Title of Invention

METHOD AND DRIVE FOR STORING OPERATIONAL STATE DATA OF A DRIVE OF A TEXTILE MACHINE

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for storing operational state data of an electromotive drive (1) of a textile machine that comprises a plurality of work stations driven by an individual motor. A control device (2) is associated to said drive (1), said control device comprising a processor (4) and a non-volatile memory (7), error codes which characterize the operational state data of the drive (1) being stored in a flash memory (7) that is integrated into the processor (4) and configured as a non-volatile memory.

Full Text

FORM 2 THE PATENT ACT 1970 (39 oF 1970) The Patents Rules, 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See Section 10, and rule 13) TITLE OF INVENTION METHOD FOR STORING OPERATIONAL STATE DATA OF AN ELECTROMOTIVE DRIVE OF A TEXTILE MACHINE THAT ENCOMPASSES A PLURALITY OF WORKSTATIONS WHICH ARE DRIVEN BY AN INDIVIDUAL MOTOR AS WELL AS DRIVE FOR CARRYING OUT SUCH A METHOD APPLICANT(S) a) Name b) Nationality c) Address OERLIKON TEXTILE GMBH & CO. GERMAN Company LANDGRAFENSTRASSE-45 , D-41069 MOENCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY KG PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed : - ENGLISH TRANSLATION VERIFICATION CERTIFICATE u/r. 20(3) (b) I, Mr. HIRAL CHANDRAKANT JOSHI, an authorized agent for the applicant, OERLIKON TEXTILE GMBH & CO. KG do hereby verify that the content of English translated complete specification filed in pursuance of PCT International application No. PCT/EP2006/010719 thereof is correct and complete. DRAKANT JOSHI GENT FOR OERLIKON TEXTILE GMBH & CO. KG The invention relates to a method for storing operational state data of an electromotive drive of a textile machine comprising a large number of workstations driven by an individual motor according to the preamble of claim 1 and a drive for a component driven by an individual motor of a workstation of a textile machine according to the preamble of claim 11. A method for the local drive control of an open-end spinning machine is known from EP 0 155 472 B1, which comprises spinning motors with which a microprocessor being used to control the spinning motor is associated in each case. The microprocessor is in turn connected with a superordinate central guide unit, in which data provided by the microprocessors are stored for monitoring and control purposes. A method for operating an open-end rotor spinning unit of a textile machine with an individual motor drive of a spinning rotor is known from DE 44 04 243 Al, which comprises a spinning station computer and a non-volatile memory in the form of an EEPROM. According to the method, various operating phases of the drive are controlled according to predetermined functions. For this purpose, operational state data of the drive, such as the electric energy supplied are continuously recorded. In this case, the actual value course is continuously compared with a desired value course associated with the operating phase. The EEPROM is used to store the desired value course of the operating phases which are compared with the operating phases of the drive, which correspond with those of the spinning rotdr, as well as limit values for the deviation from these desired values. When a limit value is exceeded, the switching off of the drive of the spinning rotor is initiated to protect it from significant damage. The occasions of exceeding limit values of this type are stored in the spinning station computer in order to generate an additional alarm signal in the event of a repeated shutting down of the open-end rotor spinning unit. -2- It has proven to be disadvantageous in these methods that a continuous recording of operational state data of the individual motor drive of the spinning rotor allowing the derivation of a fault history, does not take place. The object of the present invention is to provide a method allowing the recording of operational state data of the drive in order to be able to derive a fault history, independently of its use on a textile machine, from the stored data, as well as to provide a drive which allows the method to be carried out simply and economically. This object is achieved by the characterising features of claim 1 with regard to the method. With regard to the drive, the object is achieved by the characterising features of claim 11. Advantageous configurations of the invention are the subject of the sub-claims. According to claim 1, it is provided that fault codes characterising the operational state data of the drive are stored in a flash memory integrated in the processor and configured as a non-volatile memory. The storing according to the invention of the fault codes in the flash memory integrated in the processor has the advantage that the fault codes stored during operation of the drive, during disassembly thereof or through the disassembly of the driven component together with the drive are hot lost, but are accessible for subsequent analysis. Access to a workstation computer of the respective workstation of the textile machine, such as would be necessary according to the prior art is not required here for an evaluation of the operational state data recorded. In this manner, operational state data, such as, for example, exceeding or falling below a speed of a spinning rotor, a voltage failure or voltage drop at one of the individual motor drives/for example, of the spinning station or winding head or communication problems occurring at a spinning station or a winding head between the drive and the -3- associated workstation computer can be recorded, logged and supplied for subsequent evaluation. Advantageously, the flash memory can be divided into a plurality of writable and deletable memory sectors, in which a control programme and the recorded fault code of the drive are stored, it being possible to circularly write at least two memory sectors being used to store the memory codes. For this purpose, the deletion of a memory sector to continue the storage can be carried out only after all the memory sectors have been completely written. The stored memory codes of at least one memory sector are thus available until the other memory sector has been completely written, as the other memory sector is only deleted on reaching this status. Thus at least the content of one memory sector can be read for analysis and in the