KR102693332B1 - Low power IoT sensor module through operation detection of mechanical equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A low-power IoT sensor module for detecting operation of mechanical equipment according to the present invention comprises an IoT sensor attached to the mechanical equipment to sense a status, and a piezoelectric element provided between the mechanical equipment and the IoT sensor and utilizing vibrations generated when the mechanical equipment is in operation, wherein the IoT sensor further comprises a capacitor charging power generated from the piezoelectric element and a control unit controlling whether the IoT sensor is operated, and when power equal to or greater than a preset value is charged to the capacitor, the IoT sensor is operated according to a signal from the control unit and collects status data of the mechanical equipment, thereby reducing battery consumption used for the operation of the IoT sensor while improving the reliability of the data by collecting the status data only when the mechanical equipment is in operation.

Description

{Low power IoT sensor module through operation detection of mechanical equipment}

The present invention can provide a low-power IoT sensor module that senses and analyzes data of operating mechanical equipment by determining the operating time of mechanical equipment and operating an IoT sensor only when the mechanical equipment is in operation to diagnose the status and defects of the mechanical equipment through operation detection of the mechanical equipment.

In general, numerous pieces of equipment are in operation at industrial plant sites such as power plants, and in particular, equipment that continuously performs certain movements, such as electric motors, or equipment that generates certain patterns of vibration through repetitive movements are in operation.

Most of these facilities are operated in conjunction with each other, and if a problem occurs in one of the facilities, the entire facility may be shut down or a dangerous situation may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously check whether each facility is operating normally at the site.

However, as explained above, industrial sites such as power plants have a large number of facilities densely packed in a large space due to the nature of their operation, and considerable noise is generated from the large number of facilities. Therefore, in order to check whether a specific facility is operating properly, managers must visit each and every facility installed in a large area and check its operating status, which is inconvenient.

To resolve these inconveniences, a variety of convergence fields are being developed utilizing IoT (Internet of Things) sensor technology. For example, predictive maintenance technology is being used to measure data from mechanical equipment during operation using sensors that incorporate IoT technology, and analyze the measured data to diagnose the condition and defects of the mechanical equipment.

However, conventional predictive maintenance technology that uses IoT sensors to diagnose the status and defects of mechanical equipment has been used in a wireless manner or with a smaller sensor size to increase the convenience of installing and operating IoT sensors, but this has led to the problem of having a limited battery.

In addition, conventional IoT sensors are generally set to measure at the same time each time. However, IoT sensors sometimes measure at the same time each time even when the equipment is not in operation or is not in a full load state due to variable operating conditions. Such measurements generate unnecessary data and lead to battery waste due to unnecessary process execution.

In addition, although conventional IoT sensors have the advantage of reducing initial introduction costs and construction costs due to being wireless, they have the disadvantage of incurring communication costs, and since communication costs are calculated based on usage, appropriate usage selection is necessary.

The present invention has been devised in consideration of the above-described problems, and stores power generated through vibration of operating mechanical equipment in a capacitor, and when the power stored in the capacitor is greater than a preset value, a control unit operates an IoT sensor to sense the status of the mechanical equipment, so that the IoT sensor operates only when the mechanical equipment is in operation, thereby enabling measurement of the status of the mechanical equipment.

A low-power IoT sensor module for detecting operation of mechanical equipment according to the present invention includes an IoT sensor attached to the mechanical equipment to sense a status, and a piezoelectric element provided between the mechanical equipment and the IoT sensor and utilizing vibrations generated when the mechanical equipment is in operation, wherein the IoT sensor further includes a capacitor charging power generated by the piezoelectric element and a control unit controlling whether the IoT sensor is operated, and when power exceeding a preset value is charged in the capacitor, the IoT sensor is operated according to a signal from the control unit and status data of the mechanical equipment can be collected.

In addition, the IoT sensor further includes a sensor unit equipped with one or more of a vibration sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a temperature sensor, an acoustic sensor, and a discharge signal detection sensor, and when the mechanical equipment is in operation, the sensor unit is operated to sense the status of the mechanical equipment.

