US20130101439A1

US20130101439A1 - Method for Controlling and/or Regulating a Metering Pump

Info

Publication number: US20130101439A1
Application number: US13/636,744
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas Freudenberger; Yves Drexlmeier
Original assignee: Prominent Dosiertechnik GmbH
Current assignee: Prominent GmbH
Priority date: 2010-03-24
Filing date: 2011-03-21
Publication date: 2013-04-25
Also published as: JP5827309B2; BR112012023927A2; DE102010003218A1; CA2792841C; CA2792841A1; EP2550454A1; WO2011117199A1; RU2558172C2; CN102859196B; ES2661222T3; EP2550454B1; AU2011231775A1; KR20130064051A; JP2013522537A; AU2011231775B2; RU2012145077A; CN102859196A

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method of controlling and/or regulating a metering pump comprising a drive motor having a shaft driven by the motor and a displacement member arranged in a metering head, in which the rotary movement of the shaft is converted into an oscillating movement of the displacement member, wherein the displacement member, interacting with an outlet and inlet valve in alternate sequence, leads to a pump stroke (pressure stroke) and an intake stroke and thus to delivery of a medium to be metered. To provide a method of controlling and/or regulating a metering pump, which in principle manages without a position sensor on the thrust rod and can establish the metering behaviour of the pump with a high degree of precision, according to the invention it is proposed that at least one motor operating parameter, preferably a motor voltage U or a motor current I, is measured, at least one regulating parameter is calculated from the measured motor operating parameters and optionally further known motor characteristics, the at least one regulating parameter is compared to a predetermined guide parameter, and a comparison signal dependent on the result of the comparison is outputted, and can be used as a status, actuating and/or regulating signal.