most favourable case, the content of all memory sectors is available. Owing to the gap-free recording of the memory code it is therefore possible within the scope of the stored data to observe the history of the drive allowing conclusions about the operational state data of the drive at the time of a fault which represent fault events of the drive or fault events of a component of the workstation driven by the drive, which influence the operating state of the drive. In addition, the method according to the invention has the advantage that the number of delete cycles to be carried out, which are necessary for permanent recording of the fault codes, is reduced, without a restriction of the data quantity to be recorded being necessary. In general, the number of guaranteed write and delete cycles of the flash memory is given as about 10,000 by the producers of memory media of this type. The service life of the flash memory is considerably increased by the circular writing of the memory sectors and the deletion of one of the memory sectors only after complete writing of all memory sectors. Thus, the limited number of delete cycles which can be carried out can be extended to the entire service life of the drive. -4- In particular the deletion of a memory sector can be carried out circularly in the order in which it is completely written. In this manner, in the event of a failure of the drive, a chronological analysis of the stored memory codes is possible. A control routine stored in the memory sectors, which to record and store the operational state data by writing accesses at least one of the two memory sectors, can be temporarily transferred to a volatile memory. It is ensured in this manner that to carry out the control routine, the limited available memory space of the volatile memory is only occupied for the period of recording the fault code and is otherwise exclusively available to the control programme of the drive. Ah advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention provides that initial data of the drive can be stored during the first fitting thereof, in the memory sectors. In this manner, at the time of evaluating the history of the drive, reference data are available allowing a direct comparison. In order to prevent accidental overwriting of these data, these data can be temporarily transferred to the volatile memory during a deletion process and after the deletion of the relevant memory sector written back again therein. In a preferred configuration of the method according to the invention, the processor can be transferred to a safe operating state to carry out a writing access to the flash memory. This ensures that the processor at this time does not perceive any other tasks during control of the drive of the component to be driven of the workstation of the textile machine which can prevent or at least change the recording of the recorded operational state data. Advantageously, a counter implemented in the flash memory can be incremented at each reset of the processor. This is used to document the number of resets of the processor. The respective state of the counter is, in this case, stored at each occasion of recording and storing a fault code in the flash memory. In this manner it can be established at the evaluation whether the time between two recorded and stored -5- fault codes was registered continuously, in other words, whether a reset of the control programme took place between the logging of two fault codes. In particular, the operating hours of the electric motor can be recorded in the flash memory. The operating hour counter may be implemented here as a real time recording from the time of starting up the electric motor. This allows assessment of faults occurring with regard to their quantity within a certain time period. Likewise, the number of operating hours of the electric motor can be used for a decision as to whether a repair is sensible or not. As an alternative to real time recording, a relative time recording can be carried out focussing on the respective time of starting or restarting the electric motor. Furthermore, event times can be associated with the recorded operational state data. Thus, proceeding from the first start-up or, according to the alternative embodiment, from the last restart of the processor or the electric motor, the time period can be derived in which the operational state data or the corresponding fault codes were recorded. The event times allow conclusions as to the frequency of occurrence of a certain operating state. It is proposed according to claim 10 that the processor to control the recording and storage of fault codes characterising the operational state data of the drive is arranged in the flash memory integrated in the processor and configured as a non¬volatile memory. Fault codes stored according to the method in the flash memory are thus available independently of a connection of the drive to the textile machine to evaluate the fault history. - The drive can be removed together with the component to be driven, such as, for example a spinning rotor or an opening roller, from the workstation of the textile machine without a data loss of the operational state data recorded up to this time occurring. The use of the flash memory integrated into the processor for the -6- operational state data recording also has the advantage that it is possible to dispense with a memory to be additionally built in and this contributes to a more economical design of the drive. The memory requirement at a spinning station computer, as provided according to the prior art, is also reduced. Advantageously, the control device may be integrated in the drive. This has the advantage that the fault codes stored in the non-volatile memory during operation of the drive, during disassembly thereof or of the component driven by the drive, together with the drive, are not lost, but are accessible for subsequent analysis. The control device is preferably arranged in the interior of a housing surrounding the drive. Furthermore, the drive may be connectable to an external data processing mechanism, by means of which the at least two memory sectors being used to store the memory codes can be read. On the one hand, this allows analysis of the relevant drive in the installed state of the component in the mechanism. On the other hand, the drive can be disassembled and supplied separately for analysis