Patent Application
20110253481
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lubricating grease dispensing system and more particularly, to an automatic grease dispensing monitoring and alarm system, which comprises a plurality of automatic grease dispensers installed in different mechanical parts at different locations in a factory, and a center monitoring control and alarm system connected to the automatic grease dispensers wirelessly and adapted to control lubricating operation of the automatic grease dispensers, to monitor and record their lubrication data, or to give an alarm signal if any automatic grease dispenser fails.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the lubricating points of industrial machinery systems are lubricated point by point with a manual grease dispensing gun, power grease dispensing gun, or pneumatic grease dispensing gun by labor. These lubricating points are also regularly checked and maintained point by point. The grease content of the bearing at each lubricating point can be measured. However, because the number of lubricating points of an industrial machinery system is numerous and because each lubricating point has a different operation condition and requirement, it is difficult to control the lubricating grease dispensing amount for each lubricating point or to estimate the supplying cycle (maintenance interval) of each lubricating point. The lubricating grease dispensing amount for each lubricating point is usually determined subject to the skill workmen's experience. Maintaining lubricating points by means of experience cannot is not the best way because it cannot eliminate the problem of excessive applied amount of lubricating grease that may cause damage of the axle seal, and the problem of grease leakage. More particularly, a skill workman cannot accurate check the amount of lubricating grease in an enclosed lubrication point (such as the axle bearing of a motor) by experience.
An excessive amount of lubricating grease will lower the heat dissipation efficiency of the axle bearing or mechanical part, causing damage to the axle seal and the axle bearing or mechanical part. Insufficient amount of lubricating grease cannot provide the necessary lubrication, and the axle bearing or mechanical part will wear soon. Therefore, conventional lubricating point maintaining methods require much labor and time and may affect normal production. There are many commercial lubricating grease dispensers that use spring means or pneumatic force to dispense lubricating grease. However, these conventional lubricating grease dispensers are not satisfactory in function. The mechanics must regularly check the functioning of the lubricating grease dispensers. When one grease dispenser failed, the workman or mechanic cannot know the condition to take the necessary steps before damage occurs.
Further, a conventional automatic grease dispenser can automatically dispense lubricating grease. However, it calculates the grease output amount subject to the number of displacement actions of the plunger. This measurement has a low accuracy. Because lubricating grease is a mixture of base oil and soap thickener. These two substances have different density and different physical properties. They cause different physical changes when the pressure or temperature is changed. Except the change of flowability (viscosity) toward a relatively thickener and hardener status, the grease dispensing amount will also be affected and changed. The workman cannot judge whether or not the grease dispensing amount has been reduced due to a change of the physical properties of the lubricating grease. In case the grease dispenser is blocked and unable to function normally, the workman cannot find the problem immediately.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an automatic grease dispensing monitoring and alarm system that eliminates the aforesaid problems.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. An automatic grease dispensing monitoring and alarm system provided by the present invention allows setting of different lubricating cycle for controlling the operation of multiple automatic grease dispensers at different locations individually. Each automatic grease dispenser comprises a control unit that controls a driving mechanism to move a piston, forcing a propelling device to propel lubricating grease out of a grease container into the axle bearing, i.e., lubricating grease is stored in a common space defined between the bearing and the grease container below the piston and automatically supplied to the axle bearing subject to the principle of equalized pressure in one same space. A sensor automatically detects the rate of turn of the driving mechanism and provides the data to a control chip (MIC) for reading. The data thus obtained is transmitted to a center monitoring control and alarm system wirelessly. If the wireless connection is interrupted, the center monitoring control and alarm system immediately gives an alarm signal and indicates the location and history data of the automatic grease dispenser in trouble, enabling the workman to take the necessary steps soon.
In general, the automatic grease dispensing monitoring and alarm system of the present invention has the following features and benefits:
1. The automatic grease dispensing monitoring and alarm system allows setting of lubricating grease dispensing cycle for each automatic grease dispenser so that the automatic grease dispensers automatically lubricate the respective lubricating points with a proper amount of lubricating grease; by means of the operation of a motor and gear driving mechanism and the detection of a sensor to detect the rate of turn of the motor and gear driving mechanism and the data reading and compensation correction operation of the control chip (MIC), lubricating points are properly lubricated.
2. The control unit of every automatic grease dispenser controls the associating driving mechanism to move the associating propelling device, achieving timing and quantitative grease dispensing operation; the sensor of the control unit detects the rate of turn of the associating driving mechanism and feeds the detected data back to the microprocessor of the circuit board for reading and calculation of a compensation value to correct the supply of lubricating grease, thereby eliminating the affect of a physical property change of the lubricating grease and assuring stable output amount of the lubricating grease.
3. When the driving mechanism is operated to move the pressure board of the propelling device and a piston downwards, the speed of the motor and the electric current applied to the motor of the driving mechanism are measured for correction of grease dispensing amount, avoiding interference of physical property changes of the lubricating grease (flowability change due to change of pressure or temperature), assuring stable supply of the lubricating grease.
4. In case of an output abnormality, malfunctioning or operation interruption of either automatic grease dispenser or a connection failure between either automatic grease dispenser and the center monitoring control and alarm system, the center monitoring control and alarm system immediately gives an alarm signal and indicate the location and data of the automatic greater dispenser in trouble so that the workman can take the necessary steps immediately.
Referring to
The holder frame 2 is fixedly mounted in the body 11 of the housing 1 to block the grease container 6 from parts disposed at the top side of the holder frame 2, comprising a plurality of upright supports 22, a top mount 21 affixed to the upright supports 22 at the top.
The driving mechanism 3 comprises a motor 31 fixedly mounted on the top mount 21, a speed reducing gear set 32 installed in the holder frame 2 below the top mount 21 and surrounded by the upright supports 22 and coupled to the motor 31, and the aforesaid propelling device 5. The propelling device 5 comprises a screw tube 51 coupled to the speed reducing gear set 32.
Referring to
The aforesaid propelling device 5 is comprised of the aforesaid screw tube 51 and a pressure board 52. The screw tube 51 is inserted through the holder frame 2 and coupled to the speed reducing gear set 32. When rotating the speed reducing gear set 3, the screw tube 51 is rotated to move the pressure board 52 upwards or downwards.
Referring to
Referring to
When the center monitoring control and alarm system 10 receives a message from the control unit 4, the message enters the system to establish system connection. In case of system connection failure, abnormal reading, or operation interruption, the center monitoring control and alarm system 10 immediately gives a warning signal to indicate abnormality of the lubricating grease dispenser, achieving auto monitoring of the lubricating grease dispenser.
Referring to
Referring to
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
