Material dispense tracking and control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10046351-B2
Application number	US-201514679178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2015
Priority date	Jul 14, 2014
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A pump system for pumping a fluid includes a motor housing, a motor, a rod, a positive displacement pump, a position sensor, and a controller. The motor is located within the motor housing. The rod is connected to and driven by the motor and the positive displacement pump for moving a fluid is driven by the rod. The position sensor produces a rod position signal that is a function of a position of the rod, and the controller produces a drive signal for driving the motor as a function of the rod position signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for pumping, tracking and controlling a fluid, the system comprising:
a pump system for pumping the fluid, the pump comprising:
a motor housing;
a motor located within the motor housing;
a rod connected to and driven by the motor;
a pump driven by the rod for moving a fluid; and
a position sensor for producing a rod position signal that is a function of a position of the rod;

a dispenser for controllably dispensing multiple streams of fluid received from the pump;
a work piece sensor for producing a work piece signal that is a function of detection of a work piece; and
a controller, the controller comprising a calculating circuit and computer readable storage media and configured to:
receive a programmed dispenser output from a user interface,
produce a drive signal for driving the motor,
produce a dispense signal for the dispenser that is a function of the work piece signal,
produce a calculated work piece count as a function of the work piece signal,
produce a calculated volume usage as a function of the position signal,
produce a calculated flow rate as a function of the calculated volume usage,
produce a calculated fluid weight as a function of the calculated volume usage, and
produce a calculated fluid compressibility as a function of the calculated volume usage.

2. The system of claim 1 and further comprising a sleeve connected to the motor housing, wherein the position sensor is connected to the sleeve.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the position sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the position sensor is a linear variable differential transformer sensor.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the rod acts as a core for the position sensor.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the position sensor is connected to the motor housing.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the position sensor is a reed sensor.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the motor is double ended type air motor.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a programmed dispenser output from a user interface.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust the drive signal and the dispense signal as a function of the volume to meet the programmed dispenser output.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust the dispenser signal to vary timing or a stitching percentage of the dispensed fluid.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the programmed dispenser output is a programmed flow rate.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the programmed dispenser output is a programmed volume per work piece.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dispenser comprises a plurality of sprayers for spraying multiple streams of fluid, and wherein each sprayer receives a dispense signal from the controller.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the controller calculates sprayer performance of each sprayer as a function of an adjustment to the dispenser signals.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the controller produces the drive signal as a function of the sprayer performance.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the controller produces the dispenser signals as a function of the sprayer performance.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller displays a real-time value of the calculated flow rate on a user interface.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller produces an average flow rate as a function the calculated flowrate, and wherein the controller displays a real-time value of the average flow rate on a user interface.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller produces an alarm as a function of the calculated flow rate when the calculated flow rate has changed by a prescribed amount, is under a prescribed minimum value, or is above a prescribed maximum value.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller produces a per-work piece fluid output as a function of the work piece count and the calculated flow rate.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the controller displays a real-time value of the per-work piece fluid output on a user interface.

23. The system of claim 21 , wherein the controller produces an alarm as a function of per-work piece fluid output when the per-work piece fluid output has changed by a prescribed amount, is under a prescribed minimum value, or is above a prescribed maximum value.

24. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller produces a long-term fluid output per work piece as a function work piece count and calculated flow rate.

25. The system of claim 24 , wherein the controller produces a trend over time of long-term fluid output per work piece.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the controller uploads data of the trend over time of long-term fluid output per work piece to a computer readable storage media.

27. The system of claim 24 , wherein the controller displays a real-time value of the long-term fluid output per work piece on a user interface.

28. The system of claim 24 , wherein the controller produces an alarm as a function of long-term fluid output per work piece when the long-term fluid output per work piece has changed by a prescribed amount, is over a prescribed minimum value, or is above a prescribed maximum value.

29. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller produces an average calculated flow rate as a function of calculated flow rate.

30. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller produces a dispensed fluid output as a function the calculated flow rate and the dispense signal.

Assignees

• Graco Minnesota Inc

Inventors

• Brudevold Mark J
• Godding Benjamin R
• Tix Joseph E
• Ross Daniel P

Classifications

• B05B15/50

  Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter · CPC title

• B05B7/166

  the material to be sprayed being heated in a container (B05B7/208 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F04B2205/09

  Flow through the pump · CPC title

• F04B17/00

  Pumps characterised by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors · CPC title

• B05B12/006

  Pressure or flow rate sensors · CPC title