without being dependent on the accessibility of data stored in the mechanism. Alternatively, the reading of memory sectors, or interrogation of the operational state data can take place remotely, for example by means of a local network or the internet, to which the textilemachine may be connected. The reading or interrogation takes place by means of a communication channel, which is connected directly to the control device of the electromotive drive and/or by means of a superordinate control unit of the workstation and/or the textile machine. In particular, the electric motor may have an operating hour counter to allow a chronological analysis of the fault codes occurring and to allow conclusions about the total operating time of the electric motor, which can be used as a criterion with regard to carrying out possibly necessary repair. -7- The present invention will be described in more detail below with the aid of a block diagram of the drive according to the invention shown schematically in the drawing. Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a drive 1 according to the invention of a component of a textile machine, with which a control device 2 is associated, which is integrated in the drive 1. The component may be a rotor motor, in particular. The arrangement of the control device 2 is preferably provided in the interior of a housing, not shown, surrounding the drive .1. The control device 2 comprises control electronics 3 and a processor 4. An analogue/digital converter 5, a volatile memory 6 (RAM), a non¬volatile memory in the form of a flash memory 7 and a flash interface 8 used for communication between the volatile memory 6 (RAM) and the flash memory 7, and a communication module 9 (UART - universal asynchronous receiver and transmitter) are integrated in the processor 4. The communication module 9 may be implemented as an independent chip or control device 2 or as a part function in the processor 4. The flash memory 7 internal to the processor consists of a plurality of memory sectors 11,12,13,14 which are used to permanently store a control programme and to store the fault codes characterising operational state data representing fault events of the drive 1 or of a component driven by the drive 1. In this case, the memory sectors 11, 12, 13, 14 are divided into application sectors 13, 14 being used to store the control programme, and at least two interconnected fault memory sectors 11,12. The memory sectors 11, 12, 13, 14 of the flash memory 7 being used to store the control programme or to store the fault codes can only be deleted sectorwise but allow sequential writing of the individual memory sectors 11,12,13,14. The deleting and writing of the application sectors 13,14 only takes place in the case of necessity if an exchange of the control programme becomes necessary. The commands which are generated by the control programme processed in the processor 4 and which are to change the operational state of the drive 1 are converted by means of the control electronics 3 and passed to the drive 1. In the -8- opposite direction, the operational state data which can be recorded by the drive 1 are either passed directly to the control programme or converted by the A/D converter 5 into corresponding signals that can be processed by the control programme. If, because of the operational state data recorded, a fault event is diagnosed by the control programme, the fault code clearly characterising this fault event is stored in one of the memory sectors 11,12. For this purpose, the fault code is passed by means of a control routine via the flash interface 8 to the memory sectors 11,12. In order to prevent a random writing process into one of the two memory sectors 11,12, a logic circuit 10 is provided which carries out the control of the writing and delete processes. The logic circuit 10 connected upstream of the flash memory 7 controls the data flow to be stored in the memory sectors 11, 12 and in addition monitors the degree of capacity utilisation of the memory sectors 11,12. To write the memory sectors 11, 12, the processor 4 is temporarily transferred to a safe operating state in which it cannot perceive any other tasks in the course of controlling the drive 1 which could prevent or at least change the recording of the operational state data recorded. The control routine carrying out the writing process is transferred to the volatile memory 6 from one of the memory sectors 13,14 for the duration of the writing process. The writing and deletion of the memory sectors 11, 12 takes place in a circular manner. Firstly, fault codes are only stored by the logic circuit 10 in one of the two memory sectors 11, 12 until its memory capacity is exhausted. Following this, the still unwritten memory sector 12 is written. On reaching the capacity limit of the second memory sector 12, the firstly written memory sector 11 is completely deleted by the logic circuit 10 in order to be successively written again following the deletion process. Only when the memory sector 11 has been completely filled with data again in the form of fault codes is the subsequent memory sector 12 also deleted and written again. It is thus ensured that at least the fault codes registered last can be -9- read if there is an interruption in the voltage supply at the time of deletion or after deletion. By way of example, the operational state data recorded are described with the aid of the drive 1 configured as a rotor motor, the rotor shaft of which is configured as the rotor of the drive 1. The rotor shaft may preferably be magnetically mounted here. The recording of the rotational speed is relevant, for example, for a drive 1 of this type in order to record, using limit values, the fact that the rotational speed has been exceeded or fallen below. Likewise, the monitoring of the voltage course during operation of the drive 1 and of the magnetic bearing is an important criterion to allow conclusions about the cause upon the occurrence of failures of the drive 1. Furthermore, in particular in the magnetic bearing, the cases are relevant in which the rotor shaft does not lift off from the bearings or if non-permissible current values occur in the coil of the magnetic bearing on acceleration, on braking or during stationary operating of the drive 1. Further operating states to be recorded can be predetermined as a function of the use of the drive 1 according to the