Early warning system, control method, and construction machinery for electronic fans

Abstract

This invention relates to an early warning system for electronic fans in construction machinery. [Solution] The electronic fan includes multiple blades, a blade connecting ring, and a fan cover. The early warning system 100 includes a detection device, a controller 10, and an early warning module 6. The controller 10 is configured to acquire and process an analog signal output from the detection device to output a digital signal, acquire a rotational speed signal from a rotational speed sensor 4, acquire a corresponding threshold signal based on the rotational speed signal, compare the digital signal with the threshold signal, and transmit a feedback signal to the overall machine control unit 5 of the construction machine based on the comparison result. The early warning module 6 is configured to acquire a control signal and transmit an audible and / or visual warning to a worker. The present invention further relates to an electronic fan, a construction machine including an early warning system 100 for the electronic fan, and a method for controlling the electronic fan.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electric fans, particularly electric fans for construction machinery. Furthermore, it relates to a control method for such an electric fan and a construction machinery including such an electric fan.

Background Art

[0002] The working environment of construction machinery is diverse. In a relatively high-temperature environment, the heat dissipation requirements for the entire machine are relatively high. The extra heat generated from the engine system, hydraulic system, and air-conditioning system needs to be removed by a heat dissipation device to ensure that the construction machinery can operate efficiently at an appropriate temperature.

[0003] With the popularization of new energy vehicles, electric fans have been widely applied to the heat dissipation system due to a series of advantages such as easy operation, high efficiency, and independent controllability. In the heat dissipation system of electric construction machinery, electric fans are gradually being adopted in place of conventional fans.

[0004] However, due to being restricted by the harsh working environment of construction machinery (such as a lot of moisture and dust), the reliability of electric fans faces a major problem. Mainly, the dynamic balance of the fan becomes unstable due to dust deposition on the blades, which may further cause fan failures.

[0005] Currently, most electronic fans lack any technical means to monitor dust accumulation and provide early warnings, and maintenance manuals only specify periodic manual cleaning. From practical experience, periodic maintenance is relatively difficult in actual operation. For example, in simple work environments, workers may discover that only a small amount of dust has accumulated on the fan during periodic maintenance, and stopping the machine for maintenance increases not only maintenance costs but also installation costs. On the other hand, in harsh work environments, electronic fans may fail during periodic maintenance, inevitably increasing maintenance frequency and costs, as well as significantly increasing after-sales service costs. Therefore, it is extremely important to effectively and immediately provide workers with feedback on the dust accumulation status of electronic fans and encourage them to perform timely maintenance.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for an early warning system and method for dust accumulation in electronic fans. [Overview of the project]

[0007] To solve at least one of the above problems, the present invention provides an early warning system for an electronic fan of a construction machine, the electronic fan comprising a plurality of blades rotatable about one axis, a blade connecting ring for connecting the plurality of blades at the radially outer ends of the blades away from the axis, and a fan cover disposed coaxially with the blade connecting ring, comprising: a detection device for obtaining the radial distance between the fan cover and the blade connecting ring; a controller connected to the detection device and the overall machine control unit of the construction machine, the controller configured to acquire and process an analog signal output from the detection device to output a digital signal, acquire a rotational speed signal output from a rotational speed sensor in the electronic fan, acquire a corresponding threshold signal based on the rotational speed signal, compare the digital signal with the threshold signal, and transmit a feedback signal to the overall machine control unit of the construction machine based on the comparison result; and an early warning module configured to acquire a control signal transmitted by the overall machine control unit based on the feedback signal and transmit an audible and / or visual warning to a worker.

[0008] Selectively, the detection device includes a proximity sensor provided inside the fan cover and a magnetic stripe provided on the blade connecting ring.

[0009] Selectively, the blade connecting ring includes an outer periphery extending circumferentially radially outward from the blade, the fan cover includes a surrounding portion extending around the outer periphery of the blade connecting ring, the outer periphery and the surrounding portion are arranged coaxially, the proximity sensor is embedded in the surrounding portion of the fan cover, and the magnetic stripe is positioned on the outer periphery of the blade connecting ring.

[0010] Selectively, the controller includes a central processing unit, an analog-to-digital converter, and the rotational speed sensor.

