Smart monitoring devices and systems

Abstract

We provide smart monitoring devices and systems. [Solution] The smart monitoring device comprises an identification device 1 for acquiring serial number information of the transport equipment T, a detection device 2 for detecting and acquiring external signals of the transport equipment, and a calculation processing module 3 to which signals are connected to the detection device and the identification device, which receives the serial number information and external signals, and performs calculation processing based on the serial number information and external signals to generate quality monitoring results corresponding to the transport equipment. Furthermore, a smart monitoring system is integrated to realize smart anomaly monitoring and high-precision quality prediction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring device and a system, and more particularly to a smart monitoring device and a system.

Background Art

[0002] Many of the conventional transportation devices installed inside a factory area are inspected and maintained in a fixed cycle. Mainly, relying on the experience and intuition of inspectors, the timing for replacing parts and performing maintenance is determined. However, for transportation devices that transport high-precision goods, even a slight abnormality may cause damage to the goods or cause an abnormality. Therefore, if the operating status of the transportation device cannot be monitored in real time, it becomes difficult to grasp whether there is an abnormality in the transportation device or the occurrence of an abnormal state. However, it was difficult for inspectors on site to detect minute changes in the transportation device at once or to judge with the naked eye. In many cases, when it is time for the maintenance cycle, or when the transportation speed is clearly abnormal, suddenly stops, or when there is a problem with the goods being transported, the inspector has to conduct an immediate inspection. This not only requires a large amount of labor and time to eliminate the abnormal states of the devices one by one, but also results in a large number of defects in the goods being transported.

[0003] Furthermore, the transportation devices in the factory area are of complex types. Even for the same type of transportation device, the model number and manufacturer may be different. The operating status of each transportation device may be different, and there may be parts or sites that are prone to abnormalities. In addition, the maintenance cycle and the method of detecting abnormalities are also different. Therefore, it has become more difficult for inspectors to manage the transportation quality of various transportation devices.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, while much of the transportation equipment within the factory area needs to be maintained to operate 24 hours a day to ensure manufacturing efficiency, prolonged operation gradually wears down components such as track rollers and drive motors. If abnormalities are not detected immediately, it can affect the entire manufacturing schedule and potentially deal a major blow to the manufacturer's business.

[0005] In view of these circumstances, this invention provides a smart monitoring device and system that detects external signals generated during the operation of transportation equipment, performs calculations and analyses, thereby achieving highly accurate anomaly monitoring and repair, while simultaneously enabling more precise maintenance strategies and significantly reducing human and time costs. Furthermore, it is applicable to various types of transportation equipment and effectively reduces installation costs.

[0006] This invention was made to solve the conventional problems described above, and its main objective is to provide a smart monitoring device and system that enables quality monitoring of transportation equipment by acquiring serial number information corresponding to each transportation device and external signals during the operation of each transportation device using an identification device and a detection device, and by performing calculation processing on the acquired external signals using a calculation processing module.

[0007] Another objective of this invention is to provide a smart monitoring device and system in which relevant information about transportation equipment is acquired by a monitoring station, and the acquired information is further calculated and analyzed by a server, thereby achieving the objective of understanding the health status of the transportation equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, a smart monitoring device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: an identification device for acquiring serial number information of a transport device; a detection device for detecting and acquiring an external signal of the transport device; and a calculation processing module to which signals are connected to the detection device and the identification device, which receives the serial number information and the external signal, and which performs calculation processing based on the serial number information and the external signal to generate a quality monitoring result corresponding to the transport device.

[0009] In a preferred example of the present invention, the identification device is selected from a chip reader, a barcode scanner, an image identification device, an optical electrical monitoring device, or any combination of the above.

[0010] In a preferred example of the present invention, the detection device is installed on one side of the transport track of the transport equipment, and the identification device is installed on one side of the detection device.

[0011] In a preferred example of the present invention, the external signal is a vibration signal generated when the transport equipment operates on the transport track.

[0012] In preferred examples of the present invention, the transport equipment is selected from an overhead hoist transport system (OHT), an overhead shuttle (OHS), a rail-guided vehicle (RGV), a stocker system (STK), and an electric monorail system (EMS).

[0013] To achieve the other objectives described above, another embodiment of the present invention, a smart monitoring system, comprises a monitoring station used to acquire serial number information and a corresponding first external signal of a transport device, and a server to which a signal is connected, which receives the serial number information and the first external signal, performs calculations based on the first external signal to acquire corresponding feature parameters, performs analysis based on the feature parameters to generate a first quality monitoring result corresponding to the transport device.