invention on a component by means of corresponding component-specific criteria. The operating data are recorded both on the occurrence of a fault in the drive 1 itself and also on the occurrence of a fault of the driven component or the workstation. In order to visually display the data stored in the memory sectors 11, 12, the latter can be transferred via the communication module 9 to an internal bus system of the textile machine, the component of which to be driven by the drive 1 according to the invention is a component of the textile machine, or to an external data processing mechanism. For this purpose, the processor 4 can be connected to a bus system of the external data processing device to transmit the data to be evaluated. Regardless of these types of data transmission and evaluation, the use of the flash memory 7 internal to the processor as a memory, allows the disassembly of the drive 1 from the component of the textile machine to read it directly, without having to go back to the component or to have to connect a corresponding data processing apparatus to the mechanism. -10- Alternatively, a remote interrogation to read the flash memory 7 can be directed at the drive according to the invention via a network and/or the internet. The reading or interrogation of the operational state data takes place by means of a communication channel, which is connected directly to the control device 2 of the electromotive drive 1 and/or by means of a superordinate control unit of the workstation and/or the textile machine. Corresponding fault event times are associated with the fault codes characterising the operational state data and allow a chronological analysis of the operating states of the drive 1 which have occurred in the case of a fault. For this purpose, an operating hour counter is implemented in the drive 1, which allocates an event time in the form of a time stamp to each fault event. The operating hour counter may be implemented in this case as a real time recording from the time of starting up the drive 1. Alternatively, a relative time recording focusing on the respective time of starting up or restarting up the drive 1 can be carried out. Thus, proceeding from the last restart of the processor 4 or the drive 1, the time period can be derived in which the operational state data or the corresponding fault codes were recorded. As, during operation of the drive 1, situations may occur which make a reset of the control programme necessary, a counter is implemented in the flash memory 7 which is incremented at each reset. The current counter time is logged by the processor 4 and stored in the memory sector 11, 12 to be written in each case together with the fault code to be logged. In this manner it can be established during the evaluation whether a reset of the control programme has taken place between two logged fault codes. -11 - CLAIM: 1. Method for storing operational state data of an electromotive drive (1) of a textile machine comprising a large number of workstations driven by an individual motor, with which a control device (2) is associated, which comprises a processor (4) and a non-volatile memory (7), characterised in that fault codes, which characterise the operational state data of the drive (1), are stored in a flash memory (7) integrated in the processor (4) and configured as a non-volatile memory. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the flash memory (7) is divided into a plurality of writable and deletable memory sectors (11,12,13, 14), in which a control programme and the recorded memory codes of the drive (1) are stored. 3. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that at least two memory sectors (11,12) being used to store the fault codes are written circularly, the deletion of a memory sector (11,12) to continue the storage only being carried out after all the memory sectors (11,12) have been completely written. 4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that a memory sector (11, 12) is deleted circularly in the order in which it is completely written. 5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a control routine which is stored in the memory sectors (13,14) and to record and store the fault codes by writing accesses one of the at least two memory sectors (11, 12), is temporarily transferred to a volatile memory (6). -12- Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that initial data of the drive, at the first fitting thereof, are stored in the memory sectors (13, 14). Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the processor (4) is transferred to a safe operating state to carry out a writing access to the flash memory (7). Method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that a counter implemented in the flash memory (7) is incremented at each reset of the processor (4). Method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the operating hours of the electric motor (1) are recorded in the flash memory (7). Method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that event times are associated with the recorded operational state data. Drive (1) for a component driven by an individual motor of a workstation of a textile machine, for carrying out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, a control device (2) being associated with the drive (1) and comprising a processor (4) and a non-volatile memory (7), characterised in that the processor (4) for controlling the recording and storage of fault codes which characterise the operational state data of the drive (1) is arranged in the flash memory (7) integrated in the processor (4) and configured as a non-volatile memory. Drive (1) according to claim 11, characterised in that the associate control device (2) is integrated in the drive (1). -13- 13. Drive (1) according to either of claims 11 or 12, characterised in that the drive (1) can be connected to a data processing mechanism, by means of which the at least two memory sectors (11,12) being used to store the memory codes can be read. 14. Drive (1) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterised in that the drive (1) is designed as a rotor motor of a spinning rotor. 15. Electric motor (1) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterised in that the electric motor (1) has an operating hour counter. HiRAL CCHNDRAKANT JOSHI AGENT FOR OERLIKON TEXTILE GMBH & CO. KG -14- Dated this 12th day of June, 2008

