Automatic vertical moving systems and control methods therefor

• US 5,965,994 A
• Filed: 03/10/1998
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Industry & Academic Cooperation In Chungnam National University
• Original Assignee: Dong I.L. Seo
• Inventors: Seo, Dong Il
• Primary Examiner(s): Nappi, Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duda, Rina I.
• Application Number:
  US09/037,509
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 318/3, 318/6, 318/9-10, 318/280, 318/282, 318/283, 212/307, 212/284, 212/309, 212/310
• US Class Current: 318/280
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 1/46 electric

Abstract

Disclosed are automatic vertical moving systems and control methods therefor for regularly lowering an object with predetermined depth and time intervals to a desired maximum depth in water and then raising it to the surface of water to analyze vertical changes of water quality in lakes and reservoirs continuously, comprising a barge for floating on the surface of the water so as to be retained at a desired position thereon, a winch mounted on the barge, rotatable in opposite directions to lower and raise the object and provided with a wire rope wound and rewound around the winch according to the rotational directions, the wire rope being connected at its free end to the object, an electric motor connected to the winch for rotating in opposite directions, and a motor controller for controlling the motor to be regularly activated and deactivated and to be changed in rotational directions thereof. Also, an assistant line may be further included to prevent entanglement of the wire rope and possible loss of the object due to external impact of unusual matters in water.

Claims

1. An automatic vertical moving system for vertically moving an object in order to analyze water quality continuously and monitor the vertical change of water quality, the moving system comprising:

a floating means for floating on the surface of water so as to be retained at a desired position thereon;

a winch means mounted on the floating means, rotatable in opposite directions to lower and raise the object, and provided with a wire rope to be wound or rewound around the winch means according to the rotational directions thereof, the wire rope being connected at its free end to the object; and

a forward-and-backward rotation means for rotating the winch means between a forward direction to lower the object and a backward direction to raise the object, said forward-and-backward rotation means including

(a) an electric motor connected to the winch means which rotates in opposite directions,

(b) an electric power supply means for supplying electricity, and

(c) a motor control means for controlling the motor to be regularly activated or deactivated and to be changed in the rotational directions thereof,

wherein said motor control means includes

a driving control means for switching the electric power supply means to the motor on and off,

a timer means connected to the driving control means for switching the electric power supply means to the motor on to activate the motor at predetermined suspending time intervals whenever the motor is deactivated,

a plurality of guide rollers for guiding the wire rope to be wound or rewound steadily and for providing tension on the wire rope so that one of the guide rollers can not be rotated when the wire rope is loosened during the lowering,

a counter means coupling with the one guide roller for detecting a rotational displacement thereof, and electrically connected to the driving control means for switching the motor off to deactivate the motor whenever the rotational displacement of the counter means is equal to a multiple of a predetermined rotational displacement interval corresponding to a predetermined unit depth during the lowering of the object and whenever the counter means is reset due to the raising of the object, and

a direction control means connected to the counter means for converting the rotational direction of the motor when the rotational displacement of the counter means is not changed during the lowering of the object thereby raising the object, and when the counter means is reset thereby being capable of lowering the object after the predetermined suspending time by means of the timer means.

2. The moving system according to claim 1:

wherein the plurality of guide rollers are mounted on the floating means and provide tension on the wire rope so that one of the guide rollers cannot be rotated when the wire rope is loosened due to the object'"'"'s stop during the lowering; and

wherein the motor control means further includes a detecting means for detecting the object when the object is raised to a predetermined level near the surface of the water, said detecting means comprising a limit switch mounted on the floating means, connected to the driving control means for switching the motor off to deactivate the motor and connected to the direction control means so as to convert the rotational direction of the motor, thereby being capable of lowering the object after the predetermined suspending time by means of the timer means, and an operating means fixed on the wire rope at a predetermined position near its free end to operate the limit switch when the object is raised to the predetermined level.

