BALER MACHINE MONITORING AND PERFORMANCE INTERFACES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20090222240A1
• Filed: 07/16/2008
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WestRock Shared Services, LLC (WestRock Company)
• Original Assignee: RockTenn CP LLC (WestRock Company)
• Inventors: Byers, Rick, McClain, Stephen B., Schuster, James J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37214 Detect failed machine component, machine performance degradation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]

Abstract

Monitoring and performance interfaces are disclosed for baler machines. The interfaces collect and analyze runtime and downtime data and present reports or varying detail to interested personnel that allow objective assessment of baler machine performance. Multiple baler machines may be monitored and analyzed to reveal human and machine-related issues that inhibit optimal performance but are otherwise extremely difficult to detect.

Claims

1. A monitoring interface for evaluating a production performance of at least one baler machine, the monitoring interface comprising:

at least one sensor device detecting a downtime condition of the baler machine;

a controller interfaced with the at least one sensor device and recording data associated with detected downtime conditions;

an input device coupled to the controller and accepting user provided data inputs regarding runtime operation of the baler machine, the data inputs including at least a material type input, an acceptable bale input, and an unacceptable bale input; and

the controller configured to communicate the recorded data and accepted data inputs to a computer-implemented performance interface for generation of a production report.

2. The monitoring interface of claim 1, the controller configured to trigger an alarm condition in response to predetermined signals from the at least one sensor device.

3. The monitoring interface of claim 2, further comprising an alarm beacon activated by the controller in the alarm condition.

4. The monitoring interface of claim 1, wherein the baler machine is fed bale material by a conveyor, and the at least one sensor device comprises one of a conveyor motor sensor and a conveyor eye sensor.

5. The monitoring interface of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a touch sensitive display.

6. The monitoring interface of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a keyboard.

7. The monitoring interface of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a display, the data inputs selected from the display.

8. The monitoring interface of claim 7, wherein the data inputs further include at least one of an operator identification input, a shift input, a maintenance person input, and combinations thereof.

9. The monitoring interface of claim 7, wherein the data inputs comprise a material type input including one of an OCC type input, a paper input, a fiber input, a plastic input, a metal input and combinations thereof.

10. The monitoring interface of claim 7, wherein the data inputs further comprise at least one downtime input.

11. The monitoring interface of claim 10, wherein the at least one downtime input includes at least one of a conveyor input, a baler input, a wire tier input, a waiting to bale input, and combinations thereof.

12. The monitoring interface of claim 11, wherein the conveyor input comprises at least one of a mechanical downtime input, an electrical downtime input, a jam downtime input, a structural downtime input, and combinations thereof.

13. The monitoring interface of claim 11, wherein the baler input comprises at least one of a mechanical downtime input, an electrical downtime input, a hydraulic downtime input, a jam knives downtime input, a jam overcharge input, a structural downtime input, and combinations thereof.

14. The monitoring interface of claim 11, wherein the wire tier input comprises at least one of a wire change downtime input, a feed downtime input, a track/fingers downtime input, a reaching home downtime input, a knotter/twister downtime input, a cutter downtime input, a knot eject downtime input, a knot downtime input, an electrical downtime input, a hydraulic downtime input, and combinations thereof.

15. The monitoring interface of claim 11, wherein the waiting to bale input comprises at least one of a warm up input, a clean up input, a breaks/lunch input, a meetings input, a preventive maintenance input, a no material input, a no loader input, a no forklift input, a no labor input, a grade change input, and combinations thereof.

16. A computer-implemented method of evaluating a production performance of at least one baler machine for producing bales of material, the machine provided with a local monitoring interface communicating with a remotely located computer-based performance interface, the method comprising:

collecting, using the monitoring interface, downtime and runtime data for the at least one baler machine, the runtime data including at least acceptable bale production data and the downtime data including at least elapsed downtime data;

comparing at least one of the collected downtime and runtime data to a predetermined baseline performance value; and

generating a production report identifying a difference between the collected data and the baseline performance value.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising establishing at least one baseline performance value for the at least one baler machine;

18. The method of claim 17, wherein establishing at least one baseline performance value comprises collecting runtime data over a predetermined time, and averaging the collected runtime data to establish the baseline performance value.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one baseline performance value includes a target tons per hour of baled material produced by the at least one baler machine.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising communicating the collected downtime and runtime data to the remotely located computer-based performance interface.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one baler machine comprises a plurality of baler machines each having a respective monitoring interface, the method further comprising:

receiving, with the remotely located computer-based performance interface, runtime data and downtime data from each of the respective monitoring interfaces; and

assimilating the data from each of the plurality of machines into the production report.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein generating the production report further includes comparing the data from the plurality of baler machines to one another.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein collecting the downtime data comprises:

sensing a downtime condition of the at least one baler machine; and

recording information regarding a detected downtime condition.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein collecting runtime data comprises accepting data and information being input by a human operator of the machine while the machine is operating.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

presenting, using the monitoring interface, runtime data inputs and downtime data inputs to a user of the at least one baler machine; and

accepting user-selected inputs from the presented runtime data inputs.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the presented runtime data inputs include at least one of an operator identification input, a shift input, a maintenance person input, and combinations thereof.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the presented runtime data inputs includes material type inputs, the material type inputs including one of an OCC type input, a paper input, a fiber input, a plastic input, a metal input and combinations thereof.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the presented downtime data inputs include at least one of a conveyor input, a baler input, a wire tier input, a waiting to bale input, and combinations thereof.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the conveyor input comprises at least one of a mechanical downtime input, an electrical downtime input, a jam downtime input, a structural downtime input, and combinations thereof.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the baler input comprises at least one of a mechanical downtime input, an electrical downtime input, a hydraulic downtime input, a jam knives downtime input, a jam overcharge input, a structural downtime input, and combinations thereof.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the wire tier input comprises at least one of a wire change downtime input, a feed downtime input, a track/fingers downtime input, a reaching home downtime input, a knotter/twister downtime input, a cutter downtime input, a knot eject downtime input, a knot downtime input, an electrical downtime input, a hydraulic downtime input, and combinations thereof.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the waiting to bale input comprises at least one of a warm up input, a clean up input, a breaks/lunch input, a meetings input, a preventive maintenance input, a no material input, a no loader input, a no forklift input, a no labor input, a grade change input, and combinations thereof.

33. The method of claim 21, further comprising generating an alarm during a downtime condition.

34. A network-based system for monitoring and evaluating production performance of a plurality of baler machines in various reclamation facilities, the system comprising:

a monitoring interface local to each of the plurality of machines, each monitoring interface collecting downtime data and runtime data for each respective machine; and

a performance interface receiving the downtime data and runtime data from each monitoring interface, the performance interface comprising;

a client system comprising a browser;

a database for storing information; and

a server system adapted to be coupled to the client system and the database, the server further adapted to;

receive the downtime data and the runtime data from the monitoring interfaces;

compile the received downtime data and runtime data; and

generate a production report identifying operating trends for each of the plurality of baler machines, and comparing the plurality of machines to one another.

35. The system of claim 34, the server further adapted to identify an underperforming machine based on the received data.

36. The system of claim 34, the server further adapted to establish performance values for each of the plurality of machines based on the received data.

37. The system of claim 34, the server further adapted to send the production reports to responsible personnel.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the server is further adapted to send the production reports via one of facsimile or email.

39. The system of claim 34, wherein the server is further adapted to periodically generate the production reports.

40. The system of claim 34, wherein the server is further adapted to archive the received runtime and downtime data.