In addition, the IoT sensor further includes a communication unit to transmit and receive collected data to and from a server that analyzes and processes the data, and the server can further reduce communication costs by removing noise from the transmitted and received data.

In addition, when the server analyzes the data collected from the IoT sensor and confirms the occurrence of a defect in the machine equipment, the server can divide the machine equipment into stages according to the degree of defect, and, according to the stage, can transmit an alarm signal for one of the following: a notification of a defect in the machine equipment, establishment of a maintenance schedule for the machine equipment, and a shutdown of the machine equipment to the administrator terminal.

In addition, the capacitor is provided as a variable capacitor, and the power value is adjusted to a preset value or higher according to the vibration size or vibration occurrence time that occurs depending on the type of the mechanical equipment, so that the operating point can be identified regardless of the type of the mechanical equipment.

In addition, a method for real-time monitoring and maintenance of mechanical equipment using a low-power IoT sensor module through detection of operation of mechanical equipment may include a step in which the mechanical equipment is operated to generate vibration, a step in which the vibration generated from the mechanical equipment is transmitted to the piezoelectric element, a step in which power generated from the piezoelectric element is stored in the capacitor, a step in which it is determined whether power is charged to the capacitor more than a preset value, a step in which a signal for operating the IoT sensor is transmitted to the control unit, and a step in which the control unit detects the operation of the mechanical equipment and operates the IoT sensor.

In addition, the method may further include a step of sensing status data of the machine equipment from the IoT sensor, a step of the server analyzing and processing the sensed data to determine whether a defect occurs in the machine equipment, and a step of transmitting an alarm signal to the administrator terminal when a defect occurs in the machine equipment.

The present invention stores power generated by vibrations occurring when mechanical equipment is in operation in a capacitor, and if the power stored in the capacitor is greater than a preset value, it is determined that the mechanical equipment is in operation, thereby enabling sensing of the status and defects of the mechanical equipment.

Additionally, by sensing status and faults only when the machine is in operation, the battery consumption used for IoT sensor operation can be reduced.

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram explaining the configuration of a low-power IoT sensor module for detecting operation of machine equipment according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an IoT sensor module according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a real-time monitoring and maintenance method of mechanical equipment that generates vibration during operation using an IoT sensor module according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a real-time monitoring and maintenance method of a machine facility that generates vibration during operation using an IoT sensor module according to one embodiment.

Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and may be implemented in various different forms.

In order to clearly explain the present invention, parts that are not related to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are attached to the same or similar components throughout the specification. The configuration of the low-power IoT sensor module through operation detection of mechanical equipment according to the present invention is not limited to the name and can be applied in various ways, so it is not necessary to be limited to the terms or names described below.

The present invention relates to a low-power IoT sensor module (10) for detecting the operation of a machine facility, which senses the status and defects of the machine facility only when the machine facility is in operation and collects data by transmitting vibrations generated when the machine facility is in operation to a piezoelectric element (200) to generate power, charges the generated power to a capacitor (110), and transmits a signal to operate an IoT (Internet Of Things) sensor to a control unit (120) when the power charged to the capacitor (110) exceeds a preset value.

At this time, the mechanical equipment may include, but is not limited to, equipment that continuously performs a certain motion, such as an electric motor, or equipment that generates a certain pattern of vibration through repetitive motion.

A low-power IoT sensor module (10) according to the present invention may include an IoT sensor (100) attached to a machine facility to sense a status, and a piezoelectric element (200) provided between the machine facility and the IoT sensor (100) to generate electricity by utilizing vibrations generated when the machine facility is in operation.

In addition, the IoT sensor (100) may further include a capacitor (110) that charges the power generated from the piezoelectric element (200) and a control unit (120) that controls whether the IoT sensor (100) operates. In this case, the control unit (120) may also perform a role as an MCU (Main Control Unit).

When power is charged to the capacitor (110) above a preset value, a signal for operating the IoT sensor (100) is transmitted to the control unit (120), so that the control unit (120) can operate the IoT sensor (100) to collect status data on the mechanical equipment.

