Apparatus for monitoring cylinder based on flow rate analysis and operation method thereof
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- KR · KR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-10-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-12
Smart Images
Figure 112023110837133-PAT00003_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technology Field
[0001] The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a cylinder monitoring device based on flow rate analysis and a method of operation thereof. Background Technology
[0002] Recently, active research and development on secondary batteries has been underway. Here, secondary batteries refer to rechargeable batteries, encompassing conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries as well as the more recent lithium-ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries have the advantage of significantly higher energy density compared to conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries. Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries can be manufactured in a compact and lightweight manner, making them suitable for use as power sources for mobile devices. Recently, their scope of application has expanded to include electric vehicles, drawing attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.
[0003] A secondary battery is manufactured through a process in which an electrode assembly, consisting of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes, is housed inside a battery case, a liquid electrolyte is injected, and the battery case is sealed.
[0004] The injected electrolyte seeps between the positive plate, negative plate, and separator constituting the electrode assembly by capillary force, but impregnation of the electrolyte is not easy due to the characteristics of the microstructured porous electrode and the physical and chemical properties of the components constituting the electrode and the battery.
[0005] To enhance the electrolyte impregnation of secondary batteries, a vacuum pressurization chamber is used to perform pressurization and depressurization on secondary batteries into which electrolyte has been injected. Such a vacuum pressurization chamber includes an air cylinder for moving a part of the chamber body housing the secondary battery up and down; however, there has previously been no separate device capable of detecting the operating status or abnormal signs of said air cylinder. The problem to be solved
[0006] The vacuum pressurization chamber includes a flow sensor that detects the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from the cylinder. However, since the flow sensor alone cannot detect and determine whether the cylinder is operating synchronously or if a failure has occurred, a separate device and / or program capable of determining the cylinder's status is required.
[0007] The embodiments disclosed in this document may provide a cylinder monitoring device and a method of operation thereof capable of determining the state of an air cylinder by analyzing flow rate data of an air cylinder included in a vacuum pressurization chamber.
[0008] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem
[0009] A cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include a communication circuit that acquires flow rate data representing a flow rate measured by a flow sensor that detects the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from a plurality of air cylinders for operating a chamber composed of a lower body and an upper body located above the lower body, and a processor that determines a state including whether the plurality of air cylinders are synchronously operated based on the flow rate data.
[0010] In a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document, the plurality of air cylinders includes a first air cylinder and a second air cylinder, and the flow rate data includes a first flow rate data corresponding to the first air cylinder and a second flow rate data corresponding to the second air cylinder, and the processor can determine whether the synchronization operation is performed by comparing the first flow rate data and the second flow rate data.
[0011] In a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document, the processor can determine that it is not in a synchronous operation state if there is a point in time when the difference between the flow rate of the first air cylinder and the flow rate of the second air cylinder is greater than or equal to a specified value.
[0012] In a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document, the processor can determine abnormalities in the plurality of air cylinders by comparing the flow rate upper limit graph and flow rate lower limit graph included in the reference operating data with the flow rate data.
[0013] In a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document, the processor can determine that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders is not restored to a normal range according to the reference operation data after the flow rate drops below a lower limit value according to the flow rate lower limit graph.
[0014] In a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document, the processor can determine that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders, which is not restored to a normal range according to the reference operating data after its flow rate rises above an upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph, is an air leak.
[0015] In a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document, the processor can determine that among the plurality of air cylinders, an air cylinder in which the flow rate rises above an upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and then falls below the upper limit value, or falls below a lower limit value according to the flow rate lower limit graph and then rises above the lower limit value, is in a load abnormality.
[0016] A cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may further include a display that displays a graph showing the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from the plurality of air cylinders based on the flow rate data.
[0017] A cylinder monitoring method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include: acquiring flow rate data representing a flow rate measured by a flow rate sensor that detects the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from a plurality of air cylinders for operating a chamber composed of a lower body and an upper body located above the lower body; and determining a state including whether the plurality of air cylinders are synchronously operated based on the flow rate data.
