阅读说明：本技术 增压系统的驱动保护以及管理方法 (Drive protection and management method for supercharging system ) 是由 蒂奇亚纳·巴隆西尼 达妮埃莱·弗里森 詹卢卡·马兰贡 阿尔贝托·马尔凯蒂 达米亚诺·明加迪 于 2020-09-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种包括至少两个可独立操作的液压泵(2)的增压系统(1)的驱动保护以及管理方法,该方法包括以下步骤：由用户通过电控单元(5)在每个液压泵(2)处设置多个预设参数、通过至少一个压力传感器检测每个液压泵(2)的传输管道(7)处的至少一个压力值、通过利用每个电控单元(5)为每个泵独立地对每个液压泵(2)处的这些预设参数和至少一个压力值进行管理和插值,以顺序和/或同步的方式确定至少两个液压泵(2)的驱动。该方法通过有效地控制每个泵的驱动次数来允许保护增压系统的电驱动。本发明还涉及适于实施该方法的增压系统。(The invention relates to a method for drive protection and management of a supercharging system (1) comprising at least two independently operable hydraulic pumps (2), comprising the following steps: -setting a plurality of preset parameters at each hydraulic pump (2) by a user through an electronic control unit (5), -detecting at least one pressure value at the delivery conduit (7) of each hydraulic pump (2) through at least one pressure sensor, -determining the driving of at least two hydraulic pumps (2) in a sequential and/or synchronized manner by managing and interpolating these preset parameters and at least one pressure value at each hydraulic pump (2) independently for each pump by means of each electronic control unit (5). The method allows protecting the electric drive of the supercharging system by effectively controlling the number of times each pump is driven. The invention also relates to a supercharging system suitable for implementing the method.)

1. Method of drive protection and management of a pressurized system (1) comprising at least two independently operable hydraulic pumps (2), the method comprising the steps of:

-a user setting a plurality of preset parameters at each of said hydraulic pumps (2) through an electronic control unit (5);

-detecting at least one pressure value at the delivery conduit (7) of each of said hydraulic pumps (2) by means of at least one pressure sensor;

-determining the driving of said at least two hydraulic pumps (2) in a sequential and/or synchronized manner, by managing and interpolating said plurality of preset parameters and said at least one pressure value at each of said hydraulic pumps (2) with each electronic control unit (5).

2. Method of drive protection and management of a supercharging system (1) according to claim 1, further comprising the step of calibrating the supercharging system (1), wherein at least one system maximum pressure (Hmax) is defined and set.

3. Method of drive protection and management of a supercharging system (1) according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein a step of defining an operating range common to all hydraulic pumps (2) of the supercharging system (1) is also provided.

4. Method of drive protection and management of a supercharging system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 3, further comprising the step of generating a temporary index (Np) specific to each of the hydraulic pumps (2).

5. Method of drive protection and management of a supercharging system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 4, comprising: -a step of detecting, by means of at least one pressure sensor, at least one pressure value at the delivery duct (7) of each hydraulic pump (2), and-a step of calculating, by means of the electronic control unit (5), at least one first derivative of an interpolation function of said plurality of values at each hydraulic pump (2).

6. Method of drive protection and management of a supercharging system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 5, comprising the step of determining and setting the waiting time (Tatt) in the sequential drive of the hydraulic pump (2).

7. Method of drive protection and management of a supercharging system (1) according to claim 6, further comprising the step of correcting the waiting time by means of a correction constant (Kpc) provided in the electronic control unit (5) at each of the hydraulic pumps (2).

8. Method of drive protection and management of a supercharging system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 7, further comprising an iterative repetition of at least two steps of the method.

9. Method of drive protection and management of a supercharging system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising the step of setting at least one threshold constant (shift) and/or at least one minimum operating range between a start pressure (Pstart) and a stop pressure (Pstop).

10. The method of drive protection and management of a supercharging system according to claim 9, the range of opening and closing is detected and determined by a time counter.

11. Supercharging system (1) comprising:

at least two hydraulic pumps (2),

at least one pressure sensor at the delivery line (7) of each of the hydraulic pumps (2), and

an electronic control unit (5) at each of the hydraulic pumps (2),

the pressurization system (1) is adapted to perform the method according to any one of the preceding claims.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a drive protection and management method for a supercharging system comprising at least two hydraulic pumps, in particular for optimizing the starting and stopping of said hydraulic pumps.

The above-described method finds a useful application in particular, but not exclusively, in the civil and industrial fields, in the field of pumps and booster units equipped with fixed-speed or variable-speed motors.

