure 29] 1 shows a semi-diagrammatic and schematic top view of yet another embodiment of a system including a tumbling mill. [Figure 30] 1 shows another example of a cross-sectional view of the center of a rotating mill shell in operation. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a status parameter extractor. [Figure 40] 1 is a block diagram of a system for monitoring the internal state X of the mill and for enabling improved control of the grinding process taking place within the mill. FIG. [Figure 41] 1 shows a flow chart of a method of operation of a tumbling mill. [Figure 42] 3 shows a flow chart of another method of operating a tumbling mill. [Figure 43] 10 shows a flow chart of yet another method of operating a tumbling mill. [Figure 44] 10 shows a flow chart of yet another method of operating a tumbling mill. [Figure 45] 10 shows a flow chart of yet another method of operating a tumbling mill. [Figure 46] 10 shows a flow chart of yet another method of operating a tumbling mill. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In the following text, similar features in the various examples are designated with the same reference numerals.

[0010] 1A shows a somewhat schematic side view of a system 5 including a tumbling mill 10. The tumbling mill 10 may be, for example, an autogenous grinding (AG) mill. Alternatively, the tumbling mill 10 may be, for example, a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill. Another example of a tumbling mill 10 is a ball mill 10. 1A also shows cross-section AA, which is also identified by reference numeral 15. The tumbling mill 10 comprises a shell 20 having an interior shell surface 22 that forms a chamber 25 for grinding material. In the cross-section identified by reference numeral 15 in FIG. 1A, the shell 20 is shown as indicated by curved arrow f ROT As shown, the rotation speed f ROT is shown as rotating counterclockwise with

[0011] The tumbling mill chamber 25 contains a filler material 30 that is tumbled and pulverized during operation. The filler material has a material surface 33, i.e., the boundary between the air and the material 30 within the rotatable shell 20 (see FIG. 2). Comminution in a tumbling mill serves the purpose of reducing the particle size of solid material particles. This may be achieved, for example, by causing pieces of solid material to fall onto other pieces of solid material. Thus, a tumbling mill utilizes natural forces, i.e., gravity, to accelerate filler particles relative to other filler particles. According to some embodiments, the walls of the shell 20 comprise a durable material, such as steel, to withstand the impact of heavy particles, e.g., large pieces of ore, being tumbled in the chamber 25. According to some embodiments, the walls of the shell 20 comprise an elastomeric material to reduce wall wear. According to some embodiments, the elastomeric material comprises rubber. According to some embodiments, the elastomeric material comprises a polymer, such as polyurethane. According to some embodiments, the interior shell surface 22 comprises a surface coating of an elastomeric material, such as rubber or polyurethane. According to some embodiments, the shell 10 is supported by at least two bearings 40 and 50. The shell 20 is rotatable about an axis of rotation 60. In this context, it is noted that an axis is an imaginary line (axis of rotation) about which an object rotates. The rotation of the shell is used to lift a portion of the packing containing particles of solid material so that some of the solid particles can fall again under the influence of gravity onto another portion of the packing. Therefore, in order to balance the lifting and falling actions of the packing 30, the rotation speed f of the shell 20 is set to ROT 1A, arrow 62 indicates the direction of gravity g relative to the rotating shell 20 and its charge 30. The internal conditions of the tumbling mill 10 therefore depend in part on the balance between gravity 62 and the centripetal force 65 which acts to push the portion of the charge 30 that is immobile relative to the inner shell surface 22 radially away from the center, i.e., the axis of rotation 60. In other words, during operation of the tumbling mill 10, the rotational speed f of the shell 20 ROT The centripetal force, which is dependent on the radius of the shell 20, acts to push a portion of the filler 30 toward the interior shell surface 22. In this regard, it should be noted that the centripetal force acting on a piece of solid material contacting the interior shell surface 22 is dependent on the inner radius of the shell 20. If the force of gravity 62 acting on a particular piece of solid material 68 is greater than the portion of the centripetal force 69 acting on that piece of solid material 68 in a direction opposite to the direction of gravity, then that piece of solid material 68 will fall.

[0012] The vibration sensor 70 generates a measurement signal S EA A measuring signal S may be provided to generate the measuring signal S EA may depend on mechanical vibrations or shock pulses generated as the shell 20 rotates.

[0013] The example system 5 works when the vibration sensor 70 is rigidly attached to the measurement point of the tumbling mill 10. The measurement point may include a connection joint to which the sensor 70 is rigidly or removably attached. In the example shown in FIG. 1A, the sensor 70 is attached to the bearing 40. Alternatively, the sensor 70 may generate a measurement signal S that is dependent on mechanical vibrations or shock pulses generated when the shell 20 rotates. EA The sensor 70 may be mounted at other locations on the tumbling mill where it can generate The tumbling mill 10 has an input side 80 for receiving pieces of solid material and an output side 90 for delivery of output material 95 that has passed through the tumbling mill 10 .

[0014] The shell 20 may have a central portion 98 having a substantially cylindrical shape, with the central chamber 25 having an inner radius R MIC The inner radius R MIC may be greater than 0.5 meters, for example. Alternatively, the inner radius R MIC The tumbling mill 10 may alternatively have a chamber central inner radius R of greater than 8 meters. MIC The central portion of the shell 20 may have a length L from the input side 80 to the output side 90. MIC The central shell length L MIC can be, for example, more than 1 meter. According to an embodiment, the central shell length L MIC Any of the inner radii R exemplified herein may exceed 8 meters. MIC Any shell length L exemplified herein MIC Note that it can be combined with It should also be noted that the shell 20 may have a central portion 98 having a polygonal shape. An example of such a polygonal shell shape is a shell exhibiting at least three shell walls that are joined to form the tumbling mill chamber 25. In this regard, it should be noted that for purposes of this disclosure, a tumbling mill shell having a central portion 98 with at least six shell walls that are joined to form the chamber 25a may be considered to have a substantially cylindrical shape. Therefore, for purposes of this disclosure, the shell of a tumbling mill having a hexagonal central portion 98 may be considered to have a substantially cylindrical shape.

[0015] In the example shown by FIG. 1A , the input side 80 comprises a first input 100 for pieces of solid material 110. The solid material 110, also referred to as feed material 110, may include rock and ore fragments 115 having a variety of sizes. However, the solid material 110 fed into the first input 100 may have been processed so that a maximum solid material particle size exists. In other words, the feed material 110 may include rock and ore fragments 115 having a feed particle size distribution. For example, the feed particle size distribution may include a certain maximum input solid particle volume V ISPM , and / or a certain maximum input solid particle size D ISPM Therefore, the maximum solid particle size of the feed material is limited to a certain maximum input solid particle volume V ISPM The solid material 110 may include, for example, ore fragments 115 having a particle volume of up to 10 cubic decimeters, i.e., the individual input solid particles 115 may have a maximum input solid particle volume V of less than 10 cubic decimeters or at most 10 cubic decimeters. ISP Alternatively, the maximum solid material particle size may be determined by a constant maximum input solid particle size D ISPM Therefore, the individual input solid particles 115 may have a maximum input solid particle size D of less than 250 mm or at most 250 mm. ISP It has.

[0016] The infeed particles 115 may include valuable minerals and minerals considered to be of less value. The less valuable minerals may be referred to as waste minerals. The solid feed material 110 is ground in the tumbling mill 10 to enable separation of the valuable minerals from the waste minerals. The ground output material 95 delivered from the tumbling mill 10 may include particles 96 having a diameter of about 0.1 mm or less. The particles 96 delivered from the tumbling mill 10 may be referred to as product particles 96.

[0017] According to some embodiments, the tumbling mill 10 is operative to perform dry grinding. According to one embodiment, the tumbling mill 10 is a ball mill operative to perform dry grinding. The ball mill 10 includes a plurality of balls 117 to enhance the grinding of the feed particles of the solid feed material 110 into ground solid product particles 96. According to one embodiment, the ball mill balls 117 comprise steel balls. According to one embodiment, the tumbling mill 10 is a ball mill used to grind feed particles 115 of a hard material into a powder 95 called cement. In this regard, it is noted that Portland cement, a form of hydraulic cement, is made by heating limestone, i.e., calcium carbonate, with other materials, such as clay, in a process known as calcination, which liberates carbon dioxide molecules from the calcium carbonate to form calcium oxide, i.e., quicklime, which then chemically combines with other materials in the mixture to form calcium silicate and other cementitious compounds. According to one embodiment, the resulting hard material is then ground into a powder with a quantity of gypsum using the above-described ball mill 10 for dry grinding to make cement.

[0018] According to some embodiments, the tumbling mill 10 operates to grind the solid material 110. An example of a grinding process employing a tumbling mill 10 operated to grind the solid material 110 is a tumbling mill 10 in the mining industry. According to some embodiments, the mining tumbling mill 10 operates to grind the solid material 110 including a mixture of useful minerals and minerals considered less useful. According to some embodiments, the mining tumbling mill 10 is an autogenous grinding (AG) mill. Alternatively, the mining tumbling mill 10 is a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill. According to some embodiments, the mining tumbling mill 10 is a ball mill 10.

[0019] According to some embodiments, the solid material 110 is an ore having a metal content. The average metal content in the solid material 110 may be, for example, greater than 0.1%. According to some embodiments, the solid material 110 has an average metal content of greater than 5% of the desired metal.

[0020] Alternatively, the average metal content in the solid material 110 may be, for example, 50%. According to some embodiments, the solid material 110 has a desired metal content of greater than 40%. According to some embodiments, the solid material 110 has a desired metal iron content of greater than 40%. In this regard, it should be noted that the desired metal content in the solid material 110 may affect the density of the charge in the tumbling mill 10. Thus, according to some embodiments, the density of the charge in the tumbling mill 10 may indicate the relationship between the desired metal and the waste mineral in the charge in the tumbling mill 10.

[0021] According to some embodiments, the grinding process may be facilitated by providing a liquid 120. An example of a grinding process that may be facilitated by providing a liquid 120 is a tumbling mill used in the mining industry. According to some embodiments, the liquid 120 enters the tumbling mill 10 at a second input 130 on the input side 80 of the tumbling mill 10.

[0022] In the rotating shell 20 , pieces of the input solid material 110 mix with the input liquid 120 to form the packing 30 .

[0023] When the density of the input liquid 120 is different from the density of the input solid material 110, the density of the filler 30 can be controlled by controlling the ratio of the input liquid 120 to the input solid material 110. Thus, when the input liquid 120 has a lower density than the density of the input solid material 110, the density of the filler 30 can be reduced by increasing the amount of the input liquid 120.

[0024] The input liquid 120 may include water. Water has a density of approximately 997 kg per cubic meter. The input solid material fragments typically have a density higher than the density of the input liquid. The input solid material fragments typically have a density greater than 1500 kg per cubic meter. The input solid material 110 may include ores bearing useful minerals mixed with other minerals.

[0025] Examples of useful minerals are minerals containing metals such as aluminum or iron. Aluminum has a density of about 2700 kg per cubic meter. Iron has a density of about 7870 kg per cubic meter. The "other minerals" mentioned above may include, for example, fragments of granite or other rocks. Granite has a density of about 2700 kg per cubic meter. Table 1 shows some examples of solid materials and the corresponding material properties.

[0026] [Table 1]

[0027] In the field of mineralogy, the term toughness refers to the resistance of a mineral to fracture, beading, cutting, or other forms of deformation. A material is brittle if, when subjected to stress, it fails with little elastic deformation and without significant plastic deformation. Brittle materials absorb relatively little energy before fracture, even if they are of high strength. Malleable materials can be stretched or shaped by beating or by pressure. Ductile materials can be pulled or stretched by mechanical force without breaking.

[0028] Compressive strength or compression strength is the ability of a material or structure to withstand a load that tends to reduce its size, while tensile strength is the ability of a material or structure to withstand a load that tends to elongate it. In other words, compressive strength resists compression (pushing in), while tensile strength resists tension (pulling apart).

[0029] It is noted that gold has a density of 19,320 kg per cubic meter, which is significantly higher than the densities of the other solid materials listed above in Table 1. In this regard, it is also noted that the gold content in ores that contain some gold is generally low compared to the content of the other solids used as feed material 110 to the tumbling mill.

[0030] The output side 90 of the tumbling mill 10 may include a separator for delivery of output material 95 at output 200 and for retaining material fragments having a particle size above a threshold value. The separator may include a sieve configured to screen out material fragments having a particle size smaller than a certain threshold value for delivery as output material 95 at output 200. The ground output material 95 delivered from the tumbling mill 10 may include particles having a diameter smaller than a certain threshold output particle size. The threshold output particle size may be 0.1 mm. One measure of the production quality of the tumbling mill 10 may be the percentage of output particles having an output particle size of less than 45 μm (where μm means micron), or the amount of output particles per hour having an output particle size of less than 45 μm.

[0031] It is also desirable to have a highly efficient milling process. One aspect of milling process efficiency is the amount of milled material per unit of time. Therefore, it is desirable to improve or optimize the number of kilograms per hour of milled solid material having a particle size below a threshold value, where the magnitude is typically in metric tons / hour of solid material fed into the tumbling mill 10. Another aspect of milling process efficiency is the amount of milled material per unit of energy to minimize milling process energy consumption. Therefore, it is desirable to improve or optimize the throughput in kg / kilowatt-hour of milled solid material having particle sizes smaller than a threshold value. In this regard, it is noted that tumbling mills typically consume more than 4 megawatts of power. Some tumbling mills have an average power consumption of 10 megawatts, and some require peak consumption of 20 megawatts. In this regard, it is noted that if a tumbling mill consumes an average of 10 megawatts, the energy consumption is 10,000 kWh per hour. Therefore, even a small improvement in the energy efficiency of the milling process, such as a 1 percent (%) improvement, would result in an energy savings of approximately 6 million kWh per year if such a tumbling mill were to operate 24 hours a day for a year.

[0032] The efficiency of the grinding process in the tumbling mill 10 depends on several variables that affect the internal conditions of the tumbling mill 10. One variable that affects the efficiency of the grinding process in the tumbling mill 10 is the degree of filling of the tumbling mill 10. Therefore, it is desirable to control the inflow of the input solid material 110 to achieve an optimal degree of filling. Therefore, in order to maximize the amount of output material 95 from the tumbling mill 10, it is desirable to control the inflow of input material 110 to maintain optimal conditions for the tumbling mill process. The optimal internal conditions for the tumbling mill process may include a particular degree of filling of the shell 20, i.e., a particular fill volume. Thus, one variable that affects the efficiency of the grinding process in the tumbling mill 10 is the solids feed rate R S , i.e., the amount of solid material particles fed into the tumbling mill 10 per time unit.

[0033] Another variable that affects the efficiency of the grinding process in the tumbling mill 10 is the mineralogy of the input solid material particles 110. In this regard, it should be noted that mineralogy is a branch of geology that specializes in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystalline structure, and physical properties of minerals. Furthermore, the mineralogy of the particles in the fill 30 is not constant over time because the composition of the solid material 110, such as ore in a mine, typically changes over time. Changes in the mineralogy of the particles in the fill 30 can affect the efficiency of the grinding process in the tumbling mill 10. Therefore, the efficiency of the grinding process may vary over time due to changes in the mineralogy of the particles in the fill 30. Therefore, a decrease in the efficiency of the grinding process over a certain period of time can cause an increase in the fill volume in the mill 10 when the material feed rate remains constant. Therefore, unless the tumbling mill operator is fully informed about the current fill volume in the mill 10, there is a risk of overloading, which, in the worst case scenario, could cause the grinding process to stop completely.

[0034] Yet another variable that affects the efficiency of the grinding process is the particle size distribution of the solid material particles 110 fed into the tumbling mill 10. According to some embodiments, the feeding of the solid material particles 110 is controlled so that a proportion of the solid material particles 110 fed to the first input 100 have an individual volume greater than 1 cubic decimeter to increase the efficiency of the grinding process. It has been concluded that controlling the feeding of the solid material particles 110 so that a proportion of the solid material particles 110 fed to the first input 100 have an individual volume greater than 1 cubic decimeter increases the efficiency of the grinding process, particularly when the tumbling mill is an AG mill or a SAG mill.

[0035] The shell 20 is generally opaque, meaning that visual inspection of the charge within the shell is not possible during operation of the tumbling mill 10. Also, the movement of the heavy ore being tumbling during operation of the tumbling mill 10 precludes the placement of a camera or other sensitive detector inside the shell 20.

[0036] The purpose of this document is to describe a method and system for improved monitoring of the internal conditions of a tumbling mill during operation. The purpose of this document is also to describe a method and system for an improved human-computer interface (HCI) related to the internal conditions of a tumbling mill during operation. The purpose of this document is also to describe a method and system for an improved graphical user interface related to the grinding process in a tumbling mill 10.

[0037] The inventors have observed mechanical vibrations V that indicate an impact between a protrusion, such as a lifter, on the inner surface of the rotating shell 20 and at least one particle at the tip portion 205 of the material charge 30 during operation of the tumbling mill 10. IMP The inventors have also noticed that such mechanical vibrations V IMP It is believed that the mechanical vibration V can indicate the current internal state of the tumbling mill 10 and / or the current state of the grinding process. IMP may be generated when a protrusion such as a lifter interacts with particles at the tip portion 205 of the material charge 30 in the chamber 25. The impact force F IMP causes acceleration of at least one particle in the tip portion 205 of the material charge 30, and the impact generates a mechanical shock vibration V IMP In fact, the impact force F IMP indicates the current internal state of the tumbling mill 10 and / or indicates the current state of the grinding process. IMP This may cause A sensor 70 located outside the chamber 25 may detect vibrations caused by interactions with particles of the charge 30 within the chamber 25 during operation of the tumbling mill 10. Thus, referring to FIG. 1A, the sensor 70 generates a measurement signal S that is dependent on mechanical vibrations or shock pulses generated as the shell 20 rotates. EA Therefore, the measurement signal S EA is the impact force F between a protrusion such as a lifter during operation of the tumbling mill 10 and at least one particle at the tip portion 205 of the material charge 30. IMPmay indicate this.

[0038] The sensor 70 detects, for example, the impact force F IMP A measurement signal S with an amplitude that depends on EA , may be an accelerometer 70 configured to generate a The inventors have proposed a method for detecting mechanical vibrations V that indicate the current internal state of the tumbling mill 10 and / or indicate the current state of the grinding process. IMP They concluded that vibrations may exist, but that conventional methods for measuring and / or analyzing and / or visualizing such vibrations have been inadequate.

[0039] An analytical device 150 is provided for monitoring the tumbling mill process. The analytical device 150 may also be referred to as a monitoring module 150A. The analysis device 150 receives the measurement signal S EA The measurement signal S may generate information indicating the internal state of the tumbling mill process depending on EA The sensor 70 generating the measurement signal S EA to the analytical device 150. The analytical device 150 also has a second input 160 for receiving a position signal Ep that is dependent on the rotational position of the shell 20.

[0040] A position sensor 170 is provided for generating a position signal Ep responsive to the rotational position of the shell 20. As mentioned above, since the shell 20 is rotatable about the axis of rotation 60, the position sensor 170 generates a series of shell position signal values ​​P to indicate the instantaneous rotational position of the shell 20. S As shell 20 rotates about rotation axis 60, position marker 180 passes by position sensor 170 once per shell revolution, thereby causing position sensor 170 to generate a rotation marker signal P S Such a rotation marker signal P Smay take the form of an electrical pulse having edges that can be indicative of a certain rotational position of the shell 20 that can be accurately detected and monitored. The analyzer 150 determines the rotational speed f of the shell 20 as a function of the position signal Ep. ROT The information indicating the rotation marker signal P S The position marker 180 may be generated by detecting a time period between the rotation of the reflex 180 and the rotation of the position sensor 170, e.g., the reflex 180, when the intensity of the laser reflection changes due to, for example, a laser beam impinging on the reflex 180. S The optical device 180 may be an optical device such as a laser transceiver configured to generate a Alternatively, the position marker 180 may be a magnetic device 180, such as a strong magnet 180, when the position sensor 170 is a device 170 configured to detect a changed magnetic field. An example of a device configured to detect a changed magnetic field is a device including an induction coil that generates a current in response to a changed magnetic field. Thus, the device 170 configured to detect a changed magnetic field generates a rotation marker signal P when passing by the magnetic device 180. S Alternatively, the position sensor 170 may be an encoder 170 mechanically coupled to the rotating mill shell 20, for example, configured to generate one marker signal P per revolution of the rotating mill shell 20. S The signal may be embodied by an encoder 170 that generates:

[0041] The system 5 may include a control room 220 that enables a mill operator 230 to operate the tumbling mill 10. The analytical device 150 may be configured to generate information indicative of the internal state of the tumbling mill 10. The analytical device 150 also includes a human-computer interface (HCI) 210, which is a device for enabling user input and user output. The HCI 210 may include a display, or screen 210S, for visually displaying the analytical results. The displayed analytical results may include information indicative of the internal state of the tumbling mill process to enable the operator 230 to control the tumbling mill.

[0042] The tumbling mill controller 240 sets the solid material feed rate set point R SSP and optionally configured to deliver a liquid feed rate set point R LSP According to some embodiments, a set point value R SSP is set by operator 230. According to some embodiments, the set point value R LSP is also set by the operator 230. Thus, the tumbling mill controller 240 controls the solid material feed rate R S and / or liquid supply rate R L The mill may include a mill user input / output interface 250 that allows adjustment of the

[0043] As mentioned above, the input side 80 of the tumbling mill comprises a first input 100 for pieces of solid material 110, and optionally the input side 80 may also have a second input 130 for allowing a liquid 120, such as water, to enter the chamber 25. The solid material 110 may be conveyed to the first input 100 by a conveyor belt 260. The conveyor belt 260 travels at a conveyor belt speed to convey the solid material 110 to the first input 100 at a solid material feed rate R S Transport by.

[0044] Solid material feed rate R Smay be, for example, 10,000 kg / min at a certain internal state of the tumbling mill 10 during operation of the tumbling mill 10. Similarly, the liquid supply rate R L may be, for example, 1000 kg / min under certain internal conditions of the tumbling mill 10 during operation of the tumbling mill 10.

[0045] Liquid supply speed R L The control of the liquid feed rate set point R LSP 1A and / or 1B by the symbol for a controllable valve 270 receiving a solid material feed rate R SF is controlled by the tumbling mill controller 240 via the solid material feed rate set point value R SSP 1A and / or 1B by the symbol for a controllable valve 280 receiving

[0046] According to some embodiments, the tumbling mill controller 240 also controls the rotational speed f of the mill shell. ROT The set point value f ROT_SP The rotation speed set point value f ROT_SP is U1 SP It is also sometimes called U1. SP Also referred to as the rotational speed set point value f ROT_SP may be generated in response to user input from an operator 230 via a user input / output interface 250 as shown in FIG. 1B. As shown in FIG. 1B, the tumbling mill controller 240 also sets the set point value U2 SP and U3 SP U2 SP is the above R SSP and U3 SP is the above R LSP is.

[0047] The tumbling mill controller 240 also controls the ball supply rate U4,R BF Set the ball feed speed set point value U4 SP ,R BFSP Ball supply speed U4,R BFis the number of grinding balls per time unit being fed into the ball mill to facilitate the grinding process. Thus, this set point value may be relevant when the mill 10 is a ball mill, i.e., a rolling mill containing grinding balls 1168 (see FIG. 36). The balls used in ball mills may comprise chrome steel or stainless steel. Alternatively, ball mills may use balls made from a ceramic material. In some instances, ball mills may use balls comprising a rubber material.

[0048] 1A, the mill user input / output interface 250 is coupled to the regulator 240, and the HCI 210 is coupled to an analyzer 150, or monitoring module 150A, configured to generate information indicative of the internal state of the tumbling mill 10. Thus, when coupled only to the monitoring module 150A as shown in FIG. 1A, the HCI 210 can be advantageously added to the control room 220 without having to modify the pre-existing input / output interface 250 and regulator 240 used by the mill operator 230 to operate the tumbling mill 10.

[0049] The objective addressed by the solutions and examples disclosed in this document is to describe a method and system for improved monitoring of the internal state X of a tumbling mill 10 during operation. The objective addressed by the solutions and examples disclosed in this document is also to describe a method and system for improved control of the internal state X of a tumbling mill 10 during operation. The objective addressed by the solutions and examples disclosed in this document is also to describe a method and system for an improved human-computer interface (HCI) related to communicating useful information about the internal state X of a tumbling mill during operation. Another objective addressed by this document is to describe a method and system for an improved graphical user interface related to the grinding process in a tumbling mill 10.

[0050] Another objective addressed by the solutions and examples disclosed in this document is to describe a method and system for improved control of the output Y from an operating tumbling mill 10. Yet another objective addressed by the solutions and examples disclosed in this document is to describe a method and system for an improved human-computer interface (HCI) related to communicating useful information about the output Y from an operating tumbling mill 10 and / or similarly communicating useful information about a corresponding internal state X of the operating tumbling mill.

[0051] Figure 1B shows another somewhat schematic view of a system 320 including a tumbling mill 10. Accordingly, reference numeral 320 relates to a system including a mill 10 having a rotatable shell 20 as discussed in this document. System 320 of Figure 1B may include and be configured with components as described above in connection with Figures 1A and 2 and / or as described elsewhere in this document.

[0052] While mill user input / output interface 250 is coupled to regulator 240 in the example shown in Figure 1A and HCI 210 is a separate input / output interface coupled to analyzer 150 or monitoring module 150A, the system shown in Figure 1B may provide an integrated HCI 210, 250, 210S. Thus, input / output interface 210 of Figure 1B may be configured to allow all of the inputs and / or outputs described above in connection with interfaces 210 and 250.

[0053] 1C is a block diagram illustrating a tumbling mill as box 10B that receives multiple inputs U1, ...Uk and produces multiple outputs Y1, ...Yn. Referring to FIG. 1C, it should be noted that for analysis purposes, the tumbling mill 10 can be considered as a black box 10B having multiple input variables U1, U2, U3, ...Uk (where the subscript k is a positive integer), referred to as input parameters. During operation of the black box tumbling mill 10B, the black box tumbling mill 10B has an internal state X and produces multiple output variables, also referred to as output parameters Y1, Y2, Y3, ...Yn (where the subscript n is a positive integer). The internal state X of the mill may be described or denoted by a number of internal state parameters X1, X2, X3, ..., Xm (where the subscript m is a positive integer).

[0054] Using the terminology of linear algebra, the input variables U1, U2, U3, ... Uk may be collectively referred to as the input vector U, the internal state parameters X1, X2, X3, ... Xm may be collectively referred to as the internal state vector X, and the output parameters Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn may be collectively referred to as the output vector Y.

[0055] The internal state X of the mill 10 at a time designated r may be referred to as X(r). That internal state X(r) may be described or represented by a number of parameter values ​​that define various characteristics of the internal state X(r) of the mill 10 at time r.

[0056] The internal state X(r) of the black box tumbling mill 10B depends on the input vector U(r), and the output vector Y(r) depends on the internal state vector X(r). One feature of the internal state X is the total amount of material 30 in the shell 20, which does not change instantaneously. Therefore, during operation of the mill 10, the internal state X(r) may be considered a function of the previous internal state X(r-1) and the input U(r). X(r)=f1(X(r-1),U(r)), where X(r-1) represents the internal state X of the mill 10 at a time preceding the time called r. Similarly, the output Y of the black box 10B may be viewed as a function of the internal state X. Y(r)=f2(X(r))

[0057] FIG. 2 is another example cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1A , showing a more detailed example of the central portion 98 of the shell 20. The shell 20 has an interior shell surface 22 facing the chamber 25, and the interior shell surface 22 includes a plurality of protrusions 310. According to some embodiments, at least two protrusions 310 are provided. The exemplary shell 20 shown in FIG. 2 includes 12 protrusions 310 spaced equidistant from one another on the interior shell surface 22 of the shell 20. The protrusions 310 may be configured to engage and lift the material 30 as the shell rotates about the axis 60. Thus, the protrusions 310 may be referred to as lifters 310. The filler material has a material surface 33, i.e., the boundary between the air and the material 30 within the rotatable shell 20.

[0058] In FIG. 2, the shell 20 rotates at a speed f ROT 1 and 2. The lifter 310 includes a structure such as an internal formation, ridge, bar, or projection that projects from the interior shell surface 22 toward the center of the shell 20. The lifter 310, also referred to as a projection 310, has a leading edge 312 that engages and lifts the material charge 30 so that the material falls onto itself within the interior chamber 25 as the tumbling mill 10 rotates about the axis 60. In one example, the lifter 310 includes an elongated bar attached to the interior shell surface 22 of the mill 10 so as to at least partially obscure the interior shell surface 22. In another example, the lifter 310 is integrally formed with the interior shell surface 22 as part of a single, unitary body. According to some embodiments, the leading edges 312 of the protrusions 310 are equidistant. Thus, with reference to the exemplary shell 20 shown in FIG. 2 , which includes 12 protrusions 310, each having a leading edge 312, the angular distance between any two adjacent leading edges 312 is 30 degrees. In this regard, it should be noted that if there are L protrusions 310 positioned on the interior shell surface 22 such that the leading edges 312 of the protrusions 310 are equidistant, the angular distance between any two adjacent leading edges 312 is 360 / L degrees. Thus, if there are L protrusions 310 positioned on the interior shell surface 22 such that they are equidistant from one another at angular positions, the angular distance between any two adjacent protrusions 310 is 360 / L degrees.

[0059] 2, the position sensor 170 is fixedly mounted to generate a position signal Ep having a series of position signal values ​​PS to indicate the instantaneous rotational position of the shell 20. The position marker device 180 may be provided on an outer wall surface of the shell 20 such that as the shell 20 rotates about the rotation axis 60, the position marker 180 passes by the position sensor 170 once per revolution of the shell, thereby causing the position sensor 170 to generate a rotation marker signal PS. The position sensor 170 may generate, for example, one position signal pulse E per revolution. P The system may include a tachometer 170 that delivers: The position marker device 180 may include a metal object, which may be, for example, a bolt or a metal bracket.

[0060] 1B, solid material particles 115 enter the mill shell 20 through material inlet 100 and undergo crushing by collision with other particles 115, 30 and / or interior shell surfaces 22 and / or balls during operation of the mill 10. Crushing results in solid material product particles 96, also referred to as solid material product or product particles 96. The solid material product exits the mill shell 20 through output 200.

[0061] An important feature of the comminution process is the crushing rate, which depends, for example, on the frequency of collisions that the solid feed material particles 115 experience after entering the rotating shell 20.

[0062] Another important characteristic of the milling process is the size distribution of the solid material product particles 96 resulting from the collisions. The size distribution is sometimes referred to as the occurrence distribution function.