Accordingly, the IoT sensor (100) operates only when the machine equipment is in operation, thereby collecting status data of the machine equipment, thereby reducing the power consumption of the battery used for the operation of the IoT sensor (100). At this time, the status data may include data for diagnosing the status of the machine equipment in operation or the presence or absence of a defect.

At this time, the preset power charged to the capacitor (110) may be used when 30% or more of the capacity of the capacitor (110) is charged, 50% or more of the capacity of the capacitor is charged, 70% or more of the capacity of the capacitor is charged, or 100% of the capacity of the capacitor is charged, taking into account the vibration size and vibration occurrence time that occur differently depending on the type of mechanical equipment in which the IoT sensor module (10) is installed. The aforementioned numerical values are for explaining the preset power charged to the capacitor (110), and the present invention is not limited thereto and may be used in various embodiments.

In one embodiment, when the machine equipment is stopped, the control unit (120) may operate in a power-saving mode. At this time, the control unit (120) does not transmit a signal to operate the IoT sensor (100), and when the capacitor (110) is charged with power exceeding a preset power value due to vibration generated when the machine equipment is in operation, the capacitor (110) may transmit a trigger signal to operate the control unit (120).

Accordingly, the vibration generated by the operation of the mechanical equipment acts as a switch that operates the control unit (120), so that the IoT sensor (100) operates only when the mechanical equipment is in operation, thereby reducing the power consumption of the battery used to operate the IoT sensor (100).

The IoT sensor (100) may further include a sensor unit (130) equipped with one of a vibration sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a temperature sensor, and an acoustic sensor, and when the IoT sensor (100) is operated according to a signal from the control unit (120) while the mechanical equipment is in operation, the sensor unit (130) may sense whether the status of the mechanical equipment or a defect has occurred. At this time, when the operation of the mechanical equipment is stopped, the sensor unit (130) may also stop operating.

In addition, the sensor unit (130) may further include a discharge signal detection sensor for checking a discharge signal of the mechanical equipment, and the reliability of data for checking the status or occurrence of a defect of the mechanical equipment may be improved through the discharge signal detection sensor.

For example, if a partial discharge occurs due to insulation failure, connection failure, or disconnection during operation of the mechanical equipment, it may lead to an immediate defect or a gradual decline in the performance of the mechanical equipment. Accordingly, the discharge signal detection sensor may use sensors such as an ultra-high frequency sensor, a high-frequency current transformer sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor for detecting electric pulses generated by the partial discharge.

The IoT sensor (100) further includes a communication unit (140) and can transmit and receive data to and from a server (300) that analyzes and processes the collected data. The server (300) can further remove noise from the transmitted and received data and distinguish data necessary for determining the status or presence of a defect in the mechanical equipment, thereby analyzing and processing only a portion of the transmitted and received data, thereby reducing communication costs charged according to usage.

The above communication unit (140) may include a short-distance network interface such as a Bluetooth module, an NFC module, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) module, a ZigBee module, a wireless communication or an Infrared Data Association (IrDa) module with low-power Bluetooth Dual-Mode applied, an ultrasonic communication (Ultra Sound Communication: USC), a visible light communication (VLC), Wi-Fi Direct, LoRa (Long Range), LTEM CAT M.1, a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc.

In addition, the communication unit (140) may include a long-distance network interface such as a 3G module, a Wi-Fi module, a WiGig module, a wireless LAN (WLAN), a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), a Wireless Broadband (Wibro), a World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), a High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), IEEE 802.16, a Long Term Evolution (LTE), a Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), a Wireless Mobile Broadband Service (WMBS), etc.

At this time, the server (300) can transmit and receive analyzed and processed data to and from the administrator terminal, and the server (300) can be used in a big data-based cloud server (300) manner, so that network security, stability, and server (300) reliability can be improved compared to general systems. In addition, the server (300) can further include an artificial intelligence model and a deep learning model.

For example, the deep learning model may include a recurrent neural network (RNN), a convolutional long short-term memory (C-LSTM), a gated recurrent unit (GRU), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a reinforcement learning (RL), and a long short-term memory (LSTM), and may remove noise from transmitted and received data and distinguish data necessary for determining the status or presence of a defect in the machine equipment.