[0018] In a cylinder monitoring method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the plurality of air cylinders includes a first air cylinder and a second air cylinder, and the flow rate data includes a first flow rate data corresponding to the first air cylinder and a second flow rate data corresponding to the second air cylinder, and the operation of determining whether the synchronization operation is performed may include comparing the first flow rate data and the second flow rate data to determine whether the synchronization operation is performed.
[0019] In a cylinder monitoring method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the operation of determining whether the synchronous operation is active may include determining that the synchronous operation is not active if there is a point in time when the difference between the flow rate of the first air cylinder and the flow rate of the second air cylinder is greater than or equal to a specified value.
[0020] In a cylinder monitoring method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document, the operation of determining the status of the plurality of air cylinders may include comparing the flow rate data with the flow rate upper limit graph and flow rate lower limit graph included in the reference operating data to determine abnormalities in the plurality of air cylinders.
[0021] In a cylinder monitoring method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the operation of determining abnormalities in the plurality of air cylinders may include determining that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders is stopped from operation if its flow rate falls below a lower limit value according to the lower limit graph and is not restored to a normal range according to the reference operation data.
[0022] In a cylinder monitoring method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the operation of determining abnormalities in the plurality of air cylinders may include determining that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders is an air leak if the flow rate rises above an upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and is not restored to a normal range according to the reference operation data.
[0023] In a cylinder monitoring method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document, the operation of determining an abnormality of the plurality of air cylinders may include determining that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders has a load abnormality if the flow rate rises above an upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and then falls below the upper limit value, or falls below a lower limit value according to the flow rate lower limit graph and then rises above the lower limit value. Effects of the invention
[0024] According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, the status of an air cylinder included in a vacuum pressurization chamber can be checked in real time, and identified abnormal signs can be provided to an administrator in real time to prevent problems caused by air cylinder failure at an early stage.
[0025] In addition, various effects that can be identified directly or indirectly through this document may be provided. Brief explanation of the drawing
[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vertically movable chamber according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a control unit for operating a plurality of air cylinders according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a graph showing reference operation data and flow rate data according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 is a graph showing reference operation data and flow rate data according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 is a graph showing reference operation data and flow rate data according to one embodiment. FIG. 7 is a graph showing reference operation data and flow rate data according to one embodiment. FIG. 8 is an operation flowchart of a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment. FIG. 9 is an operation flowchart of a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 is an operation flowchart of a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment. Specific details for implementing the invention
[0027] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments of the present invention.
[0028] The various embodiments of this document and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of said embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.
[0029] In this document, each of the phrases such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B or C,” “at least one of A, B and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C” may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as “first,” “second,” “first,” “second,” “A,” “B,” “(a),” or “(b)” may be used simply to distinguish a component from another component and, unless specifically stated otherwise, do not limit the components in any other aspect (e.g., importance or order).
[0030] In this document, where it is mentioned that any (e.g., 1) component is “connected,” “coupled,” or “joined” to another (e.g., 2) component, with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicationly,” or where it is mentioned as “coupled” or “connected,” it means that said component may be connected to said other component directly (e.g., by wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.
[0031] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) of the components described above may include a singular or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the components or operations among the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Generally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as those performed by the corresponding component among the multiple components prior to integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by the module, program, or other components may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.
[0032] Hereinafter, the configuration of a movable chamber according to one embodiment can be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.
[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vertically movable chamber according to one embodiment.
[0034] Referring to FIG. 1, a vertically movable chamber (10) may include a chamber body (100) for receiving an object (not shown), a chamber frame (200) shaped to surround the chamber body (100), a plurality of air cylinders (300) for moving a part of the chamber body (100) up and down, and a control unit (400) for operating the plurality of air cylinders (300).
[0035] Here, the object may be a secondary battery, more specifically a cylindrical secondary battery in which an electrolyte is injected, and is not necessarily limited thereto, but for the convenience of explanation, it will be described as assuming that the secondary battery is housed in the body of the chamber (10).
[0036] According to one embodiment, the chamber body (100) may be composed of a lower body (110) and an upper body (120). According to one embodiment, the lower body (110) may be a roughly circular plate-like structure. According to one embodiment, the upper body (120) is positioned above the lower body (110) and operates to be vertically movable, and its overall shape may be a hemispherical or semi-elliptical shape with a hollow interior.