The invention also relates to a supercharging system suitable for implementing the method.

Background

In the art, devices for pumping liquids, in particular domestic or industrial water, are known, generally equipped with a suitable pressurization system or unit comprising one or more constant-speed and/or variable-speed electric pumps for powering the water distribution network. One or more autoclaves and one or more pressure switches and/or flow meters are connected to the system.

In small plants, the autoclave consists of a tank (tank) in which an elastic diaphragm separates a first chamber containing the compressed gas from a second chamber connected to a water distribution network. Thus, a certain amount of water is collected in the chamber connected to the water distribution network, so that the operation of the apparatus is more flexible, avoiding too frequent starting and stopping of the pump. In fact, by using the water contained in the second chamber, it is possible to deliver water to the user without starting the operation of the pump when the pressure in the distribution network decreases. The water is circulated by the thrust generated by the compressed gas present in the first chamber acting on the diaphragm.

The delivery continues until a user-predefined minimum pressure value is reached in the network, at which pressure the pressure switch activates the pump to restore the recommended maximum pressure in the network and the tank. After the maximum pressure is reached, the maximum pressure switch will turn off the pump.

It will thus be understood from the present description how the autoclave performs a damping function, avoiding the start and stop of the pump at too short a time interval (which may damage the impeller and the connection that connects it to the shaft).

However, the autoclave may malfunction due to the breakage of the elastic diaphragm or the compressed gas supply system. In these cases, the autoclave loses its buffer effect, so any user even needs to draw a small amount of water from the network to activate the pump. In this case, as the consumption varies, one or more pumps comprised in the supercharging device are suddenly and continuously started and stopped, quickly leading to damage to the electric drive, in particular to the contactors of the motor operating the electric pump.

As a result, diffusive damage occurs in all the components of the pressurising device and significant deterioration occurs in the step of delivering water to the end user.

Currently, in order to remedy these drawbacks, specific solutions and methods are being sought that allow to regulate the drive of the pump by employing an autonomous and independent pressurizing unit and to protect the electric drive of the system accordingly.

In this case, italian patent document No. 0001336166 shows a method and a system for protecting the electric drive in an electric pump, in which the analog control board of the pump is removed.

According to a similar principle applied to analog-digital hybrid solutions, us patent 9863425B2 removes a centralized electronic control device for managing pressure and flow signals, aimed at simultaneously ensuring the delivery of water according to comfort parameters desired by the user.

However, these systems do not ensure a quick resolution of the electric drive problem protecting the pumps employed.

Spanish patent document ES2620685B1 proposes another solution for a parallel pump system that operates differently depending on the different configurations detected.

Although advantageous, this solution is particularly complex and not easy to perform when setting the operating configuration.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method which does not give rise to the drawbacks of the prior art and which allows to protect the electric drive of the supercharging system by effectively controlling the number of drives of each pump.

Another object is to provide a method that enables to optimize the number of actuations of the pressurization system by using the unique delivery pressure of each pump of the pressurization system as data measured in real time.

Another object is to provide a method that allows the pumps to be used independently of each other, while ensuring the overall reliability of the pressurization system and minimizing the wear of the mechatronic components.

Another object is to provide a method and system that can be implemented in existing assemblies simply by replacing the pump or pumps employed.

Another object is to provide a method and system that can be used by a user in a quick and highly intuitive manner without special skills.

Finally, another object is to provide a method and a system which can be implemented in a cost-effective manner.

Disclosure of Invention

The solution idea on which the present invention is based consists in providing a method that allows to identify the operation of the supercharging system by minimizing the number of parameters detected in a continuous manner and implementing a derivation algorithm based on a series of preset parameters.

The above technical problem is solved by a method for drive protection and management of a supercharging system comprising at least two operatively independent hydraulic pumps, comprising the steps of: the method comprises the steps of setting a plurality of predetermined parameters by a user through an electronic control unit at each hydraulic pump, detecting at least one pressure value through at least one pressure sensor at a delivery conduit of each hydraulic pump, and determining the driving of at least two hydraulic pumps in a sequential and/or synchronized manner by managing and interpolating the preset parameters and the at least one pressure value obtained at each hydraulic pump with the respective electronic control units.

Advantageously, the present method allows to optimize the number of opening and closing actions of the supercharging system, minimizing and equally distributing the wear of the electromechanical components.

According to a particular embodiment, the method according to the invention further comprises the step of calibrating the pressurization system, wherein at least one system maximum pressure is defined and set.