The above-mentioned administrator terminal may include a PC, laptop, PDA, smartphone, tablet, etc. that can be accessed by an administrator who manages the area where the above-mentioned machine equipment is installed or an employee who supports maintenance of the above-mentioned machine equipment.

The above server (300) can analyze the time and pattern at which the amount of power stored in the capacitor (110) reaches a preset value to determine in advance whether there is a defect in the mechanical equipment and the status information, thereby enabling maintenance of the mechanical equipment to be performed quickly.

In one embodiment, the server (300) can analyze the data collected while the machine equipment is in operation to analyze the time and pattern at which the amount of power stored in the capacitor (110) reaches a preset value. At this time, the server (300) can analyze the history of data collected by the IoT sensor (100) and compare the pattern collected while the machine equipment is in operation to determine whether the data was collected immediately after the machine equipment was in operation or after a certain period of time has passed. Accordingly, the server (300) can analyze the time or pattern at which the amount of power stored in the capacitor (110) reaches a preset value even if the IoT sensor (100) is operated only when the machine equipment is in operation.

For example, when the machine equipment is in operation, vibration is generated, and the time it takes for the capacitor (110) to be charged with power exceeding the preset value is 3 seconds, the server (300) can collect the time and pattern it takes for the machine equipment to be in operation and the IoT sensor (100) to operate and collect status and defect data of the machine equipment.

If data exceeding the error range is confirmed at the collected time, it is determined that a defect has occurred in the machine equipment, and the server (300) can transmit a defect occurrence alarm and signal to the administrator terminal.

In one embodiment, when the error range is 1 second, if it takes less than 2 seconds or more than 4 seconds for the capacitor (110) to be charged with power to a preset value or more, the server (300) may determine that a defect has occurred in the mechanical equipment. At this time, the error range may be adjusted according to the administrator's settings.

At this time, the time and pattern collected by the server (300) are for explaining that it is possible to determine whether or not the mechanical equipment is defective by checking the time taken for the mechanical equipment without a defect to operate, generate vibration, and charge the capacitor (110) with power greater than the preset value, and the time taken for the capacitor (110) to charge power greater than the preset value when the size of the vibration changes during operation when the mechanical equipment has a defect, shortening or increasing the time, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment, when the mechanical equipment is operated and vibration is generated, the capacitor (110) is charged with power exceeding a preset value and the control unit (120) operates the IoT sensor (100) to collect status and defect data for the mechanical equipment. At this time, if a defect occurs in the mechanical equipment, the time required for the mechanical equipment to be operated and the IoT sensor (100) to be operated may be delayed. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the reliability of data collected by the IoT sensor (100) from decreasing, and it is possible to identify a defect in the mechanical equipment and perform maintenance.

When the server (300) analyzes the data collected from the IoT sensor (100) and confirms the occurrence of a defect in the mechanical equipment, the server (300) can divide the mechanical equipment into stages according to the degree of defect, and, according to the stage, can transmit an alarm signal for one of the following: a notification of a defect in the mechanical equipment, establishment of a maintenance schedule for the mechanical equipment, and a shutdown of the mechanical equipment to the administrator terminal.

For example, the degree of defects in the above mechanical equipment can be classified into minor defects, severe defects, serious defects, and fatal defects. At this time, if a minor defect occurs, an alarm signal for the occurrence of a defect in the mechanical equipment can be transmitted to the administrator terminal.

In addition, in the event of an intensified defect or a serious defect, the server (300) may establish a maintenance schedule and transmit it to the administrator terminal. For example, the server (300) may check the schedule of an administrator or employee who can perform maintenance, calculate the results when the machine equipment is operated while maintaining a defect, and the losses incurred due to downtime during maintenance, and establish a maintenance schedule and transmit it to the administrator terminal.

In addition, since a major accident may occur when a fatal defect occurs, the operation of the machine equipment may be stopped and the administrator terminal may be notified that a fatal defect has occurred in the machine equipment and that operation has been stopped.