[0063] Yet another important feature of the milling process is the flow rate of solid material product particles 96 from the mill shell 20. Particle transport from the mill shell 20 is sometimes referred to as product discharge.

[0064] Therefore, in essence, the solid feed particles 115 are fed at a solid material feed rate R S The solid feed material 115 enters the chamber 25 of the mill 10 at a feed rate of 1000 rpm. The feed particles 115 have a first particle size distribution, also referred to as the feed particle size distribution. The solid feed material may be measured as it is being fed into the mill 10. A feed material analyzer 325 may be provided to generate measurements indicative of at least one feed material characteristic U5, U6. The at least one feed material characteristic may include the solid feed material particle size distribution U5 and / or data U6 indicative of the weight per time unit of the solid material 110 delivered to the first input 100 of the mill 10. Thus, the feed material particle size distribution may be estimated, for example, by measurement. Alternatively, the solid feed material particle size distribution U5 may be predetermined. In some examples, the solid feed material particle size distribution U5 is known due to processing and / or sorting of the solid feed material 110 prior to delivery to the conveyor belt 260.

[0065] Once received in mill chamber 25, the received particles may be collectively referred to as filler material 30. While in mill chamber 25, solid material particles 30 undergo crushing which results in solid product particles 96 that are discharged from chamber 25 via output 200. Crushing causes a change in the particle size distribution of the particles. Solid material product particles 96 leave mill chamber 25 at a product discharge rate R SDis The product discharge rate R SDismay be measured and considered as the output parameter Y1.

[0066] The discharged solid product particles 96 have a second particle size distribution, also referred to as the product particle size distribution. The product particle size distribution may be measured, and values ​​indicative of the product particle size distribution may be provided, for example, as output parameter values ​​Y2, Y3, etc.

[0067] Thus, feed particles 115 having a first particle size distribution or feed particle size distribution U4 are fed to the mill 10 at a solid material feed rate R S and product particles 96 having product particle size distribution Y2 or second particle size distribution Y2 leave mill 10 at a product discharge rate Y1=R SDis It is discharged in. During transport of the feed particles 115 from the inlet 100 to the outlet 200, the feed particles 115 are converted into a plurality of smaller product particles 96. This conversion is due to the comminution process that takes place during operation of the tumbling mill 10.

[0068] The product particle size distribution is -Feed particle size distribution, and It is believed to depend on the internal state X of the mill 10 during the transport of the received feed particles 115 from the feed input 100 to the discharge of the output material 95 in the form of solid product particles 96 from the mill output 200 .

[0069] Therefore, the amount of crushing of the solid feed material particles 115 depends on the crushing rate and the internal state X of the mill 10 as described above. The internal state X of the mill 10 is determined, among other things, by the duration T of transport of the received feed particles 115 from the feed input 100 to the discharge of the output material 95 from the mill output 200. C The average time period for transport from the feed input 100 to the mill output 200 is of duration T C It is sometimes referred to as.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 1B, a Cartesian coordinate system having three mutually perpendicular axes x, y, and z is shown. It should be understood that during operation of the mill 10, material 30 advances from the input side 80 of the mill to the output side 90 of the mill in the positive direction of the x-axis. Thus, while material 30 tumbles within the mill 10, material 30 also advances gradually from the input side of the mill to the output side of the mill in a direction parallel to the mill's rotational axis. However, various individual particles may travel that distance at different speeds. A mass of small feed particles may be transported from the input side of the mill to the output side of the mill and then discharged relatively quickly through the mill output 200 because, for example, they become small enough to pass through an exit grid after a shorter time, whereas the largest feed particles require more time within the mill to be broken down into product particles small enough to pass through that same exit grid. Thus, a certain percentage of larger feed particles will remain within the mill longer than a corresponding percentage of smaller feed particles. However, during steady-state operating conditions, the mass flow rate into, through, and out of mill 10 is constant, or substantially constant. Thus, transport of material 30 within mill 10 may be considered in terms of mass per time unit, measured, for example, in kilograms per minute or metric tons per hour.

[0071] In this regard, the average time period for the transport of feed particles 115 from the feed input 100 to the mill output 200, and the simultaneous conversion of those feed particles 115 into a plurality of smaller product particles 96, is determined by the average flow velocity v in the x-axis direction within the mill chamber 25. xA Note that this depends on Thus, at least under steady-state conditions of the mill process, the average time period for transport of particles from the feed input 100 to the mill output 200 is proportional to the length of the mill chamber 25 in the x-direction and the average flow velocity v xA Depends on.

[0072] 3 is a schematic block diagram of an example of the analysis device 150 shown in FIG. 1. The analysis device 150 receives an analog vibration signal S from the vibration sensor 70. EAThe input 140 is connected to an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter 330. The A / D converter 330 converts the received analog vibration signal S EA at a sampling frequency f S And the sampling frequency f S A digital measurement data signal S having MD The amplitude of each sample depends on the amplitude of the received analog signal at the time of sampling. MD is sent to a digital output 340 which is coupled to a data processing device 350 .

[0073] Referring to FIG. 3 , the data processing device 350 is coupled to a computer-readable medium 360 for storing program code. The computer-readable medium 360 may also be referred to as memory 360. The program memory 360 is preferably non-volatile memory. The memory 360 may be read-write memory, i.e., allowing both reading data from the memory and writing new data to the memory 360. According to one example, the program memory 360 is embodied in a flash memory. The program memory 360 may include a first memory segment 370 for storing a first set of program code 380 executable to control the analyzer 150 to perform basic operations. The program memory 360 may also include a second memory segment 390 for storing a second set of program code 394. The second set of program code in the second memory segment 390 may include program code for causing the analyzer 150 to process the detected signals. The signal processing may include processing to generate information indicative of the internal state of the tumbling mill, as discussed elsewhere in this document. Signal processing may also include control of the internal state of the tumbling mill as discussed elsewhere in this document. Thus, signal processing may include generating data indicative of the internal state of the tumbling mill, for example, as disclosed in connection with the embodiments of status parameter extractor 450 of Figures 5, 15, and / or 24.

[0074] The memory 360 may also include a third memory segment 400 for storing a third set of program code 410. The set of program code 410 in the third memory segment 400 may include program code for causing the analytical device to perform a selected analytical function. When the analytical function is performed, it may cause the analytical device to present a corresponding analytical result on the interface 210, 210S or output the analytical result on the port 420.

[0075] The data processing device 350 is also coupled to a read-write memory 430 for data storage. Thus, the analysis apparatus 150 comprises a data processor 350 and program code for causing the data processor 350 to perform certain functions, including digital signal processing functions. When this document describes the apparatus 150 as performing a certain function or a certain method, the description may mean that a computer program runs on the data processing device 350 to cause the apparatus 150 to perform the method or function as described in this document.

[0076] The processor 350 may be a digital signal processor. The digital signal processor 350 may also be referred to as a DSP. Alternatively, the processor 350 may be a field programmable gate array circuit (FPGA). Thus, the computer program may be executed by the field programmable gate array circuit (FPGA). Alternatively, the processor 350 may include a combination of a processor and an FPGA. Thus, the processor may be configured to control the operation of the FPGA.

[0077] Figure 4 is a simplified diagram of program memory 360 and its contents. The simplified diagram is intended to convey a general conceptual understanding of storing various program functions in memory 360, and is not necessarily a correct technical teaching of how programs are stored in actual memory circuitry. A first memory segment 370 stores program code for controlling analyzer 150 to perform basic operations. While the simplified diagram of Figure 4 shows pseudocode, it should be understood that the program code may be comprised of machine code, or any level of program code that can be executed or interpreted by data processing device 350 (Figure 3).

[0078] 4 stores a second set of program code 394. The program code 394 of segment 390, when executed on the data processing device 350, causes the analyzer 150 to perform functions such as digital signal processing functions. MD It may involve advanced mathematical processing.

[0079] A computer program for controlling the functions of the analytical device 150 may be downloaded from a server computer. This means that the program to be downloaded is transmitted over a communications network. This may be done by modulating a carrier wave to carry the program over the communications network. The downloaded program may thus be loaded into a digital memory such as memory 360 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Thus, program 380 and / or signal processing program 394 and / or analytical function program 410 may be received via a communications port such as port 420 (FIGS. 1A and / or 1B and 3) for loading into program memory 360.

[0080] Thus, this document also relates to a computer program product, such as program code 380 and / or program code 394 and / or program code 410, loadable into a digital memory of a device. The computer program product comprises software code portions for performing signal processing methods and / or analysis functions when the product is run on a data processing unit 350 of the device 150. The term "running on a data processing unit" means that the computer program plus the data processing device 350 performs the methods as described in this document.

[0081] The expression "computer program product loadable into the digital memory of an analytical device" means that a computer program can be introduced into the digital memory of the analytical device 150 to obtain an analytical device 150 programmed or adapted to perform the methods described in this document. The term "loaded into the digital memory of the device" means that the device thus programmed is capable of or adapted to perform the functions and / or methods described in this document. The computer program product described above may also be a program 380, 394, 410 loadable onto a computer-readable medium such as a compact disc or DVD. Such a computer-readable medium may be used to deliver the program 380, 394, 410 to a client. As indicated above, the computer program product may alternatively comprise a carrier wave modulated to carry the computer program 380, 394, 410 over a communications network. Thus, the computer program 380, 394, 410 may be delivered from a provider server to a client having an analytical device 150 by downloading it over the Internet.

[0082] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an analysis apparatus 150. In the example of Figure 5, some of the functional blocks represent hardware, and some of the functional blocks may represent hardware, or may represent functionality obtained by executing program code on a data processing device 350, as discussed in connection with Figures 3 and 4.

[0083] The apparatus 150 of Figure 5 shows an example of the analytical apparatus 150 shown in Figures 1A and / or 1B and / or 3. For ease of understanding, Figure 5 also shows some peripheral devices coupled to the apparatus 150. The vibration sensor 70 generates a vibration signal S EA The analog measurement signal S EA to the analytical device 150. Also, a position sensor 170 is coupled to the second input 160. Thus, the position sensor 170 delivers a position signal Ep to the second input 160 of the analytical device 150 that is dependent on the rotational position of the shell 20.

[0084] The input 140 is connected to an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter 330. The A / D converter 330 converts the received analog vibration signal S EA at a sampling frequency f S And the sampling frequency f S A digital measurement data signal S having MD The amplitude of each sample depends on the amplitude of the received analog vibration signal at the time of sampling. MD is sent to a digital output 340 that is coupled to a data processing unit 440. The data processing unit 440 comprises functional blocks that indicate the functions that are performed. In terms of hardware, the data processing unit 440 may include the data processing unit 350, program memory 360, and read / write memory 430 described in connection with Figures 3 and 4 above. Thus, the analysis device 150 of Figure 5 may comprise a data processing unit 440 and program code for causing the analysis device 150 to perform several functions.

[0085] Digital measurement data signal S MD is processed in parallel with the position signal Ep. Therefore, the A / D converter 330 converts the analog vibration signal S EA The sampling of the position signal Ep may be configured to sample the position signal Ep simultaneously with the sampling of the analog position signal Ep. The sampling of the position signal Ep generates a digital position signal E where the amplitude of each sample P(i) depends on the amplitude of the received analog position signal Ep at the time of sampling. PD to generate the same sampling frequency f S It may be performed using As mentioned above, the analog position signal Ep may have a marker signal value Ps in the form of an electrical pulse having amplitude edges that can be accurately detected and indicate a certain rotational position of the monitored shell 20. Thus, the analog position marker signal Ps has amplitude edges that can be accurately detected, whereas the digital position signal E PD will switch from a first value, say "0", to a second value, say "1", at a distinct time.

[0086] Thus, the A / D converter 330 may be configured to deliver pairs of measurements S(i) associated with a series of corresponding position signal values ​​P(i). The letter "i" in S(i) and P(i) represents a point in time, i.e., a sample number. Thus, the time of occurrence of the rotational reference position of the rotating shell can be determined by analyzing the time series of position signal values ​​P(i) and generating a digital position signal E PD may be detected by identifying a sample P(i) that indicates that P(i) switches from a first value, eg, "0," to a second value, eg, "1." FIG. 6A is a diagram of the signal pair S(i) and P(i) delivered by the A / D converter 330. As shown in FIG. 6B is a diagram of a series of signal pairs S(i) and P(i) transmitted by A / D converter 330. A first signal pair includes a first vibration signal amplitude value S(n) associated with sample moment "n" transmitted simultaneously with a first position signal value P(n) associated with sample moment "n", followed by a second signal pair including a second vibration signal amplitude value S(n+1) associated with sample moment "n+1" transmitted simultaneously with a second position signal value P(n+1) associated with sample moment "n+1", and so on.

[0087] 5, the signal pair S(i) and P(i) is sent to a status parameter extractor 450. The status parameter extractor 450 extracts an amplitude peak value S based on the time series of measurement sample values ​​S(i). P (r) is configured to generate the amplitude peak value S P (r) is the impact force F generated when the protrusions 310 on the inner shell surface of the rotating shell interact with the tip portion 205 of the filler material 30 (see FIG. 2). IMP In this regard, it should be noted that surface 33 of material 30 will deviate from a horizontal orientation due to a combination of centrifugal and gravitational forces as shell 20 rotates. Tip portion 205 of filler material 30 is the lower edge of surface 33 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0088] The status parameter extractor 450 also extracts the amplitude peak value S P The time period (T D ) based on R T The time-related value R, also called (r), T As described above, the occurrence time of the rotational reference position of the rotating shell is determined by analyzing the time series of the position signal values ​​P(i) and generating the digital position signal E(j). PD may be detected by identifying a sample P(i) that indicates that P(i) switches from a first value, eg, "0," to a second value, eg, "1."

[0089] 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a portion of a status parameter extractor 450. According to one example, the status parameter extractor 450 comprises a memory 460. The status parameter extractor 450 is adapted to receive a series of measurements S(i) and a series of position signals P(i) along with the temporal relationships therebetween, and the status parameter extractor 450 extracts a series of temporally coupled values ​​S(i), f ROT (i), and P(i). Thus, each measurement S(i) is adapted to provide a corresponding velocity value f ROT (i) is associated with the velocity value f ROT (i) denotes the rotational speed of the shell 20 at the time of detection of the associated individual measurement S(i), as will be explained in more detail below with reference to Figures 8 to 13.

[0090] FIG. 8 is a simplified diagram of an example of memory 460 and its contents, with columns #01, #02, #03, #04, and #05 on the left side of the illustrated memory 460 providing illustrative images intended to show the temporal relationship between the detection of an encoder pulse signal P(i) (see column #02) and the corresponding vibration measurement S(i) (see column #03).

[0091] As mentioned above, the analog-to-digital converter 330 converts the digital measurement data signal S MD To generate the initial sampling frequency f S The analog electrical measurement signal S EA The encoder signal P is also sampled at substantially the same initial time resolution f as shown in column #02 of FIG. S It may be detected in.

[0092] Column #01 is for period dt=1 / f Sample (where f Sample is the analog electrical measurement signal S EA The initial sampling frequency f S , which is a sample frequency that has an integer relationship to f. Sample is the initial sampling frequency fS In another example, the sample frequency f Sample is the initial sampling frequency f S a first reduced sampling frequency f that is reduced by an integer factor M compared to SR1 is.

[0093] In column #2 of FIG. 8, each positive edge of the encoder signal P is designated by a "1." In this example, positive edges of the encoder signal P are detected in the 3rd, 45th, 78th, and 98th time slots, as shown in column #02. According to another example, the negative edge of the position signal is detected, which provides the equivalent result to detecting a positive edge. According to yet another example, both the positive and negative edges of the position signal are detected to provide redundancy by allowing a later selection of whether to use the positive or negative edge.

[0094] Column #03 shows a series of vibration sample values ​​S(i). Column #05 shows a corresponding series of vibration sample values ​​S(j) when integer decimation is performed. Thus, when integer decimation is performed at this stage, it may be set up to provide, for example, an integer decimation factor M=10, resulting in one vibration sample value S(j) for every 10 samples S(i) (see column #03 in FIG. 8 ) (see column #05 in FIG. 8 ), as shown in FIG. 8 . According to one example, highly accurate position and time information PT associated with the decimated vibration sample values ​​S(j) is maintained by setting the position time signal in column #04 to a value PT=3 to indicate that a positive edge (see column #02) was detected in time slot #03. Thus, the value of the position time signal after integer decimation indicates the detection time of the position signal edge P relative to sample value S(i).

[0095] In the example of Figure 8, the amplitude value of sample i=3 of the position time signal is PT=3, and the decimation factor M=10 so that sample S(1) is sent in time slot 10, which means that the edge was detected M-PT=10-3=7 slots before the slot of sample S(1). Thus, the device 150 calculates the time relationship between the positive edge of the encoder signal P(i) and the corresponding vibration sample value S(i) and / or the integer-decimated vibration sample value S(j) from the detection of the analog signal to obtain the velocity value f ROT The encoder may operate to process information regarding the positive edges of the encoder signal P(i) in parallel with the vibration samples S(i) so as to maintain by the above-described signal processing until the establishment of

[0096] FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of operating the status parameter extractor 450 of FIG.

[0097] According to one example, the status parameter extractor 450 analyzes the temporal relationship between three consecutively received position signals to determine whether the monitored rotating shell 20 is in a constant velocity phase or an acceleration phase (step S#10). This analysis may be performed based on information in the memory 460, as described above (see FIG. 8).

[0098] If the analysis reveals that there are the same number of time slots between the position signals, the status parameter extractor 450 concludes (at step S#20) that the velocity is constant, in which case step S#30 is executed. In step S#30, the status parameter extractor 450 may calculate the period between two consecutive position signals by multiplying the time slot duration dt=1 / fs by the number of time slots between two consecutive position signals. When the position signal is provided once per full rotation of the shell 20 being monitored, the rate of rotation may be calculated as follows: V=1 / (n diff *dt), where n diff = the number of time slots between two consecutive position signals. During the constant velocity phase, all of the sample values ​​S(j) associated with the three analyzed position signals (see column #05 in Figure 8) have the same velocity value f as defined above. ROT =V=1 / (n diff*dt) may be assigned. Step S#10 may then be performed again for the next three consecutively received position signals. Alternatively, when step S#10 is repeated, the previous third position signal P3 will be used as the first position signal P1 (i.e., P1:=P3), thereby checking whether a speed change is imminent.

[0099] If the analysis (step S#10) reveals that the number of time slots between the first and second position signals is different from the number of time slots between the second and third position signals, the status parameter extractor 450 concludes in step S#20 that the monitored rotating shell 20 is in an acceleration phase. The acceleration may be positive, i.e., an increase in rotational speed, or the acceleration may be negative, i.e., a decrease in rotational speed, also referred to as retardation.

[0100] In a next step S#40, the status parameter extractor 450 operates to establish instantaneous speed values ​​during the acceleration phase and to associate each one of the measured data values ​​S(j) with an instantaneous speed value Vp indicative of the rotational speed of the mill shell being monitored at the time of detection of the sensor signal (SEA) value corresponding to that data value S(j).

[0101] According to one example, the status parameter extractor 450 operates to establish the instantaneous velocity value by linear interpolation. According to another example, the status parameter extractor 450 operates to establish the instantaneous velocity value by non-linear interpolation.

[0102] Figure 10 is a flow chart showing an example of how to perform step S#40 of Figure 9. According to one example, the acceleration is assumed to have a constant value in the period between two adjacent position indicators P (see column #02 of Figure 8). Thus, The position indicator P is sent once per revolution, When the gear ratio is 1 / 1, - the angular distance traveled by the rotating shell 20 between two adjacent position indicators P is one revolution (sometimes expressed as 360 degrees); - The period is T=n diff *dt, where n diff is the number of slots of duration dt between two adjacent position indicators P.

[0103] Referring to Figure 8, the first position indicator P was detected in slot i1 = #03, and the next position indicator P was detected in slot i2 = #45. Therefore, the period is n diff1 =i2-i1=45-3=42 time slots.

[0104] Therefore, in step S#60 (see FIG. 10 in conjunction with FIG. 8), the status parameter extractor 450 extracts the first number of slots n between the first two consecutive position signals P1 and P2, i.e., between the position signal P(i=3) and the position signal P(i=45). diff1 It operates to establish.

[0105] In step S#70, the status parameter extractor 450 operates to calculate a first rotational speed value VT1. The first rotational speed value VT1 may be calculated as follows: VT1=1 / (n diff1 *dt), where VT1 is the speed in revolutions per second, n diff1 = the number of time slots between two consecutive position signals, dt is the duration of the time slot in seconds.

[0106] Since the acceleration is assumed to have a constant value in the period between two adjacent position indicators P, the calculated first velocity value VT1 is assigned to the mid-time slot between two consecutive position signals (step S#80).

[0107] Therefore, the first position indicator P1 is located at slot iP1 = #03, and the next position indicator P2 is in slot i P2 In this example, the first intermediate time slot is slot i P1-2 =i P1 +(i P2 -i P1 ) / 2=3+(45-3) / 2=3+21=24.

[0108] Therefore, in step S#80, the first rotational speed value VT1 may be assigned to a time slot (e.g., time slot i=24) that represents a time point earlier than the detection time of the second position signal edge P(i=45) (see FIG. 8).

[0109] Retroactively assigning a speed value to a time slot representing a point in time between two successive position signals advantageously allows for a significant reduction in the inaccuracy of the speed value. While state-of-the-art methods for obtaining instantaneous rotational speed values ​​of the rolling mill shell 20 have been satisfactory for establishing constant speed values ​​at several different rotational speeds, the state-of-the-art solutions appear to be unsatisfactory when used to establish speed values ​​of the rotating rolling mill shell 20 during acceleration phases.

[0110] On the other hand, the method according to the example disclosed in this document allows the establishment of speed values ​​with an advantageously small level of inaccuracy even during acceleration phases. In the subsequent step S#90, the status parameter extractor 450 extracts the second slot number n between the next two consecutive position signals. diff2 In the example of FIG. 8, it operates to establish the number of slots n between slot 45 and slot 78. diff2 , i.e., n diff2 =78-45=33.

[0111] In step S#100, the status parameter extractor 450 operates to calculate a second rotational speed value VT2. The second rotational speed value VT2 may be calculated as follows: VT2=Vp61=1 / (ndiff2 *dt), where n diff2 = the number of time slots between the next two consecutive position signals P2 and P3. Thus, in the example of Figure 8, n diff2 =33, the number of time slots between slot 45 and slot 78.

[0112] Since the acceleration may be assumed to have a constant value in the period between two adjacent position indicators P, the calculated second velocity value VT2 is assigned to the mid-time slot between two consecutive position signals (step S#110). 8, the calculated second speed value VT2 is 45+(78-45) / 2=61.5, and is therefore assigned to slot 61. Therefore, the speed in slot 61 is V(61):=VT2 is set to

[0113] Thus, in this example where one position indicator P is detected in slot i2=#45 and the next position indicator P is detected in slot i3=#78, the second intermediate time slot is i P2-3 =i P2 +(i P3 -i P2 ) / 2=45+(78-45) / 2=45+33 / 2=61.5 is the integer part of Therefore, slot 61 is the second intermediate time slot i P2-3 is. Thus, in step S#110, the second speed value VT2 may be advantageously assigned to a time slot (e.g., time slot i=61) that represents an earlier time point than the detection time of the third position signal edge P(i=78) (see FIG. 8). This feature allows for slightly delayed real-time monitoring of the rotational speed while achieving improved accuracy of the detected speed.

[0114] In a next step S#120, a first acceleration value is calculated for the relevant time period. The first acceleration value may be calculated as follows: a12=(VT2-VT1) / ((i VT2 -i VT1 )*dt) In the example of FIG. 8, the second speed value VT2 is assigned to slot 61, so i VT2 = 61, and the first speed value VT1 was assigned to slot 24, so i VT1 =24. Therefore, since dt=1 / fs, the acceleration value is, for the period between slot 24 and slot 60 in the example of FIG. 8, a12=fs*(VT2-VT1) / (i VT2 -i VT1 ) It may be set to . In the next step S#130, the status parameter extractor 450 operates to associate the established first acceleration value a12 with the time slot in which the established first acceleration value a12 is valid. This may be all time slots between the slot of the first velocity value VT1 and the slot of the second velocity value VT2. Thus, the established first acceleration value a12 may be associated with each time slot in the period between the slot of the first velocity value VT1 and the slot of the second velocity value VT2. In the example of FIG. 8, this is slots 25 to 60. This is shown in column #07 of FIG. 8.

[0115] In the next step S#140, the status parameter extractor 450 operates to establish a velocity value for the measurement s(j) associated with the period for which the established acceleration value is valid. Thus, the velocity value is associated with the measurement s(j), It is established for each time slot associated with the established first acceleration value a12.

[0116] During linear acceleration, i.e., when the acceleration a is constant, the velocity at any instant is given by: V(i)=V(i-1)+a*dt where V(i) is the instantaneous velocity at time slot i, V(i-1) is the instantaneous velocity at the time of the slot immediately preceding slot i, a is the acceleration, dt is the duration of a time slot. According to one example, the velocity for each slot from slot 25 to slot 60 may be calculated in this manner in succession as shown in column #08 of Figure 8. Thus, an instantaneous velocity value Vp associated with the detection measurements Se(25), Se(26), Se(27), ...Se(59), and Se(60) associated with the acceleration value a12 may be established in this manner (see time slots 25-60 in columns #08, #03, and #07 of Figure 8). Thus, an instantaneous velocity value S(j) [see column #05] associated with the detection measurements S(3), S(4), S(5), and S(6) associated with the acceleration value a12 may be established in this manner.

[0117] According to another example, the instantaneous velocity for slot 30 associated with the first measurement s(j)=S(3) may be calculated as follows: V(i=30)=Vp30=VT1+a*(30-24)*dt=Vp24+a*6*dt The instantaneous velocity for slot 40 associated with the first measurement s(j)=S(4) may be calculated as follows: V(i=40)=Vp40=VT1+a*(40-24)*dt=Vp40+a*16*dt Or V(i=40)=Vp40=V(30)+(40-30)*dt=Vp30+a*10*dt The instantaneous velocity for slot 50 associated with the first measurement s(j)=S(5) may then be calculated as follows: V(i=50)=Vp50=V(40)+(50-40)*dt=Vp40+a*10*dt The instantaneous velocity for slot 60 associated with the first measurement s(j)=S(6) may then be calculated as follows: V(i=60)=Vp50+a*10*dt

[0118] If the measurement sample values ​​S(i) associated with the established acceleration values ​​[see column #03 in Figure 8] are associated with instantaneous velocity values ​​as explained above, then the velocity values ​​V(i), f ROT An array of data containing the time series of measurement sample values ​​S(i) associated with (i) may be delivered to the output of the status parameter extractor 450 . Alternatively, if a sample rate decimation is desired, it can be done as follows: If the measurement sample values ​​S(j) associated with the established acceleration values ​​[see column #05 in Figure 8] are associated with instantaneous velocity values ​​as explained above, then each of the velocity values ​​V(j), f ROT An array of data containing a time series of measurement sample values ​​S(j) associated with (j) may be delivered to the output of the status parameter extractor 450 .

[0119] Another example of a method is described with reference to Figure 11. According to this example, the status parameter extractor 450 detects a first temporal relationship n between at least some of the recorded position signal values ​​(P(i)), such as between a first position signal value P1(i) and a second position signal value P2(i). diff1 According to one example, the second position signal value P2(i) is recorded n times after the first position signal value P1(i) is received (see step S#160 in FIG. 11). diff1 The third position signal value P3(i) is received and recorded in time slot (i) that arrives ndiff2 slots after the reception of the second position signal value P2(i) (see step S#170 in FIG. 11).

[0120] As shown in step S#180 of FIG. 11, the status parameter extractor 450 extracts the relationship value a12=ndiff1 / ndiff2 It may operate to calculate If the relationship value a12 is equal to or substantially equal to 1, the status parameter extractor 450 operates to ensure that the speed is constant and may proceed with the speed calculation according to the method of constant speed steps.

[0121] If the relation value a12 is greater than 1, the relation value indicates a percentage increase in speed. If the relation value a12 is less than 1, the relation value indicates a percent decrease in speed. The relation a12 may be used to calculate a velocity V2 at the end of the time series based on a velocity V1 at the beginning of the time series, for example, as follows: V2=a12*V1

[0122] Figure 12 is a flow chart showing an example of how to perform step S#40 of Figure 9. According to one example, the acceleration is assumed to have a constant value in the period between two adjacent position indicators P (see column #02 of Figure 8). Thus, The position indicator P is sent once per revolution, When the gear ratio is 1 / 1, - the angular distance traveled between two adjacent position indicators P is one revolution (sometimes expressed as 360 degrees), - The period is T=n*dt, where n is the number of slots of duration dt between the first two adjacent position indicators P1 and P2. In step S#200, the first rotation speed value VT1 may be calculated as follows: VT1=1 / (n diff1 *dt), where VT1 is the speed in revolutions per second, ndiff1 = number of time slots between two consecutive position signals, dt is the duration of the time slot in seconds. The value of dt may be, for example, the reciprocal of the initial sample frequency fs.

[0123] Since the acceleration is assumed to have a constant value in the period between two adjacent position indicators P, the first calculated velocity value VT1 is assigned to the first intermediate time slot midway between two successive position signals P(i) and P(i+ndiff1).

[0124] In step S#210, a second velocity value VT2 may be calculated as follows: VT2=1 / (ndiff2*dt) where VT2 is the speed in revolutions per second, ndiff2 = number of time slots between two consecutive position signals, dt is the duration of the time slot in seconds. The value of dt may be, for example, the reciprocal of the initial sample frequency fs. Since the acceleration is assumed to have a constant value in the period between two adjacent position indicators P, the calculated second velocity value VT2 is assigned to a second intermediate time slot midway between two successive position signals P(i+ndiff1) and P(i+ndiff1+ndiff2).

[0125] Then, the speed difference V Delta teeth, V Delta =VT2-VT1 It may be calculated as follows.

[0126] This differential speed V Delta This value may be divided by the number of time slots between the second intermediate time slot and the first intermediate time slot. The resulting value represents the velocity difference dV between adjacent slots. This, of course, assumes constant acceleration as discussed above.

[0127] An instantaneous velocity value associated with the selected time slot may then be calculated as a function of the first rotational velocity value VT1 and a value indicative of the velocity difference between adjacent slots. If the measurement sample values ​​S(i) associated with the time slots between the first and second intermediate time slots are associated with instantaneous velocity values ​​as described above, then an array of data comprising a time series of measurement sample values ​​S(i), each associated with a velocity value V(i), is delivered to the output of status parameter extractor 450. The instantaneous velocity values ​​V(i) are expressed as f ROT It is sometimes called (i).