Advantageously, this avoids possible calibration deviations between the pressure sensors present on the different pumps of the pressurization system.

Preferably, the step of defining an operating range common to all hydraulic pumps of the booster system is also provided.

Advantageously, this allows further optimizing the degree of wear of the electromechanical components involved in the supercharging system.

Still preferably, the method according to the invention further comprises the step of generating a temporary index specific to each hydraulic pump.

Advantageously, the temporary index allows the method update rule to be iterated in time.

More preferably, the method according to the invention provides for the detection of a plurality of pressure values by means of at least one pressure sensor at the delivery conduit of each hydraulic pump, and the step of calculating at least one first derivative of an interpolation function of the plurality of values by means of an electronic control unit at each hydraulic pump.

Advantageously, this calculation allows to determine the trend of the measured pressure and to satisfy in time the circuit requirements required by the user.

Preferably, the method according to the present invention further comprises the step of identifying and setting a waiting time in the sequential driving of the hydraulic pump.

Advantageously, the invention allows to obtain an improved distribution of the switching actions of the pumps of the pressurization system.

More preferably, the method further comprises the step of: the waiting time set in the electronic control unit at each hydraulic pump is corrected by the correction constant.

Advantageously, the constant stored in the installation step according to the prediction function allows to correct the waiting time value over time.

According to a particular embodiment, the method according to the invention also provides an iterative repetition of at least two steps of the method.

Advantageously, this aspect allows for continuous updates of the state of the supercharging system and updates of the system response.

According to an example not belonging to the claimed invention, the method for drive protection and management of a supercharging system further comprises the steps of: at least one threshold constant and/or at least one minimum operating range is set between the start pressure and the stop pressure.

Advantageously, this is particularly effective for implementation in a system that is already controlled by a single control board.

Preferably, the range of opening and closing is detected and determined by a timer.

Advantageously, this solution is valid for the aforementioned systems controlled by a single control board.

According to another aspect of the invention, a charging system is provided, comprising at least two hydraulic pumps, at least one pressure sensor at the delivery conduit of each hydraulic pump and an electronic control unit at each hydraulic pump, the charging system being adapted to perform the method according to the invention.

Advantageously, the system according to the invention allows to protect the internal electromechanical elements by means of a suitable relationship of opening and closing actions.

Further characteristics and advantages will become clearer from the following detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the invention, given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary supercharging system in accordance with a first embodiment of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the supercharging system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the boosting system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the boosting system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary diagram of the operation of the method according to the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary supercharging system that is not part of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a top view of the boosting system of FIG. 6;

fig. 8 shows a front view of the supercharging system of fig. 6.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 1 generally indicates a supercharging system made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 1 to 4 show in particular a supercharging system 1 comprising two hydraulic pumps 2. As will be made clearer later, this embodiment is exemplary and non-limiting of the scope of protection defined by the claims. In practice, typically the charging system 1 may provide a number of np associated hydraulic pumps 2.

Each hydraulic pump 2 comprises an electric motor 3 and a hydraulic unit 4. Each hydraulic pump 2 comprises an electronic control unit 5.

The motor 3 and the hydraulic unit 4 are kinematically coupled by a drive shaft (not shown).

The motor 3 is preferably of the asynchronous two-phase type.

From the hydraulic unit 4, a suction line 6 and a delivery line 7 branch off, which are coupled, preferably by threaded coupling, respectively with a supply pipe 8 and a distribution pipe 9 of the pressurization system 1.

In the exemplary embodiment of fig. 1, the electric motor 3 is coupled transversely to the electronic control unit 5. The electronic control unit 5 includes an electronic control board (not shown) and an interface display 10. The electronic control unit is powered by a connecting cable 11.

The electronic control unit 5 also comprises a pressure sensor (not shown) connected to the electronic control board. The pressure sensor is adapted to detect the pressure of the liquid in the infusion line 7 and to adjust the start/stop cycle of the pressurization system 1 accordingly. Each hydraulic pump 2 comprises a pressure sensor. As will be made clearer later, the present description is illustrative and not restrictive of the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.

The motor 3 is cooled by a cooling fan 12 splined to the drive shaft at the rear cover 13. The cooling fan 12 is housed in a ventilated casing 14, which is coupled to the rear cover 13.

The electronic control unit 5 is adapted to manage and control at least one operating parameter of the hydraulic pump 2 of the supercharging system 1, in particular through detection by a pressure sensor integrated in the structure of the hydraulic pump 2.