The IoT sensor (100) further includes a battery (150) for supplying power to the IoT sensor (100), and the battery (150) can supply power to operate the IoT sensor (100) when power is charged from the capacitor (110) to a level higher than a preset value.

The server (300) above can distinguish between vibrations occurring in the machine equipment and vibration patterns caused by external factors, and when the capacitor (110) is charged due to vibration caused by external factors, the IoT sensor (100) can be turned off and the power charged in the capacitor (110) can be charged as power of the battery (150) regardless of whether a preset value is reached.

In one embodiment, the vibration pattern can be distinguished into vibrations that occur intermittently and vibrations that occur periodically, or can be distinguished based on differences in vibration intensity, thereby distinguishing vibrations occurring in the machine equipment from vibrations occurring outside the machine equipment.

In one embodiment, the IoT sensor (100) may further include an RCT (Real Time Clock) module that operates separately from the operation of the IoT sensor (100), and the RCT module (not shown in the drawing) may collect data about the current time and transmit it to the control unit (120), or implement time maintenance of the control unit (120) or regular scheduling of the control unit (120). In addition, when the machine equipment is not in operation, some of the data and operation settings of the control unit (120) or the IoT sensor may be maintained.

At this time, the RCT module may further include a lithium coin battery and a second capacitor for supplying power to the RCT module. When power is charged to the capacitor (110) above a preset value, the second capacitor may be used to supplement the power of the lithium coin battery by charging the power of the capacitor (110) to the second capacitor. For example, when power is charged to the second capacitor, power for operating the RCT module instead of the lithium coin battery is provided, thereby improving the lifespan of the lithium coin battery and increasing the replacement cycle. Accordingly, the replacement cycle of a typical lithium coin battery, which is 2 to 3 years, may be increased to 4 to 5 years or more.

In addition, the capacitor (110) is provided as a variable capacitor (110) so that the power value is adjusted to a preset value or higher according to the vibration size or vibration occurrence time that occurs depending on the type of the mechanical equipment, thereby accurately identifying the operating time and operating the IoT sensor (100) regardless of the type of the mechanical equipment.

For example, the variable capacitor (110) can adjust the capacity of the power that can be charged at will by the manager. At this time, since the size and occurrence time of the vibration that occurs are different depending on the type of the mechanical equipment, the amount of power produced by the piezoelectric element (200) is not constant, and thus, even when the mechanical equipment is in operation, a situation may occur in which a signal for operating the IoT sensor (100) cannot be transmitted to the control unit (120).

Accordingly, the capacitor (110) may be provided as a variable capacitor (110) to adjust the capacity of the capacitor (110) so that a signal for operating the IoT sensor (100) can be transmitted to the control unit (120) even when a very small amount of power is generated from the piezoelectric element (200). In one embodiment, the capacitor (110) may adjust the capacity of the capacitor (110) so that a signal for operating the IoT sensor (100) can be transmitted to the control unit (120) when the preset capacity is fully filled.

For example, if the capacity of the capacitor (110) is large, it may take a long time for the capacitor (110) to be charged with power exceeding the preset value even though the machine equipment is in operation. Accordingly, the IoT sensor (100) may not be able to accurately determine the time when the machine equipment is in operation, making it difficult to obtain accurate data on the status of the machine equipment and whether or not a defect has occurred.

The method for real-time monitoring and maintenance of mechanical equipment using a low-power IoT sensor module (10) through detection of operation of mechanical equipment according to the present invention may include, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a step (S100) in which the mechanical equipment is operated and vibration is generated, a step (S200) in which the vibration generated from the mechanical equipment is transmitted to the piezoelectric element (200), a step (S300) in which power generated from the piezoelectric element (200) is stored in the capacitor (110), and a step (S400) in which power is determined to be charged to the capacitor (110) above a preset value.

