EP0828944A1

EP0828944A1 - Compressed air maintenance device

Info

Publication number: EP0828944A1
Application number: EP96914201A
Authority: EP
Inventors: György MOLNAR; Ludwig KÜTHER; Christoph Schultz; Ulrike Tetek
Original assignee: Jlorch Ges & Co KG Gesellschaft fur Maschinen und Einrichtungen
Current assignee: Jlorch Ges & Co KG Gesellschaft fur Maschinen und Einrichtungen
Priority date: 1995-06-01
Filing date: 1996-05-11
Publication date: 1998-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 2016-05-11
Also published as: WO1996038671A1; KR19980702055A; ATE184965T1; EP0828944B1; DE59603169D1; US6006603A; JPH11506515A; DE29509073U1

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/EP96/02025 Sec. 371 Date Sep. 29, 1997 Sec. 102(e) Date Sep. 29, 1997 PCT Filed May 11, 1996 PCT Pub. No. WO96/38671 PCT Pub. Date Dec. 5, 1996Besides the individual modules (1', 1'''), a compressed air maintenance device consisting of individual easily interchangeable modules (1), e.g. pressure regulators, oil atomisers (1'''), condensate separators (1'), in which the individual modules (1) may have emitters (8) for the actual operating status and/or predetermined limit values, also has an indicating and monitoring module (1'') having optical and/or acoustic signalling devices (10) for the operational and/or fault status determined for the individual modules (1). Said signalling devices (10) can be easily coupled to the relevant emitters (8) of the modules (1). Any necessary maintenance work or operational breakdowns are thus easily recognizable.

Description

Title: Air Maintenance Device

description

The invention relates to a compressed air maintenance device which is composed of individual, easily exchangeable modules such as pressure regulators, oil atomizers, condensate separators, the individual modules possibly having transmitters for the current operating state and / or predetermined limit values.

Such a compressed air maintenance device is known from DE 40 32 515 AI. Monitoring the operating states of the individual modules is difficult due to the different arrangement of the detectors. Malfunctions or necessary maintenance work are so difficult to identify and there is a risk that necessary maintenance work will not be carried out. Through the different forms of the individual modules the overall impression of such a maintenance device is not pleasing. For openly arranged sight glasses, there is a regulation for covering in various countries in order to avoid environmental damage in the event of damage, and additional covers or housing parts are then required.

In avoiding the disadvantages described, the present invention is based on the object of developing a compressed air maintenance device of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that required maintenance work or malfunctions can be easily identified.

To achieve this object, the invention provides that in addition to the individual modules, a display and monitoring module is provided, that this module has optical and / or acoustic detectors for the operating or fault states determined by the individual modules, and that these detectors can be easily coupled are connected to the assigned sensors of the modules. It is particularly important to arrange a detector for the operating pressure and detectors for the fill level limit values of the corresponding modules.

The arrangement of all operationally important detectors, which is concentrated on one module, enables much clearer and easier monitoring. An electronic coupling with control devices, additional detectors or the like. is possible with little effort, since only one tap on the display and monitoring module is necessary.

An optically closed appearance with a particularly clear arrangement of the detectors can be achieved in that the individual modules have hollow profiles with undercut longitudinal grooves are easily connected to one another via the adjacent modules. The shape of the modules arranged next to one another can be optimally adapted to one another, thus ensuring an optimal industrial design.

For easily replaceable connection of the adjacent modules, U-shaped brackets are provided, the legs of which are received in adjacent grooves of the modules to be connected. This means that individual modules can be exchanged in a few simple steps, even without tools.

Each hollow profile expediently has at least four longitudinal grooves, in order to hold two adjacent modules together with a clamp, without further measures being necessary for the tight connection of possibly continuous supply channels.

Easily adaptable to different application requirements, the display and monitoring module can have an exchangeable insert part in which at least one circuit board for the electronics of the detectors is held, the board carrying plug connections for transmission lines with the sensors of the modules. Appropriate slide-in parts can then be selected according to the requirements and used in the display and monitoring module. Thanks to the simple replacement of parts, maintenance and, in particular, repairs can be carried out in a time-saving manner with minimal effort, even during operation.

The insertion part is expediently designed to be axially insertable into the hollow profile. Furthermore, the insertion part can be designed to be open at the bottom for the supply of transmission lines which can be placed on the plug connections from the sensors of the modules.