[0011] Selectively, the proximity sensor is connected to an analog-to-digital converter and configured to output a current signal as an analog signal to the analog-to-digital converter, the analog-to-digital converter is configured to convert the current signal into a digital signal by converting a distance measurement representing the actual radial distance, and the central processing unit is configured to acquire a rotation speed signal representing the rotation speed value and a predetermined distance threshold under the rotation speed value, compare the distance measurement with the distance threshold, and further transmit the feedback signal to the machine overall control unit when the distance measurement exceeds the distance threshold.

[0012] Selectively, the proximity sensor is a chip-hole sensor.

[0013] Selectively, the early warning module is integrated into the display screen of the construction machine and configured to send an alert to the worker by flashing the display screen.

[0014] Selectively, the electronic fan further includes a motor for driving the blades and the blade connecting ring to rotate, and a motor control device for controlling the motor, wherein the controller is the motor control device in the electronic fan.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a construction machine is further provided that includes an electronic fan and an early warning system for the aforementioned electronic fan.

[0016] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, The steps include acquiring and processing the analog signal output from the detection device and outputting a digital signal, A step of acquiring the rotational speed signal output from the rotational speed sensor of an electronic fan, A step of obtaining a corresponding threshold signal based on the rotation speed signal and comparing the digital signal with the threshold signal, The steps include sending a feedback signal to the overall machine control unit of the construction machine based on the comparison results, The steps include: acquiring a control signal transmitted by the overall machine control unit based on the feedback signal; Further providing is a method for controlling an electronic fan of a construction machine, comprising the step of transmitting an audible and / or visual warning to a worker based on the aforementioned control signal.

[0017] Selectively, the analog signal is a current signal output from the detection device, the digital signal is a distance measurement value representing the actual radial distance obtained by converting the current signal by an analog-to-digital converter, and the threshold signal is a predetermined distance threshold corresponding to the rotational speed signal.

[0018] Selectively, the control method further includes the step of obtaining a distribution map of several parameters based on a test, wherein the several parameters include dust accumulation, rotational speed of the electronic fan, radial distance between the blade connecting ring and the fan cover, and feedback values ​​from a proximity sensor, thereby allowing corresponding distance thresholds at each rotational speed to be preset based on the distribution map.

[0019] Selectively, the alarm is triggered by the flashing of the display screen of the construction machine.

[0020] The analog signal is selectively acquired by a proximity sensor located inside the fan cover of the electronic fan and by a magnetic stripe located on the blade connecting ring.

[0021] The concept of the present invention is as follows: A proximity sensor (e.g., an inductive chip-hole sensor) is used to read distance measurements representing the radial distance between the electronic fan blades (particularly the blade connecting rings) and the fan cover in real time. A distance threshold is set by comprehensively considering the effects of the fan rotation speed and dust accumulation on this distance. Based on the comparison result between the distance measurement and the predetermined distance threshold, the dust accumulation state of the electronic fan is immediately and effectively fed back to the operator, and it is determined whether or not maintenance is required for the electronic fan. If maintenance is required for the electronic fan, this is accurately fed back to the display screen at the front end.

[0022] According to the dust deposition early warning system and its control method of the present invention, the efficiency of equipment maintenance can be improved, and the operator can be immediately prompted to clean the dust deposition on the equipment, so that the service life of the electronic fan can be extended and the subsequent maintenance cost can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0024] [Figure 1] It is a schematic block diagram of an early warning system for an electronic fan according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] The operating principle of the proximity sensor in FIG. 1 is schematically shown. [Figure 3a] The structure of the electronic fan in different dust deposition states is schematically shown. [Figure 3b] The structure of the electronic fan in different dust deposition states is schematically shown.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The described embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention, but are merely exemplary, and not all of the features described in the embodiments or combinations thereof are necessary for the present invention.

[0026] The electronic fan may be attached, for example, inside a construction machine (for example, near an engine, radiator and / or circuit board) so as to help dissipate heat from the corresponding part. The construction machine may be any type of machine that performs operations related to a specific industry (for example, construction, mining, agriculture, transportation, etc.) and operates in various working environments (for example, construction sites, mines, farms and roads, etc.), such as excavators, loaders, bulldozers, etc.

[0027] The electronic fan may include a plurality of blades rotatable around a single axis, a blade connecting ring 200 (see Figures 3a and 3b) for connecting the plurality of blades at the radially outer ends of the blades away from the axis, and a fan cover 300 (see Figures 3a and 3b) arranged coaxially with the blade connecting ring.

