阅读说明：本技术 阀模块冲程检测 (Valve module stroke detection ) 是由 凯文·R·古特尼斯 小爱德华·W·博尔亚德 于 2018-10-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种阀模块冲程检测系统,包括具有往复阀销的粘合剂阀模块。该销通过在活塞的一侧上施加压缩气体而在第一方向上往复运动并且在相反的第二方向上往复运动。该往复销的一部分在粘合剂流动路径中。被感测元件位于阀销的在粘合剂流动路径之外的部分上。传感器位于粘合剂流动路径的外部。该传感器与该被感测元件协作,在感测到该阀销运动时产生运动信号并且在该阀销运动时产生定时信号。处理器处理运动信号和定时信号,并且记录介质记录运动信号和定时信号。(A valve module stroke detection system includes an adhesive valve module having a reciprocating valve pin. The pin reciprocates in a first direction and reciprocates in an opposite second direction by applying compressed gas on one side of the piston. A portion of the shuttle pin is in the adhesive flow path. The sensed element is located on a portion of the valve pin outside of the adhesive flow path. The sensor is located outside of the adhesive flow path. The sensor cooperates with the sensed element to generate a movement signal when movement of the valve pin is sensed and a timing signal when the valve pin is moved. The processor processes the motion signal and the timing signal, and the recording medium records the motion signal and the timing signal.)

1. A valve module stroke detection system, comprising:

an adhesive valve module having a reciprocating valve pin that reciprocates in a first direction and reciprocates in an opposite second direction by application of compressed gas on one side of a piston, a portion of the reciprocating pin being in an adhesive flow path;

a sensed element on the valve pin, the sensed element disposed outside of the adhesive flow path;

a sensor positioned outside of the adhesive flow path, the sensor configured to cooperate with the sensed element and generate a motion signal when motion of the valve pin is sensed, and generate a timing signal when motion of the valve pin is sensed;

a processor for processing the motion signal and the timing signal; and

a recording medium for recording the motion signal and the timing signal.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising an indicator for indicating a status of the valve being open or closed.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the indicator is local to the adhesive valve module.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the indicator is remote from the adhesive valve module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensed element is a magnet and the sensor is a hall effect type sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine a baseline condition of the valve module.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to compare the motion signal and the timing signal to the reference condition of the valve module to establish a comparative motion value and a comparative timing value.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the comparison motion value and the comparison timing value are stored in a medium.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the system comprises a plurality of adhesive modules, each adhesive module having a respective sensed element on its respective valve pin and a respective sensor, each sensor configured to cooperate with its sensed element, wherein a comparative motion value and a comparative timing value are generated and stored for each of the plurality of adhesive modules.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the motion and timing signals and the comparative motion and timing values are determined sequentially for each valve module.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the motion and timing signals and the comparative motion and timing values are used to form trend data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the trend data is stored in a medium.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the pin reciprocates in the second opposite direction by applying the compressed gas on an opposite side of the piston.

14. A method for monitoring performance of a valve module in an adhesive dispenser system having one or more modules, comprising the steps of:

measuring reference data for each of the one or more valve modules;

recording a time to open the valve module and a position of the valve module upon receiving a high trigger signal;

storing the recorded opening time data and the position data;

if the high trigger signal is kept and the limit of the recording window is not reached, continuing to record data;

waiting for receipt of a low trigger signal if the high trigger signal has not been received or if the recording window limit has been reached;

recording a time to close the valve module and a position of the valve module upon receiving a low trigger signal;

storing data of the recorded closing time and position data;

if the trigger signal is kept low and the limit of the recording window is not reached, continuing to record data;

if no low trigger signal is received or if the record window margin has been reached, analyzing the data and entering and storing the data; and

waiting for the second trigger signal to be high.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising monitoring performance of at least two valve modules.

16. The method of claim 15, including the step of establishing a queue, and wherein the step of waiting for a second high trigger signal is waiting for a high trigger signal from a second valve module in the queue.

17. The method of claim 16, including the step of resetting the queue after monitoring the performance of all valve modules in the queue.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising at least four valve modules.