[0014] In a preferred example of the present invention, the server can selectively perform calculations based on the first external signal, including the calculation of the root mean square (RMS), peak value, peak-to-peak value, crest factor, kurtosis, skewness, envelope curve, Fourier transform, power spectrum, envelope spectrum, sideband analysis, cepstrum, wavelet transform, Hilbert-Huang transform, and statistical analysis.

[0015] In a preferred example of the present invention, the server performs an initial analysis based on the first external signal. If the first external signal deviates from a predetermined range, the first external signal is deleted, and the first external signal of the serial number information is reacquired by another monitoring station. If the first external signal does not deviate from the predetermined range, the server performs subsequent calculation processing on the first external signal.

[0016] In a preferred example of the present invention, the server performs regression analysis based on the serial number information, the corresponding first external signal, and the first quality monitoring result to generate a corresponding predictive model.

[0017] In a preferred example of the present invention, the monitoring station acquires a second external signal corresponding to the serial number information, the server introduces the second external signal into the prediction model, and a second quality monitoring result corresponding to the transportation equipment is generated.

[0018] In a preferred example of the present invention, the monitoring station comprises an identification device and a detection device, wherein the identification device is used to acquire the serial number information of the transport equipment, and the detection device is used to detect and acquire the first external signal and the second external signal of the transport equipment.

[0019] In a preferred example of the present invention, the first external signal and the second external signal are vibration signals generated when the transport equipment operates on a transport track. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] As this invention is configured as described above, it produces the following effects. According to this invention, the transport status of transport equipment can be accurately grasped, the manufacturing flowchart can be optimized, process stability can be ensured, and sudden failure of transport equipment can be prevented. In addition, an accurate maintenance strategy can be implemented, the cost and time costs of manual periodic inspections / maintenance can be reduced, product wear due to malfunctions of transport equipment can be effectively prevented, and the objectives of smart monitoring can be achieved.

[0021] The following information will become clear from the description in the specification and drawings described later. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0022] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing a smart monitoring device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3]It is a schematic diagram showing the implementation of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram showing the quality monitoring result according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing the quality monitoring result according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various forms can be adopted as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a smart monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, a smart monitoring device D according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an identification device 1, a detection device 2, and an arithmetic processing module 3. The arithmetic processing module 3 is signal-connected to the identification device 1 and the detection device 2 respectively, and the detailed description is as follows.

[0025] The identification device 1 is used to obtain the serial number information of the transportation device T. In an embodiment, the identification device can be selected from a chip reader, a barcode scanner, an image identification device, or any combination of the above. The present invention is not limited thereto, as long as it can identify the serial number of the transportation device T. Preferably, the identification device 1 may be an image capture device employing a charge coupled device (CCD) combined with optical character recognition (OCR).

[0026] Detection device 2 is used to detect and acquire external signals from the transport equipment T. In one embodiment, the external signals are vibration signals generated when the transport equipment T operates on a transport track. Preferably, detection device 2 is installed on one side of the transport track used for the transport equipment T, and identification device 1 is installed on one side of detection device 2. However, the specific location is not limited and should be a location that can fully capture the serial number information and external signals.

[0027] The arithmetic processing module 3 receives serial number information and external signals, and performs arithmetic processing based on the serial number information and external signals to generate quality monitoring results corresponding to the transport equipment T. In one embodiment, the quality monitoring results can be classified into four types, for example, excellent, normal, warning, and dangerous. Excellent indicates that the quality of the transport equipment T is excellent and no maintenance is required. Normal indicates that the transport equipment T is operating normally and the remaining operating time is still longer than a predetermined time. Warning indicates that the transport equipment T is operating normally, but the remaining operating time is shorter than a predetermined time and maintenance needs to be performed within a certain period of time. Danger indicates that an abnormality has occurred in the transport equipment T and a warning is issued to perform maintenance immediately. The present invention is not limited thereto, and other definitions of operating states may be used as needed.

[0028] In some embodiments, the transport equipment T is selected from an overhead hoist transport (OHT), an overhead shuttle (OHS), a rail-guided vehicle (RGV), a stocker system (STK), and an electric monorail system (EMS), but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the smart monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a monitoring station 4 and a server 5, and the monitoring station 4 is connected to the server 5. A detailed explanation is as follows.

