MATERIAL DISPENSE TRACKING AND CONTROL

• US 20160008834A1
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Graco Minnesota Incorporated (Graco Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Graco Minnesota Incorporated (Graco Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brudevold, Mark J., Godding, Benjamin R., Tix, Joseph E., Ross, Daniel P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,046,351 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/006 Pressure or flow rate sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/085 responsive to flow or pressure of liquid or other fluent material to be discharged B05B1/3006, B05B1/323, B05B7/1254 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/122 responsive to presence or shape of target B05B12/124 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/50 Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/166 the material to be sprayed being heated in a container B05B7/208 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/1693 with means for heating the material to be sprayed or an atomizing fluid in a supply hose or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0409 the pumps being driven by a hydraulic or a pneumatic fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0423 for supplying liquid or other fluent material to several spraying apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 11/1042 provided with means for heating or cooling the liquid or other fluent material in the supplying means upstream of the applying apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 11/1044 Apparatus or installations for supplying liquid or other fluent material to several applying apparatus or several dispensing outlets, e.g. to several extrusion nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 5/002 the work consisting of separate articles B05C5/0208 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/00 Pumps characterised by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 19/22 of reciprocating-piston type
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2201/0201 Position of the piston
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2205/09 Flow through the pump
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/02 Stopping, starting, unloading or idling control
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/06 Control using electricity regulating by means of floats actuating electric switches F04B49/04
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/065 and making use of computers
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 53/10 Valves; Arrangement of valves
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 53/144 Adaptation of piston-rods

Abstract

A pump system for pumping a fluid includes a motor housing, a motor, a rod, a positive displacement pump, a position sensor, and a controller. The motor is located within the motor housing. The rod is connected to and driven by the motor and the positive displacement pump for moving a fluid is driven by the rod. The position sensor produces a rod position signal that is a function of a position of the rod, and the controller produces a drive signal for driving the motor as a function of the rod position signal.

Claims

1. A pump system for pumping a fluid, the pump system comprising:

a motor housing;

a motor located within the motor housing;

a rod connected to and driven by the motor;

a positive displacement pump driven by the rod for moving a fluid;

a position sensor for producing a rod position signal that is a function of a position of the rod; and

a controller for producing a drive signal for driving the motor as a function of the rod position signal.

2. The pump system of claim 1 and further comprising a sleeve connected to the motor housing, wherein the position sensor is connected to the sleeve.

6. The pump system of claim 1, wherein the position sensor is connected to the motor housing.

8. The pump system of claim 1, wherein the motor is double ended type air motor.

3. The pump system of claim 3, wherein the position sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

4. The pump system of claim 3, wherein the position sensor is a linear variable differential transformer sensor.

5. The pump system of claim 4, wherein the rod acts as a core for the position sensor.

7. The pump system of claim 7, wherein the position sensor is a reed sensor.

9. A system for tracking and controlling a fluid, the system comprising:

a pump system for pumping the fluid, the pump system comprising;

a motor housing;

a motor located within the motor housing;

a rod connected to and driven by the motor;

a pump driven by the rod for moving a fluid; and

a position sensor for producing a rod position signal that is a function of a position of the rod;

a controller for producing a drive signal for driving the motor as a function of the rod position signal;

a work piece sensor for producing a work piece signal that is a function of detection of a work piece; and

a dispenser for controllably dispensing fluid received from the pump, wherein the dispenser receives a dispense signal from the controller that is a function of the work piece signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller produces a calculated work piece count as a function of the work piece signal.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller produces a calculated volume of the fluid as a function of the position signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller produces one of a calculated weight, a calculated compressibility, or a calculated flow rate as a function of the calculated volume.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to receive a desired dispenser output from a user interface.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the desired dispenser output is a desired flow rate.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the desired dispenser output is a desired volume per work piece.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the drive signal and the dispense signal as a function of the volume to meet the desired dispenser output.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the dispenser signal to vary timing or a stitching percentage of the dispensed fluid.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the dispenser comprises a plurality of sprayers for spraying multiple streams of fluid, and wherein each sprayer receives a dispense signal from the controller.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the controller calculates sprayer performance of each sprayer as a function an adjustment to the dispenser signals.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the controller produces the drive signal as a function of the sprayer performance.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the controller produces the dispenser signals as a function of the sprayer performance.