With particularly little design effort, the insert part can have a faceplate lying in front of the hollow profile, in which the visual displays of the detectors are arranged in a clearly visible manner.

In order to enable an exchange of the insert part even during operation without malfunction, it can have an air coupling, via which pressure sensors of the display and monitoring module are connected to the air duct going through all modules, the air coupling being closed automatically when the insert part is removed. For this purpose, the air coupling can be fixed with the insert part have connected tappet trunk by which a valve body of the air clutch is held in its "installation".

In order to be able to use as many identical parts as possible for the different modules, each module has a head piece which closes off the hollow profile at the top and through which an air duct is guided. Furthermore, each module that has a hollow profile has a foot piece that closes off the hollow profile at the bottom, wherein transmission lines connecting transmitters and detectors are guided in the foot piece, possibly behind an additional cover. The essential functional elements of the modules are carried by the head and foot pieces, so that they are pre-assembled and can simply be attached to the hollow profiles during final assembly. The head piece and the foot piece each close the associated hollow profile so that no additional sealing measures are required for the individual components.

With a particularly low manufacturing outlay, a slot-shaped opening, which is tightly closed by a viewing window, can be provided in the hollow profile, so as to make the level of the oil supply of an oil nebulizer or a condensate separator easily recognizable.

Further training according to the invention can be found in the subclaims and their advantages are shown in the attached drawings explained in more detail in the description below. It shows:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a compressed air maintenance device,

FIG. 2 shows a section through the maintenance device shown in FIG. 1,

3 shows a section along the line III-III in Figure 2 by a display and monitoring module and

Figure 4 shows a further section along the line IV-IV in Figure 2 with the omission of the module internals.

In the illustrated embodiment, a

Compressed air maintenance device, three modules 1 are provided, namely a condensate separator 1 ', a display and monitoring module 1 "and an oil atomizer 1"'.

The individual modules 1 each have an extruded hollow profile 2 ', 2 ", 2"', preferably made of aluminum, each of which has a head piece 3 ', 3 "or 3 ⁿ at the top and a foot piece 4', 4 at the bottom ", 4"'is closed.

An air duct 5 is guided through the head pieces 3 ', 3 ", 3 ¹ ". In the condensate separator 1 ', condensate is separated from the air passed through the air duct 5 in a known manner and accumulates below in the hollow profile 1 '. The accumulated condensate can be excreted via a protective filter 6 through a drain valve 7.

In the foot piece 4 'of the condensate separator 1', two transmitters 8 are arranged in the form of a level probe, the upper free end of which gives a signal to a detector 10 via a transmission line 9 when the condensate level rises.

In addition, a viewing window 12 can be provided in an opening 11 of the hollow profile 2 'in order to make the respective condensate level easily recognizable. The structure of the condensate separator is known, with the exception that the essential parts are held in the head piece 3 'or foot piece 4', so a more detailed description of the function does not appear to be necessary.

The same applies to the oiler 1 ^{H /} . There two sensors 8 are arranged in the foot piece 4 '', by means of which the fill level is determined in order to make the oil level limits recognizable in a known simple manner via a transmission line 9 'on the detector 10' of the display and monitoring module 1 ".

The display and monitoring module 1 "has an insert part 13 which can be inserted into the hollow profile 1" from below and in which the display electronics in particular have one or more circuit boards 14 with the required electronic components are housed, as indicated in Figure 3. At least one of the boards 14 has plug connections 15 for plugs 16 of the transmission lines 9, 9 '. One of the boards 14 can be designed as a viewing board 14 'for receiving the optical display elements, as can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 3. For example, a digital pressure display 17 for the current operating pressure can also be provided here.

A pressure sensor 18 for monitoring the operating pressure in the air duct 5 can expediently also be provided in the insertion part 3.

In order to be able to replace the insert part 13 during operation, an air coupling 19 is provided in the head piece 3 ″, which has a valve body 20 which is kept open in its installed state via a tappet 21 of the insert part 13 and thus the channel 5 with the To connect pressure sensor 18.