[0030] The monitoring station 4 is used to acquire the serial number information of the transport equipment T and a first external signal corresponding to the serial number information. In one embodiment, the monitoring station 4 is optionally equipped with an identification device 1 and a detection device, and the implementation method is the same as in the previous embodiment, so it will not be described again here.

[0031] In one embodiment, the number of monitoring stations 4 may be installed as needed, for example, they may be installed at regular intervals along the transport track of the transport equipment T, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0032] In one embodiment, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the implementation of a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the implementation method of the monitoring station 4 is such that when the transport equipment T enters the monitoring range of the monitoring station 4, the serial number information of the transport equipment T is acquired by the identification device 1, and at the same time, an external signal is acquired during the process of the transport equipment T entering the monitoring range of the monitoring station 4, thereby reducing interference from other devices. However, the present invention is not limited to these.

[0033] Server 5 is used to receive serial number information and a first external signal. By performing calculations on the first external signal, corresponding feature parameters are obtained. Subsequently, analysis is performed based on the feature parameters to generate a first quality monitoring result corresponding to the transportation equipment. Preferably, the initial analysis is performed after the first external signal is received by Server 5. Therefore, if the first external signal deviates from a predetermined range, the signal is deleted to indicate that other noise may be mixed in the first external signal, and the first external signal of the serial number information is reacquired and calculated by another monitoring station 4. Conversely, if the first external signal does not deviate from a predetermined range, this first external signal is directly processed.

[0034] In one embodiment, the predetermined range may be a range obtained by comparing external signals of transport equipment T whose serial number information has been acquired by multiple monitoring stations 4, and the present invention is not limited to these.

[0035] In one embodiment, server 5 performs regression analysis based on a first external signal and a first quality monitoring result corresponding to the acquired serial number information, and a predictive model corresponding to this serial number information is generated. When monitoring station 4 acquires a second external signal corresponding to this serial number information, the second external signal is introduced into the predictive model, and then a second quality monitoring result corresponding to the transport equipment T is generated. In other words, the predictive model can be used to optimize the prediction result by optimizing the final quality monitoring result, thereby improving the accuracy of the monitoring.

[0036] In one embodiment, the first external signal and the second external signal are vibration signals when the transport equipment T operates on the transport track, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0037] In one embodiment, the server 5 can selectively perform calculations such as Root Mean Square (RMS), Peak, Peak-to-Peak, Crest Factor, Kurtosis, Skewness, Envelope Curve, Fourier Transform, Power Spectrum, Envelope Spectrum, Sideband Analysis, Cepstrum, Wavelet Transform, Hilbert-Huang Transform, and statistical analysis based on a first external signal, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0038] The root mean square (RMS) is used to measure vibrational energy, thereby monitoring the overall vibration intensity.

[0039] Peak value / peak-to-peak value is used to observe sudden shocks.

[0040] The crest factor is used to observe whether there are shocks or partial failures.

[0041] Kurtosis is used to monitor the failure of roller bearings in transport equipment T.

[0042] Skewness is used to determine the symmetry of a signal.

[0043] The envelope curve is used to observe periodic shocks.

[0044] The Fourier transform includes selectable Fast Fourier Transform and Short-Time Fourier Transform. The Fast Fourier Transform is used to analyze the spectrum. This allows for the identification of typical failure frequencies of the transport equipment T, such as imbalances, biases, oscillations, and bearing failures. The Short-Time Fourier Transform is used to analyze the frequency characteristics of time variations.

[0045] The power spectrum is used to show the contribution of frequency to the total energy.

[0046] Envelope spectroscopy is used to monitor and analyze roller bearing failures in transport equipment T.

[0047] Sideband analysis is used to observe the modulation frequency.

[0048] Cepstrum is used to distinguish between combinations of similar frequencies. In this way, gearbox and bearing failures in transport equipment T have been observed.

[0049] Wavelet transforms are used to detect shock and unstable signals. This allows for multi-resolution analysis.

[0050] The Hilbert-Huang transform is used to track nonlinear and unstable vibration modes.

[0051] Statistical analysis allows for the conversion of feature parameters obtained from statistical analysis into process yield metrics, optionally including sample mean size, range, standard difference, skewness, kurtosis, Z-score, and yield.

[0052] As a result, quality monitoring results are obtained based on the aforementioned calculation processes, enabling real-time monitoring. Furthermore, monitoring results can be continuously optimized, providing accurate maintenance methods. In addition, the operating status of the transportation equipment T can be accurately predicted.