3. An automatic vertical moving system for vertically moving an object in order to analyze water quality continuously and monitor the vertical change of water quality, the moving system comprising:

a floating means for floating on the surface of water so as to be retained at a desired position thereon;

a winch means mounted on the floating means, rotatable in opposite directions to lower and raise the object, and provided with a wire rope to be wound or rewound around the winch means according to the rotational directions thereof, the wire rope being connected at its free end to the object; and

a forward-and-backward rotation means for rotating the winch means between a forward direction to lower the object and a backward direction to raise the object, said forward-and-backward rotation means including

(a) an electric motor connected to the winch means for rotating in opposite directions,

(b) an electric power supply means for supplying electricity, and

(c) a motor control means for controlling the motor to be regularly activated and deactivated, and to be changed in the rotational directions thereof, said motor control means having a driving control means for switching the electric power supply means to the motor on and off, a direction control means for converting the rotational direction of the motor, and a control system connected to the driving control means for switching the electric power supply means to the motor off at predetermined depth time intervals corresponding to the predetermined unit depth and for switching the electric power supply means to the motor on at predetermined suspending time intervals and connected to the direction control means for converting the rotational direction of the motor at a predetermined entire lowering time Td and at a predetermined pure raising time Tr, thereby repeatedly lowering and raising the object within a maximum depth to be converted substantially from the predetermined pure raising time Tr and a rotational speed of the motor.

4. The moving system according to claim 3:

wherein the driving control means includes a first driving switching means for switching the electric power supply means to the motor on and off, so that the motor is activated when the first driving switching means is switched on, and so that the motor is deactivated when the first driving switching means is switched off;

wherein the direction control means comprises a first and a second forward switching means and a first and a second backward switching means for switching the connection of the electric power supply means to the motor selectively between a first terminal and a second terminal of the motor so that the motor may be rotatable in the forward direction when the first and the second forward switching means are switched on and the motor may be rotatable in the backward direction when the first and the second backward switching means are switched on, and a first direction switching means and a second direction switching means for switching the first and second forward switching means and the first and second backward switching means on/off respectively and connected to each other in a manner interlocked to be switched on alternatively, thereby the first and the second forward switching means and the first and the second backward switching means being interlocked to be switched on alternatively; and

wherein the control system further comprises;

a central processor processing interrupted signals from an internal timer to acquire data of a reference time Tc, executing a program to establish predetermined controls, and outputting a plurality of control signals to the driving and direction control means, the control signals comprising a first driving signal of HIGH/LOW for switching on/off the first driving switching means of the driving control means and a direction signal of HIGH/LOW for switching one of the first direction switching means and the second direction switching means on/off; and

memory means storing the program for establishing predetermined controls and data generated during the execution of the program.

5. The moving system according to claim 4, the control signals being characterized in that:

the first driving switching means is switched on and the motor is activated when the first driving signal is LOW, thereby deactivating the motor by a HIGH signal generated from the central processor at the outset of the application of the electric power; and

the motor is able to rotate in the backward direction via the direction control means when the first direction signal is HIGH, thereby being capable of rotating the motor in the backward direction and raising the object by a HIGH signal generated from the central processor at the outset of the application of the electric power.

6. The moving system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a plurality of guide rollers mounted on the floating means for guiding the wire rope to be wound or rewound steadily and for providing tension on the wire rope so that one of the guide rollers can not be rotated when the wire rope is loosened during the lowering; and

a rotary encoder coupled with the one rotating guide roller for outputting electric signals corresponding to the rotation displacement thereof so that the central processor calculates a present depth Dc of the object in the water, switches the motor off to deactivate the motor through the driving control means whenever the present depth Dc equals to a multiple of a predetermined unit depth Di instead of switching the electric power supply means to the motor off at the predetermined depth time intervals, and converts the rotational direction of the motor through the direction control means when the electric signals are not outputted from the encoder during the lowering of the object and when the present depth Dc becomes a zero during the raising instead of converting the rotational direction of the motor at the predetermined entire lowering time and the predetermined pure raising time, thereby iterating the lowering with the predetermined depth and suspending time intervals and the continuous raising of the object by means of using the electric signals from the encoder.