22. A system for tracking and controlling a fluid, the system comprising:

a pump system for pumping the fluid, the pump comprising;

a motor housing;

a motor located within the motor housing;

a rod connected to and driven by the motor;

a pump driven by the rod for moving a fluid; and

a position sensor for producing a rod position signal that is a function of a position of the rod;

a dispenser for controllably dispensing multiple streams of fluid received from the pump;

a work piece sensor for producing a work piece signal that is a function of detection of a work piece; and

a controller for producing a drive signal for driving the motor, for producing a dispense signal for the dispenser that is a function of the work piece signal, for producing a calculated work piece count as a function of the work piece signal, and for producing a calculated volume usage as a function of the position signal.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the controller produces a calculated flow rate, a calculated weight, and a calculated fluid compressibility as a function of the calculated volume usage.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller displays a real-time value of the calculated flow rate on a user interface.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller produces an average flow rate as a function the calculated flowrate, and wherein the controller displays a real-time value of the average flow rate on a user interface.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller produces an alarm as a function of the calculated flow rate when the calculated flow rate has changed by a prescribed amount, is under a prescribed minimum value, or is above a prescribed maximum value.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller produces a per-work piece fluid output as a function of the work piece count and the calculated flow rate.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the controller displays a real-time value of the per-work piece fluid output on a user interface.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the controller produces an alarm as a function of per-work piece fluid output when the per-work piece fluid output has changed by a prescribed amount, is over a prescribed minimum value, or is above a prescribed maximum value.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller produces a long-term fluid output per work piece as a function work piece count and calculated flow rate.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the controller produces a trend as a function of long-term fluid output per work piece.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the controller uploads data of the trend of long-term fluid output per work piece to a computer readable storage media.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the controller displays a real-time value of the long-term fluid output per work piece on a user interface.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the controller produces an alarm as a function of long-term fluid output per work piece when the long-term fluid output per work piece has changed by a prescribed amount, is over a prescribed minimum value, or is above a prescribed maximum value.

35. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller produces an average calculated flow rate as a function of calculated flow rate.

36. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller produces a dispensed fluid output as a function the calculated flow rate and the dispense signal.

37. A method for tracking and controlling a fluid, the method comprising:

producing a drive signal for driving a motor of a pump using a controller;

driving the motor to pump a fluid based on the drive signal;

sending a dispense signal from the controller to a sprayer for dispensing the fluid;

determining a calculated work piece count as a function of a work piece signal provided to the controller from the work piece sensor;

detecting the position of a rod connected to the motor and the pump using a position sensor;

creating a position signal as a function of the position of the rod using the position sensor;

sending the position signal to the controller; and

determining a calculated volume as a function of the position of the rod using the controller.

38. The method of claim 37 and further comprising:

sending a dispense signal from the controller to a plurality of sprayers;

adjusting the dispense signal of a first sprayer;

determining a flow rate as a function of the calculated volume; and

calculating sprayer performance of the first sprayer as a function of a change of the flow rate and the adjustment to the dispense signal of the first sprayer.

39. The method of claim 38 and further comprising:

adjusting a pump speed as a function of the sprayer performance; and

adjusting the dispense signal as a function of the sprayer performance.

41. The method of claim 37 and further comprising:

receiving a desired dispenser output at the controller from a user interface;

adjusting the drive signal and the dispense signal as a function of the volume to meet the desired dispenser output.

42. The method of claim 37 and further comprising:

producing a calculated weight, a calculated compressibility, and a calculated flow rate as a function of the calculated volume.

43. The method of claim 42 and further comprising:

displaying a real-time value of the flow rate on a user interface.

44. The method of claim 42 and further comprising:

producing an average flow rate as a function the calculated flowrate; and

displaying a real-time value of the average flow rate on a user interface.

45. The method of claim 42 and further comprising:

producing an alarm as a function of the calculated flow rate when the calculated flow rate has changed by a prescribed amount, is under a prescribed minimum value, or is above a prescribed maximum value.

46. The method of claim 42 and further comprising:

producing a per-work piece fluid output as a function of the work piece count and the calculated flow rate.

47. The method of claim 46 and further comprising:

displaying a real-time value of the per-work piece fluid output on a user interface.

48. The method of claim 46 and further comprising:

producing an alarm as a function of per-work piece fluid output when the per-work piece fluid output has changed by a prescribed amount, is over a prescribed minimum value, or is above a prescribed maximum value.

49. The method of claim 42 and further comprising:

producing a long-term fluid output per work piece as a function work piece count, and calculated flow rate.

50. The method of claim 49 and further comprising:

producing a trend as a function of long-term fluid output per work piece.

51. The method of claim 49 and further comprising:

uploading data of the trend of long-term fluid output per work piece to a computer readable storage media.

52. The method of claim 49 and further comprising:

displaying a real-time value of the long-term fluid output per work piece on a user interface.

53. The method of claim 49 and further comprising:

producing an alarm as a function of long-term fluid output per work piece when the long-term fluid output per work piece has changed by a prescribed amount, is over a prescribed minimum value, or is above a prescribed maximum value.

54. The method of claim 42 and further comprising:

producing an average fluid output as a function the calculated flow rate.

55. The method of claim 42 and further comprising:

producing a dispensed fluid output as a function the calculated flow rate and the dispense signal.