[0128] In summary, according to some examples, the first instantaneous velocity value VT1 is: The angular distance ΔFI between the first position signal P1 and the second position signal P2 p1-p2 Depending on The corresponding period ΔT p1-p2 =t P2 -t P1 Depending on may be established. Thereafter, a second instantaneous velocity value VT2 is The angular distance ΔFI between the second position signal P2 and the third position signal P3 p2-p3 Depending on The corresponding period ΔT p2-p3 =t P2 -t P1 Depending on may be established. An instantaneous velocity value of the rotating shell 20 may then be established by interpolation between the first instantaneous velocity value VT1 and the second instantaneous velocity value VT2.

[0129] That is, by way of example, two instantaneous velocity values ​​V1 and VT2 are given by the angular distance ΔF1 p1-p2 , ΔFI p2-p3 , and the corresponding periods between three consecutive position signals, and then an instantaneous velocity value of the rotating shell 20 may be established by interpolation between the first instantaneous velocity value VT1 and the second instantaneous velocity value VT2. 13 is a graph showing a series of time-successive position signals P1, P2, P3, ... in which each position signal P represents a full rotation of the shell 20 being monitored. Thus, the time values, counted in seconds, increase to the right along the horizontal axis.

[0130] The vertical axis shows the rotational speed graded in revolutions per minute (RPM). Referring to Figure 13, the effect of the method according to an example is shown. The first instantaneous speed value V(t1) = VT1 is The angular distance ΔFI between the first position signal P1 and the second position signal P2 p1-p2 Depending on The corresponding period ΔT 1-2 =t P2 -t P1 Depending on The angular distance ΔFI may be established. p1-p2 for the corresponding period (t P2 -t P1 ) represents the velocity V(t1) of the rotating shell 20 at a first intermediate time t1, also called mtp (mid-time point), as shown in FIG.

[0131] Thereafter, a second instantaneous velocity value V(t2)=VT2 is calculated as follows: as a function of the angular distance ΔFI between the second position signal P2 and the third position signal P3; The corresponding period ΔT2-3=t P3 -t P2 Depending on may be established. The angular distance ΔFI is expressed as the corresponding period (t P3 -t P2 ) represents the velocity V(t2) of the rotating shell 20 at the second intermediate time t2 (second mtp) as shown in FIG.

[0132] Then, the instantaneous velocity values ​​of the time values ​​between the first and second intermediate points are plotted on the curve f ROTint The velocity may be established by interpolation between the first instantaneous velocity value VT1 and the second instantaneous velocity value VT2, as shown by .

[0133] Mathematically, this may be expressed by the following equation: V(t12)=V(t1)+a*(t12-t1)

[0134] Therefore, the velocity of the shell 20 can be detected at two points in time (t1 and t2), and the instantaneous velocity at any point in time can be calculated if the acceleration a is constant. Specifically, the velocity V(t12) of the shell at time t12, which is after t1 and before t2, is given by V(t12)=V(t1)+a*(t12-t1) It can be calculated by where a is the acceleration, t1 is the first intermediate time point t1 (see FIG. 13).

[0135] The establishment of the velocity values ​​described above and the compensatory decimation described with reference to Figures 20, 21, and 22 may be accomplished by performing corresponding method steps, which may be achieved by a computer program 94 stored in memory 60 as described above. The computer program may be executed by the DSP 50. Alternatively, the computer program may be executed by a field programmable gate array circuit (FPGA).

[0136] The velocity value f ROT Establishing (i) may be performed by the analytical device 150 when the processor 350 executes the corresponding program code 380, 394, 410 as discussed above in connection with FIG. 4. The data processor 350 may include a central processing unit 350 for controlling the operation of the analytical device 14. Alternatively, the processor 350 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) 350. According to another example, the processor 350 includes a field programmable gate array circuit (FPGA). The operation of the field programmable gate array circuit (FPGA) may be controlled by the central processing unit 350, which may include the digital signal processor (DSP) 350.

[0137] Identification of data relating to the tip of a packing in a tumbling mill As mentioned above, the tumbling mill shell 20 has an inner shell surface 22 facing the chamber 25, which includes a plurality of protrusions 310, also referred to as lifters, that may be configured to engage and lift the material 30 as the shell rotates about the axis 60 (see, for example, FIG. 2). The number of protrusions 310 provided on the inner shell surface 22 facing the chamber 25 is represented herein by the variable L. 2 shows that there are 12 protrusions 310, i.e., L=12, but the number L of protrusions 310 may be greater or less. According to some embodiments, the number L of protrusions 310 may be at least 1, i.e., the number L of protrusions 310 may be L=1. According to some embodiments, the number L of protrusions 310 may be any number greater than L=1. According to some embodiments, the number L of protrusions 310 may be anywhere in the range of L=2 to L=60. According to some embodiments, the number L of protrusions 310 may be anywhere in the range of L=2 to L=35.

[0138] The number L of protrusions 310 is an important factor in relation to the analysis of vibrations resulting from the rotation of the mill shell 20. The inventors have determined that the interaction of the protrusions 310 with the tips of the packing accelerates the packing material in the direction of the movement of the protrusions 310, resulting in mechanical vibrations V IMP The inventors have also found that this mechanical vibration V caused by the interaction of the protrusions 310 with the tip of the filler. IMP is repeated, that is, the repetition frequency f R 2, it is noted that the rotating mill shell 20 is shown at the moment when the protrusion 310C impacts the tip 205 of the filler material 30. The impact with the mass of the material at the tip portion 205 of the protrusion 310C causes the mass of the material at the tip portion to move in the direction A of movement of the protrusion 310C. ACC This acceleration is caused by a force F IMP This impact force F IMP is the size F IMP =m 205 *a205 It may be presumed that where m 205 is the mass of the accelerated part of the tip, a 205 is the amount of acceleration at the tip.

[0139] Therefore, the measurement signal S MD (see, for example, FIG. 5) shows at least one vibration signal signature S that depends on the vibration motion of the rolling mill shell 20 in rotational motion. FIMP Vibration signal signature S FIMP is the rotational speed f of the rolling mill shell 20 ROT The repetition rate f depends on R It has. Also, the vibration signal signature S FIMP The magnitude of the peak amplitude of the impact force F IMP It seems to depend on the size of Therefore, the inventors have determined that the vibration signal signature S FIMP The measure of energy or amplitude of the impact force F IMP They concluded that this is likely to indicate the magnitude of the Therefore, the vibration signal signature S depends on the vibration motion of the rotating mill shell 20. FIMP The presence of may indicate the leading edge 205 of the charge in the monitored rolling mill shell 20. Indeed, the vibration signal signature S, which depends on the vibrational motion of the rolling mill shell 20, FIMP may indicate the position of the leading edge portion 205 of the charge in the tumbling mill shell 20 being monitored, indicated relative to a reference position value.

[0140] The inventors have determined that the mechanical vibration V caused by the interaction of the protrusions 310 with the tip of the filler IMP Repetition frequency f R is the number L of protrusions 310 provided on the inner shell surface 22 and the rotational speed f of the shell 20. ROT It was concluded that it depends on If the monitored rolling mill shell 20 rotates at a constant rotational speed, the repetition frequency f Ris sometimes considered in terms of repetitions per time unit or in terms of repetitions per revolution of the shell being monitored without distinguishing between the two. However, when the rolling mill shell 20 rotates at a variable rotational speed, as discussed elsewhere in this disclosure, for example in connection with Figures 20, 21, 22A, 22B, and 22C, the problem becomes more complicated. In fact, it appears that even very small changes in the rotational speed of the mill shell can have a large adverse effect on the detected signal quality in terms of smearing the detected vibration signal. Thus, the rotational speed f of the mill shell 20 ROT A very accurate detection of the

[0141] The inventor also IMP Not only the amplitude of mechanical vibration V IMP It has been noticed that the time of occurrence of the measurement signal S can also indicate data about the tip portion 205 of the packing in the tumbling mill. MD (see, for example, FIG. 5) represents at least one vibration signal amplitude component S that depends on the vibration motion of the rolling mill shell 20 in rotational motion. FIMP may contain Vibration signal amplitude component S FIMP teeth, The rotational speed f of the rotating rolling mill shell 20 ROT Depends on Depends on the number L of protrusions 310 provided on the inner shell surface 22 of the mill shell 20 Repetition frequency f R and Repetitive vibration signal amplitude component S FIMP The occurrence of The rotational speed f of the rotating rolling mill shell 20 ROT The second repetition rate f depends on P generating a position signal P(i) having There is a time relationship between

[0142] For a constant rotation speed, the inventors ROT is constant, the digital measurement signal S(i) containing the time series of vibration sample values ​​S(i) MDis a repetition frequency f that depends on the number L of protrusions 310 provided on the inner shell surface 22. R It was concluded that

[0143] The status parameter extractor 450 optionally extracts the digital measurement signal S MD , or the digital measurement signal S MD In the context of analyzing a tumbling mill having a rotating shell 20, the frequency f of the rotating shell 20 may be determined by a fast Fourier transformer (FFT) coupled to receive a signal that depends on the frequency f of the rotating shell 20 (see FIG. 15A and / or FIG. 15B). ROT It may be interesting to analyze signal frequencies higher than the rotational frequency f of the shell 20. ROT is sometimes referred to as "order 1". If the signal of interest occurs, for example, 10 times per revolution of the shell, the number of revolutions may be referred to as order 10, i.e., the rotational speed f (measured in revolutions per second (rps)) ROT Repetition frequency f divided by R (measured in Hz) is equal to 10Hz / rps, i.e., the order Oi=f R / f ROT =10. The highest order is O MAX , the total number of frequency bins in the FFT to be used is B n As a result, the inventors have concluded that in some instances the following formula applies: Oi*B n =N R *O MAX Conversely, N R =Oi*B n / O MAX , where O MAX is the highest order, B n is the number of bins in the frequency spectrum generated by the FFT, Oi is the number L of protrusions 310 in the rolling mill shell 20 that are monitored.

[0144] The above variable O MAX , B n, and Oi is the variable N R In connection with the above example, the FFT analyzer measures the reference signal, i.e., the position marker signal value PS or E, once per revolution of the rotating shell 20. P 2, as shell 20 rotates about rotation axis 60, position marker 180 passes by position sensor 170 once per rotation of shell 20, thereby providing position sensor 170 with rotation marker signal values ​​P S , E P A position marker device 180 may be provided to generate a position marker signal. Incidentally, referring to the example FFT analyzer settings above, the resulting integer N R is the digital signal S MD may indicate the number of rotations of the shell 20 monitored during the analysis. According to one embodiment, the above variable O MAX , B n , and Oi may be set by the human computer interface (HCI) 210, 210S (see, for example, FIGS. 1 and / or 5 and / or 15A and / or 15B).

[0145] Digital measurement signal S MD is sent to the FFT analyzer. In such a case, the FFT analyzer will select 10 lobes, i.e., L=10, and B n = 160 frequency bins, and the user can specify the order O MAX If you are interested in analyzing frequencies up to N = 100, R The value of N R =Oi*B n / O MAX =10*160 / 100=16. Therefore, B n = 160 frequency bins are desired, the number of spikes is L = 10, and the user MAX If we are interested in analyzing frequencies up to N = 100, we perform 16 shell rotations (N R It is necessary to measure the order value OMAX is the digital measurement signal S MD It may indicate the highest frequency analyzed. According to some embodiments, the settings of the FFT analyzer must meet the following criteria when the FFT analyzer is configured to receive the reference signal, i.e., the position marker signal value PS, once per revolution of the rotating shell 20: the integer value Oi is set to be equal to L, i.e., the number of protrusions 310 in the shell 20; Configurable variables MAX , and B n is the formula Oi*B n / O MAX is chosen to be a positive integer. Expressed differently, if an integer value Oi is set equal to L, then the configurable variable O MAX and B n is the variable N R must be set to an integer value such that is a positive integer, where N R =Oi*B n / O MAX is.

[0146] In one example, the number of bins B n is one value B n can be set by selecting from a group of values. n The set of possible values ​​for is: B n =200 B n =400 B n =800 B n =1600 B n =3200 may be included.

[0147] Constant speed step example As described in connection with step S#30 of FIG. 9, the status parameter extractor 450 performs the constant speed phase, i.e., the constant rotational speed f of the shell 20. ROT The state of

[0148] 14A and 14B show another example of a cross-sectional view of the central portion 98 of the rotating mill shell 20 during operation. This view may be taken, for example, along line AA in FIG. 1A. According to the example of FIG. 14A, the rolling mill shell 20 has six protrusions 310 configured to engage the filler material 30 as the shell rotates about the axis 60, i.e., the number L=6. The inner diameter of the shell 20 may be, for example, 600 cm, and the rotational speed may be constant, for example, at 13.6 revolutions per minute. For purposes of this example, the sample frequency is the rotational speed f of the shell 20. ROT This results in n=7680 samples per rotation.

[0149] As mentioned above, because shell 20 is rotatable about axis of rotation 60, position sensor 170 may generate a position signal Ep to indicate the instantaneous rotational position of shell 20. As shell 20 rotates about axis of rotation 60, position marker 180 passes by position sensor 170 once per shell revolution, thereby causing position signal Ep to be converted to a position marker signal value P S Position markers 180 may be provided on the exterior surface of the shell 20 to indicate each such position marker signal value P S denotes the rest position, i.e., the position of the stationary stator. 14A shows the rotational position of rotating shell 20, with position marker 180 at the same rotational position as static position sensor 170, and projection 310A passing tip portion 205. Projection 310A is followed by adjacent projection 310B. Figure 14B shows another rotational position of the rotating shell 20, slightly later than the position shown in Figure 14A. In Figure 14B, the adjacent protrusion 310B is in a position to impact with the tip 205. At the time of impact, a vibration V occurs which produces a signal signature event in the vibration signal. IMP14B is the event position 205E of the rotating shell 20. The event position 205E is the rotational position of the rotating shell 20 when the protrusion collides with the tip 205. The event position 205E therefore represents the tip position 205. The position 205E of the tip 205 may therefore be expressed as a percentage of the distance between two adjacent rest positions P3 and P4 as shown in FIG. 14B.

[0150] One position marker signal value P per revolution S exists and the rotational speed f ROT is a constant or substantially constant, a constant or substantially constant number of vibration sample values ​​S(i) will be generated for each revolution of the mill shell 20. For purposes of this example, position signal P(0) represents vibration sample i=0 as shown in Table 2 (see below). For purposes of this example, the position of position signal P(0) relative to shell 20 is determined by the repetition frequency f P The rotation speed f of the rolling mill shell 20 in which ROT Therefore, if the position signal Ep has one pulse Ps per revolution of the shell 20, the digital position signal will also have one position signal value P(i)=1 per revolution, with the remaining position signal values ​​being zero.

[0151] [Table 2]

[0152] Therefore, at a certain speed f ROT In, there may be n time slots per revolution, where n may be a positive integer, as shown in Table 2. In the example in Table 2, n=7680.

[0153] If there is one position signal Ps per revolution, the position signal is proportional to the rotational speed f ROTIt is known that, since is constant, it repeats every n slots. Therefore, multiple virtual position signals Pc may be generated by calculation. In one example, it is considered that virtual position signals Pc are generated. Providing one virtual position signal Pc per protrusion 310 is Repetitive vibration signal amplitude component S FIMP The occurrence of The rotational speed f of the rotating rolling mill shell 20 ROT The second repetition rate f depends on P generating a position signal P(i) having It may be used to establish a temporal relationship between L equidistant projections 310 in the mill shell, one position signal Ps per revolution, and a constant rotational speed f ROT , it is possible to generate one virtual position signal Pc per protrusion, resulting in an even distribution of the total number of position signals Ps, Pc. Each such position marker signal value Ps and Pc indicates a rest position, i.e., the position of the stationary stator, as shown by "Ps" and "Pc" in Figures 14A and 14B. Therefore, if n time slots are provided per revolution, a position signal Ps or Pc is generated every n / L sample value positions as shown in Table 3. In Table 3, n=7680 and L=6, so a position signal Pc is provided every 1280 samples, and the calculated position signal is shown as 1C. As shown in the example of FIG. 14, the position marker signal values ​​Ps and Pc indicate L rest positions P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and PL, where L=6 because there are six protrusions 310 on the illustrated shell 20.

[0154] It may be assumed that the position of the mill tip portion 205 remains substantially constant during one revolution of the mill shell 20. In other words, the position of the tip portion 205 does not substantially move. Vibration signal amplitude component S FIMP , S Pis generated by the interaction between the protrusion and the tip of the filler (see FIG. 14B), so one vibration signal amplitude component S FIMP , S P This will be repeated at a frequency of . Repetitive vibration signal amplitude component S FIMP , S P The occurrence of Generation of position signals P and PC, It may be assumed that the temporal relationship between will be substantially constant for each of the L data blocks (where L=6 in this example).

[0155] Table 3 shows the principle of the time progression of the position signal values ​​P(i), where the calculated position signal values ​​P(i) are indicated as "1C".

[0156] [Table 3]

[0157] [Table 4]

[0158] [Table 5]

[0159] As mentioned above, since the shell 20 is rotatable about the axis of rotation 60, the stationarily mounted position sensor 170 generates a series of shell position signal values ​​P to indicate the instantaneous rotational position of the shell 20. S 23, as shell 20 rotates about rotation axis 60, position marker 180 passes by position sensor 170 during one rotation of shell 20, thereby causing position sensor 170 to generate a rotation marker signal value P S Position markers 180 may be provided on the exterior surface of the shell 20 to generate a As described above, position sensor 170 generates a series of shell position signal values ​​P to indicate the instantaneous rotational position of shell 20 as it rotates. S With reference to Tables 2 to 4 in this document, such marker signal values ​​P S is shown as "1" in column #2 of Tables 2 to 4.

[0160] If one position marker device 180 is provided on the rotating shell, the marker signal value P S is provided once per revolution. The marker signal value P S is shown as "1" in column #2 of Tables 2 to 4. With L equidistant projections 310 in the mill shell, one position signal P per revolution, and a constant rotational speed f ROT , it is possible to generate one virtual position signal Pc per protrusion, so that the total number of position signals P, Pc is evenly distributed as discussed above. Therefore, if n time slots are provided per rotation, a position signal P or Pc is generated every n / L sample value positions as shown in Table 3. In Table 3, n=7680 and L=6, so a position signal Pc is provided every 1280 samples, and the calculated position signal is shown as 1C.

[0161] Marker signal value P, shown as "1" in column #2 of Tables 2 through 4 S is provided once per revolution, where equidistant positions of protrusions 310 are important, and where n time slots per revolution are provided in the series of shell position signal values ​​to indicate the instantaneous rotational position of shell 20, virtual position signal values ​​Pc are considered to be generated so as to be evenly distributed such that a position signal P or Pc occurs every n / L sample value positions as shown in Table 3. In Table 3, the actually detected rotational marker signal values ​​P S is shown as "1" (see column #2 of Table 3, time slot "0" and time slot "7680"), and the virtual position signal value Pc is shown as "1C" (see column #2 of Table 3, time slot "0" and time slot "7680").

[0162] This is because the position marker 180 generates a position reference signal value, and the protrusion 310 generates a signal event, such as an amplitude peak value, in the vibration signal when it engages with material in the rotating mill charge (e.g., reference symbol S in FIGS. 1 and 15). EA , S MD , Se(i), S(j), S(q)), are believed to be important to some embodiments of this disclosure. Also, the time period between the occurrence of a position reference signal value and the occurrence of a signal event in the vibration signal caused by the protrusions 310 engaging material in the charge of the rotating mill shell may be indicative of the internal condition of the mill during operation, as discussed elsewhere in this disclosure.

[0163] Table 4 illustrates the first block, Block I, having n / L=7680 / 6=1280 consecutive time slots. It should be understood that if there are constant speed steps (see FIG. 9) during one complete rotation of shell 20, then each of Blocks I-VI (see Table 3) will appear identical to Block I shown in Table 4.

[0164] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to column #03 of Table 4, the vibration sample value S(i) is converted into a vibration signal signature S FIMP The vibration signal signature S is analyzed for the detection of FIMP may exhibit a peak amplitude sample value Sp. According to an example, with reference to column #03 of Table 4, the vibration sample value S(i) is analyzed by a peak value detector for detection of the peak sample value Sp. With reference to Table 5, the peak value analysis results in detection of the highest vibration sample amplitude value S(i). In the example shown, the vibration sample amplitude value S(i=760) is detected to hold the highest peak value Sp.

[0165] After detecting the peak value Sp located in time slot 760, the time relationship between the occurrence of the repetitive vibration signal amplitude component Sp and the occurrence of the position signal P(i) can be established. In Table 5, the time slots carrying the position signal P(i) are shown as 0% and 100%, respectively, and all slots in between may be displayed at their respective positions, as shown in column #02 of Table 5. As shown in the example of column #02 of Table 5, the time position of slot number i=760 is at 59% of the time distance between slot i=0 and slot i=1280. In other words, 760 / 1280=0.59=59%.

[0166] As a result, the inventor Repetitive vibration signal amplitude component S FIMP The occurrence of generation of a position signal P(i); can be used as an indication of the relative physical position of the tip portion 205 of the packing between two successive protrusions 310 within the rotating shell 20.

[0167] Thus, the position of the tip 205, expressed as a percentage of the distance between two adjacent leading edges (see 312C and 312D in FIG. 2 in conjunction with Table 5), is: From the first reference signal occurrence at sample number N0=0 to sample number N B = 1280, the total number of samples until the second reference signal occurs (N B -N0=N B -0=N B =1280) and From the first reference signal occurrence at N0=0 to sample number N P The number of samples (N P -N0=N P -0=N P ) and Another sample size N P and total number of samples N B Based on the first temporal relationship (R T (r);T D ;FI(r)) This can be obtained by R T (r)=R T (760)=(N P -N0) / (N B -N0)=(760-0) / (1280-0)=0.59=59% This can be summarized as follows.

[0168] Therefore, the relative tip position is The total number of samples from the first reference signal generation to the second reference signal generation (N B ) and Sample number N from the first reference signal generation P The number of samples (N P ) and Number of samples N P and the total number of samples, i.e., N B Based on the first temporal relationship (R T (r);T D ;FI(r)) It may be generated by

[0169] 14, it should be noted that at the time shown, position marker 180 is depicted as having just passed by position sensor 170. Thus, the time shown may be the time indicated by time slot 1280, i.e., when position signal P(i=1280) is generated. As the shell rotates clockwise, the most recent peak sample value Sp was generated by the collision of protrusion 310A with tip portion 205 (see FIGS. 14A and 14B in conjunction with Table 5). Thus, the vibration sample amplitude value S(i=760) detected to hold the highest peak value Sp is from time T before the generation of position signal P(i=1280). SP Occurred at =dt*(1280-760).

[0170] Since S=v*t, where S=distance, v=constant velocity, and t=time, the temporal relationship can be directly converted to distance. As a result, column #02 of Table 5 can be viewed as indicating the physical location of tip portion 205 at 59% of the distance between protrusion 310A and protrusion 310B (see FIG. 14 in conjunction with column #02 of Table 5).

[0171] By way of another example, and with reference to Table 6, the temporal relationship between the occurrence of the repetitive vibration signal amplitude component Sp and the occurrence of the position signal P(i) can be viewed as a phase shift expressed in degrees.

[0172] [Table 6]

[0173] In fact, the digital measurement signal S MDBy using the position signal as a reference signal for S(i), S(j), and adjusting the settings of the fast Fourier transformer in a certain manner, the fast Fourier transformer may be used to extract the amplitude maximum and phase value, as discussed below. As a result, column #02 of Table 6 can be considered to indicate the physical position of the tip portion 205 at 213.75 degrees of the distance between protrusions 310A and 310B, when the total distance between protrusions 310A and 310B is considered to be 360 ​​degrees (see FIG. 14 in conjunction with column #02 of Table 6). The physical position of the tip portion 205, when expressed as a fraction of the distance between two adjacent protrusions 310, may be referred to as the relative position of the tip 205. In other words, this disclosure provides a method for identifying the relative tip position of the tip 205 of a charge in a tumbling mill. Accordingly, this disclosure provides a method for generating information indicative of the position of the tip portion 205, when expressed as a fraction of the distance between two adjacent protrusions 310 in a rotating shell 20. 15A and / or 15B and 16, the relative tip position may be shown as a phase angle FI(r), as discussed below in connection with FIGS. 15 and 16. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the relative tip position may be shown as a percentage (see column #02 in Table 5 above). Also, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the relative tip position may be shown as a time period or a fraction of a time period. As discussed above in connection with Table 5, the temporal relationship can be directly converted to distance because S=v*t, where S=distance, v=velocity of the protrusion, and t is time. In this regard, the velocity v of the protrusion is related to the angular velocity f of the shell 20. ROT and the radius R of shell 20 MIC Note that this depends on (see Figure 14).

[0174] 15A is a block diagram illustrating an example of a status parameter extractor 450. The status parameter extractor 450 of FIG. MD , S(i) and a digital position signal (Pi). The shell velocity detector 500 may also be referred to as a shell velocity value generator 500. The shell velocity detector 500 generates a shell velocity value based on the received digital vibration signal S(i).MD , S(i) and the digital position signal (Pi) based on which three signals S(j), P(j) and f ROT This may be accomplished, for example, as described above in connection with Figures 7 to 13. In this regard, three signals S(j), P(j) and f ROT Note that three signals S(j), P(j) and f(j) can be sent simultaneously, i.e., all associated with the same time slot j. In other words, the three signals S(j), P(j) and f(j) can be sent simultaneously, i.e., all associated with the same time slot j. ROT (j) may be provided synchronously. S(j), P(j) and f ROT (j) advantageously provides accurate information regarding the time relationship between the signal values ​​of the individual signals. Thus, for example, the velocity values ​​f delivered by the shell velocity value generator 500 ROT (j) indicates the instantaneous rotation speed of the shell 20 when the amplitude value S(j) is detected. It should be noted that the signals S(j) and P(j) sent by shell velocity value generator 500 are delayed relative to the signals S(i) and (Pi) received by shell velocity value generator 500. It should also be noted that signals S(j) and P(j) are equally delayed relative to signals S(i) and (Pi), thereby maintaining the time relationship between the two. In other words, signals S(j) and P(j) are synchronously delayed.

[0175] The shell velocity detector 500 may send a signal indicating whether the rotational velocity has been constant for a sufficient period of time, in which case the signals S(j) and P(j) may be sent to a fast Fourier transformer 510.

[0176] The variables Y, Z, and L should be set to make the variable X a positive integer, as discussed above. According to an example, the above variables Y, Z, and L may be set by the human-computer interface, HCI, 210, 210S (see, for example, FIGS. 1 and / or 5 and / or 15A and / or 15B). As mentioned above, the resulting integer X may indicate the number of revolutions of the monitored rolling mill shell 20 at which the digital signals S(j) and P(j) are analyzed by the FFT 510. Thus, based on the settings of the variables Y, Z, and L, the FFT 510 may generate a value X indicating the duration of the analysis of the measurement session, and after the measurement session, the FFT 510 delivers a set of status values ​​Sp(r) and FI(r).

[0177] The notation "r" in the state values ​​Sp(r) and FI(r) indicates a point in time. It should be noted that there may be a time delay between the receipt of a first pair of input signals S(j), P(j) at the input of the FFT 510 and the delivery of a pair of state values ​​Sp(r) and FI(r) from the FFT 510. The pair of state values ​​Sp(r) and FI(r) may be based on a time series of pairs of input signals S(j), P(j). The period of the time series of pairs of input signals S(j), P(j) should include at least two consecutive position signal values ​​P(j)=1 and the corresponding input signal pairs.

[0178] The state values ​​Sp(r) and FI(r) are respectively calculated by C L and Φ L As discussed above in connection with FIG. 2, the vibration signal S EA , S MD , S(j), S(r) are signal signatures S indicating collisions between the protrusion and the tip portion 205. FIMP and if there are L protrusions 310 in the shell 20 (see FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIGS. 14 and 15A and / or 15B), the signal signature S FIMP will be repeated L times per revolution of the shell 20.

[0179] To convey an intuitive understanding of this signal processing, it may be helpful to consider the principle of superposition and repetitive signals such as sinusoidal signals. Sinusoidal signals may exhibit amplitude and phase values. Very briefly summarized, the principle of superposition, also known as the superposition property, states that in any linear system, the net response at a given place and time evoked by two or more stimuli is the sum of the responses evoked by each stimuli individually. A sound wave is one such stimulus. Also, a signal signature S indicating a collision between the protrusion and the tip portion 205 is generated. FIMP The vibration signal S EA , S MD , S(j), S(r), etc. are examples of such stimuli. In fact, the signal signature S FIMP The vibration signal S EA , S MD , S(j), S(r) may be considered as a sum of sinusoidal signals, each of which exhibits an amplitude and phase value. In this context, reference is made to a Fourier series (see Equation 1 below).

[0180]

number

[0181] where: n=0 The average value of the signal over a period of time (can be, but does not have to be, zero) n=1 corresponds to the fundamental frequency of the signal F(t) n=2 corresponds to the first harmonic partial of the signal F(t) ω = angular frequency, i.e. (2*π*f ROT ) f ROT = shell rotation speed in cycles per second t=time Φ n = phase angle of the nth partial C n = amplitude of the nth partial

[0182] From the above Fourier series, it follows that the time signal can be considered to consist of a superposition of multiple sinusoidal signals. Harmonics are frequencies higher than the fundamental frequency of a signal. In the above example, the fundamental frequency is f(j) because the FFT 510 receives the marker signal value P(j)=1 only once per revolution of the shell 20. ROT , i.e., the rotational speed of the shell (see, for example, Figure 14).

[0183] Using the model of Fourier analysis, the fundamental and overtones together are called partials. Harmonics, or more precisely harmonic partials, are partials whose frequencies are integer multiples of the fundamental (which itself contains the fundamental at 1).

[0184] Referring to FIG. 15A and / or FIG. 15B and Equation 1 above, the FFT 510 calculates the amplitude value C for n=L. n (r), i.e., C L The FFT 510 may also deliver the phase angle of the partial (n=L), i.e., ΦL(r)=FI(r).

[0185] Consider an example where the mill shell rotates at a speed of 10 revolutions per minute (rpm) and the shell has 10 protrusions 310. A speed of 10 rpm means one rotation every 6 seconds, i.e., f ROT = 0.1667 revolutions per second. With 10 projections (i.e., L = 10), f ROT =0.1667 revolutions per second, the repetition frequency of the signal associated with the protrusion 310 is f R , the repetition frequency f R Since this is the 10th frequency, we set it to 1.667Hz.