7. The moving system according to claim 4, further comprising a detecting means for detecting that the object is at a predetermined level near the surface of the water, the detecting means comprising:

a limit switch mounted on the floating means, connected to the first driving switching means for switching the first driving switching means off when operated, thereby deactivating the motor regardless of the first driving signal, and connected to the central processor for inputting a signal indicating the on/off status of the limit switch; and

an operating means fixed on the wire rope at a position near its free end for effecting the limit switch to be switched on when the object is raised to the predetermined level near the surface of the water and to be switched off once the object is lowered down from the predetermined level; and

the driving control means further comprising a second driving switching means connected to the motor parallel with the first driving switching means so as to activate and deactivate the motor regardless of the first driving switching means;

wherein the central processor outputs a second driving signal to the second driving switching means for activating the motor, and the direction signal to the first direction switching means for converting the rotational direction of the motor at the predetermined level near the surface of the water instead of converting the rotational direction of the motor at predetermined pure raising time intervals during the raising.

8. The moving system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a plurality of guide rollers for guiding the wire rope to be wound or rewound steadily and for providing tension on the wire rope so that one of the guide rollers can not be rotated when the wire rope is loosened due to the object'"'"'s stop during the lowering; and

a rotary encoder coupled with the one rotating guide roller for outputting electric signals corresponding to the rotational displacement thereof so that the central processor calculates a present depth Dc of the object in the water during the lowering, switches the motor off to deactivate the motor through the driving control means whenever the present depth Dc equals to a multiple of a predetermined unit depth Di instead of switching the electric power supply means to the motor off at the predetermined depth time intervals, and converts the rotational direction of the motor through the direction control means when the electric signals are not outputted from the encoder during the lowering of the object instead of converting the rotational direction of the motor at the predetermined entire lowering time interval during the lowering; and

a detecting means for detecting that the object is at a predetermined level near the surface of the water, the detecting means comprising;

a limit switch mounted on the floating means, connected to the first driving switching means for switching the first driving switching means off when operated, thereby deactivating the motor regardless of the first driving signal, and connected to the central processor for inputting a signal indicating the on/off status of the limit switch;

an operating means fixed on the wire rope at a position near its free end for effecting the limit switch to be switched on when the object is raised to the predetermined level near the surface of the water and to be switched off when the object is lowered down from the predetermined level; and

the driving control means further comprising a second driving switching means connected to the motor parallel with the first driving switching means so as to activate and deactivate the motor regardless of the first driving switching means;

wherein the central processor outputs a second driving signal to the second driving switching means for activating the motor when the first driving switching means is switched off by means of the limit switch at the predetermined level, and the direction signal to the direction control means for converting the rotational direction of the motor at the predetermined level near the surface of the water instead of converting the rotational direction of the motor at a predetermined pure raising time Tr during the raising, thereby repeatedly and regularly lowering and raising the object by using the electric signals from the encoder and the limit switch.

9. The moving system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a reset means connected to the central processor to generate a reset signal to the central processor for automatically initiating the program when the reset means is enabled; and

a program watch means connected to the central processor for supervising whether the central processor is operating normally by detecting a watchdog signal from the central processor by every predetermined time period, and connected to the reset means for enabling the reset means when the watchdog signal is not detected.

10. The moving system according to claim 9, further comprising a guarding device provided in a supply passageway through which the electric power is supplied to the overall system from the electric power supply means and connected to the reset means for breaking the supply passageway when the reset signals are generated continuously or consecutively in more than a predetermined number of times, said guarding device comprising:

a first guarding switching means connected to the reset means to be operable by means of the reset signal so as to output an amount of electric voltage;

a capacitor to be charged by means of the outputting electric voltage;

a resistor connected to the capacitor for discharging the charge of the capacitor;

a second guarding switching means connected to the capacitor for being switched on when the voltage of the capacitor is charged over a predetermined voltage by means of reset signals generated more frequently than the predetermined number of times;

a first electromagnetic relay having a first solenoid coil energized when the second guarding switching means is switched on and a first changeover switching means is switched supply passageway on when the first solenoid is deenergized and breaks the supply passageway when the first solenoid is energized;

a second electromagnetic relay having a second solenoid coil energized when the first changeover switching means switched the supply passage on and a second changeover switching means which switches the supply passageway off when said second solenoid coil is deenergized, thereby said second solenoid coil being maintained in the deenergized state once the first changeover switching means switches the supply passage off; and

a start switch for energizing the second solenoid coil when the second solenoid coil is deenergized and the second changeover switching means switches the supply passageway off, thereby enabling to restart the overall system after the supply passageway is broken,

wherein the guarding device is provided in the supply passageway of the overall system, and the guarding device is connected to the reset means for operating to effect the supply passageway being broken by means of the reset means enabled in more than the predetermined number of times.

