Oil mist concentration management apparatus, oil mist management system, and oil mist management method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10458475-B2
Application number	US-201715697673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2016
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

An oil mist management system includes a machine tool, an oil mist concentration measuring apparatus for measuring concentration of oil mist, and a flow meter for detecting the flow rate of coolant, in each of a plurality of areas. A data processing apparatus determines whether distribution of the oil mist in the plurality of areas is normal or abnormal on an area-by-area basis, based on the concentration of the oil mist and the flow rate of coolant in each of the plurality of areas, and identifies an abnormal area. Further, the oil mist management system notifies a user of the abnormal area by an output device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oil mist concentration management apparatus comprising:
a state quantity acquisition unit configured to acquire a state quantity regarding a running state of a machine provided in each of a plurality of areas;
a concentration acquisition unit configured to acquire a concentration of oil mist measured in each of the plurality of areas;
an identifying unit configured to identify whether distribution of the oil mist in the plurality of areas is normal or abnormal on an area-by-area basis, based on the state quantity of the machine in each of the plurality of areas and the concentration of the oil mist in each of the plurality of areas; and
a notification processing unit configured to notify a user of an abnormal area which has been identified as abnormal by the identifying unit,
wherein
the identifying unit uses, as the state quantity regarding the running state of the machine, a flow rate of coolant used at time of operating the machine,
the identifying unit includes
a concentration rank determination unit configured to determine a relative concentration rank regarding the concentration of the oil mist among the plurality of areas, based on the concentration of the oil mist in each of the plurality of areas,
a state quantity rank determination unit configured to determine a relative state quantity rank regarding the state quantity among the plurality of areas, based on the state quantity of the machine in each of the plurality of areas,
a rank comparison unit configured to compare the concentration rank and the state quantity rank to thereby extract an area having a match or a mismatch between the concentration rank and the state quantity rank, and determine that the area having the mismatch is the abnormal area.

2. The oil mist concentration management apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an integrated quantity calculation unit configured to calculate integrated quantity of the coolant during operation of the machine based on the flow rate of the coolant detected by a flow meter; and
an average flow rate calculation unit configured to calculate an average flow rate of the coolant used by the machine based on the integrated quantity and a time period for which the machine is operated,
wherein the identifying unit uses the average flow rate of the coolant as the state quantity of the machine in each of the plurality of areas.

3. The oil mist concentration management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, if there is an area where the state quantity rank is lower than the concentration rank, the rank comparison unit identifies that ventilation performance of the area is low.

4. The oil mist concentration management apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether the concentration of the oil mist acquired by the concentration acquisition unit is larger than a threshold value that is retained beforehand,
wherein if the determination unit determines that there is an area where the concentration of the oil mist is larger than the threshold value, the identifying unit identifies that the area is the abnormal area.

5. An oil mist management system comprising:
a machine provided in each of a plurality of areas;
a detection device provided in each of the plurality of areas, the detection device being configured to detect a state quantity regarding a running state of the machine;
a concentration measuring apparatus provided in each of the plurality of areas, the concentration measuring apparatus being configured to measure concentration of oil mist in each of the plurality of areas;
an oil mist concentration management apparatus configured to identify whether distribution of the oil mist in the plurality of areas is normal or abnormal on an area-by-area basis, based on the state quantity of the machine in each of the plurality of areas and the concentration of the oil mist in each of the plurality of areas; and
an output device configured to notify a user of an abnormal area which has been identified as abnormal by the oil mist concentration management apparatus,
wherein
the oil mist concentration management apparatus uses, as the state quantity regarding the running state of the machine, a flow rate of coolant used at time of operating the machine,
the oil mist concentration management apparatus includes
a concentration rank determination unit configured to determine a relative concentration rank regarding the concentration of the oil mist among the plurality of areas, based on the concentration of the oil mist in each of the plurality of areas,
a state quantity rank determination unit configured to determine a relative state quantity rank regarding the state quantity among the plurality of areas, based on the state quantity of the machine in each of the plurality of areas,
a rank comparison unit configured to compare the concentration rank and the state quantity rank to thereby extract an area having a match or a mismatch between the concentration rank and the state quantity rank, and determine that the area having the mismatch is the abnormal area.

6. An oil mist management method of managing oil mist in a factory having a machine in each of a plurality of areas, by an oil mist concentration management apparatus, the method comprising:
a state quantity acquisition step of acquiring a state quantity regarding a running state of the machine provided in each of the plurality of areas;
a measurement data acquisition step of acquiring concentration of oil mist measured in each of the plurality of areas;
a data processing step of identifying whether distribution of the oil mist in the plurality of areas is normal or abnormal on an area-by-area basis, based on the state quantity of the machine in each of the plurality of areas and the concentration of the oil mist in each of the plurality of areas; and
a notification step of notifying a user of an abnormal area which has been identified as abnormal in the data processing step,
wherein
as the state quantity regarding the running state of the machine, a flow rate of coolant used at time of operating the machine is used,
the data processing step includes
a concentration rank determination step that determines a relative concentration rank regarding the concentration of the oil mist among the plurality of areas, based on the concentration of the oil mist in each of the plurality of areas,
a state quantity rank determination step that determines a relative state quantity rank regarding the state quantity among the plurality of areas, based on the state quantity of the machine in each of the plurality of areas,
a rank comparison step that compares the concentration rank and the state quantity rank to thereby extract an area having a match or a mismatch between the concentration rank and the state quantity rank, and determine that the area having the mismatch is the abnormal area.

Assignees

• Fanuc Corp

Inventors

• Nakanishi Daisuke

Classifications

• F16N29/04

  enabling a warning to be given; enabling moving parts to be stopped · CPC title

• F16N7/32 Primary

  Mist lubrication (splash lubrication F16N7/26) · CPC title

• G01N11/06

  by timing the outflow of a known quantity · CPC title

• G05B19/41815 Primary

  characterised by the cooperation between machine tools, manipulators and conveyor or other workpiece supply system, workcell · CPC title

• F16C33/6674 Primary

  related to the amount supplied, e.g. gaps to restrict flow of the liquid · CPC title