Intelligent, self-adaptive control apparatus for the automated optimization and control of the grinding line of a roller system, and corresponding method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11278912-B2
Application number	US-201816766776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2018
Priority date	Nov 23, 2017
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

A product processing installation and corresponding method for the grinding and/or crushing of granular fruits or the like. There is a self-adaptive regulation and control method and corresponding regulation and control device for the self-optimised control of a mill installation and a grinding line of a roller system of the mill installation. The grinding line include a plurality of processing units, which, based on operational process parameters, can each individually be controlled and individually regulated in their operation by means of the regulation and control device. A batch control with a defined processing sequence in the processing units can be regulated by an operational process recipe, wherein a defined amount of a final product can be produced from one or more input materials by means of the operational process recipe. The processing units are controlled based on specific operational batch process parameters assigned to the operational process recipe.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A self-adaptive regulation and control method for at least one regulation and control device comprising circuitry configured for self-optimized control of a mill installation and a grinding line of a roller system for the mill installation, wherein the grinding line comprises a plurality of processors, which, based on operational process parameters, are configured to be individually controlled by the regulation and control. device and are configured to be individually regulated in their operation, wherein by an operational process recipe, a batch control with a defined processing sequence in the processors is regulated, wherein by the operational process recipe, a defined amount of a final product is produced from one or more input products, and wherein the processors are controlled based on specific operational batch parameters assigned to the operational process recipe,
the method comprising:
detecting, using a pattern recognition module implemented by the circuitry of the regulation and control device, operational process recipes with multi-dimensional batch parameter patterns, wherein an operational process recipe comprises, stored, at least one or more input product parameters and/or final product parameters, a defined sequence of a grinding process within the processors of the grinding line, and operational process parameters assigned to the respective processors of the grinding line,
storing, using a storage in the regulation and control device, historical operational process recipes with historical batch process parameters, wherein the historical batch process parameters of a process recipe each define a process-typical, multi-dimensional batch process parameter pattern of an optimized batch process,
triggering and/or selecting, when entering final product parameters and/or input product parameters of a new operational process recipe, closest batch process parameter patterns by pattern recognition of the pattern recognition module of one or more of the stored historical operational process recipes based on the assigned multi-dimensional batch parameter patterns as a new batch parameter pattern,
generating, using the regulation and control device based on the triggered closest batch process parameter patterns, new operational process parameters for the entered new operational process recipe, wherein the processors based on the generated operational process recipe with the assigned new operational process parameters are correspondingly controlled and regulated by the regulation and control device, and
continuously monitoring, during the grinding process of the new operational process recipe, the operational process parameters by the regulation and control device, wherein in the case of detection of an anomaly as a defined deviation of the monitored operational process parameter from the specified operational process parameters of the new operational process recipe, a warning signal is transmitted to an alarm circuitry.

2. The self-adaptive regulation and control method according to claim 1 , wherein the operational process parameter comprises at least measuring parameters relating to the currents and/or power consumption of one or more roller mills of the mill installation and/or yield and/or throughput/machine running time.

3. The self-adaptive regulation and control method according to claim 2 , wherein the roller system comprises at least fluted rollers and/or smooth rollers.

4. The self-adaptive regulation and control method according to claim 2 , wherein the operational process parameter comprises at least measuring parameters relating to the currents and/or power consumption of all roller mills of the mill installation.

5. The self-adaptive regulation and control method according to claim 1 , comprising determining defined quality parameters of the final product and specific flour yield as a function of the input products by the process-typical operational process parameters of the optimized batch process.

6. The self-adaptive regulation and control method according to claim 5 , wherein the defined quality parameters comprise at least particle size distribution and/or starch damage and/or protein quality and/or water content.

7. The self-adaptive regulation and control method according to claim 1 , wherein the monitored operational process parameters comprise at least yield and/or energy intake/consumption and/or throughput/machine running time.

8. The self-adaptive regulation and control method according to claim 1 , comprising:
detecting, during the grinding process, in the case of detection of the anomaly, continuous long-term changes in the monitored operational process parameters by the regulation and control device, and
determining the defined deviation of the monitored operational process parameter from the generated operational process parameter of the new operational process recipe as a function of the measured continuous long-term changes.

9. The self-adaptive regulation and control method according to claim 1 , comprising:
transmitting the monitored operational process parameters of a plurality of regulation and control devices via a network to a central monitoring circuitry, and
centrally monitoring and regulating the plurality of regulation and control devices.

10. The self-adaptive regulation and control method according to claim 1 , comprising determining the defined deviation of the monitored operational process parameters from the generated operational process parameters of the new operational process recipe as a function of the natural fluctuations within definable x 2 standard deviations.

11. A self-adaptive regulation and control device for the automated control and self-optimization of a mill installation or a grinding line of a roller system, wherein the grinding line comprises a plurality of processors, which, based on operational process parameters, are configured to be individually controlled and individually regulated in their operation by the regulation and control device, wherein by a batch control, a defined amount of a final product is produced from one or more input products according to a defined sequence of the processors based on specific assigned operational process parameters,
the self-adaptive regulation and control device comprising:
circuitry configured to
implement a pattern recognition module for detecting operational process recipes with multi-dimensional batch parameter patterns, wherein an operational process recipe comprises, stored, at least one or more input product parameters and/or final product parameters, a defined sequence of a grinding process within the processors of the grinding line, and operational process parameters assigned to the respective processors of the grinding line,
store, using a storage in the regulation and control device, historical operational process recipes with historical batch process parameters, wherein the historical operational process parameters of an operational process recipe each define a process-typical, multi-dimensional batch process parameter pattern of an optimized batch process,
trigger and/or select, when entering final product parameters and/or input product parameters of a new operational process recipe, closest batch process parameter patterns by pattern recognition of the pattern recognition module of one or more of the stored historical operational process recipes based on the assigned multi-dimensional batch parameter patterns as a new batch parameter pattern,
generate, based on the triggered closest batch parameter pattern, new operational process parameters for the entered new operational process recipe, wherein the processors based on the determined operatio

Assignees

• Buehler Ag

Inventors

• Gräber Matthias
• Heiniger Christian

Classifications

• B02C2210/01

  Indication of wear on beaters, knives, rollers, anvils, linings and the like · CPC title

• B02C4/06

  specially adapted for milling grain · CPC title

• B02C25/00 Primary

  Control arrangements specially adapted for crushing or disintegrating · CPC title

• B02C9/04

  Systems or sequences of operations; Plant · CPC title

• B02C4/38

  in grain mills · CPC title