11. The moving system according to claim 4, further comprising:

an input means connected to the control system for manually inputting predetermined external control signals and/or data to the control system; and

a display means connected to the control system for displaying predetermined data transferred from the control system; and

wherein the program executed by the central processor of the control system further comprises supervising the external control signals from the input means, transmitting data stored in the memory means according to the external control signals to the display means, and controlling the driving control means and the direction control means through the control system according to the external control signals.

12. The moving system according to claim 3, further comprising:

at least one assistant rope provided between the object and a fixed body, the ground or other firmly fixed floating means in order to prevent the object from missing away in the case that the wire rope is cut; and

at least one weight means movably and slidably suspended through a ring to the assistant rope.

13. A control method of an automatic vertical moving system for vertically lowering and raising an object such as an automatic water quality analysis system, wherein the moving system comprises:

a floating means for securely floating on the water at a desired position;

a winch means mounted on the floating means and provided with a wire rope connected at its free end to the object;

a motor for driving the winch means in forward and backward directions selectively;

a motor control means for controlling the motor in operation and direction; and

a control system for controlling the motor control means, provided with a central processor executing a program and associated memory means storing the program and data generated during the program execution, the method comprising;

(a) a suspending step wherein the motor is maintained in a deactivated state to stop rotating for a predetermined suspending time for suspending the object at its vertical level and analyzing water quality;

(b) a lowering step wherein the motor is activated to rotate in the forward direction for lowering the object in a predetermined depth time corresponding to a predetermined depth;

(c) a first repeating step for repeatedly executing the suspending step (a) and the lowering step (b) for a predetermined entire lowering time corresponding to a time period for which the object reaches a predetermined maximum depth; and

(d) a returning step wherein, at the predetermined maximum depth, the motor is activated to rotate in the backward direction for raising up the object to the surface position.

14. The control method according to claim 13, wherein the moving system further comprises a rotary encoder coupled the at least one guide roller for outputting electric signals corresponding to the rotational displacement thereof and a detecting means for detecting the object being at the predetermined level near the surface of the water (that is, a surface position):

wherein the lowering step (b), the motor is maintained in the activated state by a predetermined unit depth interval Di until a present depth Dc obtained from the rotary encoder equals to a multiple of the predetermined unit depth interval Di, and then the motor is deactivated for executing the suspending step (a);

wherein in the first repeating step (c), the suspending step (a) and the lowering step (b) are repeatedly executed until the present depth Dc equals to a predetermined maximum depth Dm;

wherein, in the returning step (d), when the present depth Dc is the predetermined maximum depth Dm, the motor is activated to rotate in the backward direction for raising up the object to the surface position until the detecting means is operated; and

wherein the control method further comprises;

(e) an interrupting step wherein, separately from the steps (a) to (d), the processor acquires interruptedly a reference time Tc and the present depth Dc by receiving pulse signals from an internal timer and the rotary encoder.

15. The control method according to claim 14:

wherein said method further comprises;

(f) an initiating step before the suspending step (a) in which the values of variables are initiated in the program, and the motor is activated in the backward direction for raising the object to the surface position when the detecting means does not detect the object;

(g) a second repeating step, after the returning step (d), for repeatedly executing the suspending step (a) and the first returning step (d), thereby automatically iterating the lowering of the object with the predetermined depth and suspending time intervals and the continuous raising of the object in the range of the desired maximum depth;

(h) an external setting step wherein an input of an external setting signal from an input means is watched and the values of environment variables such as the predetermined unit time interval Ti, the predetermined unit depth interval Di and the maximum depth Dm are set or amended from the input means; and

(i) an external control step wherein an input of external control signals from the input means is watched and the motor is controlled in operation and direction according to the external control signals;

wherein the initiating step (f) comprises the steps of;

(1) setting the values of the variables of the reference time Tc and the present depth Dc by zero;

