Drive control

• US 7,094,178 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2002
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WITTENSTEIN SE
• Original Assignee: Wittenstein AG
• Inventors: Bayer, Thomas, Wittenstein, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, TISHA D
• Application Number:
  US10/479,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20040152561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,627 Days
• Field of Search: 477/97, 477/107, 701/33, 701/60, 701/6
• US Class Current: 477/97
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0045 using databus protocols
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/01 Monitoring wear or stress of gearing elements, e.g. for triggering maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/00 Control inputs to control units of change-speed-, or reversing-gearings for conveying rotary motion
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/16 Dynamometric measurement of torque
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/36 Inputs being a function of speed
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/72 dependent on oil characteristics, e.g. temperature, viscosity

Abstract

A drive control for controlling a gear system which is connected to a motor. The drive control comprises one or several sensors for detecting operationally specific parameters of the gear system, and a decentralized sensor evaluation unit. The sensor or each sensor is connected to the decentralized sensor evaluation unit for separate evaluation of information provided by the sensor or sensors.

Claims

1. A drive regulator for control of a transmission which is connected to a motor comprises:

a transmission connected to an electrically driven motor;

sensor means for recording operation specific parameters for the transmission, wherein the sensor means comprises a plurality of sensors including tilting moment sensors, leakage sensors, torque sensors, temperature sensors, rotation speed sensors, vibration sensors, oscillation sensors and oil-level sensors; and

a decentralized sensor evaluation unit connected to the sensor means for receiving and evaluating the parameters from the sensor means, wherein the sensor evaluation unit is connected to a motor means of power electronics, and wherein the sensor evaluation unit (70) has a control unit (80) which includes means for the sensor evaluation unit (70) to act directly on the transmission (20) to obtain directly the specific parameters for the transmission.

2. The drive regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor means or decentralized sensor evaluation unit (70) is located on or proximate to the motor or transmission (20).

3. The drive regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor evaluation unit (70) together with the sensor means comprises a decentralized intelligent information gathering and evaluation unit.

4. The drive regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor evaluation unit (70) has a communication unit (90) which includes means for the sensor evaluation unit (70) to data communicate with an external appliance (50).

5. The drive regulator as claimed in claim 1, in which the sensor evaluation unit (70) has a communication unit (90) which includes means for an external appliance (50) to data communicate with the sensor evaluation unit (70).

6. The drive regulator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the communication unit (90) includes means for the sensor evaluation unit (70) to data communicate with the external appliance (50).

7. The drive regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor evaluation unit (70) forms a unit directly with the motor and/or the transmission (20), and includes means for autonomous regulation of the motor (10) and/or transmission (20) in response to specific signals from the sensor means (60).