[0037] A secondary battery for impregnating an electrolyte is housed on the upper surface of the lower body (110). Since depressurization and pressurization must be performed alternately for rapid and even impregnation, the lower body (110) may be structured to maintain airtightness so that it can be sealed from the outside when the upper body (120) and the lower body (110) are in close contact, and so that it is not separated even if a predetermined pressure is applied to the inside. Additionally, the lower body (110) or the upper body (120) may be provided with an openable port for depressurization or pressurization.
[0038] According to one embodiment, the chamber frame (200) may include a vertical frame (210), a horizontal frame (220), a support plate (230), and a guide frame (240).
[0039] According to one embodiment, the vertical frames (210) are formed as a pair positioned to face each other with the chamber body (100) in between, and the vertical frames (210) located on each side may be arranged in pairs spaced apart by a predetermined distance. Thus, the vertical frames (210) may be composed of a total of four.
[0040] According to one embodiment, the horizontal frame (220) is fixed to the upper part of the four vertical frames (210) and may be a roughly rectangular plate-like structure.
[0041] According to one embodiment, the support plate (230) is positioned between the horizontal frame (220) and the upper body (120), and can move up and down by the operation of a plurality of air cylinders (300) while fixedly supporting the upper body (120).
[0042] According to one embodiment, the guide frame (240) is configured to guide the support plate (230) to move up and down stably, and is positioned to penetrate the guide frame (24) in a vertical direction. Specifically, the lower end of the guide frame (240) is positioned on the ground and the other end is positioned to be in close contact with the bottom surface of the horizontal frame (220), and is approximately rod-shaped. It may be composed of four guide frames penetrating each corner of the guide frame (240), but the number can be increased or decreased as needed.
[0043] According to one embodiment, a plurality of air cylinders (300) are located near a vertical frame (210), more specifically between a pair of guide frames (240), and can be installed one by one facing each other at the edge of the support plate (230) so as to stably raise and lower the support plate (230). For example, the plurality of air cylinders (300) may include a first air cylinder located on the left side of the chamber body (100) and a second air cylinder located on the right side of the chamber body (100).
[0044] According to one embodiment, a plurality of air cylinders (300) may include a cylindrical cylinder tube (310), a head cover (320), a rod cover (330), and a piston (340).
[0045] According to one embodiment, the head cover (320) is positioned to seal the head end of the cylinder tube (310), and a head-side port (321) is provided so that air can be introduced when the support plate (230) rises and air can be exhausted when it falls, and a second air pipe connected to a supply flow sensor can be connected to this head-side port (321).
[0046] According to one embodiment, the rod cover (330) may be provided with a rod-side port (331) that seals the rod shaft end of the cylinder tube (310) and keeps it open at all times.
[0047] According to one embodiment, the piston (340) can divide the cylinder chamber while in close contact with the inner surface of the cylinder tube (310).
[0048] Since these multiple air cylinders (300) correspond to known technology, a more detailed description will be omitted.
[0049] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a control unit for operating a plurality of air cylinders according to one embodiment.
[0050] According to one embodiment, the control unit (400) can control the operation of a plurality of air cylinders (300) by controlling the supply and exhaust of air.
[0051] Referring to FIG. 2, the control unit (400) may include a main valve (410), a regulator (420), a first pressure sensor (430), a pilot valve (440), a supply flow sensor (450), an exhaust flow sensor (460), a second pressure sensor (470), and a relief valve (480).
[0052] According to one embodiment, the main valve (410) is for controlling the supply of air from an air compressor (not shown), such as a compressor, and may include an air inlet (411) on one side for connecting a first air pipe (L1) connected to the air compressor.
[0053] According to one embodiment, the regulator (420) is located behind the main valve (410) and can perform the function of adjusting the pressure of the supplied air so that a set pressure can be transmitted to the plurality of air cylinders (300) when raising the plurality of air cylinders (300).
[0054] According to one embodiment, the first pressure sensor (430) is located behind the regulator (420) and can measure the pressure of air passing through the regulator (420). Here, the first pressure sensor (430) may be equipped with a first display unit (431) to visually check the pressure being measured in real time, and may be equipped with a function to generate a warning signal, such as an alarm or warning, if the pressure exceeds a set pressure range or if an abnormal pressure persists for more than a certain period of time.
