Air compressor

• US 8,289,149 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Teramoto, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl
• Application Number:
  US13/371,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• Field of Search: 340/532, 340/425.5, 340/426.24, 340/426.25, 340/457.4, 340/679, 340/680
• US Class Current: 340/532
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2201/0207 Number of pumping strokes in unit time
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/02 Stopping, starting, unloading or idling control
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/10 Other safety measures

Abstract

A control method for an air compressor including a compressor body for compressing air and an item to be replaced used during the operation of the compressor body. The method includes computing a service time of the item to be replaced, being based upon an operating time of the compressor body, discriminating whether the item to be replaced is a manufacturer'"'"'s recommended item or not, determining whether or not the service time of the item to be replaced discriminated as the manufacturer'"'"'s recommend item is not longer than a first reference time, but determining whether or not the service time of the item to be replaced discriminated as one which is not the manufacturer'"'"'s recommended item is not longer than a preset second reference time which is shorter than the first reference time, and issuing an alarm when determining that the reference time is exceeded.

Claims

1. A control method for an air compressor including a compressor body for compressing air, and an item to be replaced used during the operation of the compressor body, the method comprising the steps of:

computing a service time of the item to be replaced, being based upon an operating time of the compressor body,

discriminating whether the item to be replaced is a manufacturer'"'"'s recommended item or not,

determining whether or not the service time of the item to be replaced, which has been discriminated as the manufacturer'"'"'s recommend item, is not longer than a first reference time, but determining whether or not the service time of the item to be replaced, which has been discriminated as one which is not the manufacturer'"'"'s recommended item, is not longer than a second reference time which has been preset so as to be shorter than the first reference time, and

issuing an alarm when determining that the reference time is exceeded.

2. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the item to be replaced has an IC chip for storing therein identification data and for processing data, the method further comprising the step of discriminating whether or not the item to be replaced is a manufacturer'"'"'s recommended item, being based upon identification data stored in the IC chip of the item to be replaced.

3. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the item to be replaced is any one of a belt for transmitting a power between the compressor body and a motor, a suction filter provided on the suction side of the compressor body, for removing impurities from intake air, lubrication oil fed into the compressor body, a separator element for separating the lubrication oil from compressed air discharged from the compressor body, and an oil filter for removing impurities from the lubrication oil.

4. A control method for an air compressor including a compressor body for compressing air, and an item to be replaced used during the operation of the compressor body, the method comprising the steps of:

computing a service time of the item to be replaced, being based upon an operating time of the compressor body,

discriminating whether the item to be replaced is a manufacturer'"'"'s recommended item or not,

determining whether or not the service time of the item to be replaced, which has been discriminated as the manufacturer'"'"'s recommend item, is not longer than a first reference time, but determining whether or not the service time of the item to be replaced, which has been discriminated as one which is not the manufacturer'"'"'s recommend item, is not longer than a second reference time which has been preset so as to be shorter than the first reference time, and

restraining the operating function of the compressor or stopping the compressor if it is determined that the reference time is exceeded.

5. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 4, wherein a desired value of the discharge pressure of the compressor body is lowered so as to restrain the operating function of the compressor.

6. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 4, further comprising the step of variably controlling the speed of the compressor body, wherein the upper limit value of a variable control range of the speed of the compressor body is lowered so as to restrain the operating function of the compressor.

7. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 4, wherein, when it is determined that the reference time is exceeded, the operating function of the compressor is restrained stepwise being based upon the excess value.

8. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 4, wherein the item to be replaced has an IC chip for storing there identification data and for processing data, the method further comprising the step of discriminating whether or not the item to be replaced is a manufacturer'"'"'s recommended item, being based upon identification data stored in the IC chip of the item to be replaced.

9. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 4, wherein the item to be replaced is any one of a belt for transmitting a power between the compressor body and a motor, a suction filter provided on the suction side of the compressor body, for removing impurities from intake air, lubrication oil fed into the compressor body, a separator element for separating the lubrication oil from the compressed air discharged from the compressor body, and an oil filter for moving impurities from the lubrication oil.

10. A control method for an air compressor including a compressor body for compressing air, and a plurality of items to be replaced used during the operation of the compressor body, the method comprising the steps of:

computing service times of the items to be replaced, being based upon an operating time of the compressor body,

discriminating whether or not the items to be replaced are manufacturer'"'"'s recommend item, respectively,

multiplying the service time of the item to be replaced, which have been discriminated as the manufacturer'"'"'s recommended items, by a preset first factor, but multiplying the service times of the item to be replaced, which have discriminated as the one which is not the items to be replaced, by a second factor which has been preset so as to be larger than the first factor, and computing a total time from the service times of the plurality of items to be replaced, which are multiplied by these factors, as parameters, for determining whether or not the total time exceeds a preset reference time, and

restraining the operating function of the compressor or stopping the compressor if it is determined that the reference time is exceeded.

11. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 10, wherein a desired value of the discharge pressure of the compressor body is lowered so as to restrain the operating function of the compressor.

12. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 10, further comprising the step of variably controlling the speed of the compressor body, wherein the upper limit value of a variable control range of the speed of the compressor body is lowered so as to restrain the operating function of the compressor.

13. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 10, wherein, when it is determined that the reference time is exceeded, the operating function of the compressor is restrained stepwise being based upon the excess value.

14. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 10, wherein the item to be replaced has an IC chip for storing therein identification data and for processing data, the method further comprising the step of discriminating whether or not the item to be replaced is a manufacturer'"'"'s recommended item, being based upon identification data stored in the IC chip of the item to be replaced.

15. The control method for the air compressor as set forth in claim 10, wherein the item to be replaced is any one of a belt for transmitting a power between the compressor body and a motor, a suction filter provided on the suction side of the compressor body, for removing impurities from intake air, lubrication oil fed into the compressor body, a separator element for separating the lubrication oil from compressed air discharged from the compressor body, and an oil filter for removing impurities from the lubrication oil.