[0186] The position signals P(j), P(q) (see Figures 15A and / or 15B) may be used as reference signals for the digital measurement signals S(j), S(r). According to some embodiments, if the FFT analyzer is configured to receive the reference signals, i.e., the position signals P(j), P(q), once per revolution of the rotating shell 20, the settings of the FFT analyzer must meet the following criteria: The integer value Oi is set equal to L, the number of protrusions 310 in the shell 20; Configurable variables MAX , and B n is the formula Oi*B n / O MAX is chosen to be a positive integer. Expressed differently, if an integer value Oi is set equal to L, then the configurable variable O MAX and B n is the variable N R must be set to an integer value such that N is a positive integer, where N R =Oi*B n / O MAX O MAX is the maximum degree, B n is the number of bins in the frequency spectrum generated by the FFT, Oi is the frequency of interest expressed in integer order, f ROT is the first frequency, i.e., the fundamental frequency. In other words, the rotational speed f of the shell 20 ROT is the fundamental frequency and L is the number of protrusions 310 in the impeller 20.

[0187] Using the above setting, i.e., the integer value Oi is set equal to L, and with reference to FIGS. 15A and / or 15B and Equation 1 above, the FFT 510 calculates the amplitude value C for n=L. n , i.e. C L = Sp(r). The FFT 510 may also deliver the phase angle of the partial (n=L), i.e., ΦL = FI(r). Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the FFT 510 receives the position reference signals P(j), P(q) once per revolution of the rotating shell 20, the FFT analyzer can be configured to operate at a repetition frequency of f R is the peak amplitude value of the signal with Lth frequency, C L where L is the number of equidistantly spaced projections 310 in the rotating shell 20. Referring to the discussion of Equation 1 above in this disclosure, the repetition rate f R The amplitude of a signal with Lth frequency is C when n=L. n , i.e. C L With reference to Equation 1 and Figures 15A and / or 15B, the amplitude value C L may be delivered as a peak amplitude value, denoted as Sp(r) in FIG. 15A and / or FIG. 15B. Referring again to Equation 1 above in this disclosure, the repetition rate f R is the phase angle value of the signal whose frequency is L L is the impact force F IMP The time period T between the occurrence of D1 It may be emitted as a time indicator value indicating Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the FFT 510 receives the position reference signals P(j), P(q) once per revolution of the rotating shell 20, the FFT analyzer can be configured to operate at a repetition frequency of f R is the phase angle value of the signal whose frequency is L L where L is the number of equidistantly spaced projections 310 in the rotating shell 20.

[0188] Thus, using the above settings, i.e., integer value Oi is set equal to L, and with reference to FIG. 15A and / or FIG. 15B and Equation 1 above, FFT 510 calculates the phase angle value Φ L may be generated.

[0189] Referring to FIG. 15A and / or FIG. 15B in conjunction with FIG. 1A, the state value Sp(r)=CL and FI(r) = Φ L may be sent to a human computer interface (HCI) 210 for visual display of the analytical results. As mentioned above, the displayed analytical results may include information indicative of the internal state of the tumbling mill process to enable an operator 230 to control the tumbling mill.

[0190] FIG. 15B is a block diagram illustrating an example of a status parameter extractor 450. The example status parameter extractor 450 of FIG. 15B includes a shell velocity detector 500, a velocity variation compensation decimator 470, a time synchronous averager 471, and a fast Fourier transformer (FFT) 510. In this disclosure, the abbreviation TSA for time synchronous averager may be used. The example status parameter extractor 450 may be the status parameter extractor 450 of FIG. 15A with the addition of a time synchronous averager (TSA) 471. The TSA 471 is configured to receive the vibration signal values ​​S(q) and corresponding position signal values ​​P(q) provided by the velocity variation compensation decimator 470. The TSA 471 is configured to receive vibration signal values ​​S(q) and corresponding position signal values ​​P(q) corresponding to a plurality of rotations or cycles and generate an average vibration signal value S(t), where the average vibration signal value S(t) is a number N of vibration values ​​detected at the same rotational position of the shell 20. TSA is based on.

[0191] As discussed elsewhere in this disclosure, the compensation decimator 470 is configured to compensate for the number of vibration sample values ​​N per revolution of the rotating shell. V is a decimated digital vibration signal S so that it remains constant or substantially constant even when the rotation speed changes. MDR Thus, the compensation decimator 470 generates N V When sending vibration sample values, N V Every vibration sample value is associated with the same rotational position. Therefore, N V= 100, the speed change compensation decimator 470 outputs 100 vibration signal values ​​S(q) per revolution. V = 100, and TSA471 has an individual average vibration signal value S TSA (t) to N TSA When the vibration signal is generated as an average of the vibration signal values ​​S(q), the output average value S TSA (t) may be generated as follows: S TSA (t)=(S(q)+S(q+100)+S(q+200)) / N TSA

[0192] For example, N TSA = 3, the TSA471 uses S(q) where each value is based on three vibration signal values ​​S(q). TSA (t). It should therefore be understood that signal values ​​S(q), S(q+100), and S(q+200) all represent the qth position. Thus, TSA 471 outputs the number of outputs per revolution N provided by speed change compensation decimator 470. V The mean signal value S contains the same number of elements as TSA For example, if the speed change compensation decimator 470 outputs N V When outputting 100 vibration signal values ​​S(q), the TSA471 outputs N V = 100 average vibration signal values ​​S(t) are sent out.

[0193] The combination of the shell velocity detector 500, velocity change compensation decimator 470, and time-synchronous averager 471 enables output from the TSA 471 to include vibration values ​​averaged over several revolutions, which advantageously reduces noise. Note that the TSA is configured to generate averaged vibration values ​​such that the average vibration value represents the average value of multiple vibration values ​​detected at the same rotational position of the shell 20.

[0194] As shown in FIG. 15B, the output signal P TSA and S TSA may be fed to the FFT 510. In some cases, the output of the TSA471 TSA S TSA is supplied to the HCI210. In some examples, the HCI 210 is configured to set the number of revolutions or cycles that the TSA 471 is configured to average.

[0195] Information about the current internal state X of the mill 10 may be conveyed by one or more internal state values ​​in an intuitive manner to the operator 230 of the mill 10 .

[0196] 16 is a diagram of an example visual display of the analysis results. According to one example, the visual display of the analysis results may include providing a polar coordinate system 520. A polar coordinate system is a two-dimensional coordinate system in which each point on a plane is determined by its distance from a reference point 530 and its angle from a reference direction 540. The reference point 530 (similar to the origin of a Cartesian coordinate system) is called the pole 530, and the line of reference direction from the pole is the polar axis. The distance from the pole is called the radial coordinate, radial distance, or simply radius, and the angle is called the angular coordinate, polar angle, or azimuth angle. According to one example, the amplitude value Sp(r) is used as the radius vector, and the time relationship values ​​FI(r), Φ(r), T D is used as the angular coordinate.

[0197] In this way, the internal status of the tumbling mill being monitored may be indicated on the display 210S by providing an internal status indicator object 550 (combination of Figure 16 with Figures 1A and / or 1B). The combination of Figure 16 with Figures 1A and / or 1B and Figure 14 may be helpful in understanding the following examples. Thus, one example is a tumbling mill in which a rotational speed f is set to grind the filler material 30 by tumbling it within the rotating shell 20. ROT The present invention relates to an electronic tumbling mill monitoring system 150, 210S for generating and displaying information regarding the grinding process in a tumbling mill 10 having a shell 20 rotating about an axis 60 at a speed of 1000 rpm. An exemplary monitoring system 150 includes: a computer-implemented method for displaying the internal state of the grinding process in the tumbling mill on a screen display 210S; The method is: Screen Display 210S a polar coordinate system 520 having a reference point (O, 530) and a reference direction (0°, 360°, 540°); The first radius vector (Sp(r), S P1 ) and the first polar angle (FI(r), Φ(r), T D , T D1 ) which indicates the internal status of the grinding process; P1 , T D1 )and, displaying the First radius (Sp(r), S P1 ) is the impact force (F) generated when the protrusions (310) on the inner shell surface of the rotating shell interact with the tip portion 205 of the filler material (30). IMP ) and First polar angle (FI(r), Φ(r), T D , T D1 ) indicates the position of the tip portion 205 between the two protrusions 310 in the rotating shell 20.

[0198] As described above, the status parameter extractor 450 may be configured to generate pairs of successive state values ​​Sp(r) and FI(r). The status parameter extractor 450 may also generate time derivatives of the state values ​​Sp(r) and FI(r), respectively. This may be done, for example, by subtracting the previous most recent state value Sp(r-1) from the most recent state value Sp(r) divided by the time period between the two values. Similarly, a numerical differentiation of the internal status value FI may be performed. Thus, differentiation values ​​dSp(r) and dFI(r) may be generated. The differentiation values ​​dSp(r) and dFI(r) may be stored in a first internal status indicator object (550, S P1 , T D1 ) is sometimes used to indicate movement.

[0199] 17 and 18 are diagrams of another example of a visual display of the analysis results. Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, the above-mentioned differential values ​​are displayed in a first internal status indicator object (550, S P1 , T D1 ) and having a length that depends on the magnitude of the differential value may be used to display on the screen display 210S. In other words, the absence of arrow 560 means that the internal status is stable and has not changed over the time period. Arrow 560 in FIG. 18 is longer than arrow 560 in FIG. 17, thereby indicating that the ongoing change in the internal status of the mill shown in FIG. 18 is faster than the internal status of the mill shown in FIG. 17.

[0200] 19A and 19B are diagrams of yet another example of a visual display of analysis results regarding the internal status of the tumbling mill 10. A latest internal status indicator object 550(r) indicates the current internal status of the mill 10. Another internal status indicator object 550(r-1) indicates the previous latest internal status of the mill 10. Internal status indicator object 550(1), shown as a small open circle, indicates the internal status of mill 10 at a nearly empty fill level. Note that when starting a tumbling mill from an empty state, the initial internal status indicator object appears at an initial polar angle Φ(1), which represents the very first detected tip position of the mill. In FIGS. 19A and 19B, the first 31 detected tip positions are shown as open circles starting with small open circle 550(1). Based on experimental measurements, it appears that the initial polar angle Φ(1) can be used as a reference tip position value. Therefore, the initial polar angle Φ(1) corresponds to the reference tip position value Φ TR For the particular tumbling mill whose internal state is shown by the display 210S shown in Figures 19A and 19B, the nominal tip position is at an angle value Φ of about 47 degrees, as seen in Figures 19A and 19B. TR Corresponds to. The first 31 detected tip positions are shown as open circles, while the subsequent set of tip positions are shown as shaded circles, one of the shaded circles being shown as 550(p) in FIG. 19A. The shaded circles in FIG. 19A represent a higher degree of filling of the mill shell 20 than that shown by the open circles. The fully black circles in FIG. 19A represent a higher degree of filling of the mill shell 20 than that shown by the shaded circles. Note, therefore, that the initial lowest detected degree of filling appears to be represented by a relatively small radius vector, i.e., a low peak amplitude value Sp, at the initial polar angle Φ(1). Referring to FIG. 19A, the gradually increasing detected tip position FI(r) and the corresponding gradually increasing fill level of the mill shell 20 paint an image of a spiral arm spiraling outward in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by the curved arrow 560A in FIG. 19A starting from the first internal status indicator object 550(1).

[0201] In this way, the current internal status of the tumbling mill 20 may be expressed and visualized in an intuitive manner for the operator 230 of the mill system 5. It should be noted that the display of a single internal status indicator object 550 shown in Figure 17 indicates the current internal status, or the most recently detected internal status, of the mill 10, whereas the display of the temporal progression of the internal status indicator object, from an initial status 550(1) to 550(r) via intermediate states such as 550(p) and 550(r-1), shown in Figure 19A, indicates the current internal status 550(r) of the mill 10 and the history of several previous internal states 550(p), 550(p+1), 550(r-1). In other words, gradually increasing polar angles FI(r) and gradually increasing radial values ​​S P19A , the polar angle Φ(1) of the first internal status indicator object 550(1) is combined with the polar angle Φ(1) of the first internal status indicator object 550(1) to paint a picture of a spiral arm spiraling outward as indicated by curved arrow 560A in FIG. 19A starting from first internal status indicator object 550(1). The "angular length" X6(r) of the spiral arm from the initial polar angle Φ(1) of first internal status indicator object 550(1) to the current or most recently detected tip position FI(r) appears to indicate the absolute position X6(r) of tip portion 205 (see, e.g., FIGS. 2 and 14). In this regard, it should be noted that 360 degrees in polar coordinate system 520 of FIG. 19A corresponds to 100% of the distance between the leading edges of two adjacent protrusions, such as 312C and 312D in FIG. 2.

[0202] Variable Speed ​​Stage Status Parameter Extractor Example As mentioned above, the rolling mill shell 20 rotates at a variable rotation speed f ROT The analysis of the measurement data is even more complicated when the mill shell 20 is rotating at a rotational speed f ROT It may be important to detect very accurately, and it may also be important to accurately compensate for any speed changes. 15A and / or 15B, the shell speed detector 500 may emit a signal indicating when the rotational speed changes, as discussed in connection with FIG. 9. Referring again to FIG. 15A and / or 15B, the signals S(j) and P(j) and the speed value f ROT (j) may be sent to a rate change compensation decimator 470. The rate change compensation decimator 470 may also be referred to as a fractional decimator. The decimator 470 converts the received rate value f ROT (j) based on the digital measurement signal S MD According to one example, the decimator 470 is configured to decimate a variable rate value f during a measurement session. ROT The digital measurement signal S is obtained by a variable decimation factor D, which is adjusted based on (j). MDTherefore, the compensation decimator 470 is configured to decimate the number of vibration sample values ​​N per revolution of the rotating shell as the rotation speed changes. V is kept constant or substantially constant. MDR According to some embodiments, the number of sample values ​​per revolution of the rotating shell, N V is considered to be a substantially constant value if the number of sample values ​​per revolution varies by less than 5%. According to a preferred embodiment, the number of sample values ​​per revolution of the rotating shell is determined by the number of sample values ​​per revolution N V is considered to be a substantially constant value if it varies by less than 1%. According to a most preferred embodiment, the number of sample values ​​per revolution of the rotating shell is considered to be a substantially constant value if the number of sample values ​​per revolution varies by less than 0.2%.

[0203] Therefore, the embodiment of FIG. 15A as well as the embodiment of FIG. 15B can be configured to reduce the sampling rate by a decimation factor D=N / U D (U D and N are both positive integers. The fractional decimator 470 therefore advantageously allows for decimation of the sampling rate by a fraction. The rate change compensation decimator 470 therefore decimates the signals S(j) and P(j) and f ROT (j) is the fraction D=N / U D According to one embodiment, U D and the value of N may be selected in the range of 2 to 2000. According to an embodiment, U D and the value of N may be selected in the range of 500 to 1500. According to yet another embodiment, U D and the value of N may be chosen in the range 900 to 1100. Note that in this context the background of the term "fraction" is as follows. A fraction (from the Latin fractus, "broken") represents a part of a whole, or more commonly, a number of equal parts. In a positive common fraction, the numerator and denominator are natural numbers. The numerator represents the number of equal parts, and the denominator indicates how many of those parts make up one unit or whole. A common fraction is a numerical value that represents a rational number. That same number can also be expressed as a decimal, a percentage, or with a negative exponent. For example, 0.01, 1%, and 10 -2 are all equal to the fraction 1 / 100. Therefore, the fraction D=N / U D is sometimes considered to be a reciprocal fraction. Therefore, the resulting signal S delivered by fractional decimator 470 MDR teeth, f SR =f S / D=fs*U D / N where fs is the sample rate of the signal S received by the fractional decimator 470 RED is the sample rate. Decimal value U D / N is dependent on a rate control signal received at input port 490. The rate control signal is related to the rotational speed f of the rotating shell. ROT This may be a signal indicating

[0204] The variable decimator value D is D=f S / f SR may be set to , where f S is the initial sample rate of the A / D converter, and f SR is the decimated digital vibration signal S MDR For example, if there are 12 protrusions in the mill shell being monitored, the setpoint value f SR may be set to 768 samples per revolution, i.e., the number of samples per revolution is the decimated digital vibration signal S MDR f in SR The compensation decimator 470 is set to decimated digital vibration signal S MDR The set point value f SRFor example, the position signal P(q) is generated at regular intervals according to f SR If is set to 768 samples per revolution, the position signal P(q) may be emitted once every 768 samples of the decimated vibration signal S(q).

[0205] Therefore, the output data value R(q) is SR2 Also called the sampling frequency f SR is the input sampling frequency f S is lower than U by a factor D. The factor D can be set to any number greater than 1 and may be a fraction as discussed elsewhere in this disclosure. According to a preferred embodiment, the factor D can be set to a value between 1.0 and 20.0. In a preferred embodiment, the factor D is a fraction that can be set to a value between about 1.3 and about 3.0. The factor D is a fraction that can be set to a value between the integer U D and N may be set to appropriate values. The coefficient D is the sum of N and U D is equal to divided by . D=N / U D

[0206] According to one embodiment, the integer U D and N is the coefficient D=N / U with minimal inaccuracy. D can be set to a large integer so that it can keep up with speed changes. D and selecting N to be an integer greater than 1000 advantageously provides greater precision in adapting the output sample frequency to track changes in the rotational speed of shell 20. Thus, for example, N may be set to 500 and U D Setting it to 1001 results in D=2.002.

[0207] The variable D is set to a suitable value at the beginning of the measurement, which is associated with a constant rotation speed of the rotating part being monitored. Then, during the measurement session, the fractional value D is adjusted to the output signal S MDR is automatically adjusted according to the rotational speed of the rotating part being monitored so as to provide a substantially constant number of sample values ​​per revolution of the rotating shell.

[0208] 20 is a block diagram of one example of a compensation decimator 470. This example compensation decimator is designated 470B. The compensation decimator 470B calculates the data value S(j) and the corresponding rotational speed f of the monitored rotating mill shell. ROT , and information indicative of the sensor signal S(j) corresponding to each data value S(j). EA The rotational speed of the mill shell, f, is monitored when detecting the value ROT Each data value S(j) may be stored so as to be associated with a value indicative of the corresponding rotational speed value f ROT The provision of the data values ​​S(j) associated with (J) is described above with reference to Figures 7 to 13.

[0209] The compensation decimator 470B is configured to SR1 A signal S having MD as a sequence of data values ​​S(j) and at a reduced sampling frequency f SR output signal S having MDR on its output 590 as a sequence of separate data values ​​R(j).

[0210] The compensation decimator 470B calculates the data value S(j) and the corresponding rotational speed f of the monitored rotating mill shell. ROT 21 , and information indicative of the rotational speed of the monitored mill shell. The memory 604 may store the data values ​​S(j) in blocks, with each block associated with a value indicative of the associated rotational speed of the monitored mill shell, as described below in connection with FIG.

[0211] The compensation decimator 470B may also comprise a compensation decimation variable generator 606 adapted to generate a compensation value D. The compensation value D may be a floating-point number. Thus, the compensation number is used to decimate the velocity value f with some imprecision, since floating-point values ROT The received speed value f ROTWhen implemented by a suitably programmed DSP, as mentioned above, the imprecision of the floating-point value may depend on the DSP's ability to generate floating-point values.

[0212] The compensation decimator 470B may also include an FIR filter 608. Incidentally, the acronym FIR stands for Finite Impulse Response. The FIR filter 608 has coefficients D MAX is a low-pass FIR filter with a specific low-pass cutoff frequency adapted to decimation by coefficients D MAX may be set to an appropriate value, for example, 20,000. The compensation decimator 470B may also include a filter parameter generator 610.

[0213] The operation of compensation decimator 470B is described below with reference to FIGS.

[0214] FIG. 21 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating compensation decimator 470B of FIG.

[0215] In the first step S2000, the rotational speed f of the mill shell to be monitored is ROT is recorded in memory 604 (FIGS. 20 and 21), which may occur approximately at the same time that the vibration measurement begins. According to another example, the rotational speed of the monitored mill shell is monitored for a certain period of time. The maximum detected speed f ROTmax and minimum detection speed f ROTmin may be recorded, for example, in memory 604 (FIGS. 20 and 21).

[0216] In step S2010, the recorded speed values ​​are analyzed to see if the rotational speed has changed.

[0217] In step S2020, the user interface 210, 210S calculates the recorded velocity value f ROT or the speed value f ROTmin, f ROTmax and prompts the user to input the desired order value Oi. ROT is often referred to as "order 1." The signal of interest may occur approximately 10 times per revolution of the mill shell (order 10). It may also be interesting to analyze the harmonics of some signals, and thus measure up to order 100, or order 500, or even more. Thus, the user may enter an order number Oi using the user interface 210, 210S.

[0218] In step S2030, the appropriate output sample rate f SR is determined. The output sample rate f SR is f in this disclosure SR2 According to one embodiment, the output sample rate f SR is f SR =C*Oi*f ROTmin is set to where: C is a constant having a value greater than 2.0, Oi is a number that indicates the relationship between the rotational speed of the mill shell being monitored and the repetition frequency of the signal to be analyzed; f ROTmin is the minimum rotational speed of the monitored mill shell expected during the upcoming measurement session. According to an embodiment, the value f ROTmin is the minimum rotation speed detected in step S2020, as described above.

[0219] The constant C may be selected to be equal to or greater than 2.00 in view of the sampling theorem. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the constant C may be preset to a value between 2.40 and 2.70. According to one embodiment, the coefficient C is advantageously selected such that 100*C / 2 is an integer. According to one embodiment, the coefficient C may be set to 2.56. Choosing C to be 2.56 results in 100*C=256=2 to the power of 8.

[0220] In step S2050, a compensation thinning variable value D is determined. As the rotational speed of the monitored mill shell changes, the compensation thinning variable value D will change depending on the instantaneous detected speed value.

[0221] According to one embodiment, the maximum compensation decimation variable value D MAX is D MAX =f ROTmax / f ROTmin and the minimum compensation decimation variable value D MIN is set to 1.0. Then the actual speed value f ROT An instantaneous real-time measurement of is taken and the instantaneous compensation value D is set accordingly. f ROT is a value indicative of the measured rotational speed of the rotating mill shell being monitored.

[0222] In step S2060, the actual measurement begins and a desired total measurement period may be determined, which may depend on the desired number of revolutions X of the mill shell being monitored. When the measurement is started, the digital signal S MD is sent to the input 480 of the compensation decimator. In the following, the signal S MD is considered for a signal with sample values ​​S(j), where j is an integer.

[0223] In step S2070, the data values ​​S(j) are stored in memory 604, and each vibration data value S(j) is converted to a rotational speed value f ROT Associate with (j).

[0224] In a subsequent step S2080, the recorded rotational speed values ​​are analyzed and the recorded data values ​​S(j) are divided into data blocks according to the rotational speed values. In this way, multiple blocks of data values ​​S(j), each associated with a rotational speed value, may be generated. The rotational speed value indicates the rotational speed of the monitored mill shell when this particular block data value S(j) was recorded. The individual data blocks may be of different sizes, i.e., the individual blocks may hold different numbers of data values ​​S(j). For example, the rotating mill shell being monitored may initially rotate at a first speed f during a first period of time. ROT1 and then changes speed to rotate at a second speed f during a short second period. ROT2 When rotating at a speed of f, the recorded data values ​​S(j) are divided into two data blocks: the first speed value f ROT1 and a first data value block associated with a second speed value f ROT2 and a second block of data values ​​associated with the first data block, where the second data block contains fewer data values ​​than the first data block due to the shorter second period.

[0225] According to one embodiment, the method begins with step S2090 when all of the recorded data values ​​S(j) have been divided into blocks and all of the blocks have been associated with a rotational speed value.

[0226] In step S2090, a first block of data values ​​S(j) is selected and the associated rotational speed value f ROT , and associate this compensatory decimation value D with the block of first data values ​​S(j). According to one embodiment, the method begins performing step S2100 when all blocks have been associated with a corresponding compensatory decimation value D. Thus, the value of the compensatory decimation value D is determined at a rate f ROT The system is adapted accordingly.

[0227] In step S2100, a block of data values ​​S(j) and the associated compensatory decimation value D as described in step S2090 above is selected.

[0228] In step S2110, a block of output values ​​R is generated in response to the selected block of input values ​​S and the associated compensatory decimation value D. This may be done as described with reference to FIG.

[0229] In step S2120, it is checked whether there are any remaining input data values ​​to process. If there is another block of input data values ​​to process, step S2100 is repeated. If there are no remaining blocks of input data values ​​to process, the measurement session ends.

[0230] 22A, 22B, and 22C show a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for operating compensation decimator 470B of FIG.

[0231] In step S2200, a block of input data values ​​S(j) and an associated particular compensatory decimation value D are received. According to one embodiment, the received data is described above in step S2100 of Figure 21. Every input data value S(j) in the received block of input data values ​​S is associated with a particular compensatory decimation value D.

[0232] In steps S2210-S2390, FIR filter 608 (see FIG. 20) is adapted to the particular compensation decimation value D received in step S2200 to generate a corresponding set of output signal values ​​R(q), as will be explained in more detail below.

[0233] In step S2210, appropriate filter settings are selected for the particular compensation decimation value D. As discussed above in connection with FIG. 20, the FIR filter 608 uses coefficients D MAX is a low-pass FIR filter with a specific low-pass cutoff frequency adapted to decimation by coefficients D MAXmay be set to a suitable value, e.g., 20. Filter ratio value F R But the coefficient D MAX and is set to a value that depends on the particular compensation decimation value D received in step S2200. Step S2210 may be performed by filter parameter generator 610 (FIG. 20).

[0234] In step S2220, a starting position value x within the received input data block s(j) is selected. Note that the starting position value x does not have to be an integer. The FIR filter 608 is a filter of length F LENGTH and the starting position value x is the filter length F LENGTH and filter ratio value F R The filter ratio value F R is as set in step S2210 above. According to one embodiment, the starting position value x is given by x:=F LENGTH / F R It may be set to .

[0235] In step S2230, a filter sum value SUM is prepared and set to an initial value, for example SUM:=0,0. In step S2240, a position j that is adjacent to and preceding position x in the received input data is selected, where position j may be selected as the integer part of x.

[0236] In step S2250, a position Fpos in the FIR filter corresponding to the selected position j in the received input data is selected, where the position Fpos may be a compensation number. The filter position Fpos relates to the middle position of the filter, Fpos=[(xj)*F R ] It may be determined that Here, F R is the filter ratio value.

[0237] In step S2260, it is checked whether the determined filter position value Fpos is outside the tolerance limits, i.e., whether it points to a position outside the filter. If it is outside, proceed to step S2300 below. If not, proceed to step S2270.

[0238] In step S2270, the filter values ​​are calculated by interpolation. Note that adjacent filter coefficient values ​​in an FIR low-pass filter generally have similar numerical values. Therefore, the interpolated values ​​are advantageously accurate. First, the integer position value IFpos is calculated. IFpos:=Integer part of Fpos

[0239] The filter value Fval at the position Fpos is Fval=A(IFpos)+[A(IFpos+1)-A(IFpos)]*[Fpos-IFpos] where A(IFpos) and A(IFpos+1) are the values ​​in the reference filter, and the filter position Fpos is the position between these values. In step S2280, an update to the filter sum SUM is calculated in response to the signal position j. SUM:=SUM+Fval*S(j)

[0240] In step S2290, the system moves to another signal location. Set j:=j-1 Then, proceed to step S2250.

[0241] In step S2300, a position j that is adjacent to and succeeds position x in the received input data is selected. This position j may be selected as the integer part of x plus 1, i.e., j:=1+(integer part of x).

[0242] In step S2310, a position in the FIR filter corresponding to the selected position j in the received input data is selected. The position Fpos may be a compensation number. The filter position Fpos is related to the middle position of the filter, Fpos=[(jx)*F R ] where F R is the filter ratio value.

[0243] In step S2320, it is checked whether the determined filter position value Fpos is outside the tolerance limits, i.e., whether it points to a position outside the filter. If it is outside, proceed to step S2360 below. If not, proceed to step S2330.

[0244] In step S2330, the filter values ​​are calculated by interpolation. Note that adjacent filter coefficient values ​​in an FIR low-pass filter generally have similar numerical values. Therefore, the interpolated values ​​are advantageously accurate. First, the integer position value IFpos is calculated: IFpos:=integer part of Fpos

[0245] The filter value at position Fpos is Fval(Fpos)=A(IFpos)+[A(IFpos+1)-A(IFpos)]*[Fpos-IFpos], where A(IFpos) and A(IFpos+1) are the values ​​in the reference filter and the filter position Fpos is the position between these values.

[0246] In step S2340, an update to the filter sum SUM is calculated in response to the signal position j. SUM:=SUM+Fval*S(j)

[0247] In step S2350, move to another signal location. Set j:=j+1. Then, proceed to step S2310.

[0248] In step S2360, output data values ​​R(j) are sent. The output data values ​​R(j) may be sent to memory such that consecutive output data values ​​are stored in consecutive memory locations. The numerical value of the output data values ​​R(j) is R(j):=SUM

[0249] In step S2370, the position value x is updated. x:=x+D

[0250] In step S2380, the position value j is updated. j:=j+1

[0251] In step S2390, a check is made to see if the desired number of output data values ​​have been generated. If the desired number of output data values ​​have not been generated, processing continues to step S2230. If the desired number of output data values ​​have been generated, processing continues to step S2120 in the manner described in connection with Figure 21. In fact, step S2390 is designed to ensure that a block of output signal values ​​R(q) is generated that corresponds to the block of input data values ​​S received in step S2200, and that when an output signal value R corresponding to the input data value S has been generated, step S2120 of Figure 21 needs to be executed. The method described with reference to FIG. 22 may be implemented as a computer program subroutine, and steps S2100 and S2110 may be implemented as a main program.

[0252] FIG. 23 shows another example of a cross-sectional view of the central portion 98 of a rotating mill shell 20 during operation. This view may be taken, for example, along line AA in FIG. 1A. According to the example of FIG. 23, the rolling mill shell 20 has six protrusions 310 configured to engage the filler material 30 as the shell rotates about the axis 60, i.e., the number L=6. For clarity, the protrusions in the example of FIG. 23 are individually referenced as 3101, 3102, 3103, 3104, 3105, and 3106.

[0253] A position sensor 170 is provided for generating a position signal Ep responsive to the rotational position of the shell 20. As mentioned above, since the shell 20 is rotatable about the axis of rotation 60, the stationarily mounted position sensor 170 generates a series of shell position signal values ​​P to indicate the instantaneous rotational position of the shell 20. S 23, as the shell 20 rotates around the rotation axis 60, several position markers 180 pass by the position sensor 170 during one rotation of the shell 20, and each marker 180 thereby causes the position sensor 170 to generate a rotation marker signal value P S According to one embodiment, when the shell 20 rotates about the axis of rotation 60, the position markers 1801...180 L successively pass by the position sensor 170, which causes the position sensor 170 to receive L rotation marker signal values ​​P S 23, there are six protrusions 310, i.e., L=6, and there are six position markers 1801, 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, and 1806. It is believed important that the placement of the position marker 180 with respect to angular position mirrors the placement of the protrusions 310 on the interior surface 22 of the shell 20 with respect to angular position.