[0055] According to one embodiment, the pilot valve (440) is positioned between the first pressure sensor (430), the exhaust flow sensor (460), and the second pressure sensor (470), that is, on the path of the supplied air and the exhaust air, so as to switch the direction of air movement.
[0056] According to one embodiment, the supply flow sensor (450) is a unidirectional flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of air passing through the first pressure sensor (430), and can measure the flow rate of air passing through the first pressure sensor (430), the pilot valve (440), and the exhaust flow sensor (460) in sequence. The supply flow sensor (450) may be configured in the same number as the head-side ports of the plurality of air cylinders (300). For example, since there are two air cylinders equipped with one head-axis port, the supply flow sensor (450) may include a first supply flow sensor (451) and a second supply flow sensor (452) for supplying air to each head-axis port. The first supply flow sensor (451) and the second supply flow sensor (452) are each equipped with a first air inlet (451') and a second air inlet (452'), respectively, and may be connected by a second air pipe (L2). Here, the second air pipe (L2) can be used as a passage through which compressed air is exhausted when the air cylinder is lowered.
[0057] According to one embodiment, the exhaust flow sensor (460) is a unidirectional flow sensor for measuring the air flow rate exhausted from a plurality of air cylinders (300) and may be located between the supply flow sensor (450) and the pilot valve (440). The exhaust flow sensor (460) may include a first exhaust flow sensor (461) and a second exhaust flow sensor (462) to measure the air flow rate exhausted from each head-side port.
[0058] Meanwhile, although not shown in FIG. 2, the control unit (400) may include a communication circuit capable of transmitting flow rate data, which represents the supply flow rate measured by the supply flow rate sensor (450) and / or the exhaust flow rate measured by the exhaust flow rate sensor (460), to an external device (e.g., the cylinder monitoring device (30) of FIG. 3) via wired and / or wireless means.
[0059] According to one embodiment, the second pressure sensor (470) is configured to measure the pressure of air moving through the exhaust flow sensor (460), and can measure the pressure of air that has passed sequentially through the exhaust flow sensor (460) and the pilot valve (440), more specifically, behind the exhaust flow sensor (460). The second pressure sensor may be equipped with a second display unit (471) to check the incoming air pressure in real time, and may be equipped with a function to generate a warning signal, such as an alarm or warning, if the pressure exceeds a set pressure range or if an abnormal pressure persists for more than a certain period of time.
[0060] According to one embodiment, the relief valve (480) is located behind the second pressure sensor (470) and can control the air in the cylinder tube (310) to be exhausted while maintaining a set pressure. That is, by controlling the air pressure in the cylinder tube (310), the rapid descent of the chamber body (100) can be limited so as to prevent unexpected accidents that may be caused by the descending upper body (120).
[0061] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 can be described using the configurations of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.
[0062] Referring to FIG. 3, the cylinder monitoring device (30) may include a communication circuit (31), a memory (32), a display (33), and / or a processor (34). According to an embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) shown in FIG. 3 may further include at least one component other than the components shown in FIG. 3 (e.g., an input device or an output device), or at least one of the components shown in FIG. 3 (e.g., a display (33)) may be omitted.
[0063] According to one embodiment, the communication circuit (31) establishes a wired communication channel and / or a wireless communication channel between the cylinder monitoring device (30) and the chamber (10) and / or the manager terminal (20), and can transmit and receive data to and from the chamber (10) and / or the manager terminal (20) through the established communication channel.
[0064] According to one embodiment, the communication circuit (31) can obtain flow rate data representing the flow rate measured by the flow rate sensor (450 and / or 460) of the chamber (10). For example, the communication circuit (31) can obtain the flow rate data via wired and / or wireless means from the communication circuit included in the chamber (10).
[0065] According to one embodiment, flow rate data may represent the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from a plurality of air cylinders (300). According to one embodiment, the flow rate data may include first flow rate data corresponding to a first air cylinder located on the left side of the chamber body (100) among the plurality of air cylinders (300), and second flow rate data corresponding to a second air cylinder located on the right side of the chamber body (100). Specifically, the first flow rate data (or second flow rate data) may represent the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from the first air cylinder (or second air cylinder).
