Method to implement drive diagnostics and prognostics automatically

• US 9,092,030 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Weiss, Bruce William, Michalski, Robert Michael, Wei, Lixiang, Morris, Garron Koch, Brown, Brian Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Masih, Karen
• Application Number:
  US13/803,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20140265976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 318/471, 318/490, 702/183
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0224 Process history based detection method, e.g. whereby history implies the availability of large amounts of data
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 31/00 Arrangements for regulating or controlling electric motors not provided for in groups H02P1/00 - H02P5/00, H02P7/00 or H02P21/00 - H02P29/00

Abstract

An electric motor drive system includes a fan configured to cool power electronic components of the electric motor drive system. The electric motor drive system also includes a temperature sensor disposed proximate an air inlet of the fan and configured to sense an ambient temperature of air entering the air inlet. In addition, the electric motor drive system includes a processor communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor and configured to determine at least one of a drive prognostic and a derating requirement based on the sensed ambient temperature.

Claims

1. An electric motor drive system, comprising:

a fan configured to cool power electronic components of the electric motor drive system;

a temperature sensor disposed proximate an air inlet of the fan and configured to sense an ambient temperature of air entering the air inlet; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor and configured to determine at least one of a drive prognostic and a drive diagnostic based on the sensed ambient temperature.

2. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine at least one of the drive prognostic or the drive diagnostic during operation of the electric motor drive system.

3. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the drive prognostic or the drive diagnostic comprises an expected lifetime of the fan.

4. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the drive prognostic or the drive diagnostic comprises a reliability of the electric motor drive system.

5. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the drive prognostic or the drive diagnostic comprises an expected lifetime of a power conversion module.

6. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the drive prognostic or the drive diagnostic comprises an expected lifetime of a capacitor of the electric motor drive system.

7. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the drive prognostic or the drive diagnostic comprises a thermal system defect of the electric motor drive system.

8. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein the drive diagnostic comprises a derating requirement of the electric motor drive system.

9. The electric motor drive system of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to output a control signal to adjust a performance of the electric motor drive system based on the determined derating requirement.

10. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to output a control signal to adjust a speed of the fan based on the determined prognostic.

11. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to output a control signal to provide a warning indication to an operator based on the determined prognostic.

12. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is disposed in an inlet air duct of the electric motor drive system.

13. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is disposed adjacent a fan housing of the electric motor drive system.

14. The drive system of claim 1, comprising control circuitry communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor via a cable configured to route power and/or control signals between the control circuitry and the fan.

15. The drive system of claim 1, comprising control circuitry communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor via a wireless connection.

16. The electric motor drive system of claim 1, wherein the processor is communicatively coupled to two or more temperature sensors disposed proximate air inlets of two or more respective motor drives, and wherein the processor is configured to determine at least one of a drive prognostic or a drive diagnostic for each of the motor drives.

17. An electric motor drive system, comprising:

a first fan configured to cool power electronic components of a first motor drive;

a first temperature sensor disposed proximate a first air inlet of the first fan and configured to sense a first ambient temperature of air entering the first air inlet;

a second fan configured to cool power electronic components of a second motor drive;

a second temperature sensor disposed proximate a second air inlet of the second fan and configured to sense a second ambient temperature of air entering the second air inlet; and

one or more processors communicatively coupled to the first and second temperature sensors and configured to determine at least one of a drive prognostic and a drive diagnostic for each of the first and second motor drives based on the first and second sensed ambient temperatures.

18. The electric motor drive system of claim 17, comprising a single processor configured to determine the at least one of the drive prognostic or the drive diagnostic during operation of the first and second motor drives in parallel to drive a single process.

19. The electric motor drive system of claim 17, comprising a first processor configured to determine the at least one of the drive prognostic or the drive diagnostic for the first motor drive and a second processor configured to determine the at least one of the drive prognostic or the drive diagnostic for the second motor drive, during operation of the first and second motor drives in parallel to drive a single process.

20. A method, comprising:

sensing an ambient air temperature via a temperature sensor disposed proximate an air inlet of a fan of an electric motor drive, wherein the fan is configured to cool power electronic components of the electric motor drive via air drawn through the air inlet; and

determining, via a processor communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor, at least one of a drive prognostic and a drive diagnostic based on the sensed ambient temperature.

21. The method of claim 20, comprising adjusting a performance of the drive device based on the determined drive diagnostic.

22. The method of claim 20, comprising generating an alarm based on the determined drive prognostic.

23. The method of claim 20, comprising sensing a power module temperature via a temperature sensor disposed proximate the power electronic components, calculating a temperature difference between the sensed ambient air temperature and the sensed power module temperature, and determining the drive prognostic based on the calculated temperature difference.