Background

In a wide range of industries and applications, adhesive hot melt systems are used to apply an adhesive (e.g., a hot melt adhesive) to a substrate (e.g., a moving substrate). A system may include a loader for applying hot melt adhesive to a substrate. A conventional loader comprises a loading head with a maintenance assembly, a manifold, a module and a nozzle. An adhesive valve is disposed in the module. Typical adhesive valves are controlled by control air supplied through one or more solenoid valves.

Such systems are used in manufacturing lines where precise, metered loading of adhesives at high throughput is required. In some high throughput production lines, the valve may cycle between the open and closed positions 10000 times per minute at adhesive temperatures up to 425 ° F. As such, the valves are subjected to challenging operating conditions while maintaining stringent adhesive loading standards.

Due to the nature of the valve, the operating conditions and the adhesive delivered through the valve, the valve may be subject to wear and may operate under conditions below regulatory standards. That is, the valve may not be able to make a full stroke (less than a full stroke) between the open and closed positions, or the valve may be operated at a speed less than that required to maintain the desired line speed.

As such, it is desirable to have the ability to monitor the performance of the valve to ensure that the valve operates at its designed performance level. One way of monitoring the valve is disclosed in U.S. publication 2007/0069041 to quinons et al, which discloses sensing certain operating conditions of the dispensing system (including displacement of the actuator valve shaft), sensing the pressure of the actuating air in the air cylinder, and sensing vibration of the dispenser during operation.

However, these monitoring schemes are complex and require significantly more components to be incorporated into the dispensing system. Moreover, known systems lack certain monitoring capabilities, for example, they lack an indication of the state (open/closed) of the valve, and the ability to collect, analyze, and present raw sensor data to a user or operator. Further, these known systems lack troubleshooting capabilities, such as solenoid functionality and air pressure indication, and these known systems do not provide a basis for establishing preventative maintenance capabilities, such as data trending over time, predicted life, and the like.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system for detecting and monitoring the stroke of a valve module in a hot melt dispenser system. Desirably, such a system uses minimal additional components and provides enhanced monitoring capabilities. Still more desirably, such a system provides an indication of the status of the valve module (dispensing valve). More desirably, such a system includes the ability to collect, analyze, and present raw sensor data to a user or operator, and may also provide troubleshooting capabilities, as well as a basis for establishing preventative maintenance capabilities.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect, a valve module stroke detection system includes an adhesive valve module having a shuttle valve pin that reciprocates in a first direction by application of a compressed gas, such as compressed air, on one side of a piston and reciprocates in an opposite second direction. The pin may be reciprocated in a second, opposite direction by the application of a compressed gas (e.g. air). A portion of the shuttle pin is in the adhesive flow path. The sensed element is disposed on the valve pin outside of the adhesive flow path.

Accordingly, as described in detail herein, the valve module stroke detection system detects and monitors valve module stroke in the hot melt dispenser system. The system uses minimal additional components and provides enhanced monitoring capabilities. Such a system may provide an indication of the status of the valve module (dispense valve) and, in some embodiments, include the ability to collect, analyze and present raw sensor data to a user or operator, and may also provide troubleshooting capabilities as well as a basis for establishing preventative maintenance capabilities.

In some embodiments, the sensor is located outside of the adhesive flow path. The sensor is configured to cooperate with a sensed element and generate a movement signal when movement of the valve pin is sensed and a timing signal when movement of the valve pin is sensed. The timing signal corresponds to a time to move the valve pin.

The processor processes the motion signal and the timing signal, and the recording medium records the motion signal and the timing signal. In an embodiment, the processor is configured to determine a reference condition of the valve module. In one embodiment, the sensed element is a magnet and the sensor is a Hall effect type sensor.

The processor may be configured to compare the motion signal and the timing signal to reference conditions of the valve module to establish a comparison motion value and a comparison timing value. The comparison motion value and the comparison timing value may be stored in a medium. The data may be stored locally at the processor or in memory local to the processor and/or remotely, including on a portable medium such as a portable storage drive. In one embodiment, the system includes an indicator that indicates the state of the valve being open or closed. The indicator may be local or remotely located with respect to the adhesive valve module.