[0254] In the embodiment of Figure 23, L position markers 180 are positioned equidistant from one another around the circumference of shell 20, thereby causing position sensor 170 to generate a marker signal Ps every 360 / L degrees during one rotation of shell 20. In this regard, in the embodiment of Figure 23, L protrusions 3101, 3102, 3103, 3104, 3105, and 3106 are positioned at the same distance from one another. LNote that the projections 310 are positioned equidistantly on the interior surface 22 of the shell 20. The equidistant locations of the projections 310 and the equidistant locations of the position markers 180 are believed to be important to some embodiments of this disclosure because the position markers 180 generate position reference signal values ​​and the projections 310 generate signal events, such as amplitude peaks, in the vibration signal as they engage material in the rotating mill charge (e.g., reference symbols S in FIGS. 1 and 15 ). EA , S MD , Se(i), S(j), S(q)), are believed to be important to some embodiments of this disclosure. Additionally, the time period between the occurrence of a position reference signal value and the occurrence of a signal event in the vibration signal caused by the projections 310 engaging material in the charge of the rotating mill shell may be indicative of an internal condition of the mill during operation, as discussed elsewhere in this disclosure. For example, the time period between the occurrence of a position reference signal value and the occurrence of a signal event in the vibration signal caused by the projections 310 engaging material in the charge of the rotating mill shell may be indicative of an internal condition, such as the position of the tip 205.

[0255] However, it is believed that the actual placement of the position markers 180 relative to the positions of the protrusions 310 is not critical. Thus, while FIG. 23 shows the position markers 180 positioned at the same angular positions as the protrusions 310, it should be noted that the position markers 180 could conceivably be displaced with respect to angular position. However, if the position markers 180 are displaced with respect to angular position, it is believed to be important that all of the position markers 180 are displaced equally so as to maintain the equidistant placement of the position markers 180 from one another. More specifically, it is believed to be important that the placement of the position markers 180 with respect to angular position reflects the placement of the protrusions 310 on the interior surface 22 of the shell 20 with respect to angular position.

[0256] 19A and 19B, it has been observed that when starting up a tumbling mill from an empty state, the initial internal status indicator object appears at an initial polar angle Φ(1), which represents the very first detected tip position 205 of the mill. Based on experimental measurements, it appears that the initial polar angle Φ(1) can be used as the reference tip position value. Therefore, the initial polar angle Φ(1) is the reference tip position value Φ TR For the particular tumbling mill whose internal state is shown by the display 210S shown in Figures 19A and 19B, the nominal tip position is at an angle value Φ of about 47 degrees, as seen in Figures 19A and 19B. TR 2 and 14, the reference tip position value Φ TR It is believed that the angular value of will change to a numerically different angular value if the position marker 180 is physically moved to a different configuration with respect to the angular position.

[0257] The rotating mill shell 20 configuration shown in Figure 23 may be used in combination with the status parameter extractor 450 exemplified in this disclosure. Referring to Figures 15A and / or 15B, the rotating mill shell 20 configuration shown in Figure 23 may be used to generate a marker signal P(i) that is sent to a shell velocity value generator 500. Thus, the shell velocity value generator 500 receives a marker signal P(i) having a position indicator signal value every 360 / L degrees during one rotation of the shell 20. Thus, a fast Fourier transformer 510 calculates the rotational speed f ROT If the rotational speed f is constant, the fast Fourier transformer 510 will receive a marker signal value P(j)=1 from the velocity value generator 500 every 360 / L degrees during one rotation of the shell 20. Alternatively, the fast Fourier transformer 510 may calculate the rotational speed f ROT changes, a marker signal value P(q)=1 will be received from decimators 470, 470B every 360 / L degrees during one rotation of shell 20.

[0258] Also, the velocity value generator 500 generates even more accurate velocity values ​​f when it receives a marker signal P(i) having a position indicator signal value every 360 / L degrees during one rotation of the shell 20, e.g., P(i)=1. ROT (j) can be generated.

[0259] Regarding the appropriate setting of FFT 510 when receiving a marker signal value P(j)=1 every 360 / L degrees during one rotation of shell 20, this is the case when the fundamental frequency is the repetition frequency f R This means that

[0260] As discussed above in connection with FIG. 2, the vibration signal S EA , S MD , S(j), S(q) are signal signatures S indicating collisions between the protrusion and the tip portion 205. FIMP If there are L protrusions 310 in the shell 20 (see FIG. 23 in conjunction with Equation 2 below), then the signal signature S FIMP will be repeated L times per revolution of the shell 20.

[0261] Referring again to the Fourier series (see Equation 2 below):

[0262]

number

[0263] where: n=0 The average value of the signal over a period of time (can be, but does not have to be, zero) n=1 corresponds to the fundamental frequency of the signal F(t) n=2 corresponds to the first harmonic partial of the signal F(t) ω = angular frequency of interest, i.e. (2*π*f R ) f R = frequency of interest expressed in cycles per second t=time Φ n = phase angle of the nth partial C n= amplitude of the nth partial

[0264] Note that in this embodiment, if the FFT 510 receives a marker signal value P(j)=1 every 360 / L degrees during one rotation of the shell 20, then there will be one fundamental frequency per protrusion 310. As mentioned above, the FFT 510 needs to be configured with the reference signal in mind. As mentioned above, the position signals P(j), P(q) (see FIGS. 15A and / or 15B) may be used as reference signals for the digital measurement signals S(j), S(q). According to some embodiments, if the FFT analyzer is configured to receive the reference signals, i.e., the position signals P(j), P(q), once every 360 / L degrees during one rotation of the shell 20, where L is the number of protrusions 310 in the shell 20, the settings of the FFT analyzer must meet the following criteria: The integer value Oi is set equal to 1, i.e., 1; The configurable variables Y and Z are chosen so that the mathematical expression Oi*Z / Y is a positive integer. In other words, if the integer value Oi is set equal to 1, then the configurable variables Y and Z must be set to integer values ​​to make the variable X a positive integer, where X=Oi*Z / Y Using the above settings, i.e., setting the integer value Oi equal to 1, and referring to FIGS. 15A and / or 15B and Equation 2 above, the FFT 510 calculates the amplitude value C for n=1. n , i.e., C1=Sp(r). The FFT 510 may also deliver the phase angle of the fundamental frequency (n=1), i.e., Φ1=FI(r).

[0265] 15A and / or 15B in conjunction with Figures 1A and / or 1B and Equation 2 above, the state values ​​Sp(r)=C1 and FI(r)=Φ1 may be sent to a human-computer interface (HCI) 210 for visual display of the analytical results. As noted above, the displayed analytical results may include information indicative of the internal state of the tumbling mill process to enable an operator 230 to control the tumbling mill. Referring to Figures 16, 17, 18, 19A, and 19B, an exemplary illustration of a visual display of the analysis results is valid for the rotating mill shell 20 setting shown in Figure 23, where the FFT 510 receives marker signals P(i), P(j), P(q) having position indicator signal values ​​every 360 / L (L is the number of protrusions 310 in the shell 20) degrees.

[0266] While the above discussion related to the configuration of the FFT 510 refers to Fourier series and Equations 1 and 2 to convey an intuitive understanding behind the configuration of the FFT transformer 510, it should be noted that using digital signal processing may include the discrete Fourier transform (see Equation 3 below).

[0267]

number

[0268] Thus, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the above-described Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) may be included in signal processing to generate data indicative of the internal state of a tumbling mill, such as that discussed in connection with embodiments of status parameter extractor 450. See, for example, Figures 3, 4, 5, 15, and / or 24. In light of the above discussion of the subject of FFTs and Fourier series, the Discrete Fourier Transform will not be discussed in further detail as it will be familiar to skilled readers of this disclosure.

[0269] 23, a plurality of position markers 180 may be provided on the exterior surface of the shell 20, such that each marker 180 transmits to the position sensor 170 a rotational marker signal value P S , it should be noted that while the position sensor 170 is shown generating a position signal P , such position signals may alternatively be generated by an encoder 170 that is mechanically coupled to the rotating mill shell 20. Thus, the position sensor 170 may be configured such that the encoder generates one marker signal P , for example, per protrusion 310 in the rotating mill shell 20 during rotation of the mill shell 20. Smay be instantiated to generate

[0270] In summary, with the proper settings of FFT 510 and equations 1 and 2 above, the phase angle of the nth partial, i.e., Φ n Note that φ can indicate the relative position of the tip 205. Specifically, the phase angle of the nth partial, i.e., Φ n may indicate the position of the tip 205 expressed as a fraction of the distance between two adjacent protrusions 310 in the rotating shell 20. With reference to Table 6 above and FIG. 14, the total distance between two adjacent protrusions may be considered as 360 degrees, and the phase angle of the nth partial, i.e., Φ n Dividing by 360 may indicate the percentage of the total distance between two adjacent protrusions. This can be seen, for example, by comparing column #2 of Tables 5 and 6 above. As noted above, Φ n = phase angle of the nth partial, and C n = the amplitude of the nth partial. As discussed above, given the number of protrusions L in the rotating shell 20 and the number of reference signals generated, and the resulting order Oi of the signal of interest, the FFT 510 calculates the phase angle of the nth partial, Φ n and the amplitude of the nth partial, C n , resulting in the phase angle of the nth partial, i.e., Φ n can indicate the relative position of tip 205. Also, as noted above, FFT 510 may be configured to force variable X to be a positive integer, where X=Oi*Z / Y, Oi is set to an integer value, Y is set to an integer value, Z is set to an integer value.

[0271] FIG. 24 shows a somewhat schematic top view of another system 700 including a tumbling mill 10. The tumbling mill 10 may be, for example, an autogenous grinding (AG) mill. Alternatively, the tumbling mill 10 may be a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill. Another example of a tumbling mill 10 is a ball mill 10. The tumbling mill 10 includes a shell 20 having an interior shell surface 22 that forms a chamber 25 for grinding material. The tumbling mill system 700 of FIG. 24 may be configured as described in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example, in connection with FIGS. 1 to 31. However, while the tumbling mill systems of FIGS. 1A and / or 1B were described as including a vibration sensor 70 near the input side of the mill, the tumbling mill system 700 of FIG. 24 may include a vibration sensor 70 near the input side of the mill. The first measurement signal S EAIN a first vibration sensor 70 for generating IN , and The second measurement signal S EAOUT a second vibration sensor 70 for generating OUT Note that the sigma may be configured to have: First vibration sensor 70 IN The first measurement signal S generated by EAIN The signal processing of signal S may be performed in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example, in connection with FIGS. EA Similarly, the second vibration sensor 70 OUT The second measurement signal S generated by EAOUT The signal processing of signal S may be performed in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example, in connection with FIGS. EA Therefore, the difference compared to the above embodiment is that the system 700 includes a first measurement signal S EAIN and data indicating the internal state of the input side of the rolling mill based on the second measurement signal S EAOUT24 may be configured as described in any of the above embodiments of this disclosure with respect to providing a position signal or a reference signal.

[0272] The analysis device 150 shown in Figure 24 may include a first status parameter extractor 4501 and a second status parameter extractor 4502. The status parameter extractors 4501 and 4502 may operate as described in any of the other above embodiments, for example with reference to Figures 5 and / or 15, and / or as described in relation to Figures 30-31. Thus, the first status parameter extractor 4501 extracts a parameter S P1 (r), R T1 (r), f ROT (r), dS P1 (r), and dR T1 It may be configured to generate (r). Similarly, the second status parameter extractor 4502 extracts the parameter S P2 (r), R T2 (r), f ROT (r), dS P2 (r), and dR T2 (r), where the shell rotation speed f ROT (r) will naturally be the same, so one of the status parameter extractors will extract the rotational speed value f ROT In some cases, sending (r) is sufficient.

[0273] 24, a Cartesian coordinate system is shown having three mutually perpendicular axes x, y, and z. It should be understood that during operation of the mill 10, material 30 progresses from the input side 80 to the output side 90 of the mill in the positive direction of the x-axis.

[0274] The tumbling mill system 700 of FIG. 24 calculates a parameter S P1 (r), R T1 (r), dS P1 (r), and dRT1 (r), and a parameter indicating the internal state of the output side of the rolling mill, S P2 (r), R T2 (r), dS P2 (r), and dR T2 It has the advantage of providing (r). Comparing input parameters with corresponding output parameters has the advantage of adding another dimension to understanding the internal state of the mill 10. For example, R T2 (r) and R T1 The relationship with (r) is - indicates whether the tip position is the same on the input and output side, or -R T1 (r)>R T2 In the case of (r), the tip position is higher on the input side, or -R T2 (r)>R T1 In the case of (r), the tip position is higher on the output side.

[0275] A higher tip position on the output side may indicate an early fault. For example, if the outflow rate of the output material 95 decreases due to a blockage while the inflow of the solid material 110 continues at an unslowed pace, there is an increased risk of overload, which may result in a decrease in the efficiency of the tumbling mill grinding process. Thus, the tumbling mill system 700 of FIG. 24 has the advantage of being able to provide an early indication of an early fault. Therefore, based on a comparison of the input-side parameters with the corresponding output-side parameters, the tumbling mill system 700 may enable adjustment of control parameters to avoid a fault, such as mill overload.

[0276] Referring to FIG. 24, the vibration sensor 70 OUT is attached to the non-rotating part of the body of the mill structure 10, and the vibration sensor 70 OUT is positioned to detect vibrations primarily in the horizontal direction Y (referring to a Cartesian coordinate system having three mutually perpendicular axes x, y and z, with Y being the horizontal direction). Similarly, vibration sensor 70 IN is attached to the non-rotating part of the body of the mill structure 10, and the vibration sensor 70 INis positioned to detect vibrations primarily in the horizontal direction Y. Experimental measurements appear to indicate that improved vibration signal quality is obtained when the vibration sensor is configured to detect vibrations primarily in the horizontal direction Y, as compared to vibration signal quality obtained when the vibration sensor is configured to detect vibrations primarily in the vertical direction Z. For example, as discussed above in connection with FIG. 2, the interaction of protrusion 310 with packing tip 205, as shown in FIG. 2, causes material at the packing tip to accelerate in the direction of movement of protrusion 310, resulting in mechanical vibrations V IMP The collision of the tip portion 205 of the protrusion 310C with the mass of material causes the tip portion to move the mass of material in the moving direction A of the protrusion 310C. ACC This acceleration is caused by a force F IMP Since the mass of the solid material in the mill charge 30 is in the order of metric tons, this impact force F IMP However, since mill structures are typically placed on very hard floors that tend to dampen vertical vibrations, detection of horizontal Y vibrations appears to improve vibration signal quality.

[0277] Figure 25 shows a semi-diagrammatic and schematic top view of yet another embodiment of a system 720 comprising a tumbling mill 10. The tumbling mill system 720 of Figure 25 may be configured as described in relation to Figure 24. However, the tumbling mill system 700 of Figure 24 does not include a vibration sensor 70 mounted on a non-rotating part of the body of the mill structure 10. OUT , and a vibration sensor 70 mounted on another non-rotating part of the body of the mill structure 10. IN 25 is described as having a vibration sensor 70 mounted on the rotating shell 20 of the mill structure 10. 20 The vibration sensor 70 differs in that it provides 20 As shown in FIG. 25, the vibration sensor 70 can be directly provided on the rotating shell 20. 20 would provide high vibration amplitudes if placed directly on the outside of the shell opposite the shell wall protrusion 310.

[0278] The tumbling mill system 720 of FIG. 25 optionally receives a first measurement signal S EAIN a first vibration sensor 70 for generating 20IN , and The second measurement signal S EAOUT a second vibration sensor 70 for generating 20OUT As shown in FIG. 25, a first vibration sensor 70 20IN is the measurement point position 310 closer to the input side 80 than to the output side 90. IN The second vibration sensor 70 may be fixed to the outer surface of the shell 20. 20OUT is a measurement point position 310 closer to the output side 90 than to the input side 80. OUT The outer surface of the shell 20 may be secured with a First vibration sensor 70 20IN and the second vibration sensor 70 20OUT may be equipped to communicate with device 150 wirelessly, for example, via transceiver units 740 and 750, respectively. 20 , 70 20IN , 70 20OUT The sensor 70 may be powered via a battery or, alternatively, by an inductive device (not shown) attached to the exterior surface of the rotating shell 20, which acts as a generator through interaction with one or more stationary permanent magnets. In this way, as the shell 20 rotates, it causes the inductive device to repeatedly pass through the magnetic field of one or more stationary permanent magnets, thereby generating a current for the sensor 70. 20 , 70 20IN , 70 20OUT This induces a current that can be used as power for

[0279] The tumbling mill system 720 of FIG. 25 also calculates a parameter S P1 (r), R T1 (r), dS P1 (r), and dR T1 (r), and a parameter indicating the internal state of the output side of the tumbling mill, S P2 (r), R T2 (r), dSP2 (r), and dR T2 (r) has the advantage that it can be provided. Thus, the skilled reader of this disclosure can directly and unambiguously derive that the rolling mill system 720 of FIG. 25 can advantageously indicate an initial fault in a substantially similar manner to the rolling mill system 700 of FIG. 24. Specifically, the rolling mill system 720 of FIG. 25 has the advantage that it can enable comparison of input-side parameters with corresponding output-side parameters in the manner described above in relation to the rolling mill system 700. Thus, the rolling mill system 720 of FIG. 25 also has the advantage that it can enable adjustment of control parameters to avoid faults such as, for example, overload of the mill.

[0280] FIG. 26 shows a somewhat schematic and top view of yet another embodiment of a system 730 including a rolling mill 10. The rolling mill 10 may be, for example, an autogenous grinding (AG) mill. Alternatively, the rolling mill 10 may be a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill. Another example of the rolling mill 10 is a ball mill 10. The rolling mill 10 includes a shell 20 having an inner shell surface 22 that forms a chamber 25 for grinding material. The rolling mill system 730 of FIG. 26 may be provided with components configured as in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example as described in relation to FIGS. 1 to 25 and / or as described in relation to FIGS. 30 to 31. Specifically, the apparatus 150 shown in FIG. 26 may be configured as in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example as described in relation to FIGS. 1 to 25 and / or as described in relation to FIGS. 30 to 31. However, in the embodiment of the system 730 shown in FIG. 26, the apparatus 150 includes a monitoring module 150A and a control module 150B. Although the drawing shows the apparatus 150 as two boxes, it should be understood that the apparatus 150 may be provided as a single entity including the monitoring module 150A and the control module 150B, indicated by the unified reference numeral 150.

[0281] The system 730 operates at a rotational speed f to pulverize the filler material 30 by tumbling it within a rotating shell. ROT The present invention is configured to control the internal conditions of a tumbling mill 10 having a shell 20 that rotates about an axis 60 at a speed of 1000 rpm.

[0282] The shell 20 has an interior shell surface 22 that includes a first number L of protrusions 310 configured to engage material as the shell 20 rotates about the axis 60. The system 730 may include devices 170, 180 for generating position signals. The devices 170, 180 may include position sensors 170 and markers 180 described elsewhere in this disclosure. The position signals may include E indicative of the rotational position of the rotating shell 20. P , P(i), P(j), P(q), and the position signal includes a time series of position signal sample values ​​P(i), P(j), P(q).

[0283] Sensor 70, 70 IN , 70 OUT , 330 is provided, and mechanical vibration V resulting from the rotation of the shell is IMP Vibration signal S according to EA , S MD , Se(i), S(j), S(q). EA , Se(i), S(j), S(q) may contain time series of vibration sample values ​​Se(i), S(j), S(q).

[0284] Device 150 of system 730 may comprise a monitoring module 150A and a control module 150B. Monitoring module 150A comprises status parameter extractors 450, 4501, 4502, 450C configured to detect a first occurrence of a first reference position signal value in the time series of position signal sample values ​​P(i), P(j), P(q) (see Tables 2, 3 and 4 above where column #2 indicates position signals having values ​​1;1C). The status parameter extractor 450 may be configured to detect a second occurrence of the second reference position signal value 1;1C;100% in the time series of the position signal sample values ​​P(i), P(j), P(q). The status parameter extractor 450 may also detect an event signature S in the time series of the vibration sample values ​​Se(i), S(j), S(q). P (r);Sp occurrence. The event may be caused by a collision of the protrusion 310 with the tip portion 205 of the filler 30, resulting in an impact vibration that may cause a vibration signal signature, as discussed elsewhere in this disclosure. The status parameter extractor 450 may be configured to: An event signature occurs, First and second occurrences; The first temporal relationship R T (r);T D ;It may be configured to generate data indicative of FI(r),X1(r).

[0285] As mentioned above, the system 730 includes a control module 150B configured to receive data indicative of the internal status of the mill 10 from the mill monitoring module 150, 150A. The data indicative of the internal status may include any of the information generated or transmitted by the status parameter extractor 450, as described in connection with any of Figures 1 through 31 of this disclosure. With reference to Figure 26, the control module 150B is configured to: Tip position reference value FI REF (r) (see Figure 26), First temporal relation R T (r);T D ;FI(r);X1(r) (see Figures 1 to 31), and Tip position error value FI ERR (r) (See Figure 26) Based on the tip angle position FI(r), A TOE (See FIG. 26 in conjunction with FIG. 2) and a regulator 755 for controlling the Tip position error value (FI ERR (r)) is the tip position reference value FI REF (r), and the first temporal relationship RT (r);T D Depends on FI(r) (see Figures 3 to 26). Tip position reference value FI REF (r) may be generated by manual input (not shown in FIG. 26, but which may be done, for example, as discussed above in connection with FIGS. 1A and / or 1B).

[0286] As shown in Figure 26, the tip position error value (FI ERR (r)) is the tip position reference value FI REF (r) and the first temporal relationship R T (r);T D ;FI(r); may depend on the difference with X1(r). Regulator 755 controls the solid material feed rate set point R SSP is the tip position reference value FI REF The solid material feed rate R discussed in connection with FIG. 1A may be configured to be controlled in response to (r). S is the solid material feed rate set point R SSP (See FIG. 26.) As discussed in connection with FIG. 1A, the solid material feed rate R S is the amount of solid material fed into the input 100 of the tumbling mill 10 per time unit.

[0287] The regulator also controls the liquid feed rate set point R LSP is the tip position reference value FI REF The liquid supply rate R may be controlled according to (r). L is the liquid feed rate set point R LSP As discussed in connection with FIG. 1A, the liquid supply rate R L may be the amount of liquid per time unit pumped into the input 130 of the tumbling mill 10.

[0288] The event signature is the impact force F generated when the protrusion 310 on the inner shell surface 22 of the rotating shell 20 interacts with the tip portion 205 of the filler material 30. IMP It may show.

[0289] The status parameter extractor 450 extracts a first temporal relationship R T (r);T D ;FI(r);X1(r) may be configured to generate the phase angle (FI(r)).

[0290] First temporal relation R T (r);T D ;FI(r);X1(r) is the tip position 205, A TOE (r) (see Figure 2 in conjunction with Figure 26). The first temporal relationship R T (r);T D ;FI(r);X1(r) may denote the percentage of the distance between two adjacent protrusions 310 in the mill shell. Alternatively, the relationship value X1(r) may indicate the relative position of the tip portion 205, i.e., the position of the tip portion 205 relative to two predetermined stator positions separated from each other to correspond to the positions of two adjacent protrusions 310. Additionally, the relation value X1(r) may indicate the absolute tip position.

[0291] An absolute tip position may be generated based on a combination of the relationship value X1(r) and a second internal status parameter X2(r), also referred to as Sp(r). Specifically, as discussed in connection with, for example, FIGS. 16, 17, 18, 19A, and 19B, an absolute tip position may be generated based on the temporal progression of the combination of the first internal status parameter X1(r) and the second internal status parameter X2(r). As shown in FIG. 19A, an initial data set 550(r)=550(1), corresponding to X1(r=1) and X2(r=1), represents an empty or nearly empty state of the mill. As the mill fill level increases in the direction of arrow 560A, the absolute tip position increases. In FIGS. 19A and 19B, an initial angle FI TR 2, the tip angle of 0 degrees at the vertical line 960 in FIG. 2 is the initial angle FI in FIG. 19B. TRThe increasing value of X2(r) as r increases is shown as increasing distance from the origin in FIG. 19B and indicates an increasing mass of tip portion 205, as discussed elsewhere in this document. When the value of parameter X1(r) increases to a value equal to 360 degrees, it indicates that tip position 205 is closer to the initial angle FI TR It is shown that it is at an angular distance of 360 / L from When the value of the parameter X1(r) increases to a value greater than 360 degrees, it means that the absolute tip position 205 is closer to the initial angle FI TR Show that it is at an angular distance of 360 / L+X1(r) from

[0292] The status parameter extractor 450 extracts the event signature into an amplitude value S P (r);Sp;C L (r);C1(r);X2(r).

[0293] The status parameter extractor 450 extracts a first temporal relationship R T (r);T D 15A and / or 15B) configured to generate ;FI(r);X1(r).

[0294] As discussed in connection with Table 5, the status parameter extractor 450 extracts the total number of samples N from the first occurrence to the second occurrence. B The status parameter extractor 450 may also be configured to count another number of samples N from the first occurrence to the occurrence of the event. P and the status parameter extractor 450 may be configured to count the number of additional samples and the total number of samples to determine a first temporal relationship R T (r);T D ;FI(r);X1(r).

[0295] The status parameter extractor 450 extracts the total number of samples N from the first occurrence to the second occurrence. Band the status parameter extractor 450 may be configured to count another number of samples N from the first occurrence to the occurrence of the event. P The status parameter extractor 450 may also be configured to count the first temporal relationship R T (r);T D ;FI(r) may be configured to be generated based on a relationship between a number of additional samples that may indicate tip position 205 and the total number of samples.

[0296] According to one embodiment, the regulator 755 adjusts the input tip position (FI IN (r), A TOE_IN )of Tip position reference value (FI REFIN (r)), First Temporal Relationship (FI IN (r)), and Tip position error value (FI ERRI (r)) and operates to control based on Tip position error value (FI ERRI (r)) is Tip position reference value (FI REFIN (r)), and The first temporal relationship (R T (r);T D ;FI IN (r)) Depends on.

[0297] According to one embodiment, regulator 755 controls the solid material feed rate set point R SSP is the tip position reference value FI REFIN (r) and operates to control the

[0298] According to one embodiment, regulator 755 controls the solid material feed rate set point R SSP of Tip position reference value (FI REFIN (r)), First Temporal Relationship (FI IN (r)), and Tip position error value (FI ERRI (r)) and operates to control based on Tip position error value (FI ERRI (r)) is Tip position reference value (FI REFIN (r)), and First Temporal Relationship (FI IN (r)) Depends on.

[0299] 26, 28 and 29 show the first time relationship FI for two feedback signals, i.e., the input side of the mill 10. IN (r), and a first time relationship FI with respect to the output side of the mill 10 OUT Although (r) is shown, it should be understood that the system may operate with a single feedback signal. Thus, for example, the regulator may include a first time relationship FI with respect to the state of the input side of the mill, for example. IN A single input may be provided for receiving (r).

[0300] According to one embodiment, regulator 755 controls the solid material feed rate set point R SSP of Tip position reference value (FI REFOUT (r)), First Temporal Relationship (FI OUT (r)), and Tip position error value (FI ERRO (r)) and operates to control based on Tip position error value (FI ERRO (r)) is Tip position reference value (FI REFOUT (r)), and First Temporal Relationship (FI OUT (r)) Depends on.

[0301] The regulator 755 may be configured to comprise a proportional-integral-derivative controller (PID controller). Alternatively, the regulator 755 may be configured to comprise a proportional-integral controller (PI controller). Alternatively, the regulator 755 may be configured to comprise a proportional controller (P controller).

[0302] Alternatively, adjuster 755 may be configured to include Kalman filtering, also known as linear quadratic estimation (LQE), which is an algorithm that uses a series of measurements observed over time, including statistical noise and other imprecisions, to generate estimates of unknown variables that tend to be more accurate than those based on a single measurement alone by estimating a joint probability distribution on the variables for each time frame.

[0303] 27 shows a schematic block diagram of a distributed process monitoring system 770. Reference numeral 780 relates to a client location comprising a mill 10 with a rotatable shell 20 as discussed above in relation to the previous figures of this document. The client location 780, which may also be referred to as a client part or mill location 780, may be, for example, the site of a mining company, the site of an ore mill plant, or a manufacturing plant, for example for the production of cement.

[0304] A distributed process monitoring system 770 may include one sensor 70 or several sensors 70, 70 IN , 70 OUT is operational when attached to a measurement point on or at a measurement point associated with shell 20. As mentioned above, such a measurement point may be, for example, on bearings 40, 50 (see FIGS. 26 and 27) or at measurement point location 310. IN , 310 OUT (See Figure 25.)

[0305] Measurement signal S EA , S EAIN , S EAOUT , and EP (See, e.g., FIGS. 1, 27, 26, 25) may be coupled to an input port of the mill location communication device 790. The mill location communication device 790 receives a measurement signal S EA , S EAIN , S EAOUT , and E P The mill location communication device 790 may include an analog-to-digital converter 795 for A / D conversion of the measurement signal S. The A / D converter 975 may operate as disclosed in connection with the A / D converter 330 elsewhere in this document, for example, in connection with FIGS. 3 and 5. The mill location communication device 790 has a communication port 800 for bidirectional data exchange. The communication port 800 is connected to a communication port 800 for connecting a measurement signal S EA , S EAIN , S EAOUT , and E P The communication network 810 may be connected to a communications network 810, for example, via a data interface 820, to enable delivery of digital data corresponding to the communication network 810. The communication network 810 may be the World Wide Internet, also known as the Internet. The communication network 810 may also include the public switched telephone network.

[0306] A server computer 830 is connected to the communications network 810. The server 830 may include a database 840, a user input / output interface 850, data processing hardware 852, and a communications port 855. The server computer 830 is located at a server location 860 that is geographically separate from the mill location 780. The server location 860 may be in a first city, such as Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, while the mill location 780 may be in a rural area near the mill and / or in another country, such as Norway, Australia, or the United States. Alternatively, the server location 860 may be in a first region of a county, while the mill location 780 may be in another region of the same county. The server location 860 may also be referred to as a supplier region 860 or supplier location 860.

