Actuators with condition tracking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10634379-B2
Application number	US-201715719517-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2017
Priority date	Sep 28, 2017
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

An actuator may include a drive motor, an actuatable output, and a sensor for sensing a first sensed parameter in or around the actuator. The first sensed parameter may have a first sensed parameter value that can change with time. The actuator may also include electronics that may identify a first identified value representative of the first sensed parameter value and increment a first counter value when the first identified value falls within a first range of values, and increment a second counter value when the first identified value falls within a second range of values.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An actuator for actuating a building control device of a building automation system, the actuator comprising:
a drive motor;
an actuatable output coupled to and driven by the drive motor;
a first sensor for sensing a first sensed parameter in or around the actuator, wherein the first sensed parameter has a first sensed parameter value that can change with time; and
electronics operatively coupled to the first sensor, the electronics configured to:
repeatedly identify a first identified value representative of the first sensed parameter value;
for each first identified value, increment a first counter value when the first identified value falls within a first range of values, and increment a second counter value when the first identified value falls within a second range of values, wherein the first range of values is different from the second range of values.

2. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the electronics is configured to identify a first identified value representative of the first sensed parameter value at a first predetermined rate.

3. The actuator of claim 2 , wherein the electronics is configured to sample the first sensor for the first sensed parameter value at a second predetermined rate, wherein the second predetermined rate is faster than the first predetermined rate.

4. The actuator of claim 3 , wherein the electronics is configured to identify a first identified value by averaging the first sensed parameter values that have been sampled since the last first identified value was identified.

5. The actuator of claim 3 , wherein the electronics is configured to identify a first identified value by selecting one of the first sensed parameter values that have been sampled since the last first identified value was identified.

6. The actuator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second sensor for sensing a second sensed parameter in or around the actuator, wherein the second sensed parameter has a second sensed parameter value that can change with time; and
the electronics is further configured to:
repeatedly identify a second identified value representative of the second sensed parameter value;
for each first identified value, increment a third counter value when the second identified value falls within a third range of values, and increment a fourth counter value when the second identified value falls within a fourth range of values, wherein the third range of values is different from the fourth range of values.

7. The actuator of claim 6 , wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor, and the second sensor is a load current sensor.

8. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the electronics is further configured to calculate a probability of failure of the actuator based at least in part on the first counter value and the second counter value.

9. The actuator of claim 8 , further comprising a receiver for receiving a failure model from a remote device, wherein the electronics is configured to use the failure model to calculate the probability of failure of the actuator.

10. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the first identified value representative of the first sensed parameter value is the first sensed parameter value.

11. The actuator of claim 1 , further comprising a transmitter for transmitting the first counter value and the second counter value to a remote device.

12. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the electronics is further configured to increment a stall counter for maintaining a count of a number of stalls experienced by the actuator.

13. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the electronics is further configured to increment a cycle counter for maintaining a count of a number of open/close cycles and/or number of position changes of the actuatable output experienced by the actuator.

14. An actuator for actuating a building control device of a building automation system, the actuator comprising:
a drive motor;
an actuatable output coupled to and driven by the drive motor;
a first sensor for sensing a first sensed parameter in or around the actuator, wherein the first sensed parameter has a first sensed parameter value that can change with time, wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the first sensed parameter is a sensed temperature; and
electronics operatively coupled to the first sensor, the electronics configured to:
repeatedly identify a first identified value representative of the first sensed parameter value;
for each first identified value, increment a first counter value when the first identified value falls within a first range of values, and increment a second counter value when the first identified value falls within a second range of values, wherein the first range of values is different from the second range of values.

15. The actuator of claim 14 , wherein the electronics is configured to identify a first identified value representative of the first sensed parameter value at a first predetermined rate.

16. The actuator of claim 15 , wherein the electronics is configured to sample the first sensor for the first sensed parameter value at a second predetermined rate, wherein the second predetermined rate is faster than the first predetermined rate.

17. The actuator of claim 16 , wherein the electronics is configured to identify a first identified value by averaging the first sensed parameter values that have been sampled since the last first identified value was identified.

18. The actuator of claim 16 , wherein the electronics is configured to identify a first identified value by selecting one of the first sensed parameter values that have been sampled since the last first identified value was identified.

19. The actuator of claim 14 , further comprising:
a second sensor for sensing a second sensed parameter in or around the actuator, wherein the second sensed parameter has a second sensed parameter value that can change with time; and
the electronics is further configured to:
repeatedly identify a second identified value representative of the second sensed parameter value;
for each first identified value, increment a third counter value when the second identified value falls within a third range of values, and increment a fourth counter value when the second identified value falls within a fourth range of values, wherein the third range of values is different from the fourth range of values.

20. The actuator of claim 19 , wherein the second sensor is a load current sensor.

21. The actuator of claim 14 , wherein the electronics is further configured to calculate a probability of failure of the actuator based at least in part on the first counter value and the second counter value.

22. The actuator of claim 21 , further comprising a receiver for receiving a failure model from a remote device, wherein the electronics is configured to use the failure model to calculate the probability of failure of the actuator.

23. The actuator of claim 14 , wherein the first identified value representative of the first sensed parameter value is the first sensed parameter value.

24. The actuator of claim 14 , further comprising a transmitter for transmitting the first counter value and the second counter value to a remote device.

25. The actuator of claim 14 , wherein the electronics is further configured to increment a stall counter for maintaining a count of a number of stalls experienced by the actuator.

26. The actuator of c

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Mikulica Miroslav
• Sikora Lubos
• Krivanek Frantisek
• Zeman David

Classifications

• F24F11/56

  Remote control · CPC title

• F24F2140/10

  Pressure · CPC title

• G05B2219/2614

  HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control · CPC title

• G05B2219/25257

  Microcontroller · CPC title

• G05B2219/2642

  Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house · CPC title