Description

The present invention concerns a method of controlling and/or regulating a metering pump. A metering pump generally has a drive motor with a shaft driven by the motor, and a displacement member disposed in a metering head. In that case the rotary movement of the shaft is converted into an oscillating movement of the displacement member so that the displacement member, interacting with an outlet and inlet valve in alternate succession, leads to a pump stroke (pressure stroke) and an intake stroke (suction stroke) and thus delivery of a medium to be metered.
Those metering pumps operate on the basis of the volumetric principle, that is to say the metering operation is implemented by displacement of a closed chamber volume by means of a displacement member. The metering volume in each stroke is determined by the product of the stroke and the effective surface area of the displacement member.
In such a metering pump the generally continuous rotary movement of the drive motor is converted into an oscillating movement of the displacement member by a transmission unit. The drive of the displacement member can be positively controlled or can also be effected at one side in positively locking relationship only in the pressure stroke. In the latter case measures must be provided for moving the displacement member back again. That can be effected for example by a suitable return spring.
The conventional metering pumps are generally powerful and have metering properties adequate for most applications.
In the simplest case the drive motor is switched on continuously for ongoing metering or is switched on for a given time for performing individual metering strokes. The motor speed is predetermined by the electric frequency of the mains voltage or the motor actuation system and therefore defines the duration of each stroke together with the corresponding transmission step-down ratio and the transmission characteristic which for example is sinusoidal in the case of an eccentric transmission. In continuous operation the duration for each stroke is calculated from the effective motor speed in the load condition and the transmission step-down ratio. When the drive motor is switched on or off to perform individual strokes or partial strokes, corresponding start-up and braking times must be taken into consideration, which correspondingly prolong the duration per stroke. The stroke length can be adjusted for example by adjusting the eccentricity of an eccentric transmission or by using an adjustable abutment, the abutment can for example limit the movement of the displacement member in the suction stroke before reaching the rear dead point of the eccentric transmission. That predetermines the starting point of the stroke movement while the end point derives from the completely implemented deflection movement of the displacement member.
The movements of the displacement member result from the interaction of the mechanical components such as for example the transmission. During the forward movement (pressure stroke) the drive operates against the force acting on the push rod by the displacement member (and the possibly present return spring).
There are embodiments, so-called diaphragm metering pumps, which use an at least partially flexible diaphragm as the displacement member. That diaphragm can be deformed during the pressure and suction strokes. The amount of that deformation which is built up in a first part of the stroke movement, which part is not used for the metering process, is lost to the effectively performed stroke movement and has the result that the metering amount decreases with increasing working pressure. With those pumps it is therefore necessary to perform suitable calibration measurement. After calibration has been effected however the pump can only be reliably used in a given working pressure range. If the working pressure should change re-calibration has to be effected. If calibration is not done, for example because the fluctuation in working pressure is not observed, that gives a metering error.
For better adjustment of the metering process and for increasing the metering accuracy it is already proposed in EP 1 754 891 that the displacement member is connected to a reference element whose position is sensed by a position sensor, the position sensor delivering an actual signal which is fixedly related to the position of the reference element and therewith the displacement member and by means of which knowledge about the movements of the displacement member is acquired so that the electronic control of the metering pump can react to operating conditions of the metering circuit and the pump.
With that background of the described state of the art therefore the object of the present invention is to provide a method of controlling and/or regulating a metering pump, which in principle manages without a position sensor on the thrust rod and can establish the metering behaviour of the pump with a high level of precision.
According to the invention that object is attained by a method of controlling and/or regulating a metering pump comprising a drive motor having a shaft driven by the motor and a displacement member arranged in a metering head, in which the rotary movement of the shaft is converted into an oscillating movement of the displacement member, wherein the displacement member, interacting with an outlet and inlet valve in alternate sequence, leads to a pump stroke (pressure stroke) and an intake stroke (suction stroke) and thus to delivery of a medium to be metered, in which at least one motor operating parameter, preferably a motor voltage U or a motor current I, is measured, at least one regulating parameter is calculated from the at least one measured motor operating parameter and optionally further known motor characteristics, the at least one regulating parameter is compared to a predetermined guide parameter, and a comparison signal dependent on the result of the comparison is outputted, and can be used as a status, actuating and/or regulating signal.
It is for example possible to calculate the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally the magnetic actual flux φ_ACTUALof the motor, preferably an asynchronous motor, as the regulating parameter, and to compare it to a predetermined reference guide parameter, that is to say the reference torque and the reference flux of the motor. A comparison signal can be outputted in dependence on the result of the comparison. The comparison signal can be used for example as a status signal, that is to say the signal indicates whether a given condition is or is not met. The status signal can then serve for example as a warning signal or as a triggering means for given measures.
It is also possible to use the comparison signal as an actuating signal, that is to say to control a parameter, for example a motor operating parameter, with that signal. Alternatively the signal can also be used as a regulating signal.
Depending on the respective regulating parameter, not only motor operating parameters such as for example motor voltage and motor current are necessary for calculation purposes, but further properties characteristic of the motor or the transmission such as for example the step-up or step-down transmission ratio.