[0307] According to one example, central control location 870 includes a monitoring computer 880 having data processing hardware and software for monitoring and / or controlling the internal conditions of mill 10 at remote mill locations 780. Monitoring computer 880 may also be referred to as control computer 880. Control computer 880 may include database 890, user input / output interface 900, and data processing hardware 910, as well as communication port 920, 920A, or several communication ports 920, 920A, 920B. Central control location 870 may be a geographic distance away from mill locations 780. Central control location 870 may be located in a first city, such as Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, while mill locations 780 may be located in a rural area near the mill and / or in another country, such as Norway, Australia, or the United States. Alternatively, central control location 870 may be located in a first region of a county, and mill locations 780 may be located in another region of the same county. Communication ports 920, 920A allow the control computer 880 to be coupled for communication with the mill location communication device 790. Thus, the control computer 880 receives the measurement signal S EA , S EAIN , S EAOUT , and E P (See, for example, FIGS. 1, 27, 26, 25) may be received from the mill location communication device 790 via the communication network 810.

[0308] The system 770 receives a real-time or substantially real-time measurement signal S from a location 870. EA , S EAIN , S EAOUT , and E P 1-26 。 Control computer 880 may be configured to receive a signal from a monitoring module 150, 150A disclosed in any of the examples herein, such as those disclosed above in connection with any of Figures 1-26.

[0309] A supplier company may occupy the server location 860. The supplier company may sell and supply devices 150 and / or monitoring modules 150A and / or software for use in such devices 150 and / or monitoring modules 150A. Accordingly, the supplier company may sell and supply software for use in the control computer 880 at the central control location 870. Such software 370, 390, 400 is discussed, for example, in connection with FIG. 4. Such software 370, 390, 400 may be supplied by transmission over the communications network 810. Alternatively, such software 370, 390, 400 may be supplied as a computer-readable medium 360 for storing program code. Accordingly, the computer program 370, 390, 400 may be provided as an article of manufacture including a computer storage medium having the computer program encoded therein.

[0310] According to an exemplary embodiment of the system 770, the monitoring computer 880 receives the measurement signal S EA , S EAIN , S EAOUT , and E P 1 , 27 , 26 , 25 ) may be received substantially continuously from the mill location communication device 790, for example, via the communication network 810, to enable continuous or substantially continuous monitoring of the internal conditions of the mill 10. The user input / output interface 900 at the central control location 870 may include a screen 900S for displaying images and data as discussed in connection with the HCI 210 elsewhere in this document. Accordingly, the user input / output interface 900 may include a display or screen 900S, 210S for providing a visual display of the analytical results. The displayed analytical results may include information indicative of the internal conditions of the tumbling mill process to enable an operator 930 at the central control location 870 to control the tumbling mill 10.

[0311] Additionally, the monitoring computer 880 at the central control location 870 may be configured to provide information indicative of the internal state of the tumbling mill process to the HCI 210 via the communication ports 920, 920B and via the communication network 810. In this manner, the monitoring computer 880 at the central control location 870 may be configured to enable an operator 230 at a client location 780 to control the tumbling mill. The local operator 230 at the client location 780 may be located in the control room 220 (see FIGS. 1A and / or 1B and / or 27). Accordingly, the client locations 780, 220 may be equipped with a second mill location communication device 790B. The second mill location communication device 790B has a communication port 800B for bidirectional data exchange, which communication port 800B is connectable to the communication network 810, for example, via the data interface 820B. Although described as two location communication devices 790, 790B for clarity, a single mill location communication device 790, 790B and / or a single communication port 800, 800B for bidirectional data exchange may alternatively be provided. Thus, items 790 and 790B may be integrated as a single unit at mill location 780, and similarly, items 820 and 820B may be integrated as a single unit at mill location 780.

[0312] FIG. 28 shows a schematic block diagram of yet another embodiment of a distributed process monitoring system 940. Reference numeral 780 refers to a mill location including a mill 10 having a rotatable shell 20, as discussed above in connection with the preceding figures of this document. The distributed process monitoring system 940 of FIG. 28 may be configured with components as described in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example, as described in connection with FIGS. 1-31. Specifically, the monitoring device 150, also referred to as a monitoring module 150A, shown in FIG. 28 may be configured with components as described in connection with FIG. 27, except that it is located at a central control location 870.

[0313] 28, the mill location 780 includes the control module 150B, as described above in connection with FIG. 26, for example.

[0314] Thus, the internal conditions of the mill 10 may be automatically controlled by a control module 150B located at or near the mill location 780, while a monitoring computer 880 at a central control location 870 may be configured to provide information indicative of the internal conditions of the tumbling mill process to the HCI 900, 900S to enable an operator 930 at the central control location 870 to monitor the internal conditions of the tumbling mill 10.

[0315] Measurement signal S EA , S EAIN , S EAOUT , and E P (See, e.g., FIGS. 1, 27, 26, 25) may be coupled to an input port of the mill location communication device 790. The mill location communication device 790 receives a measurement signal S EA , S EAIN , S EAOUT , and E P3 and 5. The mill location communication device 790 may include an analog-to-digital converter 795 for A / D conversion of the measurement signal S. The A / D converter 975 may operate as disclosed in connection with the A / D converter 330 elsewhere in this document, for example, in connection with FIGS. 3 and 5. The mill location communication device 790 has a communication port 800 for bidirectional data exchange. The communication port 800 is connectable to a communication network 810, for example, via a data interface 820. The communication port 800 is connected to a communication network 810, for example, via a data interface 820. EA , S EAIN , S EAOUT , and E P 8. The device 800 may be connected to a communications network 810 via a data interface 820, for example, to enable the delivery of digital data corresponding to the device 800. The client location 780 may also include a second mill location communication device 790B having a communication port 800B for two-way data exchange, which is connectable to a communication network 810, for example via a data interface 820B, to enable reception by the control module 150B of data indicative of the internal state of the mill 10.

[0316] As shown in FIG. 28, data indicative of the internal conditions of the mill 10 may be generated by a monitoring module 150A at a central control location 870. 28 illustrates two location communication devices 790, 790B for clarity, alternatively, a single mill location communication device 790, 790B and / or a single communication port 800, 800B for bidirectional data exchange may be provided. Thus, items 790 and 790B may be integrated as one unit at mill location 780, and similarly, items 820 and 820B may be integrated as one unit at mill location 780.

[0317] FIG. 29 shows a schematic block diagram of yet another embodiment of a distributed process control system 950. Again, reference numeral 780 refers to the mill location including the mill 10 having the rotatable shell 20 discussed above in connection with the preceding figures of this document. The distributed process monitoring system 950 of FIG. 29 may be configured with components as described in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example, as described in connection with FIGS. 1-31. Specifically, the monitoring device 150, also referred to as the monitoring module 150A shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, may be configured with components as described in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example, as discussed in connection with FIGS. 1-31. The process monitoring system 950 shown in FIG. 29 may also be configured with the control module 150B described above in connection with FIG. 26 and the monitoring module 150A disclosed in connection with FIG. 27.

[0318] 29, monitoring module 150A and control module 150B are located at control location 870. Control location 870 may be remote from mill location 780. Communication of data between control location 870 and mill location 780 may occur via data ports 820 and 920 and communication network 810, as discussed above in connection with the preceding figures.

[0319] FIG. 30 shows another example of a cross-sectional view of the central portion 98 of the rotating mill shell 20 during operation. This view may be taken, for example, along line AA in FIG. 1A. According to the example of FIG. 30, the rolling mill shell 20 has four protrusions 310 configured to engage the filler material 30 as the shell rotates about the axis 60, i.e., the number L=4. For clarity, the protrusions in the example of FIG. 23 are individually referenced as 3101, 3102, 3103, and 3104. A position sensor 170 is provided to generate a position signal Ep in response to the rotational position of the shell 20. As shown in Figure 30, the position sensor 170 is disposed along a vertical line 960 from the rotation axis 60 around which the shell 20 can rotate. Also, a position marker 180 is provided on the outer surface of the shell 20 such that when the protrusion 310 passes by the vertical line 960, the position sensor 170 generates a marker signal P S 30 . If the rolling mill shell 20 has four projections 310 as shown in FIG. 30 and a single static position sensor 170 is provided, an example method may receive a first static position signal Ps1, P1 in response to a first passage of the position marker 180, receive a second static position signal Ps2 in response to a second passage of the position marker 180, and then generate a virtual static position signal Pc in the time series of recorded position signal sample values. The generated virtual static position signal Pc is interpolated so that it is evenly distributed in the time series of recorded position signal sample values ​​when the projections are evenly distributed around the inner circumference of the shell 20. This has the advantage of resulting in a time series of recorded position signal sample values ​​that indicate L evenly distributed static positions, as shown in FIG. 30 . In the example of FIG. 30 , there are four projections, i.e., L=4, so the time series of recorded position signal sample values ​​indicates four static positions P1, P2, P3, and P4=PL. The L stationary position signals Ps, Pc can then be used as reference position signals. The event signal signature will also occur L times per revolution in the time series of vibration signal sample values, and the occurrence of the event signal signature can be analyzed relative to one stationary position signal Ps, Pc or two stationary position signals Ps, Pc.

[0320] 19A and 19B, it has been observed that when starting up a tumbling mill from an empty state, the initial internal status indicator object appears at an initial polar angle Φ(1), which represents the very first detected tip position 205 of the mill. Based on experimental measurements, it appears that the initial polar angle Φ(1) can be used as the reference tip position value. Therefore, the initial polar angle Φ(1) is the reference tip position value Φ TRFor the particular tumbling mill whose internal state is shown by the display 210S shown in Figures 19A and 19B, the nominal tip position is at an angle value Φ of about 47 degrees, as seen in Figures 19A and 19B. TR 2 and 14, the reference tip position value Φ TR It is believed that the angular value of will change to a numerically different angular value if the position marker 180 is physically moved to a different configuration with respect to the angular position. Referring to FIG. 30, the position marker 180 is rotated at an initial polar angle Φ(1)=Φ when the protrusion 310 passes by the vertical line 960. TR represents the very first detected tip position of the tumbling mill when starting it from an empty state, the position sensor 170 detects the reference tip position value Φ TR The rotation marker signal value P S In this regard, a zero degree absolute tip position X6 can be represented as the position indicated by a perpendicular line 960 from the axis of rotation 60 when the tip is at the bottom of the shell 20 (see FIG. 30 in conjunction with FIG. 2). 30, 2, and 14A and 14B, the reference tip position value Φ TR It is believed that the angular value of will change to a numerically different angular value if the position marker 180 is physically moved to a different configuration with respect to the angular position.

[0321] 31 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a status parameter extractor 450, referred to as status parameter extractor 450C. The status parameter extractor 450C may comprise, among other things, a vibration event signature detector and a position signal value detector and a relation generator, as discussed below. The vibration event signature detector may be embodied by a peak detector, as discussed below.

[0322] According to aspects of the solution disclosed in this document, reference position signal values ​​Ep,1,1C are generated at L predetermined rotational positions of the rotatable shell 20, the L predetermined rotational positions following a pattern reflecting the angular positions of the L protrusions 310 within the shell 20. Providing such reference position signal values ​​Ep,1,1C simultaneously with performing vibration event signature detection in the manner disclosed herein advantageously enables generating data indicative of the position of the tip portion 205 in an accurate manner. Although illustrated with protrusions 310 arranged in an equally spaced pattern, i.e., evenly distributed within shell 20, this solution is also workable with other patterns of angular positions of the L protrusions 310 within shell 20. If other patterns of angular positions of the L protrusions 310 within the shell are used, it is important that the reference position signal values ​​Ep, 1, 1C are generated at L predetermined rotational positions of rotatable shell 20 that follow a pattern that reflects the angular positions of the L protrusions 310 within shell 20.

[0323] Referring to FIG. 5, the A / D converter 330 may be configured to send a series of pairs of vibration measurements S(i) associated with corresponding position signal values ​​P(i) to the status parameter extractor 450.

[0324] The status parameter extractor 450C of Figure 31 is adapted to receive a sequence of measurements S(i) and a sequence of position signals P(i) along with the temporal relationship between them. Thus, each measurement value S(i) is associated with a corresponding position value P(i). Such signal pairs S(i) and P(i) are provided to a memory 970. Referring to Figure 31, the status parameter extractor 450C includes a memory 970. The memory 970 may be operable to receive data in the form of signal pairs S(i) and P(i) to enable analysis of the temporal relationships between the occurrence of events in the received signals. Columns #2 and #3 of Table 3 show example data collected in memory 970 during one complete rotation of the shell when there are L=6 protrusions 310 in the shell 20 such that position signals 1, 1C are provided six times per rotation. Tables 4 and 5 provide more detailed information regarding example signal values ​​in the first 1280 time slots of Table 3.

[0325] The position signals 1, 1C may be generated by physical marker devices 180 and / or some position signals 1C may be virtual position signals. The time series of position signal sample values ​​P(i), P(j), P(q) should be provided in an occurrence pattern that reflects the angular position of the protrusion 310 within the shell 20. For example, if there are six (L=6) equidistant projections 310 in shell 20, then the angular distance between any two adjacent projections 310 is 60 degrees. This is because 360 ​​degrees is one rotation, and if L=6, then the angular distance between any two adjacent projections is 360 / L=360 / 6=60. Thus, a time series of corresponding position signal sample values ​​P(i) representing a full rotation of shell 20 should include six (L=6) position signal values ​​1, 1C with corresponding occurrence patterns as shown in Table 3.

[0326] The status parameter extractor 450C further comprises a position signal value detector 980 and a vibration event signature detector 990. The vibration event signature detector 990 may be configured to detect vibration signal events, such as amplitude peaks, in the sequence of received measurements S(i).

[0327] The output of the position signal value detector 980 is coupled to a START / STOP input 995 of a reference signal time counter 1010 and to a START input 1015 of an event signature time counter 1020. The output of the position signal value detector 980 may also be coupled to a START / STOP input 1023 of a vibration event signature detector 990 to indicate the start and end of the period under analysis. The detector 990 transmits on its output when a position signal value 1, 1C is detected.

[0328] The vibration event signature detector 990 is configured to analyze all sample values ​​S(i) between two consecutive position signal values ​​1, 1C to detect the maximum peak amplitude value Sp thereamong. The vibration event signature detector 990 has a first output 1021 that is coupled to the STOP input 1025 of the event signature time counter 1020.

[0329] The reference signal time counter 1010 is configured to count the period between two successive position signal values ​​1, 1C, thereby generating a first reference period value T REF1 at output 1030. This may be achieved, for example, by the reference signal time counter 1010 being a timer that counts the time period between two successive position signal values ​​1, 1C. Referring to FIG. 14B, the first reference period value T REF1 may thus indicate the time period between the stationary position signal P4 and the stationary position signal P5. Alternatively, the reference signal time counter 1010 may count the number of time slots (see column #01 in Table 3) between two consecutive position signal values ​​1, 1C.

[0330] The event signature time counter 1020 is configured to count the period from the occurrence of a position signal value 1, 1C to the occurrence of a vibration signal event, such as an amplitude peak value. This may be achieved in the following way. The event signature time counter 1020 begins counting when it receives information at its START input 1015 that the position signal value detector 980 has detected the occurrence of the position signal values ​​1, 1C. The event signature time counter 1020 stops counting when it receives information at its STOP input 1025 that the vibration event signature detector 990 has detected a vibration signal event, such as an amplitude peak value, in the sequence of measurements S(i) received. Thus, the event signature time counter 1020 may be configured to count the time period from the occurrence of the position signal value 1, 1C to the occurrence of the amplitude peak value, where the time period from the occurrence of the position signal value 1, 1C to the occurrence of the amplitude peak value is a second reference time period value T REF2 The second reference period value T REF2 may be sent out at output 1040. Referring to FIG. 14B, the second reference period value T REF2 may thus indicate the time period between the occurrence of the stationary position signal P4 and the occurrence of the amplitude peak value.

[0331] Referring to FIG. 31, the output 1040 provides the second reference period value T REF2 to the relation generator 1050. The relation generator 1050 also calculates the first reference period value T REF1 from the output 1030 of the reference signal time counter 1010. The relation generator 1050 generates a relation based on the received second reference period value T REF2 and the received first reference period value T REF1 The relationship value Xl is generated based on R T (r);T D;FI(r). The relationship value Xl may be generated L times per revolution of the shell 20. The relationship values ​​Xl generated L times from one revolution of the shell may also be averaged to generate one value Xl(r) per revolution of the shell 20. In this manner, the status parameter extractor 450C may be configured to deliver an updated value Xl(r) once per revolution.

[0332] For clarity, an example of a relationship value Xl is generated in the following manner. See column #03 of Table 4 in conjunction with Figure 31. The vibration sample value S(i) is generated by the vibration signal signature S FIMP are analyzed by the vibration event signature detector 990 for detection.

[0333] Vibration Signal Signature S FIMP may exhibit a peak amplitude sample value Sp. Referring to Table 5, the peak value analysis leads to the detection of the maximum vibration sample amplitude value S(i). In the illustrated example, the vibration sample amplitude value S(i=760) is detected to have the maximum peak value Sp. After detecting that the peak value Sp is in time slot 760, the time relationship value Xl can be established. In Table 5, the time slots carrying the position signal values ​​1 and 1C in the time series of position signal sample values ​​P(i) are shown as 0% and 100%, respectively.

[0334] As shown in the example in column #02 of Table 5, the time position of slot number i=760 is 59% of the time distance between slot i=0 and slot i=1280. In other words, 760 / 1280=0.59=59%.

[0335] Thus, the position of tip 205, expressed as a percentage of the distance between two adjacent rest positions PC (see rest positions P4 and P5 in FIG. 14B in conjunction with Table 5), is: From the first reference signal occurrence at sample number N0=0 to sample number N B = 1280, the total number of samples until the second reference signal occurs (NB -N0=N B -0=N B =1280) and From the first reference signal occurrence at N0=0 to sample number N P The number of samples (N P -N0=N P -0=N P ) and Another sample size N P and total number of samples N B Based on the first temporal relationship (Xl;R T (r);T D ;FI(r)) This can be obtained by X1(r)=R T (r)=R T (760)=(N P -N0) / (N B -N0)=(760-0) / (1280-0)=0.59=59% This can be summarized as follows.

[0336] Therefore, the relative tip position Xl, R T but, The total number of samples from the first reference signal generation to the second reference signal generation (N B ) and Sample number N from the first reference signal generation P The number of samples (N P ) and Number of samples N P and the total number of samples, i.e., N B The first temporal relationship (X1;R T (r);T D ;FI(r)) It may be generated by

[0337] The relationship generator 1050 may generate updates to the relationship value Xl with a delivery frequency that depends on the rotational speed of the shell 20. As described above, the status parameter extractor 450C may be configured to deliver an updated value X1(r) once per revolution. In this manner, the delivered update value X1(r) may be based on L values ​​generated during one revolution. The most recent update, number r, of the first internal status parameter X1(r) may be delivered at the first status parameter extractor output 1060.

[0338] 31 , the vibration event signature detector 990 may be configured to detect a peak amplitude sample value Sp. The vibration event signature detector 990 has an output 1070 for transmitting the detected vibration signal amplitude peak value Sp. The detected vibration signal amplitude peak value Sp may be transmitted from the output 1070 of the vibration signal peak amplitude detector 990 to an output 1080 of the status parameter extractor 450C. The output 1080 constitutes a second status parameter extractor output for transmission of a second internal status parameter X2(r), also referred to as Sp(r). The second internal status parameter X2(r) is transmitted at the same transmission frequency as the first internal status parameter X1(r). Also, the first internal status parameter X1(r) and the second internal status parameter X2(r) are preferably sent simultaneously as a set of internal status parameter data (X1(r);X2(r)). In the symbol X1(r), "r" is a sample number indicating a time slot, i.e., an increase in the value of "r" indicates a time progression in the same way as the number "i" in column #01 of Table 3.

[0339] As mentioned elsewhere in this paper, the vibration signal signature S FIMP The magnitude of the peak amplitude sample value Sp is the impact force F IMP The impact force F of the interaction between the rotating protrusion 310 and the material filler 30 is IMP causes acceleration of at least one particle in the tip portion 205 of the material charge 30, and the impact generates a mechanical shock vibration V IMP2, the collision of the mass of material at the tip portion 205 of the protrusion 310C causes the mass of material at the tip portion to move in the direction A. ACC Note that the acceleration is in the direction A. ACC is the direction in which the protrusion 310C moves. This acceleration is caused by a force F IMP This impact force F IMP is the size F IMP =m 205 *a 205 It may be presumed that where m 205 is the mass of the accelerated part of the tip, and a 205 is the amount of acceleration at the tip.

[0340] In view of the above, the inventor has concluded that the magnitude of the detected peak amplitude sample value Sp can advantageously indicate the density of the packing within the tumbling mill 10. In this regard, it should be noted that the content of desired metals in the solid material 110 of the charge material 30 affects the density of the charge within the tumbling mill 10, as discussed in this document in connection with Table 1. Thus, the density of the charge within the tumbling mill 10 may indicate a relationship between the desired metals and waste minerals in the charge within the tumbling mill 10. The inventors have therefore concluded that the magnitude of the detected peak amplitude sample value Sp may advantageously indicate a relationship between the desired metal and waste mineral in the charge within the tumbling mill 10.

[0341] The inventors have also concluded that there is an advantage in that a combination of the magnitude Sp of the detected peak amplitude sample value and the data indicating the tip position, i.e., the above-mentioned relationship value Xl, can indicate the degree of filling of the tumbling mill 10.

[0342] In this regard, it should be noted that the degree of packing of the tumbling mill 10 affects the efficiency of the grinding process. Therefore, it is desirable to control the inflow of input material 110 to maintain optimal conditions for the tumbling mill process, including an optimized degree of packing, in order to maximize the amount of output material 95 from the tumbling mill 10. The optimal internal conditions for the tumbling mill process may include a particular degree of packing of the shell 20, i.e., a particular packing volume. Therefore, the solid material feed rate set point R SSP may be controlled in response to a combination of the relationship value X1(r) and the magnitude of the detected peak amplitude sample value X2(r).

[0343] The inventors also concluded that there is an advantage in that a combination of the magnitude of the detected peak amplitude sample value Sp(r) = X2(r) and data indicating the tip position, i.e., the above-mentioned relationship value X1(r), can indicate the absolute tip position value X6(r) of the tumbling mill 10.

[0344] [Table 7]

[0345] 19A and 19B show the gradually increasing polar angle X1(r)=FI(r) and the gradually increasing radial value X2(r)=S P 19A , the polar angle Φ(1) of the first internal status indicator object 550(1) is combined with the relative tip position value X6(r) to depict an image of a spiral arm spiraling outward as indicated by curved arrow 560A in FIG. 19A starting from first internal status indicator object 550(1). The "angular length" X6(r) of the spiral arm from the initial polar angle Φ(1) of first internal status indicator object 550(1) to the current or most recently detected tip position F I(r) appears to indicate the absolute position X6(r) of tip portion 205 (see, e.g., FIGS. 2 and 14). In this regard, note that 360 degrees in polar coordinate system 520 of FIG. 19A corresponds to a relative tip position value X1 that indicates 100% of the distance between two adjacent static reference positions, as discussed in connection with FIG. 14B. Specifically, with reference to Figures 19A and 19B, note that there is some slowness in the change of absolute tip position X6.

[0346] Figure 32 is a block diagram of a system 5, 320, 770 comprising a tumbling mill, shown as a box 10, receiving multiple inputs U1, ...Uk and producing multiple outputs Y1, ...Yn. With reference to Figure 32 and Figure 1C, it should be noted that for analysis, the tumbling mill 10 may be considered as a black box 10B having multiple input variables referred to as input parameters U1, U2, U3, ...Uk (where the subscript k is a positive integer). During operation of the tumbling mill 10, 10B, the tumbling mill has an internal state X, and for analysis, the tumbling mill 10 may be considered as a black box 10B having multiple output variables also referred to as output parameters Y1, Y2, Y3, ...Yn (where the subscript n is a positive integer). The internal state X of the mill may be described or denoted by a number of internal state parameters X1, X2, X3, ..., Xm (where the subscript m is a positive integer).

[0347] Using the terminology of linear algebra, the input variables U1, U2, U3, ...Uk are sometimes collectively referred to as the input vector U. Thus, the dimension of the input vector U is k: Input vector U: Dim(U)=k

[0348] Similarly, the internal state parameters X1, X2, X3, . . . , Xm may be collectively referred to as the internal state vector X. The internal state vector X has dimension m: Internal state vector X: Dim(X)=m

[0349] The output parameters Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . Yn are sometimes collectively referred to as the output vector Y. The output vector Y has dimension n: Output vector Y: Dim(Y)=n

[0350] The internal state X of the mill 10 at a time designated r may be referred to as X(r). That internal state X(r) may be described or indicated by a number of internal state parameters X1, X2, X3, ..., Xm, as discussed above. These internal state parameters define various characteristics of the internal state X(r) of the mill 10 at time r.

[0351] The internal state X(r) of the tumbling mill 10 depends on the input vector U(r). One feature of the internal state X is the total amount of material 30 in the shell 20, which does not change instantaneously. Therefore, during operation of the mill 10, the internal state X(r) may be considered a function of the previous internal state X(r-1) and the input U(r). X(r)=f1(X(r-1),U(r)) (Equation 4) Here, X(r-1) represents the internal state X of the mill 10 at a time preceding the time designated r.

[0352] The output Y of the tumbling mill 10 may be considered as a function of the internal state X. Thus, using the terminology of linear algebra, the output vector Y(r) depends on the internal state vector X(r). Y(r)=f2(X(r)) (Equation 5)

[0353] An objective of certain aspects of this document is to address the problem of how to maintain the internal grinding process of the mill 10 at an appropriate operating point. Therefore, during operation of the mill 10, it may be desirable to counter deviations from such an operating point. This problem may be addressed by providing a linearized model of the grinding process at an operating point. When the above functions f1 and f2 are viewed at operating points near the appropriate operating point, respectively, the functions may be linear. Thus, at a selected operating point, the internal state X(r) may be considered as a function of the previous internal state X(r-1) and the input U(r) according to a linear model that may be written as follows: X(r)=A*X(r-1)+B*U(r) (Equation 6) where A and B are coefficient matrices. In this regard, it should be noted that in linear algebra, a coefficient matrix is ​​a matrix consisting of the coefficients of the variables in a set of linear equations. As experienced readers of this document know, coefficient matrices are used in solving systems of linear equations. In this regard, it should be noted that the coefficients in matrices A and B may each be constants.

[0354] Similarly, at a selected operating point, the output vector Y(r) depends on the internal state vector X(r) according to a linear model that can be written as follows: Y(r)=C*X(r) (Equation 7) where C is the coefficient matrix. However, Equation 7 does not imply that a change in state X needs to immediately translate into a change in state Y, as there may, perhaps at times, be a delay between the occurrence of a change in internal state X and the occurrence of a corresponding change in the state Y(r) of the products 95, 96. However, when operating in a steady state, there appears to be a causal relationship between the internal state X of the grinding process occurring in the mill 10 at time r and the state Y(r) of the products 95, 96 at the same time r. Therefore, Equation 7 is valid at least when operating the tumbling mill 10 in a steady state.

[0355] Referring to Equation 7, the coefficients in matrix C may be constants. The constant values ​​of the coefficients in matrix C are determined by the selected operating point X OP The derivative in the equation is sometimes set to C=dY / dX.

[0356] 32, the system includes a monitoring module 150A for generating an internal state vector X of dimension m, where m is a positive integer. In one example, Dim(X) is at least 2. The values ​​of the internal state vector X may be generated as disclosed above in connection with any of FIGS. 1A through 31.

[0357] The monitoring module 150A may be adapted to communicate 1122, for example, via the user interface 210, information describing the mill's internal state X during operation of the mill 10, as indicated by arrow 1122. Thus, one or several values ​​of the internal state vector X may be communicated to the operator 230 via the user interface 210. This has the advantage of simplifying 1124 the operator 230 of the mill 10 to appropriately adjust setpoint values ​​(subscripted SP) to affect the input vector U. Thus, for example, a speed setpoint value U1 SP (See FIG. 32 in conjunction with FIG. 1B) to adjust the speed f ROT , U1 can be adjusted. In this way, the operator can determine the associated setpoint value U SP By adjusting the corresponding input variables U1, U2, U3, ... Uk, the corresponding input variables U1, U2, U3, ... Uk can be adjusted. Set point value U1 SP , U2 SP , U3 SP , ...Uk are collectively the setpoint vector U SP Therefore, the set point vector U SP The dimension of is k. Set point vector U SP :Dim(U SP )=k

[0358] The system 5, 320, 770 of FIG. 32 may include a monitoring module 150A as described in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example, in connection with any of FIGS.

[0359] FIG. 33 is a block diagram of another system 730, 940, 950 comprising a tumbling mill shown as a box 10 that receives multiple inputs U1, . . . Uk and produces multiple outputs Y1, . The system 940 of Figure 33 may include a monitoring module 150A as described in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example, in connection with any of Figures 1-31. The system 940 of Figure 33 may also include a control module 150B as described in any of the other embodiments described in this disclosure, for example, in connection with Figure 28.

[0360] 33 may be adapted to communicate information describing the mill-internal state X during operation of the mill 10, for example, via the user interface 210. Accordingly, one or several values ​​of the internal state vector X may be communicated 1122 to the operator 230 via the user interface 210, as indicated by arrow 1122. This allows the operator 230 of the mill 10 to change the mill setpoint value U and / or the internal state reference value X to affect the mill-internal state X during operation of the mill 10. REF The arrow 1126 points to, for example, the desired internal state X REF The internal state reference parameter X1 is used to indicate the user input related to REF , X2 REF , X3 REF , ..., Xm REF are collectively the internal state reference vector X REF It is sometimes referred to as.

[0361] Internal state reference vector X REF The dimension of is m. Internal state reference vector X REF :Dim(X REF )=m In this manner, the operator 230 may adjust the mill setpoint value U and / or the associated internal condition reference parameter value X1 REF , X2 REF , X3 REF , ..., Xm REF By adjusting the internal state reference vector X, the mill 10 can be affected during operation. Thus, the user interface 210 can adjust the internal state reference vector X in response to user input. REFmay be configured to generate values ​​of

[0362] Internal state reference vector X REF is sent to the reference input of control module 150B as shown in Figure 33. Referring to Figure 33 in conjunction with Figure 26, control module 150B is a multivariable control module that also receives the above-mentioned internal state vector X from supervisory module 150A.

[0363] In this regard, an internal state vector X may indicate the current state of the grinding process within the mill 10, and an internal state reference vector X REF indicates the desired state of the grinding process.