[0066] According to one embodiment, the communication circuit (31) can transmit the flow rate data and / or result data processed by the processor (34) to the administrator terminal (30) via wired and / or wireless means. Here, the result data may be data indicating a state including whether the plurality of air cylinders (300) described later are synchronously operated.
[0067] According to one embodiment, the memory (32) may include volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory.
[0068] According to one embodiment, the memory (32) may store data used by at least one component (e.g., processor (34)) of the cylinder monitoring device (30). For example, the data may include software (or related instructions), input data, or output data. In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the cylinder monitoring device (30) to perform operations defined by the instructions when executed by the processor (34).
[0069] According to one embodiment, the memory (32) can store reference operation data. Here, the reference operation data may be preset data based on the flow rate data of an air cylinder operating normally. For example, the cylinder monitoring device (30) may generate a flow rate upper limit graph and a flow rate lower limit graph indicating the upper and lower limits of the flow rate based on the flow rate data of an air cylinder operating normally, and store them in the memory (32) as reference operation data.
[0070] According to one embodiment, the display (33) may display the flow rate data and / or result data processed by the processor (34). For example, the display (33) may display a graph showing the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from a plurality of air cylinders (300).
[0071] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) may include a central processing unit, an application processor, a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor.
[0072] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can execute software stored in memory (32) to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of the cylinder monitoring device (30) connected to the processor (32) and can perform various data processing or operations.
[0073] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine the state of a plurality of air cylinders (300). Here, the state may include whether the plurality of air cylinders (300) are synchronously operating and / or abnormal. The processor (34) can determine the state of the plurality of air cylinders (300) based on flow rate data obtained by the communication circuit (31).
[0074] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine whether the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are synchronously operated by comparing the first flow rate data corresponding to the first air cylinder and the second flow rate data corresponding to the second air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders (300).
[0075] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine whether the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are synchronously operated by comparing the start time and end time of operation of the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder. For example, if the start time and end time of operation of the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are both the same, the processor (34) can determine that the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are synchronously operated.
[0076] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can calculate the difference between the flow rate of the first air cylinder and the flow rate of the second air cylinder in a time series and determine whether synchronous operation is possible based on the calculated difference. For example, if there is a point in time when the difference between the flow rate of the first air cylinder and the flow rate of the second air cylinder is greater than or equal to a specified value, the processor (34) can determine that it is not in a state of synchronous operation.
[0077] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine whether synchronous operation is in place by considering all of the difference between the operation start time, the operation end time, and the flow rate. For example, the processor (34) can determine that it is in a synchronous operation state if the operation start time and the operation end time of the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are both the same, and the difference between the flow rates is maintained at less than a specified value.
[0078] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine an abnormality (e.g., operation stoppage, air leak, and / or load abnormality) of a plurality of air cylinders (300) by comparing reference operation data and flow rate data stored in memory (32). The processor (34) can determine an abnormality of a plurality of air cylinders (300) by comparing the flow rate data with the flow rate upper limit graph and flow rate lower limit graph included in the reference operation data.
[0079] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine that an air cylinder is stopped from operating if the flow rate drops below the lower limit value according to the lower flow rate graph and is not restored to the normal range according to the reference operating data. Here, the normal range may refer to the flow rate range between the upper limit and the lower limit of the flow rate of the reference operating data.
[0080] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine that an air cylinder is an air leak if the flow rate rises above the upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and is not restored to the normal range. Here, an air leak may mean that air supplied to or exhausted from the air cylinder leaks out due to a crack or the like in the air cylinder.
[0081] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine that an air cylinder is loaded when the flow rate rises above the upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and then falls below the upper limit value, or falls below the lower limit value according to the flow rate lower limit graph and then rises above the lower limit value.
[0082] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7, an example is described in which a processor (34) determines the state of a plurality of air cylinders (300) based on flow rate data.
[0083] FIGS. 4 to 7 are graphs showing reference operation data and flow rate data according to one embodiment.
[0084] Referring to FIG. 4, an upper flow rate graph (41) and a lower flow rate graph (43) included in the reference operation data, a first flow rate data (45) corresponding to the first air cylinder, and a second flow rate data (47) corresponding to the second air cylinder are exemplified.
