Integration of intelligent motor with power management device

• US 20070078614A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation, Inc.
• Inventors: Kirkpatrick, Richard, Offik, Michael, Discenzo, Frederick
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/60
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4062 Monitoring servoloop, e.g. overload of servomotor, loss of feedback or reference
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/42271 Monitor parameters, conditions servo for maintenance, lubrication, repair purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/42299 Measure current during first acceleration command
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/42301 Detect correct connection of servomotor to powersupply

Abstract

A method and apparatus provide for reduced cost and complexity in managing an intelligent motor in an architecture in which information is transferred between a power management device and the intelligent motor. The information may be used by an embedded processor of the motor to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics of the motor, machinery operating in conjunction with the motor, and/or a process in which the motor may be configured to operate. The power management device may remotely determine motor current information that is used by the intelligent motor to self-diagnose the intelligent motor using the motor current information.

Claims

1. An apparatus including:

a communications interface to transfer information between a motor and a power management device, the motor having an embedded processor to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics using the information, the power management device configured to remotely determine motor current of the motor and to generate the information including the motor current of the motor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information includes information to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics of machinery arranged to operate with the motor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information includes information to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics of a process in which the motor is arranged to operate.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes data compression algorithms and/or data expansion algorithms to transfer the information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information includes sampled information and/or computed information generated at the power management device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, where the sampled information and/or computed information includes sampled and/or computed information converted to wavelet coefficients, the motor to reconstruct an original signal using the wavelet coefficients transferred.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information includes essentially motor current information.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information includes raw motor current data.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information includes motor current information generated using one or more signal processing techniques.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more signal processing techniques includes one or more signal processing techniques selected from a group consisting of filtering, smoothing, translation to frequency domain, conversion to wavelet coefficients, and curve fitting.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information includes an analysis of motor current of the motor.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications interface includes a communications interface compatible with RS-232.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications interface includes a communications interface compatible with one or more communication standards selected from a group of DeviceNet, ControlNet, AS-I, Intellibus, IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.11b, and Zigbee.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications interface includes a communications interface compatible with an Ethernet network.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a motor having an embedded processor to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics; and

a communications interface to receive information from a power management device, the motor to process the information to provide the diagnostics and/or the prognostics, the information including motor current of the motor remotely determined by the power management device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the information includes information to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics of machinery arranged to operate with the motor, the diagnostics and/or prognostics provided using the embedded processor.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the information includes information to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics of a process in which the motor is arranged to operate, the diagnostics and/or prognostics provided using the embedded processor.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the information includes raw motor current data and/or an analysis of motor current of the motor.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to analyze motor data and provide an analysis to the power management device.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus includes memory to store the information.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus includes a sensor to sample a voltage phase of the motor, sampling of the voltage phase synchronized with the information from the power management device.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communications interface is configured to couple to a local area network.

23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communications interface has a connection to couple to the power management device in a point-to-point configuration.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a power management device to generate information correlated to operation of a motor, the motor having an embedded processor to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics using the information, the power management device configured to remotely determine motor current of the motor; and

a communications interface to transmit the information from the power management device to the motor.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the power management device includes a sensor to remotely determine motor current information of the motor.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the power management device includes a variable speed drive.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the power management device includes a variable frequency drive.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the power management device includes a smart motor controller.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the power management device includes a smart motor protector.

30. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the power management device includes one or more power devices selected from a group of a power monitoring device, a power recording device, or a current data acquisition module.

31. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the communications interface is configured to receive motor status information from the motor.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the power management device is adapted to adjust parameters of the power management device based on the motor status information.

33. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the communications interface is configured to couple to a local area network.

34. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the communications interface has a connection to couple to the motor in a point-to-point configuration.

35. A system comprising:

a motor having an embedded processor to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics and having a first communications interface to receive information, the motor to process the information to provide the diagnostics and/or the prognostics; and

a power management device having a second communications interface to transmit the information to the motor, the information including motor current of the motor, the power management device configured to remotely determine the motor current of the motor.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the system includes data compression algorithms and/or data expansion algorithms to transfer the information.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the information includes sampled information and/or computed information generated at the power management device.

38. The system of claim 37, where the sampled information and/or computed information includes sampled and/or computed information converted to wavelet coefficients, the motor to reconstruct an original signal using the wavelet coefficients transferred.

39. The system of claim 35, the processor is configured to self-diagnose the motor using the information.

40. The system of claim 35, wherein the power management device includes a sensor to remotely determine motor current information of the motor.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the motor and the power management device act as autonomous agents in collaboration with each other.

42. The system of claim 35, wherein the motor is adapted to transmit motor status information to the power management device.

43. The system of claim 35, wherein the first communications interface and the second communications interface are adapted to couple to local area network.

44. The system of claim 35, wherein the first communications interface and the second communications interface are configured to wirelessly transfer data between each other.

45. The system of claim 35, wherein the power management device is selected from a group consisting of a variable speed drive, a variable frequency drive, a smart motor controller, and a smart motor protector.

46. The system of claim 35, wherein the system includes a plurality of power management devices.

47. A method comprising:

transferring information between a power management device and a motor, the motor having an embedded processor to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics using the information, the information including motor current of the motor, the power management device configured to remotely determine the motor current and to transmit the information to the motor.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein transferring information includes transferring information to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics of machinery arranged to operate with the motor, the diagnostics and/or prognostics provided using the embedded processor.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein transferring information includes transferring information provide to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics of a process in which the motor is arranged to operate, the diagnostics and/or prognostics provided using the embedded processor.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the method includes transferring motor current information generated at the power management device, the power management device having a sensor to remotely determine the motor current information.

51. The method of claim 47, wherein the method includes the power management and the motor acting as autonomous agents in collaboration with each other.

52. The method of claim 47, wherein transferring information includes transferring information over a local area network.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein transferring information includes wirelessly transferring the information.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein wirelessly transferring the information includes transferring information over a wireless network.

55. A method comprising:

remotely determining motor current of a motor using a power management device; and

transmitting results from determining the motor current of the motor to the motor, the motor having an embedded processor to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics using the results.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein remotely determining motor current of a motor includes measuring the motor current using one or more power management devices from a group consisting of a variable speed drive, a variable frequency drive, a smart motor controller, and a smart motor protector.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein the method including receiving motor status information from the motor.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the method includes adjusting parameters in a power management device based on the motor status information.

59. A method comprising:

receiving information at a motor from a power management device, the information associated with motor current of the motor, the motor current determined remotely from the motor at the power management device, the motor having an embedded processor;

applying the information to provide diagnostics and/or prognostics using the processor; and

storing data from the diagnostics and/or prognostics in a memory.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the method includes analyzing apparatus associated with the motor.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the method includes providing the analysis to a power management device.

62. The method of claim 59, wherein the method includes providing motor status to a power management device.

63. The method of claim 59, wherein the method includes storing the information in a memory of the motor.

64. The method of claim 59, wherein receiving information associated with motor current of a motor includes receiving the information from a power management device having a sensor to remotely measure the motor current.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein receiving the information from a power management device includes receiving information from one or more power management devices from a group consisting of a variable speed drive, a variable frequency drive, a smart motor controller, and a smart motor protector.

66. The method of claim 59, wherein receiving information associated with motor current of a motor includes receiving the information from a central control system.