In one embodiment, the system includes a plurality of adhesive modules, each adhesive module having a respective sensed element on its respective valve pin and a respective sensor. Each sensor is configured to cooperate with the element it senses and to generate and store a comparative motion value and a comparative timing value for each of the plurality of adhesive modules. These motion and timing signals and these comparative motion and timing values may be determined sequentially for each valve module and may be used to develop trend data. The trend data may also be stored in a local medium, at the processor or in a memory local to the processor and/or remotely, including on a portable medium (e.g., a portable storage drive).

In one aspect, a method for monitoring performance of a valve module in an adhesive dispenser system having one or more modules, comprising the steps of: measuring reference data for each of the one or more valve modules, recording the time to open the valve module and the position of the valve module when a high trigger signal is received, storing the recorded open time data and position data, continuing to record data if the trigger signal is held high and the recording window limit has not been reached, and waiting to receive a low trigger signal if a high trigger signal has not been received or if the recording window limit has been reached.

The method further includes recording when the valve module is closed, the position of the valve module upon receipt of a low trigger signal, and if the low trigger signal remains low and the recording window limit has not been reached, storing the recorded closing time data and position data and then continuing to record the data.

Further, the method includes, if a low trigger signal is not received or if a record window margin has been reached, analyzing the data and logging and storing the data, and waiting for a second trigger signal to be high. The method may include monitoring performance of at least two valve modules. A method may include the step of establishing a queue such that the step of waiting for a second high trigger signal is waiting for a high trigger signal from a second valve module in the queue. The method may further include the step of resetting the queue after monitoring the performance of all valve modules in the queue.

Other objects, features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals represent like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a view of an adhesive loader with a valve module stroke detector or sensor according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the valve module and detector/sensor of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram of an embodiment of a monitoring and processing scheme for a single channel;

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of an embodiment of a monitoring and processing scheme for multiple channels;

FIG. 5 is a plot showing valve travel versus response time of the valve module to triggering (opening) and deactivation (closing), where valve travel is shown along the vertical axis in analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) relative scale (within a total of 1023) and time (in milliseconds) is shown on the horizontal axis;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plot of region A of FIG. 5 showing the valve opening response as a function of valve travel versus response time over a zero time stroke to a 10 millisecond stroke; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged plot of region B of FIG. 5 showing the valve closing response as a function of valve travel versus response time over the last 10 milliseconds of travel.

Detailed Description

While the present disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described one or more embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as illustrative only and is not intended to limit the disclosure to any particular embodiment described or illustrated.

FIG. 1 is an example of a portion of an adhesive loader or dispensing system 10, generally showing a loading head 12, a valve module 14, and a nozzle 16. Solenoid actuator 18 is mounted to valve module 14 to supply control air to valve module 14 to move valve pin 20 between the open and closed states. A sensor assembly 22 is mounted to valve module 14 to detect or monitor the position of valve pin 20, as will be described in greater detail herein.

Adhesive is supplied under pressure to the valve module 14 through the top feed head 12 and is discharged from the top feed head 12 through the nozzle 16, as is well known in the art. The adhesive may be expelled alone or with air, depending on the type of loader and the type of materials used, as will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Valve module 14 is opened and closed by movement of valve pin 20 in module 14. The pin 20 is moved between the open and closed positions by control air supplied by a solenoid valve or actuator 18 mounted to the valve module 14. The valve module 14 is shown with air opening and air closing valves. That is, the valve module 14 is opened and closed by applying compressed gas (e.g., control air) on opposite sides of the piston or diaphragm 15. The valve module 14 may be configured with a spring 32 to close the valve module 14 in case of control air loss. Control air is required to move valve module 14 and valve pin 20 between the open and closed states.

A sensor assembly 22 is positioned on the valve module 14 to detect displacement of the pin 20. One suitable sensor assembly 22 is a magnetic sensor. Such a sensor assembly may be of the type described in U.S. publication No. 2012/0118136 to Heerdt entitled Motor Control (Motor Control), commonly assigned with the present application, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. While the Heerdt disclosure relates to an electromechanical piston that is sensed and controlled by sensing the position of the reciprocating piston in the motor housing using a magnetic sensor to produce a continuous output signal corresponding to the position of the magnet relative to the sensor, such sensors and systems may be used to determine the position of the reciprocating portion of the valve, such as the valve pin or valve stem, as it passes through the valve body.