The variables managed and controlled by the electronic control unit 5 include, in particular, but not exclusively, the gauge pressure Hs measured by the pressure sensor of each hydraulic pump 2, the plant minimum pressure Hmin set by the user, the plant maximum pressure Hmax set by the user, the equal time unit Δ t being fixed for each hydraulic pump 2 in the installation step.

In addition, the electronic control unit 5 associates to each hydraulic pump 2 a respective temporary number Np, which can vary from 1 to Np, Np as the case may be, and each hydraulic pump 2 has an independent index n.

Further, in the embodiment with sequential opening action, a waiting time Tatt is determined, which is related to the time offset in which the sequential opening or closing of the hydraulic pump 2 of the supercharging system 1 takes place.

The correction constant Kpc is also associated with the waiting time Tatt. The correction constant Kpc performs predictive correction based on the evolution of the value of the first derivative and the sign of the second derivative of the function interpolating the pressure measured by the sensor of each hydraulic pump 2. The value of the correction constant Kpc may be stored in a table, which may be modified during the installation step of the supercharging system 1. If a distributed draw of the user occurs (distributed with lanes), the value of Kpc will be between zero and 1. In contrast, in the case where a minute extraction amount with a minimum pressure loss is detected (for example, in a dripping condition), the value of Kpc is much larger than 1.

Therefore, the waiting time parameter Tatt for each pump having the respective temporary number Np is determined as TattNp Kpc Np Δ t.

According to the first embodiment, the step of calibrating the supercharging system 1 is carried out after the end of the steps of installing and setting the parameters. In this step, the supercharging system 1 is supercharged at a maximum pressure Hmax. The maximum pressure Hmax is measured by any of the np hydraulic pumps 2 included in the booster system 1. Therefore, this hydraulic pump 2 is set as a reference hydraulic pump of the system, and all pressures measured by the sensors of each pump of the booster unit are defined as Hmax. This calibration step allows avoiding possible calibration deviations of the pressure sensors of each hydraulic pump 2. A similar calibration procedure may also be provided with respect to the minimum pressure Hmin. In this calibration step, the correction parameter Kpc is set to 1.

Then, a step is provided of defining an operating range defined by a maximum pressure Hmax and a minimum pressure Hmin common for all hydraulic pumps 2 of the charging system 1.

A hydraulic pump 2 different from the reference hydraulic pump is associated with each temporary number Np between 1 and Np.

Upon starting the supercharging system 1, each pressure sensor detects the gauge pressure Hs, and the electronic control unit 5 determines a function interpolating the trend of the gauge pressure Hs and the first and second derivatives of this interpolation function.

If the value of the gauge pressure Hs is lower than the minimum pressure Hmin, the hydraulic pump 2 corresponding to the value Np of 1 is started and kept in an open state until the gauge pressure Hs is higher than the maximum pressure Hmax.

Furthermore, if the first and second derivatives indicate that the pressure in the circuit is increasing, a value greater than 1 is assigned to the correction constant Kpc, which is selected between the listed values according to the slope of the function of the detected calculated pressure Hs. In this case, the hydraulic pump 2 corresponding to the Np value of 1 restores the pressure to the reference state, thereby providing the user with the delivery amount in conformity with the specifications of the apparatus.

If the first and second derivatives indicate that the pressure in the circuit is decreasing, a value less than 1 is assigned to the correction constant Kpc, which is selected between the listed values according to the slope of the function detected for the calculated pressure Hs.

In this case, the hydraulic pump 2 corresponding to the Np value of 1 does not return the circuit pressure to the reference state, and does not provide the user with the delivery amount in conformity with the specification. Thus, the TattNp can be dynamically modified to maximize delivery requirements of the user.

For a duration equal to TattNp, all pumps stay steadily in the Hs monitoring step, without turning on. Only the pump with the respective provisional number Np of 1 has a latency value Tatt of 0.

Once a short observation time has elapsed, i.e. corresponding to the respective hydraulic pump 2 temporarily numbered 2, the hydraulic pump is also switched on if the gauge pressure value Hs measured by the pressure sensor is lower than the maximum pressure Hmax. Similarly, the same operation is performed for all the other hydraulic pumps 2, the order of which is determined by the value TattNp.

When the gauge pressure Hs measured by the pressure sensor in each pump is higher than or equal to the maximum pressure Hmax, all hydraulic pumps will be shut down because the entire circuit is pressurized according to the required specifications.

Once all the hydraulic pumps 2 are switched off, the respective index of the hydraulic pumps 2 is updated according to the following law:

-if Np is Np, set Np to 1

-if Np is equal to n, then set Np equal to n +1

The described first embodiment is particularly effective for equally distributing wear in the electromechanical components of the hydraulic pump 2.