[0364] The multivariable control module 150B receives the internal state reference vector X REF and the internal state error vector X based on the received internal state vector X ERR may be adapted to generate Internal state error vector X ERR is the internal state error value X1 ERR , X2 ERR , X3 ERR , ..., Xm ERR Includes: Internal state error vector X ERR The dimension of is m. Internal state error vector X ERR :Dim(X ERR )=m

[0365] The error vector is sent to the regulators 755, 755C. The regulators 755, 755C in FIG. 33 are fed with the setpoint vector U SP Therefore, the setpoint vector U SP contains the setpoint values ​​mentioned above to control or adjust the corresponding input variables U1, U2, U3, . . . Uk (see FIG. 33 in conjunction with FIG. 34).

[0366] Therefore, the system described in connection with FIG. 33 allows an operator to, for example, set the internal state reference vector X REFThis has the advantage of simplifying the operation of the mill 10 operator 230 to communicate 1122 information indicative of the internal state X of the mill during operation, while also allowing the operator 230 of the mill 10 to provide 1126 information describing the desired internal state, which may take the form of a reference value of

[0367] The regulators 755, 755C may be multivariable regulators configured to comprise multivariable proportional-integral-derivative controllers (PID controllers). Alternatively, the regulators 755, 755C may be configured to comprise multivariable proportional-integral controllers (PI controllers). Alternatively, the regulators 755, 755C may be configured to comprise multivariable proportional controllers (P controllers).

[0368] Alternatively, adjusters 755, 755C may be configured to include Kalman filtering, also known as linear quadratic estimation (LQE), which is an algorithm that uses a series of measurements observed over time, including statistical noise and other imprecisions, to generate estimates of unknown variables that tend to be more accurate than those based on a single measurement alone by estimating a joint probability distribution on the variables for each time frame.

[0369] Figure 34 shows another somewhat schematic view of a system 1130 including a tumbling mill 10. Accordingly, reference numeral 1130 relates to a system including a mill 10 having a rotatable shell 20 as discussed in this document. The system 1130 of Figure 34 may include and be configured with components as described above in connection with Figures 1A and / or 1B and / or in any of the other examples described in this disclosure, for example, as described in connection with Figures 1-33.

[0370] The monitoring module 150A may include a status parameter extractor function, as described elsewhere in this document, for generating internal state parameter values ​​X1, X2, X3, ..., Xm. It should be noted that the internal state X of the mill 10 at a time designated r may be referred to as X(r). That internal state X(r) may be described or represented by multiple parameter values ​​that define various characteristics of the internal state X(r) of the mill 10 at time r. Thus, the values ​​of the internal state parameters X1, X2, X3, ..., Xm at time r may be collectively referred to as the internal state vector X(r).

[0371] The system shown in Figure 34 may provide an integrated HCI 210, 250, 210S. Thus, the input / output interface 210 of Figure 34 may be configured to allow all of the above inputs and / or outputs. The input / output interface 210 of Figure 34 may also be configured to provide 1132 information regarding the state of the output material. The state of the output material may be described by output parameters Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn, collectively referred to as the output vector Y. As noted above, the output vector Y has dimension n. Output vector Y: Dim(Y)=n The vector Y may also be referred to as the discharge material state vector Y.

[0372] 34 includes a conditioner 1190. Conditioner 1190 may be configured to enable all of the functionality described with reference to conditioner 240 described elsewhere in this document. Alternatively, conditioner 1190 may be configured to enable all of the functionality described with reference to conditioner 755 described elsewhere in this document. In addition to the functionality described for conditioner 240 and / or conditioner 755, conditioner 1190 may be configured to perform additional functions, such as transmitting and / or receiving information regarding output materials 95, 96, e.g., in the form of output parameters Y1, Y2, Y3, ...Yn. Accordingly, conditioner 1190 may also be referred to by reference numerals 240C and / or 755C. Thus, the adjuster 1190 may be configured to communicate information regarding the output materials 95, 96 to the mill operator 230, as indicated by arrow 1132. The adjuster 1190 may also be configured to receive information regarding the output materials 95, 96 from the mill operator 230, as indicated by arrow 1196.

[0373] Figure 35 is a schematic overview of information that may be conveyed by the input / output interface 210 of Figure 34. With reference to Figures 34 and 35, it should be noted that the adjusters 1190, 755C of Figure 34 are coupled via coupling 1100 for data exchange with the input / output interface 210. The information transmitted via coupling 1100 is the internal state reference vector X REF Includes reference values.

[0374] Referring to FIG. 34 , the system 1130 includes a product analyzer 1140 configured to analyze at least a portion of the product particles 96. The product analyzer 1140 is configured to generate at least one product measurement Y1, Y2, Y3, ...Yn based on the product particle analysis. The product analyzer 1140 may include, for example, an Outotec PSI 300i analyzer. Alternatively, the product analyzer 1140 may include a PSI 500i particle size analyzer commercially available from Metso Outotec. The product analyzer 1140 may also include a device, such as a scale, configured to measure or estimate the mass per time unit of material 95 discharged from the mill. Note that in some instances, the product analyzer 1140 may be configured to analyze or measure only a portion of the product particles 96 instead of analyzing or measuring all of the product particles 96.

[0375] Indeed, at least one output material measurement Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn may indicate an output material state Y, which is the instantaneous state of the output material 95. When the analyzer 1140 provides more than one output material measurement, these values ​​may be provided in the form of the output vector Y described above.

[0376] At least one product measurement may be, for example, a product discharge rate R SDis It may also include a value indicating the product discharge rate R SDis constitutes data showing the weight per unit of time of solid material discharged from the mill after grinding. Therefore, the product discharge rate R SDis is a measure of the mass of material 95 discharged from the mill per time unit. SDis is sometimes referred to as the output parameter Y1.

[0377] However, the inventors have found that the product discharge rate R SDis , concluded that the measurement of Y1 does not necessarily require analysis of the material 95 exiting the mill. In fact, the product discharge rate R SDis Data indicative of tip position may be obtained by analysis of the solid feed material 110. The ability to control tip position advantageously improves the ability to maintain the mill in a steady state of operation even as the properties of the solid feed material change. During steady state, the output from the mill equals the input to the mill, so the mass per time unit of solid discharge material 95 equals the mass per time unit of solid feed material 110 during steady state. If steady state does not exist, the tip position will change and steps may be taken to control tip position, for example, to return to steady state operation, as discussed elsewhere in this disclosure.

[0378] It is therefore possible to measure the mass of the feed material 110 (see, for example, FIG. 1A) for analysis of the mass per time unit of ground material, ie, product particles. As described elsewhere in this disclosure, the solid feed material 110, also referred to as feedstock 110, may include rock and ore fragments 115 having various sizes. The solid material 110 may be transported to the first input 100 of the mill 10 by a conveyor belt 260. The conveyor belt 260 runs at a controllable conveyor belt speed to transport the solid feed material 110 to the first input 100 at a solid material feed rate R S Transport by.

[0379] According to one example, the conveyor belt 260 includes a scale configured to measure the weight of the solid material 110 on the conveyor belt 260, which has a controllable conveyor belt speed. Thus, the conveyor belt and scale combination 325 provides information regarding the weight per time unit of the solid material 110 being delivered to the first input 100 of the mill 10. In other words, data U6 indicative of the weight per time unit of the solid material 110 being delivered to the first input 100 of the mill 10 may be obtained based on the weight information from the scale and information regarding the conveyor belt speed.

[0380] 34, the combination conveyor belt and scale is shown diagrammatically as a feed material analyzer 325. The feed material analyzer 325 may be provided to generate measurements indicative of at least one feed material characteristic U5, U6. The at least one feed material characteristic may include data U6 indicative of the solid feed material particle size distribution U5 and / or the weight per time unit of the solid material 110 delivered to the first input 100 of the mill 10.

[0381] As an example, if during steady state, a conveyor belt and scale combination is configured to weigh solid material 110 on a 20 meter stretch of conveyor belt 260, and the conveyor belt 260 is moving at a speed of 10 meters / second and the scale indicates 100 kg, this means that the flow rate is approximately 100 kg for 2 seconds. Thus, there may be a weight per time unit of approximately 180 metric tons / hour of solid feed material 110.

[0382] The product discharge rate R, also referred to as output parameter Y1 SDis may be estimated based on data U6 indicative of the weight per time unit of solid material 110 delivered to the first input 100 of the mill 10. According to one example, the product discharge rate R SDis , Y1 is assumed to be equal to the data U6 indicating the weight per time unit of solid material 110 conveyed to the first input 100 of the mill 10. As mentioned above, the product discharge rate R from the mill SDis, Y1 is equal to the solid material feed rate U6 to the mill during steady state, and therefore the product discharge rate R SDis , Y1 may be estimated at the solid material feed rate U6 during steady operating conditions. The instantaneous state of the output material 95, i.e., the output material state Y, may be determined by measuring at least one output material measurement Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn. In fact, it may be desirable to generate more than one output material measurement to obtain information indicative of the output material state (Y).

[0383] The at least one output material measurement may be one or more selected from the following group: - value Y1 indicating the mass per time unit of output material 95; - value Y1 indicating the mass per time unit of product particles 96; - value Y2 indicating the median grain size; - a value Y3 indicating the mass per time unit of product particles 96 having a particle size below a predetermined product particle size limit; - a value Y4 indicating the proportion or percentage allocation of product particles having a product particle size in the range between the lower product particle size limit Y8 and the upper product particle size limit Y9; - a count of product particles having a product particle size range between the lower product particle size limit and the upper product particle size limit, i.e., a value Y5 indicating the number of product particles; - a value Y6 indicating the product particle size distribution, including the standard deviation; and - a value Y7 indicating the product particle size. The product particle size value Y7 may be at least one selected from the following group: - product particle median particle size; - average particle size of product particles; - product particle median particle size; and - Mean particle size of product particles.

[0384] The product particle size limit may be at least one selected from the group consisting of: - product particle size value; and - Maximum width of product particles.

[0385] The value Y6 indicating the product particle size distribution may be at least one selected from the group consisting of: - standard deviation value; -variance value; - the range between the maximum and minimum granularity; -Interquartile range.

[0386] The range between the minimum and maximum particle size values ​​is: 30 microns to 20 mm; 150 microns to 300 microns; 200 microns to 220 microns; and / or 0mm to 40mm It may be the case.

[0387] Thus, the product analyzer 1140 may be configured to analyze at least a portion of the product particles 96 to generate at least one product measurement Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn based on the product particle analysis. The at least one product measurement Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn may be provided with information indicative of the time at which the at least one product measurement Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn was generated.

[0388] Also, the discharge material state Y at a time designated w may be referred to as Y(w). That discharge material state Y(w) may be described or indicated by a number of parameter values ​​Y1(w), Y2(w), Y3(w), ... Yn(w) that define various characteristics of the materials 95, 96 being discharged from the mill 10 at time w. Thus, the values ​​of the discharge material parameter values ​​Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn at time w may be referred to as the discharge material state vector Y(w), also collectively referred to as the output vector Y(w).

[0389] As described above, since there is a causal relationship between a particular internal state X(r) and a particular output Y(r), the output Y of the tumbling mill 10 can be considered as a function of the internal state X.

[0390] 34, output vector Y may be sent to a first input of correlator 150C1. Also, internal state vector X may be sent to a second input of correlator 150C1 by module 150A. Correlator 150C1 is configured to determine a correspondence between internal state X and corresponding output Y.

[0391] However, to perform the correlation, it is desirable to ensure that measurements of the output Y(w) refer to at least approximately the same point in time as the internal state X(r). In other words, the values ​​of the internal state vector X(r) may need to be synchronized with the values ​​of the corresponding output vector Y(w). Referring to Figure 34, the output vector Y(w) may be sent to a first input of an optional synchronizer 1150. The synchronizer 1150 is optional because, for example, the internal state vector X(r) and the corresponding output vector Y(w) - so that time point w is the same as time point r, or - so that time w is at least approximately the same as time r, This is because they may not be needed when generated synchronously.

[0392] The time synchronized vectors X(t) and Y(t) are received by a correlation data generator 1160, as shown in FIG.

[0393] The correlation data generator 1160 generates a correlation data set 1170. According to one example, the correlation data generator 1160: At least one received status parameter value, e.g., X1(t), and at least one corresponding received product measurement, e.g., Y2(t); A correlation data set is generated by performing the correlation of the

[0394] The correlation data generator 1160 may receive multiple time-stamped internal state vectors X(r) and multiple corresponding time-stamped output vectors Y(w). The received information vectors may be received alternately in time, such as X(10), Y(12), X(14), Y(16), X(18), Y(20), X(22), and Y(24), and the synchronizer 1150 receives the vector X during the period between two consecutive vectors Y. For example, the vector X(18) may be time-stamped between t=20 and t=16, and the Y vectors Y(16) and Y(20) are time-stamped at t=16 and t=20, respectively. When the mill 10 is operating in a steady state, i.e., when all values ​​of the vectors X and Y are stable over time, the synchronizer 1150 may generate pairs of vectors X and Y by adjusting the timestamps so that the resulting pairs of vectors X and Y have the same timestamp. This timestamp may be, for example, an intermediate timestamp. For example, when synchronizer 1150 receives the above-mentioned vectors X(18) and Y(20), it may set them as a vector pair stamped with an intermediate time instant t = 19. Thus, in response to receiving vectors X(t) and Y(t+2), synchronizer 1150 may generate and send to correlation data generator 1160 vector pairs X(t+1) and Y(t+1).

[0395] Also, the frequency of sending the X and Y vectors may differ. The received vector X and Y pairs are then denoted by: This may be addressed by configuring the synchronizer 1150 to send some vectors to the correlation data generator 1160. As a result, the synchronizer 1150 may need to discard or reject some vectors. Thus, for example, if the X vector is sent less frequently than the Y vector, synchronizer 1150 may receive the following vector: Vector X(34), Vector Y(36), Vector X(37), Vector Y(38), Vector X(40), Vector Y(40), Vector Y(42), Vector X(43), Vector Y(44), The synchronizer 1150 may send pairs 1165 of vectors X and Y to the correlation data generator 1160 such that each time-stamped vector Y is associated with the vector X with the nearest earliest timestamp. In the above example, the following pairs may be sent by the synchronizer 1150: Vector X(34), Vector Y(36), Vector X(37), Vector Y(38), Vector X(40), Vector Y(40), Vector X (43), vector Y (44), and consequently vector Y (42) may be discarded.

[0396] Table 7 below is an example of consecutive pairs of vectors X and Y 1165 arranged in chronological order.

[0397] [Table 8]

[0398] Table 7 shows an example of a continuous vector X and Y pair 1165 that includes information indicative of a tip position X1 and information indicative of a corresponding output parameter Y2 that indicates the median particle size of the particles produced by the tumbling mill.

[0399] The correlation data generator 1160 may be configured to perform correlation based on the received vector X and Y pairs 1165. According to one example, the correlation data generator 1160 may be configured to perform regression analysis based on many received vector X and Y pairs 1165. The regression analysis may use one or several statistical processes to estimate the relationship between the values ​​of a dependent variable, i.e., vector Y, and one or more independent variables, i.e., vector X.

[0400] Figure 36 shows the rotational speed f ROT 36 is a cross-sectional view of the shell 20 of the ball mill 10 during operation. Figure 36 is therefore comparable to the cross-sectional views of Figures 1A, 2, 14A, 14B, 23, and 30 above. Because the tumbling mill 10 of Figure 36 operates as a ball mill, the packing material 30 includes a plurality of grinding balls 1168 and solid feed materials 110, 115. The packing material 30 may also include a liquid feed material, such as water, in some instances.

[0401] FIG. 37A is an example graph of output from a particle size analyzer included in product analyzer 1140. As discussed above, with reference to FIG. 34, system 1130 includes product analyzer 1140 configured to analyze at least a portion of product particles 96. Analyzer 1140 is configured to generate at least one product measurement Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn based on the product particle analysis. As the graph in FIG. 37A illustrates, the particle size analyzer may generate data values ​​indicative of a particle size distribution. Based on such data values ​​indicative of the particle size distribution, a data value Y2 indicative of a median particle size may be obtained.

[0402] In the exemplary graph of Figure 37A, it can be seen that the highest number of particles is represented by the peak value in the 230-280 micron range of the graph. Figure 37A also shows the desired particle size range, i.e., the target range of 200-220 microns. As mentioned above, the product analyzer 1140 may include, for example, an analyzer of the type Outotec PSI 300i. Alternatively, the product analyzer 1140 may include a PSI 500i particle size analyzer commercially available from Metso Outotec.

[0403] FIG. 37B shows a constant or substantially constant rotational speed U1=f ROT 37B is a plot of many consecutive vector X1 and Y2 pairs 1165 for a ball mill similar to that shown in FIG. 36, operating at rpm = 18 rpm. In FIG. 37B, the density of black dots, each representing a pair of values ​​X1-Y1, is very high at values ​​around X1=60 degrees. The high density of black dots at values ​​around X1=60 degrees indicates that the mill frequently operated at an operating point where X1 was at or near 60 degrees. It can be seen that X1 = 60 corresponds to a median particle size Y1 of approximately 260 microns. The density of black dots is low at around X1 = 40-50 degrees, indicating that the mill did not operate very well at the operating point of X1 = 40-50 degrees.

[0404] Referring to FIG. 1A in conjunction with FIG. 36, the ball mill is R MIC = 1930 mm radius and had 28 protrusions 310 (not shown in Figure 36). During operation of the ball mill 10, there may be a grinding ball feed rate U4 that is set or selected so that the quantity of grinding balls remains constant or substantially constant.

[0405] Referring to FIG. 34, the correlation data generator 1160 may be configured to perform a regression analysis, also referred to as a correlation analysis, based on the received pairs of values ​​X1 and Y2 1165 as shown in FIG. 37B.

[0406] Regression analysis may employ, for example, linear regression. When applied to a single dependent variable Y2 and a single independent variable, such as X1 or X6, linear regression analysis operates to identify a linear relationship, i.e., a line 1180 that best fits the data according to certain mathematical criteria. For example, ordinary least squares calculations calculate a unique line 1180 that minimizes the sum of the squares of the differences between the true data and the line. Thus, line 1180 in FIG. 37B is a plot of the results of a linear regression based on pairs of received values ​​X1-Y1, as discussed above.

[0407] Thus, the correlation data set 1170 produced by the correlator 150C1 may include a table of data, or alternatively, a linear equation. A linear equation for a line in a two-dimensional space, such as the two-dimensional space X1-Y2, may be established from the points through which the line passes. For example, if a line passes through two points (X1-Y2), A ,Y2 A ) and (X1 B ,Y2 B ), the symmetry equation of the line is given by Equation 8: (X1-X1 A ) / (X1 B -X1 A )=(Y2-Y2 a ) / (Y2 A -Y2 B ) (Formula 8) where X1 A and Y2 A is a numerical value that defines a point in the two-dimensional space X1-Y2, X1 B and Y2 B is a numerical value that defines another point in the two-dimensional space X1-Y2. Therefore, Equation 8 defines the linear correlation between the internal state parameter X1 and the output parameter Y2 at the operating point of the tumbling mill (see FIG. 37C).

[0408] Figure 37C is a plot of the linear regression results generated. Thus, the plot in the figure shows the linear regression results at least when the ball mill is rotated at a constant or substantially constant rotational speed f ROTIt shows a specified line 1180 indicating the relationship between X1 and Y1 when operating at an operating point of 0 < X1 < 80 degrees at 18 rpm. Therefore, the correlation data generator 1160 may send out correlation data 1170 showing a linear relationship 1180 when linear regression analysis is applied to a single dependent variable Y2 and a single independent variable.

[0409] Referring to FIG. 34, the correlation data set 1170 generated by the correlator 150C1 may be sent to the internal state reference value generator 150c2. The internal state reference value generator 150c2 REF may be configured to use the received correlation data 1170 to convert the desired value Y REF to the corresponding internal state reference value X REF Table 8 is a diagram of an example of a data conversion table for converting the desired value Y2 REF to the corresponding internal state reference value X1. Actually, Table 8 is an exemplary data set corresponding to the information in Table 7 above.

[0410]

Table 9

[0411] The exemplary correlation data table 1170 shown in Table 8 shows the correlation between the internal status parameter value X1 indicating the tip position and the output parameter Y2 indicating the median particle size of the particles generated by the rolling mill.

[0412] Based on the above formula 8 and two points (X1, Y2) or (X1 REF , Y2 REF ) from the correlation data set 1170, a first-order formula defining the correlation may be generated. Representing the dependent variable Y2 as a function of the independent variable X1, the line 1180 in FIG. 37C may be described by rewriting formula 8 as formula 9: Y2 = (Y2 B - Y2 A ) / (X1 B - X1 A ) * X1 - (Y2 B - Y2A ) / (X1 B -X1 A )*X1 A +Y2 A (Formula 9) Referring to FIG. 37C, the illustrated example linear relationship 1180 includes two points: (X1 A ,Y2 A )=(40,200), and (X1 B ,Y2 B )=(47,220) Thus, by inserting these example values ​​into Equation 9 and expressing the dependent variable Y2 as a function of the independent variable X1, line 1180 in FIG. 37C may be described by the following equation: Y2=k1*X1+m1=2.86X1+85.71

[0413] 34, the correlation data generator 1160 generates a correlation data set 1170. The correlation data set 1170 is a set of correlation data for the desired value Y REF The corresponding internal state reference value X REF 37C and two points: (X1 A ,Y2 A )=(40,200), and (X1 B ,Y2 B )=(47,220) Referring again to the illustrated example linear relationship 1180, including: The above formula 8 is the desired internal state value, i.e., the internal state reference value X1 REF the desired value Y2 REF It should be appreciated that Equation 10 (below) can be rewritten to express it as a function of: X1 REF =k2*Y1 REF +m2 (Equation 10) where: k2=(X1 B -X1 A ) / (Y2 B -Y2 A ) m2=X1A -(X1 B -X1 A ) / (Y2 B -Y2 A )*Y2 A Thus, referring to FIG. 34, the correlation data generator 1160 calculates the desired value Y REF The corresponding internal state reference value X REF , which may be, for example, as shown in Equation 10 above.

[0414] Part I of Figure 37D is an example of a graph showing the density of tip position values ​​X6 over a period of time during which the mill was operating. From the graph in Part I of Figure 37D, it may be inferred that during this period the mill was mostly operated with tip position values ​​X6 ranging from 550 degrees to 600 degrees. In this regard, a zero degree tip position value X6 may indicate an empty mill, and 720 degrees (=2*360) may indicate a tip position A shown in Figure 2. TOE As discussed above, the distance between two adjacent protrusions 310 may be expressed as a phase value of 360 degrees, so that the tip position A as shown in FIG. TOE corresponds to approximately 720 degrees. The actual value of parameter X6 will depend on the number of protrusions 310, also called lifters 310.

[0415] Part II of FIG. 37D shows the tip position values ​​X6, A TOE (See Figure 2) SDis , Y1. The gray points 1183 represent the product discharge rate R as a function of the tip position value X6. SDis , Y1 indicates the maximum detected value.

[0416] The curved black dotted line 1185 represents the product discharge rate R as a function of the tip position value X6. SDis , Y1 values ​​1183. From graph 1185 in Part II of FIG. 37D, it can be seen that the product discharge rate R SDis, Y1 exhibited a maximum value Y1max for tip position values ​​X6 in the range from about 550 degrees to about 600 degrees. Line 1188 indicates a maximum product discharge rate value R of about 850 tons / hour. SDis , Y1 indicates the tip position value X6 at or near the tip position value X6.

[0417] The gray point 1187 represents the detected product discharge speed value R according to the tip position value X6. SDis , Y1. The gray points 1187 represent the product discharge rate values ​​R as a function of the tip position value X6. SDis , Y1 are dense enough to form a line showing the average value.

[0418] From the grey point 1187 in part II of Figure 37D, the product discharge rate R SDis , Y1 rapidly decreases for tip position values ​​X6 in the range of less than about 500 degrees. Therefore, a product discharge rate limit Y1 limit can be identified, and a corresponding tip position limit X6 limit can also be identified based on the correlation.

[0419] In summary, Part II of FIG. 37D shows the relationship between the tip position value X6 and the product discharge rate R SDis , Y1. Thus, the correlations disclosed in this disclosure allow for the product discharge rate value R SDis , it can be concluded that it would be advantageous to be able to control the mill to operate at a tip position value X6 that optimizes Y1.

[0420] The data used in FIG. 37D was calculated based on data U6 indicating the weight per time unit of solid material 110 delivered to the first input 100 of the mill 10, as discussed in more detail above in connection with FIG. 34. SDis , was based on Y1.

[0421] More complex cases of multivariable monitoring systems 37B and 37C serve to illustrate the functionality of the correlation data generator 1160 in the relatively simple case of a regression analysis applied to a single dependent variable Y2 and a single independent variable X1. Indeed, ball mills are expected to inherently exhibit smaller variations in tip position than non-ball tumbling mills, particularly when the ball mills are operated at a constant or substantially constant rotational speed U1 as discussed above.

[0422] However, describing a method and system for improved monitoring and / or control of the internal state X of the tumbling mill 10 during operation is also an objective addressed by the solutions and examples disclosed in this document. When the tumbling mill 10 operates at a variable rotational speed X5=U1 and also exhibits a change in tip position X1, the above regression analysis applied to a single dependent variable Y2 and a single independent variable X1 may not be sufficient. However, to address this issue, the correlation data generator 1160 may perform the regression analysis the received internal state vector X(t) of dimension m and the received corresponding output vector Y(t) of dimension n (m and n are positive integers) The data pair 1165 may include:

[0423] Thus, if one wishes to associate m status parameter values ​​X1, X2, X3, ..., Xm with n product measurements Y1, Y2, Y3, ..., Yn, the correlation data generator 1160 may calculate The received internal state vector X(t) and and the corresponding output vector Y(t) received. and generating correlation data 1170 by performing the correlation of where X(t) is an m*1 vector, where m is a positive integer, Y(t) is an n*1 vector, where n is a positive integer.

[0424] Thus, in this case, correlation data generator 1160 may be configured to perform a regression analysis to identify a more complex linear combination (i.e., more complex than a line in two-dimensional space) that best fits the data according to certain mathematical criteria. For example, correlation data generator 1160 may perform an ordinary least squares method applied to a plurality of received vectors X(t) of dimension m and a plurality of corresponding received output vectors Y(t) of dimension n to calculate a unique hyperplane that minimizes the sum of squares of the differences between the received data and that hyperplane.

[0425] Figure 38 is an example diagram of a plane 1180B in the three-dimensional space X5, X1, Y2. Thus, Figure 38 is an example diagram of a plane calculated based on the ordinary least squares method applied to two received vectors X5(t) and X1(t) and one received corresponding output vector Y2(t). Plane 1180B is calculated based on the rotational speeds X5, f ROT and a granularity y2 that depends on both the positions X1, X6 of the tip portion 205. In this regard, it should be noted that if the granularity depends on the relative tip position X1, it also depends on the absolute tip position X6.

[0426] Thus, correlation data generator 1160 is configured to generate a multidimensional correlation data set 1170 when receiving a vector X(t) of dimension m and a plurality of corresponding received output vectors Y(t) of dimension n. According to one example, multidimensional correlation data set 1170 may be provided as data 1170 indicative of the hyperplane described above. Alternatively, multidimensional correlation data set 1170 may be provided as data 1170 indicative of a coefficient matrix C, as discussed in connection with Equation 7 above.

[0427] According to an example, the correlation data generator 1160 may be configured to include Kalman filtering, also known as linear quadratic estimation (LQE), in generating the correlation data set 1170 .

[0428] This solution has the advantage that it allows for the identification and / or determination of a cause-effect relationship between an internal state X of the grinding process and at least one output material measurement Y. This solution also has the advantage that it allows for the identification and / or determination of a cause-effect relationship between the internal state X of the grinding process and the output material state Y, which may also be referred to as the product material state Y.

[0429] This solution is to achieve the desired discharge material state Y REF and the desired discharge material state Y REF or a desired discharge material state Y REF The internal state X of the grinding process that causes or produces an output material state Y as close as possible to BEP To search for and identify the operating point X of the grinding process, OP Such an internal state is sometimes called the Best Operating Point (BEP). The values ​​of the parameters at the BEP are collectively defined as the internal state BEP vector X BEP It is sometimes referred to as.

[0430] In addition, by recording the detected instantaneous grinding process internal state X(r) in association with the corresponding instantaneous discharged material state Y(r), Instantaneous grinding process internal state X(r) and The corresponding instantaneous discharge material state Y(r) and Correlation data is generated that indicates the correlation between the By repeatedly recording the detected multiple different instantaneous grinding process internal states X(r) in association with the instantaneous discharged material state Y(r) caused by each instantaneous grinding process internal state X(r), where r is a numerical variable indicating multiple different points in time, a correlation data set may be generated. Such a correlation data set may include: Multiple instantaneous grinding process internal states X(r) and Multiple corresponding instantaneous emission material states Y(r) and The correlation is shown.

[0431] A ball mill operating characteristic curve, or BMOC curve, of a ball mill is a graphical plot, such as Figures 37 and 38, that shows the median particle size (Y2) of the product particles produced by the ball mill as the tip position value is varied. The BMOC curve is constructed by plotting the tip position value against the median particle size (Y2) of the product particles at various tip positions. Tumbling mill operating point, or X OP The TOP is a specific point in the operating characteristics of the tumbling mill. The tip position value is a specific tumbling mill operating point (X OP It has been found that there is a linear relationship between the tip position value and the product particle size distribution (Y) when the tip position value varies within a certain range of tip position values ​​around TOP. In the context of this document, the term Mill Operating Area (MOA) is sometimes used to refer to such a certain range of tip position values.

[0432] A mill operating characteristic curve, or MOC curve, for a tumbling mill is a graphical plot that shows the product particle size distribution (Y) of the product particles produced by the tumbling mill as at least one of the status parameter values ​​(X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6) is varied. Thus, for example, an MOC curve may be plotted as a function of, for example, the rotational speed of the shell (f ROT ) is held constant, the product particle size distribution (Y) is generated by plotting a measure of the product particle size distribution (Y) against the tip position value.

[0433] The median particle size of the product particles produced by the ball mill (Y2) At least the tip position value when the tip position value X1 changes within a certain range of the tip position value It is known that there is a linear relationship between

[0434] Referring again to FIG. 34, the internal state reference generator 150c2 calculates the desired value Y REF The corresponding internal state reference value X REF The system may be configured to use the received correlation data 1170 to convert

[0435] In this regard, A single dependent variable, such as the median particle size Y2 of the product particles produced by one ball mill, and At least the tip position value when the tip position value X1 changes within a certain range of the tip position value, and Shell 20 rotation speed x5, f ROT Two independent variables such as Note that there may also be a linear relationship between In such cases, the linear relationship 1170 may be represented by an equation of a plane in three-dimensional space. Thus, with reference to Figure 34, the correlation data generator 1160 may generate the correlation data set 1170 in the form of an equation of a plane in three-dimensional space. The equation of a plane in three-dimensional space, such as space (X5, X2, Y2), may be expressed as Equation 11: a*X5+b*X2+c*Y2=0 (Equation 11) The equation of the plane written in the form of Equation 11 is called a linear equation in three-dimensional space.

