Pneumatic Conveying System Connection Identification Using Vacuum Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic conveying systems face challenges in determining the correct connection between vacuum pumps and material receivers due to the lack of clear wire connections in wireless control topologies, leading to potential misconnections of material sources with destinations, which existing methods like RF identification, machine vision, and manual inspection are costly, prone to errors, or ineffective in high ambient lighting.
Innovation Solution
The use of vacuum, pressure, acoustic, or vibration sensors in the conveying lines to identify connections between vacuum pumps, material receivers, and sources, allowing a programmable controller to determine and verify the correct configurations without additional wiring or components, preventing incorrect material connections and minimizing downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wireless control topology is used, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability of connection identification deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors to detect vacuum conditions and provides feedback to the controller to automatically identify and verify connections between vacuum pumps, material receivers, and sources. This automated feedback loop maintains reliability without requiring hard-wired connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical wire connections with a sensor-based detection system that uses vacuum and pressure sensing to identify connections. This substitution maintains connection identification reliability while enabling wireless operation.
2Measurement precision
If RF identification tags are used, then measurement precision of connection identification is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses existing sensors in the conveying lines to automatically identify connections without requiring additional RFID tags or calibration equipment. The sensors self-configure the system by detecting vacuum conditions, eliminating the need for external identification devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes existing sensors serve multiple functions: their primary function for process monitoring and an additional function for connection identification. This multi-functionality avoids adding separate RFID tags while maintaining identification precision.
3Measurement precision
If machine vision proofing is used, then measurement precision is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses inexpensive, existing sensors rather than expensive camera systems. These sensors provide sufficient measurement precision for connection identification without requiring complex optical infrastructure or calibration equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the connection identification function from complex vision systems and implements it using simple vacuum sensing. This extraction eliminates the need for expensive camera systems while maintaining the ability to accurately identify connections.
4Ease of manufacture
If manual inspection is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability of connection identification deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual inspection with automated sensor-based detection. The sensors automatically identify connections by detecting vacuum conditions, eliminating human error while maintaining ease of system configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-configuration through automated sensor detection rather than requiring manual verification. The sensors automatically identify which vacuum pump is connected to which material receiver, eliminating the need for manual inspection while improving reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables accurate identification of connections, prevents incorrect material transfers, reduces operational costs, and aids in quick troubleshooting of issues in pneumatic conveying systems, ensuring efficient and reliable material handling.
Implementation Method 1
vacuum, pressure, acoustic, or vibration sensors typically located in the conveying lines
Implementation Method 2
vacuum, pressure, acoustic, or vibration sensors typically located in the conveying lines
Data Source
AI summary
A material conveying system, comprising: a plurality of material sources for providing material to be transferred; a plurality of destination locations for receiving material from one or more of the plurality of material sources, wherein each destination location has a destination material inlet valve and a destination vacuum valve; a plurality of material conveying tubes; a plurality of vacuum pumps wherein each vacuum pump is operatively connected to one or more of the destination vacuum valves via one or more vacuum source tubes, and wherein each of the vacuum pumps is operatively connected to one or more of the material sources through the one or more vacuum source tubes and respective destination vacuum valves, the one or more destination locations and one or more of the plurality of material conveying tubes; a first sensor disposed on or near each destination vacuum valve; a second sensor disposed on or near each material inlet valve; a third sensor disposed on or near a vacuum outlet of each of the vacuum pumps; a programmable system controller connected, via wires or wirelessly, to each component of the material conveying system including the one or more material sources, the one or more destination locations, the vacuum pumps and to each of the first, second and third sensors; wherein the programmable controller is configured to determine which material sources and destination locations are operatively connected, directly and indirectly, to each of the plurality of vacuum pumps using one or more of the first, second and third sensors.