Method for monitoring an electromechanical component of an automation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10324431-B2
Application number	US-201715837229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2017
Priority date	Dec 12, 2016
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for monitoring an electromechanical component of an automation system. The method may include acquiring of a mechanical state variable of the electromechanical component, acquiring of an electrical state variable of the electromechanical component, and determining of a state of the electromechanical component based on a multidimensional characteristic line field with a plurality of states of the electromechanical component, wherein the mechanical state variable and the electrical state variable are associated with each state of the electromechanical component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring an electromechanical component of an automation system, comprising:
acquiring a mechanical state variable of the electromechanical component;
acquiring an electrical state variable of the electromechanical component;
determining a multidimensional characteristic line field with a plurality of states of the electromechanical component based on a behavior model of the electromechanical component, wherein the behavior model considers an influence of the acquired mechanical state variable on the acquired electrical state variable; and
determining a state of the electromechanical component based on the multidimensional characteristic line field with a plurality of states of the electromechanical component, wherein the mechanical state variable and the electrical state variable are associated with each state of the electromechanical component;
wherein the multidimensional characteristic line field is determined by performing a behavior simulation of the electromechanical component, wherein the behavior simulation implements the behavior model.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a geometry parameter is associated with each state of the electromechanical component in the multidimensional characteristic line field, and the method further comprises:
determining the geometry parameter of the electromechanical component; and
determining the state of the electromechanical component based on the multidimensional characteristic line field, wherein the determined state is associated with the acquired mechanical state variable, the acquired electrical state variable and the geometry parameter.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multidimensional characteristic line field is represented by digital data values, in particular prestored digital data values.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the digital data values are prestored digital data values.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
interpolating between support points of the multidimensional characteristic line field to determine the state of the electromechanical component, wherein the support points are given by one or more of electrical state variables, mechanical state variables, and geometry parameters.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying the determined state of the electromechanical component.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the determined state of the electromechanical component is displayed using a display device.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a control signal to control the electromechanical component in response to the determined state of the electromechanical component; and
controlling the electromechanical component with the generated control signal.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanical state variable and the electrical state variable are acquired by the electromechanical component.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanical state variable comprises one of the following mechanical state variables: a bouncing of a contact of the electromechanical component, a bounce duration of a bouncing of a contact of the electromechanical component, a bounce number of bounces of a contact of the electromechanical component, a temperature of an element of the electromechanical component, an ambient temperature of the electromechanical component, a movement speed of an element of the electromechanical component of a contact force, or a disengagement force of a contact of the electromechanical component.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the movement speed of the element of the electromechanical component is of an armature.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical state variable is a current through the electromechanical component or a voltage of the electromechanical component.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determined state of the electromechanical component is a service life of the electromechanical component.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electromechanical component is an electromechanical switch.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the electromechanical switch is a relay.

16. An electromechanical component, comprising:
an acquiring device configured to acquire a mechanical state variable of the electromechanical component and an electrical state variable of the electromechanical component;
a memory configured to store a multidimensional characteristic line field with a plurality of states of the electromechanical component, wherein a mechanical state variable and an electrical state variable are associated with each state of the electromechanical component; and
a processor configured to:
determine the multidimensional characteristic line field based on a behavior model of the electromechanical component, wherein the behavior model considers an influence of the acquired mechanical state variable on the acquired electrical state variable; and
determine a state of the electromechanical component based on the multidimensional characteristic line field.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code for monitoring an electromechanical component of an automation system, the code executable by a processor to:
acquire a mechanical state variable of the electromechanical component;
acquire an electrical state variable of the electromechanical component;
determine a multidimensional characteristic line field based on a behavior model of the electromechanical component, wherein the behavior model considers an influence of the acquired mechanical state variable on the acquired electrical state variable; and
determine a state of the electromechanical component based on a multidimensional characteristic line field with a plurality of states of the electromechanical component, wherein the mechanical state variable and the electrical state variable are associated with each state of the electromechanical component;
wherein the multidimensional characteristic line field is determined by performing a behavior simulation of the electromechanical component, wherein the behavior simulation implements the behavior model.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 17 , wherein the instruction are further executable by the processor to:
determine a geometry parameter of the electromechanical component; and
determining the state of the electromechanical component based on the multidimensional characteristic line field, wherein the determined state is associated with the acquired mechanical state variable, the acquired electrical state variable, and the geometry parameter.

Assignees

• Phoenix Contact Gmbh Co Kg
• Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co

Inventors

• Hoffmann Ralf
• Heinrich Jens
• Heinrich Sebastian
• Müller Christian

Classifications

• H01H47/22

  for supplying energising current for relay coil · CPC title

• H01H47/002

  Monitoring or fail-safe circuits · CPC title

• G05B15/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G01R31/327 Primary

  Testing of circuit interrupters, switches or circuit-breakers · CPC title

• G01R31/34 Primary

  Testing dynamo-electric machines · CPC title