[0436] Using correlated data to operate the mill Referring to Figure 34, an operator 230 in a control room 220 is responsible for operating the tumbling mill 10. The operator may use a regulator 1190 to operate the mill 10. The regulator 1190 is coupled to user interfaces 210, 210B, also referred to as a human-computer interface (HCI) 210B, as shown in Figure 34.

[0437] The exemplary control room 220 shown in FIG. 34 includes an internal state control system 1200 that includes an internal state reference value generator 150c2, a user interface 210, 210B, and a adjuster 755C or adjuster 240C.

[0438] The internal state control system 1200 may be configured to perform the following steps. (Step S3000:) The user interface 210 prompts the operator to enter the desired discharge material state Y REF 4. The desired discharge material state Y is transmitted to the target system 100. REF The user input indicating may indicate at least one desired output material measurement, Y1 and / or Y2, as discussed above. For example, the user input may indicate a desired product particle median size Y2 REF , and / or the desired product particle size distribution Y3 REF , Y4 REF , or the desired output material amount Y1 per time unit REF It may show. This request S3000 may be generated by software included in adjuster 755C, or by software included in adjuster 240C, or by software included in internal state reference generator 150c2.

[0439] The internal state control system 1200 also (Step S3005:) For example, via the user interface 210, a desired discharge material state Y REF and / or the desired product particle median particle size Y2 REF and / or receiving data indicative of desired product particle size distributions Y2, Y3, Y4. It may be configured as follows.

[0440] The internal state control system 1200 may also be configured to perform a method including the following steps. S3010: Desired discharge material state Y REF and / or the desired product particle median particle size (Y2 REF ) and / or the desired product particle size distribution Y2 REF , Y3 REF , Y4 REF Tip position reference value based on (X1 REF ;FI REF ), and A correlation data set (1170), Shell rotation speed (U1, f ROT ) in For a specific tip position value (X1(r), FI(r), T D , R T (r);X6, A TOE (r)) and the corresponding median product particle size (Y2) of a particular product. and / or A specific internal state X REF and a corresponding specific discharge material state Y REF and show the causal relationship between A correlation data set (1170) is generated.

[0441] Corresponding specific discharge material condition Y REF may contain certain product particle size distributions (Y2, Y3, Y4).

[0442] Step S3010 may include sending the received data from the user interface 210 to the internal state reference value generator 150c2 (see Figures 34 and / or 35 and / or 39).

[0443] The internal condition reference value generator 150c2, as discussed above, calculates the desired emission material condition Y REF The data on the corresponding desired internal state X REF and / or the corresponding desired tip position reference value X1 REF (r), FI REF (r) is configured to convert the data into data representing (r).

[0444] Referring to FIG. 34 in conjunction with FIG. 35, the internal state control system 1200 also includes: S3020: The user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) receives the corresponding desired internal state X REF and / or the corresponding desired tip position reference value (X1 REF (r), FI REF (r)) and transmit data indicating S3020: The user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) receives the actual tip position values ​​(X1(r), FI(r), TD , R T (r);X6, A TOE (r)) and transmit information indicating S3020: Set the solid material feed rate (U2, R) via the user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250). S receiving a first user input regarding the S3020: Solid material feed rate set point value (U2 SP , R SSP ), Desired discharge material state Y REF Product particle median size (Y2) affecting internal states (X) to control or affect It may be configured as follows: The generated solid material feed rate set point value (U SP , R SSP ) is based on the first user input received.

[0445] According to one example, the generated solid material feed rate setpoint value U2 based on the received first user input. SP causes the material within the rotating shell (20) to tumble at an affected internal condition (X) to produce product particles having a product particle median particle size (Y2) corresponding to the affected internal condition (X) of the milling process.

[0446] System for monitoring and providing improved milling process information content to operators - Patents.com FIG. 39 is a block diagram of a system 1130 for monitoring an internal state X of a mill 10 and for providing improved information content to an operator 230 of the mill 10.

[0447] System 1130 comprises a tumbling mill 10 as discussed above in connection with Figures 34 through 38. In Figure 39, system 1130 is shown as a block diagram comprising a tumbling mill, shown as box 10, that receives a plurality of inputs U1, ...Uk and generates a plurality of outputs Y1, ...Yn. Thus, from a signal processing and analysis perspective, mill 10 receives an input vector U and generates an output vector Y, as discussed elsewhere in this document. System 1130 of Figure 39 may comprise and be configured as described above in connection with Figures 1A and / or 1B and / or in any of the other examples described in this disclosure, for example, as described in connection with Figures 1 through 38.

[0448] The system 1130 includes a monitoring module 150A and / or a correlation module 150C, as shown in Figure 39. The correlation module 150C may operate to generate a correlation data set 1170 during operation of the mill 10, as described above, and / or the correlation module 150C may operate to generate a correlation data set 1170 during operation of the mill 10, as described above, and / or to generate a correlation data set 1170 during operation of the mill 10, as shown in Figure 39. REF The data about the corresponding desired internal state X REF , where the conversion step is based on a correlation data set 1170 associated with the operating mill 10.

[0449] 39 includes an internal state control system 1200 that includes an internal state reference value generator 150c2, user interfaces 210, 210B, and an adjuster 240C. The internal state control system 1200 may be configured to perform the following steps: (Step S3000:) The user interface 210 prompts the operator to enter the desired discharge material state Y REF 4. The desired discharge material state Y is transmitted to the target system 100. REF The user input indicating may indicate at least one desired output material measurement, Y1 and / or Y2, as discussed above. For example, the user input may indicate a desired product particle median size Y2 REF, and / or the desired product particle size distribution Y3 REF , Y4 REF , or the desired output material amount Y1 per time unit REF It may show. This request S3000 may be generated by software contained in coordinator 240C.

[0450] The internal state control system 1200 also (Step S3005:) For example, via the user interface 210, a desired discharge material state Y REF and / or the desired product particle median particle size Y2 REF and / or receiving data indicative of desired product particle size distributions Y2, Y3, Y4. It may be configured as follows.

[0451] The internal state control system 1200 may also be configured to perform a method including the following steps. S3010: Tip position reference value (X1 REF ;FI REF ) REF (Internal state reference vector X REF (also called the internal state reference vector X REF teeth, Desired discharge material state Y REF and / or the desired product particle median particle size (Y2 REF ) and / or the desired product particle size distribution Y2 REF , Y3 REF , Y4 REF Data showing that, and A correlation data set (1170), A specific internal state X REF and Corresponding specific discharge material condition Y REF and The data may be based on correlational datasets (1170) that show causal relationships between

[0452] Corresponding specific discharge material condition Y REFis a specific product particle size distribution (Y2, Y3, Y4), and / or a specific product discharge rate Y1 REF It may include:

[0453] Step S3010 is performed to determine the received data (i.e., the desired discharge material state Y REF 39) from the user interface 210 to the correlation module 150C.

[0454] The correlation module 150C, as discussed above, determines the desired emission material condition Y REF The data on the corresponding desired internal state X REF and / or the corresponding desired tip position reference value X1 REF (r), FI REF The system may include an internal state reference generator 150c2 configured to convert the state reference value into data indicative of (r).

[0455] Referring to FIG. 39 in conjunction with FIG. 35, the internal state control system 1200 also S3020: The user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) receives the corresponding desired internal state X REF and / or the corresponding desired tip position reference value (X1 REF (r), FI REF (r)) and transmit data indicating S3020: The user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) receives the actual tip position values ​​(X1(r), FI(r), T D , R T (r);X6, A TOE (r)) and transmit information indicating S3020: Set the solid material feed rate (U2, R) via the user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250). S receiving a first user input regarding the S3020: Solid material feed rate set point value (U2 SP , R SSP ), Desired discharge material state Y REF Product particle median size (Y2) affecting internal states (X) to control or affect It may be configured as follows: The generated solid material feed rate set point value (U SP , R SSP ) is based on the first user input received.

[0456] According to one example, the generated solid material feed rate setpoint value U2 based on the received first user input. SP causes the material within the rotating shell (20) to tumble at an affected internal condition (X) to produce product particles having a product particle median particle size (Y2) corresponding to the affected internal condition (X) of the milling process.

[0457] System for monitoring mill products and providing improved process control Figure 40 is a block diagram of a system 1130B for monitoring an internal condition X of the mill 10 and for enabling improved control of the grinding process carried out in the mill 10. The system 1130B may include some or all of the features discussed in relation to Figure 39. Thus, the system 1130B may include some or all of the features of the system 1130 of Figure 39.

[0458] The system 1130B includes a correlation module 150C shown in FIG. 39, and the system 1130B may also include a monitoring module 150A.

[0459] The correlation module 150C may operate to generate the correlation data set 1170 during operation of the mill 10, as described above, and / or the correlation module 150C may operate to generate the correlation data set 1170 during operation of the mill 10, as described above, and / or ... REF The data about the corresponding desired internal state X REF , where the conversion step is based on a correlation data set 1170 associated with the operating mill 10.

[0460] 39 includes an internal state control system 1200 that includes an internal state reference value generator 150c2, user interfaces 210, 210B, and a regulator 240C. The system 1130B may be configured to perform the following steps: (Step S3000:) The user interface 210 prompts the operator to enter the desired discharge material state Y REF 4. The desired discharge material state Y is transmitted to the target system 100. REF The user input indicating may indicate at least one desired output material measurement, Y1 and / or Y2, as discussed above. For example, the user input may indicate a desired product particle median size Y2 REF , and / or the desired product particle size distribution Y3 REF , Y4 REF , or the desired output material amount Y1 per time unit REF It may show. This request S3000 may be generated by software contained in coordinator 150B, by software contained in correlation module 150C, or by internal state control system 1200.

[0461] System 1130B also includes: (Step S3005:) For example, via the user interface 210, a desired discharge material state Y REF and / or the desired product particle median particle size Y2 REF and / or receiving data indicative of desired product particle size distributions Y2, Y3, Y4. It may be configured as follows.

[0462] The system 1130B may also be configured to perform a method including the following steps. S3010: Tip position reference value (X1 REF ;FI REF ) REF (Internal state reference vector X REF(also called the internal state reference vector X REF teeth, Desired discharge material state Y REF and / or the desired product particle median particle size (Y2 REF ) and / or the desired product particle size distribution Y2 REF , Y3 REF , Y4 REF Data showing that, and A correlation data set (1170), A specific internal state X REF and Corresponding specific discharge material condition Y REF and The data may be based on correlational datasets (1170) that show causal relationships between

[0463] Corresponding specific discharge material condition Y REF is a specific product particle size distribution (Y2, Y3, Y4), and / or a specific product discharge rate Y1 REF It may include:

[0464] Step S3005 is a process of calculating the received data (i.e., the desired discharge material state Y REF 40) from the user interface 210 to the correlation module 150C.

[0465] The correlation module 150C, as discussed above, determines the desired emission material condition Y REF The data on the corresponding desired internal state X REF and / or the corresponding desired tip position reference value X1 REF (r), FI REF The system may include an internal state reference generator 150c2 configured to convert the state reference value into data indicative of (r).

[0466] The system 1130B may also be configured to perform a method including the following steps. The discharge material condition (Y) is controlled via the regulators 755C and 755. Internal state reference vector X REFAt least one status parameter reference value (X1 REF ;FI REF ), at least one status parameter value (X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7) indicating the current internal state (X) of the grinding process or an internal state vector (X) containing at least one status parameter value; and At least one status parameter error value (X1 ERR , X2 ERR , X3 ERR , X4 ERR , X5 ERR , X6 ERR , X7 ERR ) or an internal state error vector X containing at least one status parameter error value. ERR controlling based on the At least one status parameter error value (X1 ERR , X2 ERR , X3 ERR , X4 ERR , X5 ERR , X6 ERR , X7 ERR )teeth, At least one status parameter reference value (X1 REF ;FI REF ), and Depends on at least one status parameter value (X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7).

[0467] The system 1130B may also be configured to perform a method including the following steps. The discharge material condition (Y) is controlled via the regulators 755C and 755. The internal state reference vector X indicates the current internal state (X) of the grinding process. REF , and an internal state vector (X) indicating the current internal state (X) of the grinding process, and An internal state error vector X containing at least one status parameter error value ERR controlling based on the Internal state error vector X ERR teeth, Internal state reference vector X REF , and It depends on the internal state vector (X).

[0468] The system 1130B may also be configured to perform a method including the following steps. Solid material feed rates (U2, R S receiving a first user input regarding the Solid material feed rate set point value (U2 SP , R SSP ), Solid material feed rate set point value (U2 SP , R SSP ) is based on the received first user input.

[0469] Any individual step of the method disclosed below may be performed or repeated simultaneously with another individual step of the method, unless a logical contradiction arises. In the continuous operation of a tumbling mill, the steps are generally repeated continuously, e.g., sequentially in a loop. The acts defined in this method are typically performed as such steps, but may also be performed in accordance with this disclosure as acts in a more general sense than steps.

[0470] FIG. 41 illustrates, in a flow chart, a method of operating a tumbling mill such as the tumbling mill 10 described herein (with or without systems 1120, 5, 720, 730 including the tumbling mill 10, as the particular context may indicate). The method thus includes all features or aspects of that tumbling mill and may be understood according to the explanations and elaborations made herein with reference to the tumbling mill 10, and in particular with reference to FIGS. 34-40. However, it is envisioned that the method may be applicable to tumbling mills in a more general sense, so long as at least the features or aspects of the tumbling mill to which the steps of the method relate are present in the tumbling mill in question. The method includes the steps of: monitoring a tip position of a first portion of material within the mill, the tip position being determined in response to a signal measured from a vibration sensor (S4101); determining a measure of a discharge characteristic of a second portion of material discharged from the mill (S4102); and correlating the tip position with the measure of the discharge characteristic (S4103). The results of the correlation, or association (S4103), are stored in non-transitory electronic memory (S4104) for future use in controlling operating parameters of the mill based on the stored correlation.

[0471] The method of FIG. 41 may also include one or more of the following: the monitored tip position is at steady state; and a measure of output particle size is determined when the tip position is at steady state or substantially constant. Steady state is achieved when the amount or rate at which the input material enters the mill is equal to or substantially equal to the amount or rate at which the material exits the mill. The tip position of the material within the rotating vessel is determined in response to the vibration signal and the position signal; the position signal is indicative of the rotational position of the rotating vessel; and the discharge characteristics include an output particle size corresponding to the second portion of the material discharged from the mill.

[0472] FIG. 42 illustrates, in flow chart form, another method of operating a tumbling mill such as the tumbling mill 10 described herein (with or without systems 1120, 5, 720, 730 including the tumbling mill 10, as the particular context may indicate). The method thus includes all features or aspects of that tumbling mill and may be understood according to the explanations and elaborations made herein with reference to the tumbling mill 10, and in particular with reference to FIGS. 34-40. However, it is envisioned that the method may be applicable to tumbling mills in a more general sense, so long as at least the features or aspects of the tumbling mill to which the steps of the method relate are present in the tumbling mill in question. The method includes the steps of: monitoring a tip position of a first portion of material within the mill, the tip position being determined in response to a signal measured from a vibration sensor (S4201); determining a measure of a discharge characteristic of a second portion of material discharged from the mill (S4202); and correlating the tip position with the measure of the discharge characteristic (S4203). Storing (S4204) the results of the correlation, or association, in non-transitory electronic memory for future use in controlling operating parameters of the mill based on the stored correlation. Displaying (S4205) the determined operating parameters as suggestions to the user on the user interface (this displaying step S4205 relates to the above description of FIG. 39). Operating the tumbling mill based on manual input (S4206) may itself be viewed as a further method step as shown in FIG. 42, or simply as a classification of this particular method. The steps of this method may be repeated in a loop as shown in FIG. 42.

[0473] FIG. 43 illustrates, in flow chart form, another method of operating a tumbling mill such as the tumbling mill 10 described herein (with or without sy...

Claims

1. A tumbling mill (10) comprising a rotatable shell (20) having an inner shell surface (22) with a first number (L) of projections (310) configured to engage a filler material (30) as the shell (20) rotates to tumble the material within the rotating shell to produce product particles (95; 96) at a mill output (200), whereby the rotational speed (U1,f) of the rotatable shell (20) decreases as the projections (310) engage a tip portion (205) of the material (30). ＲＯＴ ) according to a first repetition frequency (f Ｒ ) with vibration (V ＩＭＰ ) causing a rolling mill (10) A system (150, 450, 1140, 150A, 150C) for monitoring and / or operating a grinding process in The system further comprises: The vibration (V ＩＭＰ ) indicating a vibration signal (S ＦＩＭＰ ;S ＥＡ , S ＭＤ , Se(i), S(j), S(q)); A position signal (E) indicating the rotational position of the rotatable shell (20) Ｐ , P(i), P(j), P(q)); At least one status parameter value (X1(r), FI(r); X2(r); X3(r); X4(r); X5, f ＲＯＴ ;X6,A ＴＯＥ (r); X7(r)) based on the vibration signal and the position signal; To feed the solid material (115) to the mill solid material feed input (100), a solid material feed rate (U2, R Ｓ ) to set the solid material feed rate set point value (U2) that affects the internal state (X). ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ ) is sent. one or more hardware processors configured to an analyzer (1140) configured to analyze at least a portion of the product particles (96) and / or an analyzer (1140) configured to analyze at least a portion of the solid feed material (115); the analyzer (1140) is configured to generate at least one product measurement (Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn) indicative of an exhaust material condition (Y(r), Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn) based on the analysis; The system further comprises: Desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ an input for receiving data indicative of A1) At least one internal status parameter reference value (X1 ＲＥＦ (r), F.I. ＲＥＦ (r); X6 ＲＥＦ , A ＴＯＥＲＥＦ The internal status parameter reference value (X1 ＲＥＦ ; F.I. ＲＥＦ ) is the desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r)) to bring about a desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ a user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) configured to convey information indicative of A2) The status parameter values ​​(X1(r), FI(r); X6, A ＴＯＥ (r)) the user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) further configured to convey information indicative of Or, B) At least one internal status parameter error value (X1 ＥＲＲ (r), F.I. ＥＲＲ (r); X6 ＥＲＲ , A ＴＯＥ＿ＥＲＲ a user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) configured to convey information indicative of the internal status parameter error value (X1 ＥＲＲ (r); FI ＥＲＲ (r); X6 ＥＲＲ , A ＴＯＥ＿ＥＲＲ (r)) is the desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r)) to bring about a desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ ) and the status parameter values ​​(X1(r), FI(r); X6, A ＴＯＥ C1) a user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) showing the difference between the solid material feed rate set point value (U2 ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ ) to control the discharge material state (Y(r)) or to affect the internal state (X(r)) to affect the discharge material state (Y(r)), Ｓ the user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) configured to receive a first user input related to the C2) the solid material feed rate set point value (U2 ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ ) to affect the internal state (X(r)) to control the discharge material state (Y(r)) or to affect the discharge material state (Y(r)). ＲＥＦ ) to automatically generate the desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ said user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) configured to receive user input regarding A system equipped with.

2. The at least one status parameter value is a value indicative of the position of the tip portion (205) (X1(r), FI(r); X6, A ＴＯＥ (r)) the system of claim 1 .

3. The one or more hardware processors further determine the solid material feed rate set point value (U ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ 2. The system of claim 1, further configured to generate a first user input based on the received first user input.

4. 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the internal state (X) of the grinding process is represented by a number of internal state parameters (X1, X2, X3, ... Xm), each of the internal state parameters (X1, X2, X3, ... Xm) describing an aspect of the grinding process.

5. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are configured to generate an internal state vector (X) comprising an integer m of internal state parameters (X1, X2, X3, . . . Xm), the internal state parameters (X1, X2, X3, . . . Xm) describing certain aspects of the grinding process.

6. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the discharge material state (Y(r), Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn) is indicated by a plurality of discharge material state parameters (Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn), each of which describes an aspect of the product particles (95; 96) produced at the mill output (200).

7. the one or more hardware processors are configured to generate an exhaust material state vector (Y) comprising an integer n of exhaust material state parameters (Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn), each individual exhaust material state parameter (Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn) describing a certain aspect of the product particles (95; 96) produced at the mill output (200); A system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The controller (150B) controls a plurality of set point parameter values ​​(U1 ＳＰ , U2 ＳＰ , U3 ＳＰ A set point vector (U ＳＰ ), and configured to generate individual set point parameter values ​​(U1 ＳＰ , U2 ＳＰ , U3 ＳＰ , . . . Uk) describe set point values ​​for controlling certain aspects of the operation of the mill, and the solid material feed rate set point value (U2 ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ ) is the set point parameter value (U1 ＳＰ , U2 ＳＰ , U3 ＳＰ 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second inputs are one of the following: Uk, . . . . Uk.

9. The one or more hardware processors determine the solid material feed rate set point value (U ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ ) to the desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ ) based on The desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ )but, The desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ ), and Correlation data (1170, 1180) indicative of a causal relationship between the desired discharge material state and a corresponding internal state (X) of the grinding process. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the system is based on

10. The one or more hardware processors calculate the set point vector (U ＳＰ ) to the desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ ) based on The desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ )but, The desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ ), and Correlation data (1170, 1180) indicative of a causal relationship between the desired discharge material state and a corresponding internal state (X) of the grinding process. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the system is based on

11. Desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ ) is a value (Y1 ＲＥＦ 11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

12. Desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ The data indicating the desired median particle size (Y2 ＲＥＦ ) (Y1 ＲＥＦ 12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

13. Desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ ) is a desired emission material state vector (Y ＲＥＦ (r)), and the desired emission material state vector (Y ＲＥＦ (r)) Data indicating the desired mass per unit of time of the product particles (95; 96) (Y1 ＲＥＦ ), and / or Desired median grain size (Y2 ＲＥＦ ) data (Y2 ＲＥＦ ) The system of claim 1 , comprising:

14. A tumbling mill (10) comprising a rotatable shell (20) having an inner shell surface (22) with a first number (L) of projections (310) configured to engage a filler material (30) as the shell (20) rotates to tumble the material within the rotating shell to produce product particles (95; 96) at a mill output (200), whereby the rotational speed (U1,f) of the rotatable shell (20) decreases as the projections (310) engage a tip portion (205) of the material (30). ＲＯＴ ) according to a first repetition frequency (f Ｒ ) with vibration (V ＩＭＰ ) causing a rolling mill (10) 1. A method for monitoring and / or operating a grinding process in a The method further comprising: The vibration (V ＩＭＰ ) indicating a vibration signal (S ＦＩＭＰ ;S ＥＡ , S ＭＤ , Se(i), S(j), S(q)); A position signal (E) indicating the rotational position of the rotatable shell (20) Ｐ , P(i), P(j), P(q)) using a position signal generator equipped with a position sensor; At least one status parameter value (X1(r), FI(r); X2(r); X3(r); X4(r); X5, f ＲＯＴ ;X6,A ＴＯＥ (r); X7(r)) based on the vibration signal and the position signal by one or more hardware processors; To feed the solid material (115) to the mill solid material feed input (100), a solid material feed rate (U2, R Ｓ ) to set the solid material feed rate set point value (U2) that affects the internal state (X). ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ ) by one or more hardware processors; Analysing at least a portion of said product particles (96) to generate at least one product measurement (Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . Yn) based on said analysis; and / or analyzing at least a portion of said solid feed material (115) to generate at least one product measurement (Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . Yn) based on said analysis; said at least one product measurement (Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn) being indicative of an output material condition (Y(r), Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn); The method further comprises: A) Desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ receiving data indicative of A1) At least one internal status parameter reference value (X1 ＲＥＦ (r), F.I. ＲＥＦ (r); X6 ＲＥＦ , A ＴＯＥＲＥＦ The internal status parameter reference value (X1 ＲＥＦ ; F.I. ＲＥＦ ) is the desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r)) to bring about a desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ ) via a user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250); and A2) The status parameter values ​​(X1(r), FI(r); X6, A ＴＯＥ (r)) via a user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250); Or, B) the desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r)) to bring about a desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ ) and the status parameter values ​​(X1(r), FI(r); X6, A ＴＯＥ At least one internal status parameter error value (X1 ＥＲＲ (r), F.I. ＥＲＲ (r); X6 ＥＲＲ , A ＴＯＥ＿ＥＲＲ C1) communicating via a user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) information indicative of said solid material feed rate set point value (U2 ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ ) to control the discharge material state (Y(r)) or to affect the internal state (X(r)) to affect the discharge material state (Y(r)), Ｓ receiving a first user input via a user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250) regarding a C2) controlling the discharge material state (Y(r)) or influencing the internal state (X(r)) to affect the discharge material state (Y(r)); ＲＥＦ ) based on the solid material feed rate set point value (U2 ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ ) to automatically generate the desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ receiving user input regarding the user interface (210, 210S, 240, 250); A method comprising:

15. The at least one status parameter value is a value indicative of the position of the tip portion (205) (X1(r), FI(r); X6, A ＴＯＥ The method of claim 14, comprising:

16. The internal status parameter reference value (X ＲＥＦ ; F.I. ＲＥＦ ) is the desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r)) to bring about a desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ At least one internal status parameter reference value (X1 ＲＥＦ (r); X2 ＲＥＦ (r); X5 ＲＥＦ (r); X6 ＲＥＦ , A ＴＯＥＲＥＦ (r)) to the desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ based on said data indicative of The solid material feed rate set point value (U ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ )of, The at least one internal status parameter reference value (X ＲＥＦ (r), F.I. ＲＥＦ (r), X6 ＲＥＦ , A ＴＯＥＲＥＦ (r)), and The at least one status parameter value (X1(r), FI(r); X2(r); X3(r); X4(r); X5, f ＲＯＴ ;X6,A ＴＯＥ (r);X7(r)) Generate based on 16. The method of claim 14 or 15, further comprising:

17. 17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the internal state (X) of the grinding process is represented by a number of internal state parameters (X1, X2, X3, ... Xm), each of which describes an aspect of the grinding process.

18. 18. The method of any one of claims 14 to 17, further comprising generating an internal state vector (X) comprising an integer m of internal state parameters (X1, X2, X3, . . . Xm), the internal state parameters (X1, X2, X3, . . . Xm) describing certain aspects of the grinding process.

19. 19. The method of any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the discharge material state (Y(r), Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn) is indicated by a plurality of discharge material state parameters (Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn), each discharge material state parameter (Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn) describing an aspect of the product particles (95; 96) produced at the mill output (200).

20. 20. The system of claim 14, further comprising generating an exhaust material state vector (Y) comprising an integer n of exhaust material state parameters (Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn), each individual exhaust material state parameter (Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn) describing an aspect of the product particles (95; 96) produced at the mill output (200).

21. A plurality of set point parameter values ​​(U1 ＳＰ , U2 ＳＰ , U3 ＳＰ A set point vector (U ＳＰ ), further comprising generating individual set point parameter values ​​(U1 ＳＰ , U2 ＳＰ , U3 ＳＰ , . . . Uk) describe set point values ​​for controlling certain aspects of the operation of the mill, and the solid material feed rate set point value (U2 ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ ) is the set point parameter value (U1 ＳＰ , U2 ＳＰ , U3 ＳＰ 21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the first, second, third, fourth, sixth, eighth ...

22. The solid material feed rate set point value (U ＳＰ , R ＳＳＰ ) to the desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ ) based on The desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ )but, The desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ ), and Correlation data (1170, 1180) indicative of a causal relationship between the desired discharge material state and a corresponding internal state (X) of the grinding process. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the method is based on

23. The set point vector (U ＳＰ ) to the desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ ) based on The desired internal state (X ＲＥＦ )but, The desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ ), and Correlation data (1170, 1180) indicative of a causal relationship between the desired discharge material state and a corresponding internal state (X) of the grinding process. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein the method is based on

24. Desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ ) is a value (Y1 ＲＥＦ 24. The method of claim 14, comprising:

25. Desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ The data indicating the desired median particle size (Y2 ＲＥＦ ) (Y1 ＲＥＦ 25. The method of claim 14, comprising:

26. Desired discharge material state (Y ＲＥＦ (r), Y1 ＲＥＦ , Y2 ＲＥＦ , Y3 ＲＥＦ , . . . Yn ＲＥＦ ) is a desired emission material state vector (Y ＲＥＦ (r) The desired emission material state vector (Y ＲＥＦ (r)) Data indicating the desired mass per unit of time of the product particles (95; 96) (Y1 ＲＥＦ ), and / or Desired median grain size (Y2 ＲＥＦ ) data (Y2 ＲＥＦ ) 26. The method of any one of claims 14 to 25, comprising:

27. The vibration signal is a repetition event (S Ｐ The first repetition frequency (f Ｒ The vibration (V ＩＭＰ ), and the first repetition frequency (f Ｒ ) is the shell rotation speed (f ＲＯＴ ) and The reference signal has a reference position repetition frequency (f Ｒ ), and the reference position repetition frequency (f Ｒ , X4) is the pulsation repetition frequency (f Ｒ 27. The method of claim 14, wherein the .times. ...

28. detecting a first occurrence of a first reference position signal value (1; 1C, 0%) in a time series of position signal sample values ​​(P(i), P(j), P(q)); detecting a second occurrence of a second reference position signal value (1; 1C, 100%) in said time series of position signal sample values ​​(P(i), P(j), P(q)); In the time series of measurement sample values ​​(Se(i), S(j), S(q)), an event signature (S Ｐ detecting a third occurrence of the first occurrence (1; 1C, 0%, 0°, P(r); Sp) based on the time series of position signal sample values ​​(P(i), P(j), P(q)); Ｃ ) and the second occurrence (1;1C,P Ｃ generating 1010 data indicative of a reference period between the angle of rotation (100%, 100%, 360°); Based on time information (i,dt;j,t) relating to the third occurrence and time information (i,dt;j,t) relating to the time series of position signal sample values, the first occurrence (1;1C,0%,0°,P Ｃ ) and the third occurrence (S Ｐ (r); Sp), or the third occurrence (S Ｐ (r); Sp) and the second occurrence (1; 1C, P Ｃ , 100%, 360°) ＲＥＦ２ ) (1020); and The first time period (T ＲＥＦ２ ) and the reference period (T ＲＥＦ１ ) with a first temporal relationship (R Ｔ (r); T Ｄ generating 1050 data indicative of ;FI(r), Φ(r); 28. The method of any one of claims 14 to 27, further comprising:

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