Machine press data monitoring and analysis system

• US 10,068,455 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steven Label Corp.
• Original Assignee: Steven Label Corp.
• Inventors: Stong, Ryan, Stong, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Tun, Nay
• Application Number:
  US15/487,293
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/005 during manufacturing process
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/08 Registering or indicating the production of the machine either with or without registering working or idle time
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/04 Monitoring of the detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/22 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

A network-enabled machine press data monitoring and analysis system is provided herein. The system can include a sensor, a base station, and a server. The sensor may be designed such that the sensor can be placed on any type of machine press to track machine press operation. The sensor is coupled to a machine press and detects machine press cycles. The base station is coupled to the sensor and receives signals from the sensor indicating the detection of machine press cycles. The base station tracks machine press cycles and forwards such information to the server along with time values indicating when the machine press has started and stopped operating. The server can process information received from the base station and generate user interface data that, when rendered by a user device, causes the user device to display the processed information in a graphical user interface.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a cycle sensor comprising a first magnet, the cycle sensor configured to be coupled to a machine press, wherein the cycle sensor is configured to detect a cycle of the machine press; and

a base station comprising at least one processor, wherein the base station is configured with computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the base station to at least;

process a first signal received from the cycle sensor;

transmit a start message to a server over a network and start a timer in response to reception of the first signal, wherein the start message indicates that the machine press has started running;

process a second signal received from the cycle sensor after the first signal;

reset the timer in response to reception of the second signal;

determine that no signal has been received from the cycle sensor during a threshold period of time after reception of the second signal in response to expiration of the timer; and

transmit an end message to the server over the network in response to the determination that no signal has been received from the cycle sensor during the threshold period of time after the reception of the second signal, wherein the end message indicates that the machine press has stopped running.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the cycle sensor comprises a circuit configured to be coupled to a fixed surface of the machine press, the first magnet configured to be coupled to the circuit, and a second magnet configured to be coupled to a component of the machine press that moves in a repetitive pattern.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a movement of the second magnet passed the first magnet causes the circuit to generate the first signal and transmit the first signal to the base station.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein generation of the first signal represents a detection of one cycle of the machine press.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the component of the machine press comprises at least one of a component that rotates about an axis, a component that moves back and forth in a horizontal direction, or a component that moves back and forth in a vertical direction.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet are configured to be positioned within the machine press such that the second magnet passes the first magnet in a same horizontal or vertical plane during completion of one cycle of the machine press.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the start message comprises a time value corresponding to a time that the first signal is received by the base station.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the end message comprises a time value corresponding to a time that the second signal is received by the base station and a number of detected cycles.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the number of detected cycles is based on a number of signals received by the base station from the cycle sensor.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the server is configured to determine an amount of material processed by the machine press based on the number of detected cycles and a conversion factor associated with the machine press.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station comprises a terminal block with a plurality of output ports, and wherein the system further comprises an external device coupled to the plurality of output ports.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the base station is further configured with computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the base station to at least:

output a first voltage on a first output port in the plurality of output ports and on a second output port in the plurality of output ports after the first signal is received and before the second signal is received to cause the external device to output a first color; and

output the first voltage on the first output port and a second voltage on the second output port after the threshold period of time after reception of the second signal has elapsed to cause the external device to output a second color different from the first color.

13. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

as implemented by one or more computing devices configured with specific computer-executable instructions,

receiving a first signal from a cycle sensor, wherein the cycle sensor is coupled to a machine press and is configured to detect a cycle of the machine press;

transmitting a start message to a server over a network and start a timer in response to reception of the first signal, wherein the start message indicates that the machine press has started running;

receiving a second signal from the cycle sensor after the first signal;

resetting the timer in response to reception of the second signal;

determining that no signal has been received from the cycle sensor during a threshold period of time after reception of the second signal in response to expiration of the timer; and

transmitting an end message to the server over the network in response to the determination that no signal has been received from the cycle sensor during the threshold period of time after the reception of the second signal, wherein the end message indicates that the machine press has stopped running.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the cycle sensor comprises a circuit coupled to a fixed surface of the machine press, a first magnet coupled to the circuit, and a second magnet coupled to a component of the machine press that moves in a repetitive pattern.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein a movement of the second magnet passed the first magnet causes the circuit to generate and transmit the first signal.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet are positioned within the machine press such that the second magnet passes the first magnet in a same horizontal or vertical plane during completion of one cycle of the machine press.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the one or more computing devices comprises a terminal block with a plurality of output ports, and wherein an external device is coupled to the plurality of output ports.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:

outputting a first voltage on a first output port in the plurality of output ports and on a second output port in the plurality of output ports after the first signal is received and before the second signal is received to cause the external device to output a first color; and

outputting the first voltage on the first output port and a second voltage on the second output port after the threshold period of time after reception of the second signal has elapsed to cause the external device to output a second color different from the first color.

19. Non-transitory, computer-readable storage media comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to:

process a first signal received from a cycle sensor, wherein the cycle sensor is coupled to a machine press and is configured to detect a cycle of the machine press;

transmit a start message to a server over a network and start a timer in response to reception of the first signal, wherein the start message indicates that the machine press has started running;

process a second signal received from the cycle sensor after the first signal;

reset the timer in response to reception of the second signal;

determine that no signal has been received from the cycle sensor during a threshold period of time after reception of the second signal in response to expiration of the timer; and

transmit an end message to the server over the network in response to the determination that no signal has been received from the cycle sensor during the threshold period of time after the reception of the second signal, wherein the end message indicates that the machine press has stopped running.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the cycle sensor comprises a circuit coupled to a fixed surface of the machine press, a first magnet coupled to the circuit, and a second magnet coupled to a component of the machine press that moves in a repetitive pattern.