In a further preferred embodiment it is preferred that as the regulating parameter the actual motor speed is measured preferably a plurality of times, particularly preferably at least five times, during a motor revolution, or is calculated from the motor operating parameters preferably from the actual torque M_ACTUALand the magnetic actual flux φ_ACTUALof the motor, and the difference between the actual motor speed and a predetermined reference motor speed is outputted as the comparison signal and the comparison signal is used as a regulating signal for adaptation of motor current I and/or motor voltage U to adapt the actual motor speed to the reference motor speed.
In the simplest case measurement of the actual motor speed is effected by means of a rotary angle sensor. It is however also possible for the actual motor speed to be calculated from the motor operating parameters in completely contactless fashion.
In dependence on the transmission configuration the motor load varies in dependence on the current eccentric position. The motor must therefore be designed with its power output in such a way that it can apply the desired rotary speed, even in the most disadvantageous eccentric position. If the power of the motor is too low, the result is that the desired speed is not reached in many eccentric positions, that is to say the stroke duration is prolonged. The power of the motor can be better utilised by the specified measure as the rotary speed is slightly reduced in the region of maximum eccentric deflection, in which force transmission is at its most disadvantageous, while the resulting prolongation in the stroke duration is compensated by the rotary speed being increased in a region involving advantageous force transmission.
In a further preferred embodiment it is provided that as the regulating parameter the actual motor magnetisation is calculated, preferably a plurality of times, particularly preferably at least five times during a motor revolution, from the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally further known motor characteristics, and a predetermined reference motor magnetisation is selected as the guide parameter and the difference between the regulating parameter and the guide parameter is outputted as the comparison signal and the comparison signal is used as the regulating signal for the adaptation of motor current I and/or motor voltage U to adapt the actual motor magnetisation to the reference motor magnetisation, wherein preferably the reference motor magnetisation is a periodic function with a period duration corresponding to the period duration of the displacement member.
Preferably there is provided a pressure element which presses the contact surface in the direction of the eccentric so that upon rotation of the shaft the pressure element can hold the contact surface in contact with the eccentric at least portion-wise and an intake stroke can be performed. The pressure element can be for example a spring.
In a further preferred embodiment the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally the magnetic actual flux φ_ACTUALof the motor, preferably an asynchronous motor, is calculated as the regulating signal and the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally the magnetic actual flux φ_ACTUALof the motor is substantially continuously determined over at least one period duration and the time-dependent actual torque M_ACTUALcalculated in that way and optionally the time-dependent magnetic actual flux φ_ACTUALof the motor is compared to at least one pre-determined pattern function as the guide parameter. The comparison signal represents the degree of similarity between the regulating parameter and the guide parameter and if the degree of similarity exceeds a predetermined value the comparison signal is used as the status signal. For example an overload protection function, for example in the form of an excess pressure shut-down, can be called up in reaction to the status signal.
Usually a metering pump presents wear phenomena in the course of time. That can involve for example bearing damage, warped gears or a damaged eccentric. Such wear phenomena mean that the force to be applied by the motor changes. According to the invention it is therefore provided that characteristic trouble patterns or a pattern function are associated with given wear phenomena. If for example a gear is missing a tooth then the missing tooth will be manifested in a periodic disturbance in the force implementation. If now the actual torque is calculated substantially continuously and the signal calculated in that way is compared to the pattern functions, for example by forming a correspond cross-correlation function, it is possible at a very early stage to recognise that the metering pump is presenting wear phenomena and it is optionally possible solely on the basis of the forces involved to determine which component is exhibiting wear phenomena and then has to be specifically replaced.
It can further happen that air passes into the metering head, which can cause the entire metering operation to fail although the mechanical movement of the displacement member is still occurring. In this case also the compression process, that is to say the rise in force, can be evaluated by evaluation of the actual torque and, if the compression variation points to aeration of the metering head, for example a corresponding message can be produced or counter-measure can be automatically initiated such as for example automated venting of the metering head.
In a further preferred embodiment it is provided that the metering pump has a displacement member with an at least partially elastic diaphragm, wherein the metering amount is calculated as the regulating parameter from the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally the magnetic actual flux φ_ACTUALof the motor having regard to further motor characteristics, wherein the influence to be expected by virtue of flexing of the elastic diaphragm on the metering amount is taken into consideration and the difference between the actual metering amount and a predetermined reference metering amount is outputted as the comparison signal and used as the regulating signal for the adaptation of motor current I and/or motor voltage U to adapt the actual metering amount to the reference metering amount.
By virtue of that measure the metering pump can be used over a wide range of different working pressures without involving any metering error worth mentioning. If more specifically there is an unexpected change in the working pressure the method according to the invention, by way of the calculation of the actual torque, allows reliable recognition and correction of the metering error by virtue of the flexing of the diaphragm of the displacement member.
Furthermore in a preferred embodiment it is provided that an actual stroke length of the displacement member is calculated as the regulating parameter from the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally the magnetic actual flux φ_ACTUALand the difference between the actual stroke length and a predetermined reference stroke length is outputted as the comparison signal. The comparison signal can either be used as a status signal to possibly stop the pump or it can be used as the regulating signal for the adaptation of motor current I and/or motor voltage U to adapt the actual stroke length to the reference stroke length. By virtue of that measure the stroke length can be adapted to ongoing operation if that is necessary for the area of use.
The present invention also concerns a metering pump having a control and/or regulating device for carrying out the described method. The described method means that the metering pump can also be used in a pendulum stroke mode, that is to say the direction of rotation of the motor is inverted after at most one pump and one intake stroke.