[0028] Due to the harsh working environment of construction machinery (e.g., high humidity and dust), the reliability of conventional electronic fans faces significant challenges. The main cause of failure is that dust accumulation on the blades destabilizes the fan's dynamic balance, increasing vibration and ultimately leading to fan failure. Therefore, the present invention provides an improved electronic fan that includes a dust accumulation monitoring and early warning system. Figure 1 schematically shows an early warning system 100 for an electronic fan according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Referring to Figures 1, 3a, and 3b, the early warning system 100 may include a detection device for obtaining the radial distance between the fan cover 300 and the blade connecting ring 200, a controller 10 connected to the detection device and the overall machine control unit 5 of the construction machine, and an early warning module 6.

[0030] As shown in Figures 3a and 3b, the detection device may include a proximity sensor 1 provided inside the fan cover 300 and a magnetic stripe 8 provided on the blade connecting ring 200.

[0031] Specifically, the blade connecting ring 200 may include an outer peripheral portion that extends circumferentially to the radially outer side of the blade, and the fan cover 300 may include a surrounding portion that extends around the outer peripheral portion of the blade connecting ring 200, with the outer peripheral portion and the surrounding portion being coaxially arranged. The proximity sensor 1 of the detection device can be embedded in the surrounding portion of the fan cover 300, and the magnetic stripe 8 can be placed on the outer peripheral portion of the blade connecting ring 200.

[0032] The operating principle of the proximity sensor 1 is as shown in Figure 2: when the target 20 (i.e., the object to be detected) approaches the magnetic field, induced eddy currents are generated on the surface of the target 20, and the closer the distance, the larger the detected value. Specifically, in this embodiment, when the amount of accumulated dust in the electronic fan increases, and as a result the radial distance between the blade connecting ring 200 and the fan cover 300 decreases, the distance between the magnetic stripe 8 and the proximity sensor 1 also decreases, the induced eddy currents become stronger accordingly, and the feedback value (eddy current value) output from the proximity sensor 1 increases. Therefore, this feedback value is correlated with the actual radial distance between the proximity sensor 1 and the magnetic stripe 8.

[0033] The proximity sensor 1 may be an inductive proximity sensor such as a chip Hall sensor.

[0034] As shown in Figure 1, the controller 10 may include a central processing unit 2, an analog-to-digital converter 3, and a rotational speed sensor 4.

[0035] Furthermore, the controller 10 may be configured to acquire and process the analog signal output from the detection device and output a digital signal, acquire the rotational speed signal output from the rotational speed sensor 4 in the electronic fan, acquire a corresponding threshold signal based on the rotational speed signal, compare the digital signal and the threshold signal, and send a feedback signal to the overall machine control unit 5 of the construction machine based on the comparison result. This will be explained further below.

[0036] The proximity sensor 1 of the detection device may be connected to an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter 3 and configured to output a current signal (analog signal) to the analog-to-digital converter 3.

[0037] The analog-to-digital converter 3 may be configured to convert the current signal into a distance measurement representing the actual radial distance to obtain the digital signal.

[0038] The central processing unit 2 may be configured to acquire a rotational speed signal representing a rotational speed value and a predetermined distance threshold at said rotational speed value, and to compare the measured distance with the distance threshold. If the measured distance exceeds the distance threshold, the central processing unit 2 can send a feedback signal to the overall machine control unit 5, which can then send a control signal to the early warning module 6 based on the feedback signal.

[0039] The early warning module 6 may be configured to acquire the above control signals and transmit audio and / or visual warnings to the worker. For example, the early warning module 6 may be integrated into the display screen 7 of the construction machine and configured to transmit a warning to the worker by flashing the display screen 7.

[0040] The electronic fan may further include a motor (not shown) for driving the blades and blade connecting ring 200 to rotate, and a motor control device for controlling the motor, and the controller 10 may be the motor control device in the electronic fan, and therefore the rotational speed sensor 4 and the central processing unit 2 may be the rotational speed sensor and the central processing unit in the motor control device of the electronic fan.