In such an application, magnet 24 is mounted to, for example, valve pin 20 for movement with pin 20 as pin 20 reciprocates between the open and closed positions. A sensor 26, such as a hall effect sensor, is fixedly mounted to the valve module 14. The magnet 24 and sensor 26 may be positioned outside of the adhesive flow path, and either or both of the magnet 24 and sensor 26 may be positioned inside or outside of the control air flow path. Sensor 26 generates a continuous analog signal corresponding to the position of magnet 25 disposed on reciprocating valve pin 20. The magnet 24 may take a variety of shapes, such as a ring, a disc, or any other suitable shape and be disposed on the reciprocating pin 20 element in any known manner (e.g., by adhesive, screws, clamps, interference fit, etc.). One advantage of a hall effect sensor is that it is not affected by any factors other than magnetic fields.

The sensor 26 may be coupled to any number of locations on the housing of the valve module 14 and is preferably axially disposed with respect to the movement of the magnet 24 on the shuttle pin 20. Sensor 26 may be coupled to a processor 28, such as a signal processor, to process signals from sensor 26 to continuously track the position of magnet 24 and thus the position of reciprocating valve pin 20 within module 14. When disposed at the axial end of the stroke of valve pin 20, and preferably at the axial end of module 14, sensor 26 facilitates continuous tracking of magnet 24 and, thus, linear relationship of reciprocating valve pin 20 to the output of the sensor (typically in volts).

In various embodiments, the system may include a thermal barrier module cover configuration for limiting heat transfer to the sensor. As described below, embodiments in which multiple modules and/or sensors are used may also include magnetic field shielding material between adjacent modules and/or sensors for reducing cross-talk or extraneous effects to the sensors.

In one embodiment, the sensor system is used to determine a baseline or ideal operating condition of the valve module. In such a system, the system first detects the fully open and fully closed positions of the valve module, assigns indicia to these positions and calculates the displacement of the valve module based on the assigned indicia. The system then calculates and assigns opening and closing thresholds for real-time opening and closing indications, and measures the actual actuation time for both pre-displacement and displacement from the closed position to the open position, and also measures the deactivation time for both pre-displacement and displacement from the open position to the closed position. The system then measures the polarity of the solenoid magnetic field.

During operation, the system monitors, calculates, and stores actual operational data including the valve module in the fully open and fully closed positions, calculates the displacement of the valve module based on the assigned signature, measures actuation time for pre-displacement and displacement from the closed position to the open position, measures de-actuation time for pre-displacement and displacement from the open position to the closed position, and measures the polarity of the solenoid magnetic field. And recording and storing the measured data. The data may be stored locally at the processor, in memory local to the processor, and/or remotely, including on a portable medium such as a portable storage drive. The system may provide valve module status, such as valve open and closed positions, which may be indicated locally or remotely.

In one embodiment of the monitoring and processing scheme 100 shown in fig. 3, for a single channel, i.e., for monitoring a single valve module, the system waits for a high trigger signal, which is a signal to open the valve module. Upon receipt of the signal, at step 110, recording of data begins at step 112, recording the valve member opening time and the valve member position as described above. The data is sampled and stored at step 114. If the high trigger signal is held at step 116 and the recording window margin is not reached at step 118, then a return is made to step 114 to continue data sampling and storage.

If a high trigger signal is not received at step 116 indicating that the signal to open has stopped (indicating that the valve module is closed), or if the recording window limit has been reached at step 118, the system waits to receive a low trigger signal at step 120. As described above, recording data begins at step 122, the closing time and position of the valve member is recorded, and data is sampled and stored at step 124. If the trigger signal will remain low at step 126 and the recording window limit has not been reached at step 128, then a return is made to step 124 to continue data sampling and storage. Returning to step 126, if a low trigger signal is not received indicating that the close signal has ceased (indicating that the valve module is open), or if the record window margin has been reached in step 128, the data is analyzed and recorded and stored locally to the processor, or in memory local to the processor and/or remotely, including on a portable medium such as a portable storage drive, as described above. The system then returns to wait for a high trigger signal, as shown at step 110.

