DEVICE AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING VALVES

• US 20080156121A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rotork Controls Limited (Rotork PLC)
• Original Assignee: Eltav Wireless Monitoring Ltd. (Rotork PLC)
• Inventors: Nemenoff, Amir, Fuchs, Reuben, Kalman, Israel, Radomsky, Israel, Gal, Ohad
• Granted Patent: US 7,886,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/865.8
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0083 by measuring valve parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8175 Plural
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8242 Electrical

Abstract

The invention relates to a network system for monitoring valves in a facility, which comprises: (a) a plurality of valve monitoring devices—VMDs, each monitoring device is affixed to a valve, and comprises: (a.1) a sensor for sensing the status of the valve; (a.2) short range wireless communication unit for transmitting the status as sensed by said sensor, and for transmitting the status as sensed, together with an identification of said device, to one or more Valve Device Readers—VDRs located within said short range; (a.3) mechanism for affixing the device to the monitored valve in a manner which does not disturb the normal operation of the valve; and (a.4) one or more VDRs for receiving the transmission of the valve status and MD identification from said VMDs, and for forwarding the same to a server by Ethernet communication.

Claims

1. A network system for monitoring valves in a facility, which comprises:

a. a plurality of valve monitoring devices—

VMDs, each monitoring device is affixed to a valve, and comprises;

a sensor for sensing the status of the valve;

short range wireless communication unit for transmitting the status as sensed by said sensor, and for transmitting the status as sensed, together with an identification of said device, to one or more Valve Device Readers—

VDRs located within said short range;

mechanism for affixing the device to the monitored valve in a manner which does not disturb the normal operation of the valve; and

one or more VDRs for receiving the transmission of the valve status and VMD identification from said VMDs, and for forwarding the same to a server by Ethernet communication.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein the short range communication uses a protocol which is selected from Bluetooth, WiFi, and ZigBee.

3. System according to claim 1, which further comprises one or more hand-held operator devices—

ODs, for triggering short range communication to a selected VMD when being in proximity to it, thereby receiving from it said status and identification message, for optionally collecting such message from a plurality of VMDs, and for later downloading the one or more messages, as collected, into a control station server, or transmitting it to one or more VDRs via said short range communication.

4. System according to claim 1, wherein the VMD further comprises a very short range communication unit utilizing Low Frequency (LF) transceiver and protocol for receiving status and measurement information from one or more industrial process sensors that are disposed in a very closed range to the VMD location, and for further including said received industrial process sensors status and measurement information in the VMD transmission to the one or more VDRs.

5. System according to claim 4, wherein the low frequency very short range unit is a two-way communication unit, and wherein the system further comprises one or more hand-held operator devices—

ODs, for triggering said low frequency very short range communication of a selected VMD when being in proximity to it, thereby receiving from it said status and identification message, said OD collecting such messages from one or more of VMDs, and later downloads the one or more messages, as collected, into a control station server.

6. System according to claim 1, wherein each VMD is battery operated.

7. System according to claim 1, wherein the attachment mechanism comprises a U-shaped profile.

8. System according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is optically based sensor.

9. System according to claim 1 wherein the sensor is based on a potentiometer.

10. System according to claim 1 wherein the sensor is based on a variable capacitor.

11. System according to claim 1 wherein the sensor is based on a magnet affixed to the valve stem and a Hall device inside the VMD which measures the angular position by measuring the changing magnetic flux of the magnet while the magnet is rotating.

12. System according to claim 1, wherein the status transmission by the VMD is performed periodically, upon event, or upon request by short range transmission from the control center via a VDR, or from an operator device OD.

13. System according to claim 3, wherein the OD acts as a Single HOP Trust Center, admitting a VMD into the system or a said third party device into the facility network.

14. System according to claim 3, wherein the OD acts as a Single HOP Trust Center, admitting a third party device selected from a VMD, VDR, OD or a process sensor into the system.

15. System according to claim 13, wherein the OD admits the VMD into the network via a non secure, low transmission power, single hop message, which comprises a security key of the network

16. System according to claim 13, wherein the OD admits the VMD into the network via a non secure very short range, low frequency transmission, which comprises a security key of the network.

17. System according to claim 13, wherein the OD admits a third party device into the network via a set of very short range changing password keys, from which the last key is the security key of the network.

18. System according to claim 13, wherein no device can be admitted into the network unless being approved by an OD which acts as a Single Hop Trust Center.

19. System according to claim 1, wherein the VDR is directly connected to the Ethernet via LAN or wireless LAN.

20. System according to claim 1, wherein each VDR is accessed through the server via the Ethernet using a given IP address which corresponds to its ZigBee network address.

21. Device for monitoring the status of a ball valve, which comprises:

a sensor for sensing the status of the valve;

short range wireless communication unit for receiving the status as sensed by said sensor, and for transmitting the status of the valve as sensed, together with an identification of said device, to one or more receiving devices located within said short range; and

mechanism for attaching the device to the monitored ball valve in a manner which does not disturb the normal operation of the ball valve.