Motor Roller Monitoring for Predictive Conveyor Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated funding systems face challenges in maintaining high availability and reducing downtime, as existing maintenance practices are reactive and lead to increased maintenance costs and downtimes due to wear and tear, which can result in production standstills if not addressed promptly.
Innovation Solution
Implement a proactive maintenance system that uses decentralized control modules and a central evaluation unit to monitor and evaluate sensor and system parameter data from motor rollers, allowing for early detection of issues and optimized maintenance scheduling, including autonomous operation and data transmission via a CAN bus or wireless networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If reactive maintenance is used, then maintenance costs are reduced in the short term, but downtime increases and availability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring sensor data and system parameters to detect early signs of component degradation. The evaluation unit analyzes this data to predict potential failures before they occur, allowing maintenance to be scheduled in advance during planned downtime rather than causing unplanned production standstills.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where sensor data from motor rollers is continuously collected, evaluated, and used to adjust maintenance scheduling. The evaluation unit processes this feedback information to determine component condition and triggers maintenance alerts, creating a closed-loop system that adapts maintenance timing based on actual component state rather than fixed schedules.
2Reliability
If continuous monitoring of all components is implemented, then reliability improves, but device complexity and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses existing sensors and control devices in the conveyor system for dual purposes: their original control functions and additional monitoring functions. The same sensors that control motor roller operation also provide data for predictive maintenance analysis, eliminating the need for separate dedicated monitoring hardware and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system monitors its own operational parameters and component conditions using its existing sensors and control infrastructure. The system's own control devices and sensors are leveraged to gather diagnostic data, reducing the need for external monitoring equipment and simplifying the overall architecture while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for functional monitoring of an automated conveyor system for maintenance of the conveyor system, wherein the conveyor system has at least one conveyor section comprising conveyor devices, wherein the at least one conveyor section includes motor rollers as conveyor devices, wherein the motor rollers comprising the conveyor section are equipped with sensors and actuators used for motion control of the motor rollers, wherein the sensors and actuators of the motor rollers are coordinated via several control devices, wherein the control devices comprise decentralized control modules, wherein conveyor device states of the motor rollers are determined for functional monitoring of the conveyor system, wherein sensor and/or actuator data are obtained from hardware required for functionality of the motor rollers, namely from the sensors and/or actuators used for motion control of the motor rollers.wherein the sensor and/or actuator data are acquired by the decentralized control modules depending on the load and provided as system parameter data, wherein the system parameter data of the motor rollers include information regarding operating time, switching cycles and/or current consumption of the motor rollers, wherein the system parameter data as well as predefinable process parameter data for determining the conveying system states of the motor rollers are transmitted to a central evaluation unit, wherein the process parameter data are obtained from a warehouse management system, a material flow computer and/or a central control unit, wherein the central evaluation unit determines the conveying system states of the motor rollers based on the received parameter data using an analysis function,Depending on an analysis result calculated by the analysis function, a predefined maintenance measure is initiated. Furthermore, a corresponding automated conveyor system is specified.