Advantageously, the present system may be used to monitor, record and analyze data from a plurality of valve modules. Referring to FIG. 4, the system 200 first determines baseline data or ideal operating conditions for each valve module. For purposes of discussion of the current multiple channels, reference will be made to four channels, channels A, B, C and D. However, it should be understood that any number of channels may be monitored simultaneously, and it should be understood that the following description is modified for the particular number of channels monitored.

At step 210, baseline data such as the fully open and fully closed positions of the valve module, and the calculated displacement of the valve module such as the valve module for channel a, are collected and analyzed, and at step 212, the data is recorded. Baseline data is recorded, analyzed and entered for each channel a-D.

The system then waits for a high trigger signal, which is a signal for opening the valve module in step (ii). The high trigger signal coincides with (or is opposite to) the signal to the solenoid to direct air to open the valve module from the top. Upon receiving the signal at step 214, the system determines whether lane a is the first lane or the next lane in the queue to be analyzed, i.e., whether the trigger signal is the correct lane trigger signal, at step 216. If the correct channel trigger signal is received, the system moves through the "OR" gate 218 and begins recording data at step 220 and, as described above, the opening time and position of the valve member. At step 112 of fig. 3 and 118, the data is sampled and recorded or stored.

The system then waits to receive a low trigger signal for channel A as shown at step 222 and, as described above, records data including the closing time and position of the valve member in step 224, as shown at step 122 and 128 of FIG. 3, which data is being sampled and recorded or stored.

The data representative of the real-time performance characteristics of the valve module collected in steps 220-224 is compared to the baseline data for channel a in step 226 and the results are reported to the user in step 228. As shown in step 230, channel a performance characteristics are logged or recorded and trend data is formed and recorded or stored locally on the processor and/or remotely, including on a portable medium such as a portable storage drive.

A signal is then generated at step 232 to remove channel A from the OR gate 218, adjust the trigger queue, and the system determines at step 234 whether all channel triggers (A through D) have been removed. If all channel triggers have not been removed, the system returns to step 214 to wait for a high trigger signal. Upon receiving a high trigger signal from a channel, the system filters out all but the remaining non-sampled channels in the queue, followed by any non-sampled channels, such as channel B. Then, at step 218, the channel B signal moves through the OR gate, and the recording OR logging and analysis of the data for channel B continues from steps 220 through 232, at which point a signal is generated to remove channel B from OR gate 218, adjust the trigger queue, and the system then begins recording OR logging and analysis of data from any remaining unsampled channels (e.g., channel C).

After recording OR logging and analyzing data from all remaining non-sampled channels, at step 234, the system determines that all triggers have been removed and, at step 236, restores all triggers at OR gate 218, adjusts the trigger queue, and the system begins recording OR logging and analyzing data that begins again with any non-sampled channel (e.g., channel a).

5-7 are graphs illustrating valve travel versus response time for a valve module. Figure 5 shows the entire cycle of slave activation to open and slave deactivation to close. Valve travel is illustrated as analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) relative scale along the vertical axis (within 1023 total values) and time on the horizontal axis (milliseconds). Fig. 6 is an enlarged plot showing a trigger on response as shown in region a of fig. 5, and fig. 7 is an enlarged plot showing a release or trigger off response as shown in region B of fig. 5.

Referring first to the trigger (open) portion of fig. 5 and 6, it can be seen that there is first a lag relative to the trigger, which corresponds to a pre-displacement time of about 4.7 milliseconds before actuation or energization of the solenoid until the valve begins to open, and a displacement time or time of about 2.1 to 2.2 milliseconds to move the valve module from closed to open, with the time from trigger to full open being about 6.8 to 6.9 milliseconds.

As shown on the far left hand side of the plot in fig. 6, the plot has an upward sinusoidally-shaped portion (region C) corresponding to the small magnetic field produced by the energized solenoid. The magnetic field is calculated (see discussion above regarding the determination of the baseline or ideal operating conditions of the valve module) and corrected or filtered out in the measurement of the valve stroke. Also, when the solenoid remains energized, the magnetic field polarity is corrected or filtered out in the measurement of the fully open position of the valve.

In the triggered closing stroke of the valve module, as seen in fig. 5 and 7, there is also a pre-displacement time corresponding to about 3.1 milliseconds of de-actuation or de-energization of the solenoid valve and about 3.1 to 3.2 milliseconds of displacement time or time for moving the valve module from open to closed, with a full closing time from triggering or de-energizing of about 6.2 to 6.3 milliseconds.