[0085] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine that the plurality of air cylinders (300) are in a synchronous operation state based on flow rate data (45, 47), because the start time and end time of operation of the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are the same and the difference in flow rate is less than a specified value.
[0086] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine that the plurality of air cylinders (300) are normal based on the flow rate data (45, 47) because the flow rates of the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are within the normal range of the reference operation data.
[0087] Referring to FIG. 5, an upper flow rate graph (41) and a lower flow rate graph (43) included in the reference operation data, a first flow rate data (55) corresponding to the first air cylinder, and a second flow rate data (57) corresponding to the second air cylinder are exemplified.
[0088] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine that the plurality of air cylinders (300) are in a synchronous operation state based on flow rate data (55, 57), because the start time and end time of operation of the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are the same and the difference in flow rate is less than a specified value.
[0089] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine that the plurality of air cylinders (300) are stopped from operating because, based on flow rate data (55, 57), the flow rate of the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder falls below the lower limit value according to the flow rate lower limit graph (43) and is not restored to the normal range according to the reference operation data.
[0090] Referring to FIG. 6, an upper flow rate graph (41) and a lower flow rate graph (43) included in the reference operation data, a first flow rate data (65) corresponding to the first air cylinder, and a second flow rate data (67) corresponding to the second air cylinder are exemplified.
[0091] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine, based on flow rate data (65, 67), that the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder have the same start and end times of operation, but there is a time when the difference in flow rate is greater than a specified value, so the plurality of air cylinders (300) are not in a synchronous operation state.
[0092] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine that the first air cylinder is overloaded based on the first flow rate data (65), because the flow rate of the first air cylinder falls below the lower limit value according to the flow rate lower limit graph (43) and then rises above the lower limit value. Additionally, the processor (34) can determine that the second air cylinder is overloaded based on the second flow rate data (67), because in the case of the flow rate of the second air cylinder, there is a section where it falls below the lower limit value according to the flow rate lower limit graph (43) and then rises above the lower limit value, and a section where it rises above the upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph (41) and then falls below the upper limit value.
[0093] Referring to FIG. 7, an upper flow rate graph (41) and a lower flow rate graph (43) included in the reference operation data, a first flow rate data (75) corresponding to the first air cylinder, and a second flow rate data (77) corresponding to the second air cylinder are exemplified.
[0094] According to one embodiment, the processor (34) can determine, based on flow rate data (75, 77), that the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder have the same start time of operation but different end times of operation, and that there is a time when the difference in flow rate is greater than a specified value, so the plurality of air cylinders (300) are not in a synchronous operation state.
[0095] According to one embodiment, based on the first flow rate data (75), the flow rate of the first air cylinder rises above the upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph (41) and is not restored to the normal range according to the reference operation data, so the first air cylinder can be determined to be an air leak.
[0096] According to one embodiment, based on the second flow rate data (77), the second air cylinder can be determined to be normal because the flow rate of the second air cylinder is within the normal range according to the reference operation data.
[0097] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the operation of a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment. FIG. 8 may be an explanation of the operation of the cylinder monitoring device (30) of FIG. 3, and may be explained using the configuration of FIG. 1 to FIG. 3.
[0098] The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8 is merely one example, and the order of steps according to various embodiments of the present invention may differ from that illustrated in FIG. 8, and some steps illustrated in FIG. 8 may be omitted, the order of steps may be changed, or steps may be merged.
[0099] Referring to FIG. 8, in operation 805, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can obtain flow rate data representing the flow rate measured by the flow rate sensor (450 and / or 460) of the chamber (10). According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can obtain the flow rate data from the communication circuit included in the chamber (10) via wired and / or wireless means using a communication circuit (31).
[0100] According to one embodiment, flow rate data may represent the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from a plurality of air cylinders (300). According to one embodiment, the flow rate data may include first flow rate data corresponding to a first air cylinder located on the left side of the chamber body (100) among the plurality of air cylinders (300), and second flow rate data corresponding to a second air cylinder located on the right side of the chamber body (100). Specifically, the first flow rate data (or second flow rate data) may represent the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from the first air cylinder (or second air cylinder).