The individual modules 1, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 4, are connected to one another by clips 22. For this purpose, the hollow profiles 2 have undercut longitudinal grooves 23. Each hollow profile 2 ', 2 ", 2"' is provided with at least four such longitudinal grooves 23. These have an L cross section, while the legs of the U-shaped brackets 22 have an adapted U cross section. The hollow profiles 2 ', 2 "' of the condensate separator 1 'and the oil atomizer 1"' are of identical design, so that rational production is possible. These hollow profiles 2 ', 2 ^M have additional longitudinal grooves 23'. They can be used, for example, for an additional wall mounting of the compressed air maintenance device, but they can also be used to hold signs for maintenance instructions and the like.

By combining the detectors 10 in the display and monitoring module 1 ', a clear operational control is practically possible at a glance, so that optimal maintenance and operational management is achieved. The entire monitoring system can be connected to the company's IT system via a single connection, so that monitoring and control can be carried out from practically any location.

Claims

claims

1. compressed air maintenance device, which is composed of individual easily replaceable modules (1), such as pressure regulators, oil nebulizers (1 "'), condensate separators (1'), the individual modules (1), if necessary, transmitters (8) for the current operating state and / or have predetermined limit values, characterized in that, in addition to the individual modules (1 ', 1 "'), a display and monitoring module (1") is provided, that this module (1 ") has optical and / or acoustic detectors (10 ) for the operating and / or fault states determined by the individual modules (1) and that these detectors (10) are easily coupled to the assigned sensors (8) of the modules (1).

2. Air pressure maintenance device according to claim 1, characterized in that the individual modules (1) have hollow profiles with undercut longitudinal grooves (23) via the adjacent modules (1) are easily interchangeably connected.

3. Air pressure maintenance device according to claim 2, characterized in that U-shaped brackets (22) are provided for easily replaceable connection of the adjacent modules, the legs (24) in adjacent Longitudinal grooves (23) of the modules (1) to be connected are accommodated.

4. Air pressure maintenance device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that each hollow profile (2) has at least four longitudinal grooves (23, 23 ').

5. Compressed air maintenance device according to claim 4, characterized in that two longitudinal grooves (23) are provided at a distance from each other on the abutting sides of the modules (1).

6. Air pressure maintenance device according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the longitudinal grooves (23) are adapted to an L-section and the legs (24) of the brackets (22) have a U-section (Figure 4).

7. Air pressure maintenance device according to claim 1, characterized in that the display and monitoring module (1 ") has an interchangeable insert part (13) in which at least one circuit board (14) for the electronics of the detector (10) is held, the circuit board (14) carries plug connections (15) for transmission lines (9, 9 ') to the sensors (8) of the modules.

8. Air pressure maintenance device according to claim 7, characterized in that the insertion part (13) axially in the Hollow profile (2 ") can be inserted and that the insertion part (13) is designed to be open at the bottom for the supply of plugs (16) of transmission lines (9, 9 ') from the sensors (8) of the modules that can be plugged onto the plug connections (15) (1 ', ^1H ).

9. Air pressure maintenance device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the insertion part (13) has a front plate in front of the hollow profile (2 "), in which the optical displays of the detectors (8) are arranged visibly.

10. Compressed air maintenance device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the insertion part (13) has an air coupling (19), via the pressure probes (18) of the display and monitoring module (1 ") with the air duct going through all modules (1) (5) are connected, the air coupling (19) being automatically closed when the insertion part (13) is removed from the display and monitoring module (1 ").

11. Compressed air maintenance device according to claim 10, characterized in that the air coupling (19) has a plunger trunk (21) connected to the insertion part (13), by means of which a valve body (20) of the air coupling (19) is held in its "installation".

12. A compressed air maintenance device according to one of claims 2 to 11, characterized in that each module (1) having a hollow profile (2) has a head piece (3) which closes the hollow profile (2) at the top and that an air duct (3) 5) that each module (1) having a hollow profile (2) has a bottom section (4) which closes off a hollow section (2) and that in the foot section (4) transmitter (8) and detector (10) connecting transmission lines (9 ) are guided, possibly behind an additional cover.

13. Air pressure maintenance device according to claim 12, characterized in that the head pieces (3) and the foot pieces (4) each seal the hollow profile (1) tightly and that the hollow profile (1) directly together with the head piece (3) and the foot piece (4 ) form the module (1) for a pressure regulator, condensate separator (1 '), oil atomizer (1 "') or the like.

14. Compressed air maintenance device according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that in the hollow profile (2) at least one through a viewing window (12) tightly closed slot-shaped opening (11) is provided.