Documents:

1211-mumnp-2008 correspondence.pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008- CORRESPONDENCE(20-6-2012).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-abstract.doc

1211-mumnp-2008-abstract.pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-CANCELLED PAGE(11-1-2013).pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-CANCELLED PAGES(1-4-2013).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-certificate of priority.pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-CLAIMS(AMENDED)-(1-4-2013).pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-CLAIMS(MARKED COPY)-(1-4-2013).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-claims.doc

1211-mumnp-2008-claims.pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-CORRESPONDENCE(11-1-2013).pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-CORRESPONDENCE(13-8-2008).pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-CORRESPONDENCE(7-11-2008).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-description(complete).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-discription(complete).doc

1211-mumnp-2008-drawing.pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-form 1.pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-FORM 18(13-6-2008).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-form 18.pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-form 2 (tital page).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-form 2.doc

1211-mumnp-2008-form 2.pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-FORM 3(1-4-2013).pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-FORM 3(11-1-2013).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-form 3.pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-form 5.pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-FORM PCT-ISA-237(1-4-2013).pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-GENERAL POWER OF ATTORNEY(1-4-2013).pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-GENERAL POWER OF ATTORNEY(11-1-2013).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-pct-ib-306.pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-pct-isa-101.pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-pct-isa-210.pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-pct-isa-237.pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-PETITION UNDER RULE-137(11-1-2013).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-power of attorney.pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-PROOF OF RIGHT(13-8-2008).pdf

1211-MUMNP-2008-REPLY TO EXAMINATION REPORT(1-4-2013).pdf

1211-mumnp-2008-wo-international publication report a1.pdf

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