[0053] In one embodiment, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the quality monitoring results according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the smart monitoring system according to the present invention may further include a display interface 6, and when a signal is connected to the server 5, the quality monitoring results are displayed on the display interface 6. Preferably, the quality monitoring results are displayed by light signals, for example, good is displayed in green, normal is displayed in yellow, warning is displayed in orange, and danger is displayed in red, thereby clearly understanding the health status of each transport equipment T, but the present invention is not limited to these. Preferably, the quality monitoring results may further include a prediction of the number of days of use of the transport equipment T, for example, 83 in the figure indicates 83 days.

[0054] In one embodiment, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the quality monitoring results according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, in addition to displaying the operating status of the transport equipment T by a light signal, the predicted trend state of the transport equipment T may be displayed in detail using charts and graphs to make it easier for the user to grasp more detailed data.

[0055] In summary, the smart monitoring device and system according to this invention acquire data on transportation equipment through identification and detection devices in the monitoring station, and the server aggregates data from various transportation equipment to provide a unified monitoring perspective. This effectively reduces conversion costs between different transportation equipment and decreases the pressure of one-time deployments. In this way, the objective of smart management is achieved.

[0056] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means devised for each of the different embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 1. Identification device 2. Detection device 3. Arithmetic Processing Module 4 Monitoring Stations 5 servers 6 Display Interface D Smart monitoring device T Transport equipment

Claims

1. An identification device for obtaining serial number information of transportation equipment, A detection device for detecting and acquiring external signals from the aforementioned transport equipment, A smart monitoring device comprising: a detection device and an identification device to which signals are connected; a calculation processing module that receives the serial number information and the external signal, and performs calculation processing based on the serial number information and the external signal to generate quality monitoring results corresponding to the transport equipment.

2. The smart monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the identification device is selected from a chip reader, a barcode scanner, an image identification device, an optical electrical monitoring device, or any combination of the above.

3. The smart monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the detection device is installed on one side of the transport track of the transport equipment, and the identification device is installed on one side of the detection device.

4. The smart monitoring device according to claim 3, characterized in that the external signal is a vibration signal generated when the transport equipment is transported on the transport track.

5. The smart monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the transport equipment is selected from an Overhead Hoist Transport (OHT), an Overhead Shuttle (OHS), a Rail Guided Vehicle (RGV), an Automated Transport System (Stocker System, STK), and an Electric Monorail System (EMS).

6. A monitoring station including an identification device and a detection device, wherein the identification device acquires serial number information of the transport equipment and the detection device acquires a corresponding first external signal, A smart monitoring system comprising: a server to which a signal is connected to the monitoring station, which includes a processing module, and which, upon receiving the serial number information and the first external signal, performs calculations on the first external signal using the processing module, obtains corresponding feature parameters, performs analysis based on the feature parameters, and generates a first quality monitoring result corresponding to the transport equipment.

7. Based on the first external signal, the server performs the following calculations: Root Mean Square (RMS), Peak, Peak-to-Peak, Crest Factor, Kurtosis, Skewness, Envelope Curve, Fourier Transform, Power Spectrum, Envelope Spectrum, Sideband Analysis, Cepstrum, Wavelet Transform, Hilbert-Huang Transform. The smart monitoring system according to claim 6, characterized in that it can selectively perform computational processing for transformation and statistical analysis.

8. The smart monitoring system according to claim 6, characterized in that the server performs an initial analysis based on the first external signal, and if the first external signal deviates from a predetermined range, the first external signal is deleted, and the first external signal of the serial number information is reacquired by another monitoring station, and if the first external signal does not deviate from the predetermined range, the server performs subsequent calculation processing on the first external signal.

9. The smart monitoring system according to claim 6, characterized in that the server performs regression analysis based on the serial number information, the corresponding first external signal, and the first quality monitoring result to generate a corresponding predictive model.

10. The smart monitoring system according to claim 9, characterized in that the monitoring station acquires a second external signal corresponding to the serial number information, the server introduces the second external signal into the prediction model, and a second quality monitoring result corresponding to the transport equipment is generated.

11. The smart monitoring system according to claim 10, wherein the monitoring station comprises an identification device and a detection device, the identification device is used to acquire the serial number information of the transport equipment, and the detection device is used to detect and acquire the first external signal and the second external signal of the transport equipment.

12. The smart monitoring system according to claim 10, characterized in that the first external signal and the second external signal are vibration signals generated when the transport equipment is transported on a transport track.

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