As shown on the left-most side of the plot in fig. 7, there is a sinusoidal-like portion of the curve (region D) corresponding to the magnetic field loss produced by the energized solenoid (due to de-energizing of the solenoid). The loss of magnetic field is also taken into account in determining the valve stroke.

A method for monitoring performance of a valve module in an adhesive dispenser system having one or more modules includes measuring baseline data for the valve module. The method further includes waiting for a high trigger signal, which is a signal to open the valve module. Upon receipt of the signal, data is recorded, including but not limited to the time the valve module is opened and the position or stroke of the valve member, sampled and stored. If the system indicates that the trigger signal is held high and the recording window limit has not been reached, the method includes continuing data sampling and storage.

The method further includes indicating that the open signal has ceased (indicating that the valve module is closed) if a high trigger signal has not been received, or waiting to receive the low trigger signal if the recording window limit has been reached, initiating recording of data including but not limited to recording the closing time and position of the valve member, and sampling and storing the data. If the system indicates that the trigger signal is held low and the record window limit has not been reached, the method includes continuing data sampling and storage.

The method further comprises, if no low trigger signal is received, indicating that the closed signal has ceased (indicating that the valve module is opened), or if the recording window limit has been reached, analyzing the data and logging and storing the data locally in a memory local to the processor or remotely, including on a portable medium, and then waiting for a high trigger signal.

A method of monitoring the performance of more than one valve module includes measuring baseline data for each valve module, waiting for a high trigger signal, which is a signal to open a first valve module. Upon receiving the signal, data is recorded, including but not limited to the time of opening the first valve module and the position or stroke of the first valve member, sampled and stored. If the system indicates that the trigger signal is held high and the record window limit has not been reached for the first valve module, the method includes continuing data sampling and storage for the first valve module.

The method further includes indicating that the open signal has ceased (indicating that the valve module is closed) if a high trigger signal has not been received, or waiting to receive a low trigger signal for the first valve module if the recording window limit has been reached, initiating recording of data for the first valve module including, but not limited to, recording the closing time and position of the first valve module valve member, and sampling and storing the data for the first valve module. If the system indicates that a low trigger signal is maintained for the first valve module and the recording window limit has not been reached, the method includes continuing data sampling and storage.

The method further comprises the following steps: if a low trigger signal is not received, indicating that the close signal has ceased (indicating that the valve module is open), or if the recording window limit of the first valve module has been reached, the data is analyzed and logged and stored locally, in memory local to the processor, or remotely, including on a portable medium, and then awaits a high trigger signal.

Upon receiving a high trigger signal, the method includes determining whether to generate the signal from the next valve module in the valve module queue, and if the signal is from the next valve module in the valve module queue, beginning to record data as described above. The method further includes recording data for all of the valve modules in the valve module queue in a similar manner. When the system determines that data has been recorded for all valve modules in the valve module queue, the system resets the queue to wait for a high trigger signal from the first valve module in the valve module queue.

The present valve module stroke sensing system and method provides a number of advantages over known sensing systems. For example, in some embodiments, the present system uses magnetic field sensors (e.g., hall effect sensors) to provide accurate data and in many cases costs less than other types of sensors (e.g., optical sensors, time-of-flight sensors, eddy current sensors, capacitive sensors, etc.). However, it should be understood that such other sensors may fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

The ability to monitor, log, store and analyze real-time performance characteristics and data including, for example, module open or close indications, timing, displacement, etc., enables real-time troubleshooting of the adhesive dispenser system. In addition, performance characteristics and trend data may be recorded in the removable media platform for local or remote troubleshooting and analysis. Further, the use of trend data can be used to establish "healthiness" of the module, which can be used to establish preventative maintenance procedures and predictive life analysis. Further, the present system may be configured to monitor several modules through a single processor by utilizing queues to read and store sensor data.

All patents referred to herein, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, whether or not explicitly indicated as such in the text of this disclosure.

In the present disclosure, the words "a" or "an" are to be taken to include both the singular and the plural. Conversely, any reference to items shall, where appropriate, include the singular.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that relative directional terms, such as, for example, lateral, up, down, rearward, forward, etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

From the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.