[0101] In operation 810, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can determine the status of a plurality of air cylinders based on flow rate data obtained in operation 805. Here, the status may include whether the plurality of air cylinders (300) are operating in synchronization and / or whether there is an abnormality.
[0102] The operation of determining whether the cylinder monitoring device (30) is synchronously operating a plurality of air cylinders (300) can be explained more specifically in FIG. 9, and the operation of determining an abnormality of the plurality of air cylinders (300) can be explained more specifically in FIG. 10.
[0103] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the operation of a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment. FIG. 9 may be an explanation of the operation of the cylinder monitoring device (30) of FIG. 3, and may be explained using the configuration of FIG. 1 to FIG. 3.
[0104] The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 is merely one example, and the order of steps according to various embodiments of the present invention may differ from that illustrated in FIG. 9, and some steps illustrated in FIG. 9 may be omitted, the order of steps may be changed, or steps may be merged.
[0105] Referring to FIG. 9, in operation 905, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can obtain first flow rate data corresponding to the first air cylinder and second flow rate data corresponding to the second air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders (300).
[0106] In operation 910, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can compare the first flow rate data and the second flow rate data obtained in operation 905. According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can compare the start time and end time of operation of the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder. According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can compare the flow rate of the first air cylinder and the flow rate of the second air cylinder. For example, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can calculate the difference between the flow rate of the first air cylinder and the flow rate of the second air cylinder in a time series.
[0107] In operation 915, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can determine whether a plurality of air cylinders (3000) are synchronously operated based on the comparison result of operation 910.
[0108] According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can determine that the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are in a synchronized operation state if the start time of operation and the end time of operation of the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are both the same.
[0109] According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can determine that it is not in a synchronous operation state if there is a point in time when the difference between the flow rate of the first air cylinder and the flow rate of the second air cylinder is greater than a specified value.
[0110] According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can determine whether synchronous operation is in progress by considering all of the difference between the operation start time, the operation end time, and the flow rate. For example, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can determine that it is in a synchronous operation state if the operation start time and the operation end time of the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are both the same, and the difference between the flow rates is maintained at less than a specified value.
[0111] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the operation of a cylinder monitoring device according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 may be an explanation of the operation of the cylinder monitoring device (30) of FIG. 3, and may be explained using the configuration of FIG. 1 to FIG. 3.
[0112] The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10 is merely one example, and the order of steps according to various embodiments of the present invention may differ from that illustrated in FIG. 10, and some steps illustrated in FIG. 10 may be omitted, the order of steps may be changed, or steps may be merged.
[0113] Referring to FIG. 10, in operation 1005, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can obtain flow rate data representing the flow rate measured by the flow rate sensor (450 and / or 460) of the chamber (10). According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can obtain the flow rate data from the communication circuit included in the chamber (10) via wired and / or wireless means using a communication circuit (31).
[0114] In operation 1010, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can compare reference operation data with flow rate data obtained in operation 1005. Here, the reference operation data may be preset data based on the flow rate data of a normally operating air cylinder. For example, the cylinder monitoring device (30) may generate a flow rate upper limit graph and a flow rate lower limit graph indicating the upper and lower limits of the flow rate as reference operation data based on the flow rate data of a normally operating air cylinder.
[0115] According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can compare the flow rate data with the flow rate upper limit graph and flow rate lower limit graph included in the reference operation data.
[0116] In operation 1015, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can determine an abnormality (e.g., stoppage of operation, air leak, and / or load abnormality) of a plurality of air cylinders (300) based on the comparison result of operation 1010.
[0117] According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can determine that an air cylinder is stopped from operating if the flow rate drops below the lower limit value according to the lower flow rate graph and is not restored to the normal range according to the reference operating data. Here, the normal range may refer to the flow rate range between the upper limit and the lower limit of the flow rate of the reference operating data.
[0118] According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can determine that an air cylinder is an air leak if the flow rate rises above the upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and is not restored to the normal range. Here, an air leak may mean that air supplied to or exhausted from the air cylinder leaks out due to cracks or the like occurring in the air cylinder.
[0119] According to one embodiment, the cylinder monitoring device (30) can determine that an air cylinder is loaded when the flow rate rises above the upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and then falls below the upper limit value, or falls below the lower limit value according to the flow rate lower limit graph and then rises above the lower limit value.