At this time, if power is charged to the capacitor (110) above a preset value, the step (S500) of transmitting a signal to the control unit (120) to operate the IoT sensor (100); and the step (S600) of the control unit (120) detecting the operation of the machine equipment and operating the IoT sensor (100) may be included.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, after the step (S600) in which the control unit (120) detects the operation of the mechanical equipment and operates the IoT sensor (100), the step (S700) in which the IoT sensor (100) senses the status data of the mechanical equipment, and the step (S800) in which the server (300) analyzes and processes the sensed data to determine whether a defect occurs in the mechanical equipment may be included. At this time, the step (S900) in which an alarm signal is transmitted to the administrator terminal when a defect occurs in the mechanical equipment may be further included.

As discussed above, it can be used by changing and exchanging so that it can be applied to various specifications, shapes, and standards. The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the attached drawings, and simple substitutions, modifications, and changes within the technical spirit of the present invention are obvious to those skilled in the art.

The present invention can provide a low-power IoT sensor module that senses and analyzes data of operating mechanical equipment by determining the operating time of mechanical equipment and operating an IoT sensor only when the mechanical equipment is in operation to diagnose the status and defects of the mechanical equipment through operation detection of the mechanical equipment.

10: IoT sensor module
100 : IoT Sensor
110 : Capacitor
120 : Control Unit
130 : Sensor section
140 : Communication Department
150 : Battery
200 : Piezoelectric element
300 : Server

Claims (7)

In a low-power IoT sensor module for detecting the operation of machine equipment,
IoT sensor attached to the above machine equipment to sense the status; and
A piezoelectric element provided between the above mechanical equipment and the IoT sensor and utilizing vibrations generated when the above mechanical equipment is in operation;
The IoT sensor further includes a capacitor that charges the power generated from the piezoelectric element and a control unit that controls whether the IoT sensor operates.
The above capacitor is provided as a variable capacitor, and the power value is adjusted to a preset value or higher according to the vibration size or vibration occurrence time that occurs depending on the type of the above mechanical equipment, so that the operating time can be determined regardless of the type of the above mechanical equipment.
A low-power IoT sensor module characterized in that when a power exceeding a preset value is charged to the capacitor, the IoT sensor operates according to a signal from the control unit and collects status data of the machine equipment. In paragraph 1,
The above IoT sensor further includes a sensor unit including at least one of a vibration sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a temperature sensor, an acoustic sensor, and a discharge signal detection sensor;
A low-power IoT sensor module characterized in that the sensor unit operates to sense the status of the mechanical equipment when the mechanical equipment is in operation.
In paragraph 1,
A low-power IoT sensor module characterized in that the IoT sensor further includes a communication unit to transmit and receive collected data to and from a server that analyzes and processes the collected data, and the server further removes noise from the transmitted and received data, thereby reducing communication costs.
In the third paragraph,
A low-power IoT sensor module characterized in that when the server analyzes the data collected from the IoT sensor and confirms the occurrence of a defect in the machine equipment, the server divides the machine equipment into stages according to the degree of defect, and transmits an alarm signal for one of the following to the administrator terminal: notification of the occurrence of a defect in the machine equipment, establishment of a maintenance schedule for the machine equipment, and shutdown of the machine equipment according to the stage.
delete In a real-time monitoring and maintenance method of a machine facility using a low-power IoT sensor module through detection of operation of the machine facility according to any one of Articles 1 to 4,
A step in which the above mechanical equipment is operated and vibration is generated;
A step in which vibration generated from the above mechanical equipment is transmitted to the piezoelectric element;
A step in which power generated from the piezoelectric element is stored in the capacitor;
A step of determining whether power is charged to the capacitor more than a preset value;
A step of transmitting a signal to operate the IoT sensor to the control unit; and
A real-time monitoring and maintenance method for mechanical equipment that generates vibration during operation, characterized in that it includes a step in which the control unit detects the operation of the mechanical equipment and operates the IoT sensor. In paragraph 6,
A step of sensing status data of the machine equipment from the IoT sensor;
A step in which the server analyzes and processes the sensed data to determine whether a defect has occurred in the machine equipment; and
A real-time monitoring and maintenance method for mechanical equipment that generates vibration during operation, characterized by further comprising a step of transmitting an alarm signal to a manager terminal when a defect occurs in the mechanical equipment.