(2) activating the motor to rotate in the backward direction until the detecting means is switched on, and then, once the detecting means is switched on, the motor is activated to rotate in the forward direction until the detecting means is switched off for lowering the object just under the surface position, thereby deactivating the motor to stop rotating, and then the values of the present depth Dc and the reference time Tc is re-initiated by a value of zero; and

(3) reading predetermined and stored values of environment variables of the predetermined unit depth interval Di, the predetermined unit time interval Ti and the predetermined maximum depth Dm;

wherein the lowering step (b) comprises the steps of;

(4) comparing MOD (Dc/Di) with zero to determine whether the object is lowered by the predetermined unit depth interval Di after starting lowering; and

(5) deactivating the motor through the motor control means for executing the suspending step (a) when MOD (Dc/Di) is a zero in step (4) and the reference time Tc is reset by a zero where the predetermined suspending time is given to the predetermined unit time interval Ti; and

wherein the suspending step (a) comprises;

(6) comparing MOD (Tc/Ti) with zero to determine whether the predetermined suspending time has passed with the object maintained at the multiple depth of the predetermined unit depth interval Di where the total of the predetermined suspending time and the time corresponding to the predetermined unit depth interval Di is given to the predetermined unit time interval Ti;

(7) comparing the predetermined unit time interval Ti with the reset reference time Tc at the deactivating step (5) to determine whether the predetermined suspending time has passed with the object maintained at the multiple depth of the predetermined unit depth interval Di where the predetermined suspending time is given to the predetermined unit time interval Ti;

(8) activating the motor in the forward direction through the motor control means for executing the lowering step (b) when MOD (Tc/Ti) is a zero in step (6) and when the predetermined unit time interval Ti is the reset reference time Tc in step (7).

16. The control method according to claim 14, further comprising:

(j) a timer error supervisory step wherein an old time To to be set to a value of zero at first and then to be replaced with the reference time Tc is compared with the reference time Tc during the execution of the program, the control system is reset if the reference time Tc is equal to the old time To, and the old time To is replaced with the reference time Tc if the reference time Tc is not equal to the old time To.

17. The control method according to claim 14, further comprising:

(K) an encoder error supervisory step wherein an encoder check time Te and an encoder check depth De to be set to a value of zero at first and then to be replaced with the reference time Tc and the present depth Dc respectively are compared with the reference time Tc and the present depth Dc during the lowering or the raising of the object in a predetermined check time after the setting and the replacing, the electric power supply for the overall moving system is shut off if the present depth Dc is equal to, or greater than, the encoder check depth De during the raising and if the present depth Dc is equal to, or smaller than, the encoder check depth De during the lowering, and the encoder check time Te and the encoder check depth De are replaced with the reference time Tc and the present depth Dc, respectively; and

(l) a missing supervisory step wherein, when the present depth Dc is equal to, or smaller than, the encoder check depth De during the lowering in the encoder error supervisory step (k), the encoder check depth De is replaced with the present depth Dc instead of breaking the electric power supply, the motor is activated to rotate in the backward direction for raising the object, the present depth Dc is compared with the encoder check depth De in a predetermined missing check time after the motor is activated to rotate in the backward direction, the motor is continuously activated to rotate in the backward direction for raising the object if the present depth Dc is smaller than the encoder check depth De, and, if the present depth Dc is equal to, or greater than, the encoder check depth De, an alarm signal is outputted to at least one external alarm means supplied by a separated electric power source and then the electric power supply is shut off.

18. An automatic vertical moving system for vertically moving an object in order to analyze water quality continuously and monitor the vertical change of water quality, the moving system comprising:

a floating means for floating on the surface of water so as to be retained at a desired position thereon;

a winch means mounted on the floating means, rotatable in opposite directions to lower and raise the object, and provide with a wire rope to be wound or rewound around the winch means according to the rotational directions thereof, the wire rope being connected at its free end to the object;

a forward-and-backward rotation means for rotating the winch means between a forward direction to lower the object and a backward direction to raise the object;

at least one assistant rope provided between the object and a fixed body, the ground or other firmly fixed floating means in order to prevent the object from missing away in the case that the wire rope is cut; and

at least one weight means movably and slidably suspended through a ring to the assistant rope.