[0120] Terms such as "include," "compose," or "have" as used above, unless specifically stated otherwise, mean that the relevant component may be inherent; therefore, they should be interpreted as allowing for the inclusion of additional components rather than excluding them. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as those defined in advance, should be interpreted in accordance with their contextual meanings in the relevant technology and, unless explicitly defined in this document, should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense.
Claims
Claim 1 A cylinder monitoring device comprising: a communication circuit for acquiring flow rate data representing a flow rate measured by a flow rate sensor that detects the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from a plurality of air cylinders for operating a chamber composed of a lower body and an upper body located above the lower body; and a processor for determining a state including whether the plurality of air cylinders are synchronously operating based on the flow rate data, wherein the processor compares the flow rate data with a flow rate upper limit graph and a flow rate lower limit graph included in reference operating data to determine an abnormality of the plurality of air cylinders, and wherein the processor determines that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders is a load abnormality if the flow rate rises above an upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and then falls below the upper limit value, or falls below a lower limit value according to the flow rate lower limit graph and then rises above the lower limit value. Claim 2 A cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of air cylinders includes a first air cylinder and a second air cylinder, the flow rate data includes a first flow rate data corresponding to the first air cylinder and a second flow rate data corresponding to the second air cylinder, and the processor determines whether the synchronous operation is performed by comparing the first flow rate data and the second flow rate data. Claim 3 A cylinder monitoring device according to claim 2, wherein the processor determines that it is not in a synchronous operation state if there is a point in time when the difference between the flow rate of the first air cylinder and the flow rate of the second air cylinder is greater than or equal to a specified value. Claim 4 delete Claim 5 A cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders is stopped from operation if the flow rate falls below a lower limit value according to the lower limit graph and is not restored to a normal range according to the reference operation data. Claim 6 A cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders is an air leak if the flow rate rises above an upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and is not restored to a normal range according to the reference operation data. Claim 7 delete Claim 8 A cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a display showing a graph representing the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from the plurality of air cylinders based on the flow rate data. Claim 9 A cylinder monitoring method comprising: an operation of acquiring flow rate data representing a flow rate measured by a flow rate sensor that detects the flow rate of air supplied to or discharged from a plurality of air cylinders for operating a chamber composed of a lower body and an upper body located above the lower body; and an operation of determining a state including whether the plurality of air cylinders are synchronously operated based on the flow rate data, wherein the operation of determining the state of the plurality of air cylinders includes an operation of determining an abnormality of the plurality of air cylinders by comparing the flow rate data with a flow rate upper limit graph and a flow rate lower limit graph included in reference operation data, and the operation of determining an abnormality of the plurality of air cylinders includes an operation of determining that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders has a load abnormality if the flow rate rises above an upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and then falls below the upper limit value, or falls below a lower limit value according to the flow rate lower limit graph and then rises above the lower limit value. Claim 10 A cylinder monitoring method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of air cylinders includes a first air cylinder and a second air cylinder, the flow rate data includes a first flow rate data corresponding to the first air cylinder and a second flow rate data corresponding to the second air cylinder, and the operation of determining whether the synchronization operation is performed includes the operation of determining whether the synchronization operation is performed by comparing the first flow rate data and the second flow rate data. Claim 11 A cylinder monitoring method according to claim 10, wherein the operation of determining whether the synchronous operation is performed includes determining that the synchronous operation state is not performed when there is a point in time when the difference between the flow rate of the first air cylinder and the flow rate of the second air cylinder is greater than or equal to a specified value. Claim 12 delete Claim 13 A cylinder monitoring method according to claim 9, wherein the operation of determining abnormalities in the plurality of air cylinders includes determining that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders is stopped from operation if the flow rate does not recover to a normal range according to the reference operation data after falling below a lower limit value according to the lower limit graph. Claim 14 A cylinder monitoring method according to claim 9, wherein the operation of determining abnormalities in the plurality of air cylinders includes determining that an air cylinder among the plurality of air cylinders is an air leak if the flow rate rises above an upper limit value according to the flow rate upper limit graph and is not restored to a normal range according to the reference operation data. Claim 15 delete
Citation Information
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