In fig. 5, a graph of the operation and performance of a supercharging system 1 provided with np pumps of the type just described is represented by the curve Q/H, where Q is the flow required to supercharge the input and H is the associated hydraulic head. The operating curve with stability, ratio and quadratic H is also shown.

In a second embodiment of the invention, in an initial step, the respective nonces Np comprised between the values 1 and Np are generated and associated in a random manner with each pump, and for each pump, the electronic control unit 5 calculates the waiting time parameter TattNp, as already described.

Pump turn-on and turn-off steps similar to those provided in the first embodiment are then performed.

Iterations are provided once all pump shutdowns are complete.

In the second embodiment described, an overlap of the respective temporary numbers Np of several hydraulic pumps may occur, so that these hydraulic pumps may be switched on simultaneously. In this case, the operation time is proportionally reduced, thereby improving the distribution of the random process.

Alternatively, the opening and closing of the hydraulic pump 2 determined by the electronic control unit 5 may be provided based on a range between the maximum pressure Hmax and the minimum pressure Hmin, which range is appropriately offset for each hydraulic pump 2 of the supercharging system 1.

In this case, a variable defined as "shift", i.e., a threshold constant, is set in the electronic control unit 5 to define the opening and closing ranges of each hydraulic pump 2. The definition of the range of opening and closing is detected and determined by a timer. Further, the minimum operation range x between the opening pressure and the closing pressure of each hydraulic pump 2 is set to achieve the optimum distribution of the opening time of each hydraulic pump 2 and to reduce the number of starts per hour. This minimum range x is usually, but not exclusively, fixed between 1 and 1.5 bar.

Each hydraulic pump 2 is identified by an identification index ID.

The distribution of all the operating ranges of the hydraulic pump 2 is set by defining a suitable threshold constant "shift".

The measurement tolerance of the pressure sensor is denoted by t, and the threshold constant "shift" that is greater than t and equal for all the hydraulic pumps 2 is fixed. The opening pressure Pstart, the stop pressure Pstop value and the number of pumps np are set for each hydraulic pump 2.

The following formula is preferably, but not exclusively, used:

Pstop,i＝Pstop–i·shift

Pstart,i＝Pstart+(np-i)shift

starting from the boundary conditions to be satisfied:

shift＝(Pstop-Pstart-x)/(np-1)

Shiftmin＝t

obtaining an operation formula:

(Pstop,min-Pstart,max)＝ΔPmin＝t·(np-1)+x

based on the identification index ID set by the user, each pump is set according to its own ith threshold to equally distribute the operating pressure range. In order to subject the pumps to a similar degree of wear, the alternation of operation of the hydraulic pumps 2 is obtained by suitably exchanging the reference index ID of each hydraulic pump. In practice, the supply network voltage cycle of the booster unit 1 as a function of the clock is preferably used as a synchronization signal for exchanging the identification index ID, while making each pump completely independent of the other. The supply network voltage period is measured by calculating sinusoidal voltage peaks. The preferred, but not exclusive, choice of this signal makes the synchronization very strong, since the hydraulic pumps will remain synchronized and all experience the same fluctuations, even in case of network frequency fluctuations.

Therefore, the operation time of the single hydraulic pump 2 is calculated, and index ID exchange is selected accordingly.

Alternatively, a microcontroller with an integrated RTC (real time clock) may be used.

In fig. 6 to 8, a supercharging system 1 is shown which does not belong to the claimed invention, which supercharging system 1 comprises three hydraulic pumps 2, wherein a reference hydraulic pump 2 and two interlock hydraulic pumps 15, which are supplied by an electronic control unit 5 of the hydraulic pumps 2, operate in the method described above. The interlock hydraulic pump 15 is connected to the single reference hydraulic pump 2 through a connection pipe 16.

Advantageously, the invention allows to minimize the number of actuations of the pressurization system, thus protecting the electromechanical devices involved.

Furthermore, the method according to the invention allows to use only one measured physical parameter (e.g. pressure), thereby minimizing problems caused by possible measurement errors.

Furthermore, the invention allows to generate an efficient pressurization system with mutually independent hydraulic pumps in a cost-effective manner.

Those skilled in the art will also understand how the present invention may be implemented in existing components without specific conditions.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, according to specific and contingent needs, the presented embodiments may be subject to numerous modifications and variations, all falling within the scope of protection of the invention, as defined by the following claims.