Closed loop interactive controller

• US 7,480,542 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2003
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caco Pacific Corporation
• Original Assignee: Caco Pacific Corporation
• Inventors: Rubow, Keith A., Kroeger, Charles R., Anderson, Rolf T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta; Kidest
• Application Number:
  US10/351,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: 700/197, 700200-205, 700/299, 700/300, 425/135, 425/143, 425/144, 264/40.1, 264/40.6
• US Class Current: 700/202
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2049/7874 Preform or article shape, weight, defect or presence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76003 Measured parameter
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76083 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76254 Mould
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76381 Injection
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76498 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76702 Closure or clamping device
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1774 Display units or mountings therefor; Switch cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/2737 Heating or cooling means therefor B29C45/7331 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/768 Detecting defective moulding conditions B29C45/84 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/78 of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/42382 Stopping at least a part of the machine
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/42407 Procedures for start-up or material change
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/78 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/42 for obtaining a characteristic which is both proportional and time-dependent, e.g. P. I., P. I. D.
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21007 A processor to evaluate signals of detector only, I-O processor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2214 Multicontrollers, multimicrocomputers, multiprocessing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1934 each space being provided with one sensor acting on one or more control means

Abstract

An injection mold apparatus has multiple injection zones, each zone having at least one heater and at least one temperature sensor generating a temperature indicating signal. A power source provides power to the heaters. A controller controls the temperature of at least some of the zones. For efficiency, the controller has two separate processors, a data-receiving processor for receiving temperature indicating signal from each sensor as well as power signals, and a control processor for receiving data from the data-receiving processor and for controlling the amount of power provided to the heaters. Preferably, the control is in a housing, with the housing mounted directly on the mold. Modified PID calculations are utilized. Power calculations for the amount of power to the heaters utilizes a modulo based algorithm.

Claims

1. An injection mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus comprising:

an injection mold;

a process control and data acquisition system mounted on said injection mold; and

at least one injection mold-located sensor providing information from said injection mold to the mold mounted process control and data acquisition system;

said mold mounted process control and data acquisition system comprising;

at least one sensor input circuit cable;

at least one control output cable;

at least one switched power device;

at least one microprocessor or logic device necessary for control of a process;

at least one analog-digital signal converter for converting analog sensor signals located within the injection mold to digital signals;

at least one multiplexing device to deliver an analog signal to an input device within the mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus;

at least one data transmission device to send and receive data in analog or digital format to an attached or remote communicating device;

at least one memory device located within the mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus to store data for use in or in conjunction with control processes, control algorithms, or data storage; and

a cooling system element located within the process control and data acquisition system.

2. An injection mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said process control and data acquisition system is attached to the injection mold with or without a mold junction box, where analog or digital devices and analog or digitally controlled devices connect from within the injection mold.

3. An injection mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said apparatus includes a housing which encases the at least one sensor input cable and the at least one control output cable of said process control and data acquisition system, protecting them from damage from elements.

4. An injection mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said process control and data acquisition system includes a control cable which delivers an output which controls a process control device located on or within said injection mold.

5. An injection mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus comprising:

an injection mold;

a process control and data acquisition system mounted on said injection mold; and

at least one injection mold-located sensor providing information from said injection mold to the mold mounted process control and data acquisition system;

said mold mounted process control and data acquisition system comprising;

at least one sensor input circuit cable;

at least one control output cable;

at least one switched power device;

at least one microprocessor or logic device necessary for control of a process;

at least one analog-digital signal converter for converting analog sensor signals located within the injection mold to digital signals;

at least one multiplexing device to deliver an analog signal to an input device within the mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus;

at least one data transmission device to send and receive data in analog or digital format to an attached or remote communicating device;

at least one memory device located within the mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus to store data for use in or in conjunction with control processes, control algorithms, or data storage; and

a cooling element located within the process control and data acquisition system;

wherein said process control and data acquisition system is placed within a housing and includes a cooling element to remove excess heat generated by analog and or digital components within the housing to increase a reliability of the components by keeping their temperature to a minimum.

6. An injection mold-mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus comprising:

an injection mold having associated controllable parameters;

at least one controlled element mounted on said injection mold which varies a respective one of said controllable parameters in response to a control signal;

at least one injection mold-located sensor which produces an output that varies with a respective one of said controllable parameters;

a thermally-isolated housing mounted to said injection mold; and

processing circuitry positioned within said thermally-isolated housing, said circuitry coupled to said at least one injection mold-located sensor output and said at least one controlled element and arranged to provide at least one of said control signals;

wherein said processing circuitry comprises;

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which converts said at least one injection mold-located sensor output to a digital signal; and

a microprocessor which receives said digital signal and is arranged to provide at least one of said control signals.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said at least one controlled element comprises a plurality of controlled elements and said at least one injection mold-located sensor comprises a plurality of injection mold-located sensors, said processing circuitry further comprising a multiplexer which selectively connects one of said sensor outputs to said ADC, said microprocessor arranged to produce a plurality of said control signals to respective ones of said controlled elements.

8. An injection mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus comprising:

an injection mold;

a process control and data acquisition system mounted on said injection mold; and

at least one injection mold-located sensor providing information from said injection mold to the mold mounted process control and data acquisition system;

said mold mounted process control and data acquisition system comprising;

at least one sensor input cable;

at least one control output cable;

at least one switched power device;

at least one microprocessor necessary for control of a process;

at least one analog-digital signal converter for converting analog sensor signals located within the injection mold to digital signals;

at least one multiplexing device to deliver an analog signal to an input device within the mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus;

at least one data transmission device to send and receive data in analog or digital format to an attached or remote communicating device; and

at least one memory device located within the mold mounted process control and data acquisition apparatus to store data for use in or in conjunction with control processes, control algorithms, or data storage.