[0041] The following describes how to operate the above-mentioned early warning system 100. The steps include acquiring and processing the analog signal output from the detection device and outputting a digital signal, The steps include acquiring the rotation speed signal output from the rotation speed sensor 4 of the electronic fan, The steps include obtaining a corresponding threshold signal based on the above rotation speed signal and comparing the above digital signal with the above threshold signal, The steps include sending a feedback signal to the overall machine control unit 5 of the construction machine based on the comparison results, The steps include: acquiring a control signal transmitted by the overall machine control unit 5 based on the above feedback signal; The process includes the step of transmitting an audible and / or visual warning to a worker based on the above control signal.

[0042] The transmitted alarm can be achieved by the flashing of the display screen 7 of the construction machine.

[0043] As described above, the analog signal may be a current signal output from a detection device. For example, a current signal related to the actual radial distance between the two can be obtained by a proximity sensor 1 provided inside the fan cover 300 of the electronic fan and a magnetic stripe 8 provided on the blade connecting ring 200. The digital signal may be a distance measurement value representing the actual radial distance obtained by converting the induced current signal by an analog-to-digital converter 3. The threshold signal may be a predetermined distance threshold corresponding to the rotational speed signal.

[0044] Therefore, based on the test, a distribution map of multiple parameters can be obtained, which include dust accumulation amount, electronic fan rotation speed, radial distance between the blade connecting ring and the fan cover, and proximity sensor feedback value, thereby allowing corresponding distance thresholds at each rotation speed to be preset based on the distribution map. The distribution map can reflect the correlation between the parameters. Industrial applicability

[0045] The dust accumulation early warning system according to the present invention estimates the amount of dust accumulation inside an electronic fan based on the detection value of a proximity sensor such as an inductive Hall sensor, and provides an early warning. Specifically, a chip Hall proximity sensor can be used. The operating principle of the proximity sensor is that when a target (i.e., the object to be detected) approaches a magnetic field, induced eddy currents are generated on the surface of the target, and the closer the distance, the larger the detection value.

[0046] Theoretically, under stable rotational speeds, the radial distance between the blade connecting ring and the fan cover of an electronic fan remains stable. However, as accumulated dust increases, the radial distance between the two decreases.

[0047] In this invention, an induced eddy current is generated by mounting a proximity sensor inside the fan cover and placing a magnetic stripe inside the blade connection ring, thereby enabling the proximity sensor to acquire eddy current readings. When accumulated dust increases, and the radial distance between the blade connection ring and the fan cover decreases, the distance between the magnetic stripe and the Hall sensor also decreases, which strengthens the induced eddy current and increases the output feedback value (eddy current value). Therefore, this feedback value correlates with the actual radial distance. The corresponding distance measurement can be obtained by A / D (analog / digital) conversion.

[0048] The outline of the electronic fan control method according to the present invention is as follows.

[0049] Based on the test, a distribution diagram is obtained between multiple parameters, the multiple parameters including the amount of dust accumulation, the rotational speed of the electronic fan, the radial distance between the blade connecting ring and the fan cover, and the Hall sensor feedback value. Based on the distribution diagram, a corresponding distance threshold is set at each rotational speed. Eddy current readings are obtained by the proximity sensor, and A / D conversion is performed on the eddy current readings to obtain a corresponding distance measurement. The rotational speed value detected by the rotational speed sensor in the motor control unit of the electronic fan is read, and the distance threshold at that rotational speed value is obtained by referring to the distribution diagram. The distance measurement value and the distance threshold are compared, and if the distance measurement value exceeds the distance threshold, it is determined that the dust accumulation exceeds the standard. The motor control unit feeds a signal back to the overall machine control unit ("VCU"), and an early warning module integrated into the display screen of the overall machine control unit sends feedback to the worker, for example, by flashing the display screen to issue an alarm.

[0050] This technical solution reduces the maintenance costs associated with typical manual cleaning of electronic fans, shortens unnecessary maintenance downtime by providing workers with immediate and effective feedback on the dust accumulation status of the electronic fans, and improves the efficiency of equipment maintenance. As a result, the service life of electronic fans is extended, and premature failures and significant increases in late-stage maintenance costs due to harsh operating conditions of the fans are prevented.

[0051] Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments disclosed above without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art through the practices disclosed herein. This specification and the examples disclosed herein should be considered illustrative, and the actual scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents.

Claims

1. An early warning system (100) for an electronic fan of construction machinery, comprising an electronic fan having a plurality of blades rotatable about one axis, a blade connecting ring (200) for connecting the plurality of blades at the radially outer ends of the blades away from the axis, and a fan cover (300) arranged coaxially with the blade connecting ring, A detection device for obtaining the radial distance between the fan cover (300) and the blade connecting ring (200), A controller (10) connected to the detection device and the overall machine control unit (5) of the construction machine, The analog signal output from the detection device is acquired and processed to output a digital signal. The rotation speed signal output from the rotation speed sensor (4) of the aforementioned electronic fan is acquired, Based on the rotation speed signal, a corresponding threshold signal is obtained, and the digital signal and the threshold signal are compared, and A controller (10) configured to transmit a feedback signal to the overall machine control unit (5) of the construction machine based on the comparison results, An early warning system (100) for an electronic fan of a construction machine, comprising: an early warning module (6) configured to receive a control signal transmitted by the overall machine control unit (5) based on the feedback signal, and to transmit an audible and / or visual warning to a worker.

2. The early warning system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the detection device includes a proximity sensor (1) provided inside the fan cover (300) and a magnetic stripe (8) provided on the blade connecting ring (200).

3. The blade connecting ring (200) includes an outer circumference that extends circumferentially to the radially outer side of the blade. The fan cover (300) includes a surrounding portion that extends around the outer periphery of the blade connecting ring (200), and the outer periphery and the surrounding portion are arranged coaxially. The early warning system (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the proximity sensor (1) is embedded in the surrounding portion of the fan cover (300), and the magnetic stripe (8) is arranged on the outer circumference of the blade connecting ring (200).

4. The early warning system (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the controller (10) includes a central processing unit (2), an analog-to-digital converter (3), and the rotational speed sensor (4).

5. The proximity sensor (1) is connected to an analog-to-digital converter (3) and configured to output a current signal as an analog signal to the analog-to-digital converter (3). The analog-to-digital converter (3) is configured to convert the current signal into a distance measurement value representing the actual radial distance to obtain the digital signal, and The early warning system (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the central processing unit (2) is configured to acquire a rotation speed signal representing a rotation speed value and a predetermined distance threshold under the rotation speed value, compare the distance measurement value with the distance threshold, and further transmit the feedback signal to the machine overall control unit (5) when the distance measurement value exceeds the distance threshold.

6. The early warning system (100) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the proximity sensor (1) is a chip hole sensor.

7. The early warning system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the early warning module (6) is integrated into the display screen (7) of the construction machine and is configured to transmit a warning to the worker by flashing the display screen (7).

8. The early warning system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electronic fan further includes a motor for driving the blades and the blade connecting ring (200) to rotate, and a motor control device for controlling the motor, wherein the controller (10) is the motor control device in the electronic fan.

9. A construction machine including an electronic fan, further comprising an early warning system (100) for the electronic fan according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. Step a involves acquiring and processing an analog signal output from a detection device and outputting a digital signal. Step b involves acquiring the rotation speed signal output from the rotation speed sensor (4) in the electronic fan, Step c involves obtaining a corresponding threshold signal based on the rotation speed signal and comparing the digital signal with the threshold signal. Step d involves sending a feedback signal to the overall machine control unit (5) of the construction machine based on the comparison results. Step e, which involves acquiring a control signal transmitted by the overall machine control unit (5) based on the feedback signal, A method for controlling an electronic fan of construction machinery, comprising step f, which involves transmitting an audio and / or visual warning to a worker based on the aforementioned control signal.

11. The control method according to claim 10, characterized in that the analog signal is a current signal output from the detection device, the digital signal is a distance measurement value representing the actual radial distance obtained by converting the current signal by an analog-to-digital converter (3), and the threshold signal is a predetermined distance threshold corresponding to the rotation speed signal.

12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of obtaining a distribution map of several parameters based on a test, wherein the several parameters include dust accumulation, rotational speed of the electronic fan, radial distance between the blade connecting ring and the fan cover, and feedback value of a proximity sensor, thereby enabling the preset of corresponding distance thresholds at each rotational speed based on the distribution map.

13. The control method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the alarm is realized by the flashing of the display screen (7) of the construction machine.

14. The control method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that in step a, the analog signal is acquired by a proximity sensor (1) provided inside the fan cover (300) of the electronic fan and a magnetic stripe (8) provided on the blade connecting ring (200).

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