Further advantages, features and possible uses will be apparent from the description hereinafter of a preferred embodiment and the related Figures in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective longitudinal section& view through a metering pump,

FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic view of the motor pump,

FIG. 3 a shows a diagrammatic view of the torque of the motor and the displacer movement during a revolution for a full stroke,

FIG. 3 b shows a diagrammatic view of the torque of the motor and the displacer movement during a revolution for a partial stroke,

FIG. 4 a shows a diagrammatic view of the torque of the motor and the displacer movement during a revolution for a full stroke with incomplete suction stroke,

FIG. 4 b shows a diagrammatic view of the torque of the motor and the displacer movement during a revolution for a partial stroke with incomplete suction stroke,

FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic view of the rotary speed and the torque in relation to time for known motors (solid line) and for a motor regulated in accordance with a preferred embodiment (broken line).

FIG. 1 shows the structure of a metering pump. The metering pump substantially comprises three components, namely the drive motor 2 with transmission unit, the eccentric drive in the eccentric housing 1 and the electronic housing 29 with the electronic control contained therein and the electronic components and assemblies used there. The electronic housing 29, on the underside, has a bottom plate 4 with fixing bores while the eccentric housing 1 which is fitted on to the electronic housing 29 and fixedly connected thereto carries the drive motor 2 with transmission unit which is connected for example by way of screws to the eccentric housing.
The components of the eccentric drive are fixed on the housing formed by the eccentric housing 1 and the electronic housing 29, in the upper part. The components of the eccentric drive are mounted in an eccentric carrier 22 which ensures positional matching of the individual parts to each other and is fixed in the eccentric housing 3. A three-phase asynchronous motor 2 is flange-mounted together with a step-down transmission 11 which is in the form of an angle transmission as a structural unit to the eccentric housing 1 from the outside, and connected with screws. The output shaft of the transmission motor forms a right angle with the axis of the shaft of the motor and either forms the drive shaft of the eccentric drive directly or, as in the illustrated embodiment, is connected thereto in co-axial relationship by way of a coupling. The drive shaft of the eccentric drive, the eccentric shaft 17, is mounted rotatably in the eccentric carrier 22 and carries an eccentric in the form of a part fixedly connected thereto. The eccentric shaft passes with the eccentric through a corresponding cut-out thrust ring 20. The eccentric shaft 17 is driven in rotation by the motor/transmission unit by way of the shaft coupling when the motor 2 is actuated and further drives the thrust ring 20 in an inside surface of its cut-out opening, namely the running contact surface with the outside surface of the eccentric. The thrust ring 20 drives a thrust rod 19 which is fixedly connected thereto, for example being injection-moulded there. The unit consisting of the thrust ring 20 and the thrust rod 19 is supported longitudinally slideably in two sliding bushes. The axis of the eccentric shaft 17 and the longitudinal axis 18 of the thrust ring 20 and the thrust rod 19 are respectively disposed in the horizontal plane and form a right angle to each other. One of the two bushes 26 for the thrust rod 19 is supported in a bearing disk 24 which at the pressure head end is fixed to the eccentric carrier 22. A further bush 27 which accommodates the trunnion, that is remote from the metering head side, of the thrust ring 20 is fitted in the stroke adjusting pin 8. An adjusting member 7 which is to be actuated by hand for adjustment of the stroke adjusting pin 8 is screwed into a thread of the eccentric carrier 22 on the same axis as the longitudinal axis 18 of the thrust rod 19; the thread limits the axial movement of the thrust ring 20 in the suction phase and thus in the stroke of the metering pump.
In addition the housing contains the electronic control system in its lower part in a closed-off space, the electronic housing 29.
Arranged on the same axis as the longitudinal axis 18 of the thrust rod, on the side opposite the control lines 10, is a metering head 12 in which a diaphragm 13 made for example from plastic material operates as the displacement member, the diaphragm being fixedly clamped at its periphery. The metering head 12 further carries an inlet valve 14 and an outlet valve 15 to press the medium to be sucked in by way of the inlet vale 14 between the diaphragm 13 and the metering head 12 in the metering chamber 16 into the metering line by way of the outlet valve 15. The metering pump operates in accordance with the volumetric principle, that is to say in each stroke a predetermined volume is to be sucked in on the one hand and expelled by way of the outlet valve 15 on the other hand. The diaphragm 13 is displaced in an oscillating movement by means of the eccentric drive which reciprocates the thrust rod 19 on the longitudinal axis. Arranged between the thrust ring 20 and a shoulder of the disk 24 is a compression spring 23, for example a coil spring, which causes the thrust ring 20 to bear against the eccentric in positively locking relationship at any moment in time. In the forward phase of the eccentric movement, that is to say in the movement of the thrust rod towards the metering head, the thrust ring with the thrust rod is moved towards the compression spring, at the same time the diaphragm 13 is pressed into the metering chamber 16, with the consequence that an increased pressure is produced in the metering chamber, the outlet valve 15 opens and the medium to be metered is pressed into the metering line. In the return phase of the eccentric movement, that is to say in the movement of the thrust rod away from the metering head, the thrust ring 20 is moved in the opposite direction in relation to the stroke adjusting pin 8 by the compressed compression spring 23 which for example can be in the form of a coil spring, to follow the eccentric movement, with the result that the thrust rod 19 connected to the diaphragm 13 entrains the diaphragm in its movement, whereby in the metering chamber 16 there is a reduced pressure which opens the inlet valve 14 so that medium to be metered can be sucked a further time into the metering chamber.
FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic view of the metering pump. In the illustrated embodiment the force exerted on the displacement member is calculated from the motor current I and the motor voltage U and the known motor characteristics, that is to say the known transmission arrangement.
FIG. 3 a diagrammatically shows the variation in time of the torque (above) and the movement of the displacer element (below) over a stroke period.
The movement of the displacer element is substantially sinusoidal. During a pressure stroke h_Dthe displacer moves from the minimum deflection S_MINto the maximum deflection S_MAX. During the subsequent suction stroke the displacer is moved from the maximum deflection S_MAXback to the minimum deflection S_MIN. The total stroke period H is composed of the pressure stroke h_Dand the suction stroke h_S. If the torque shown above in FIG. 3 a is considered, it will be seen that the torque moves between a base torque M₀and a peak torque M₁. It is only during the pressure stroke h_Dthat the torque differs from the base torque M₀. Outside the pressure stroke the motor does not have to apply any force to the medium to be delivered so that essentially only the base torque M₀is required, because of frictional losses. The displacer is moved back into its starting position by a spring element.
The variation in the torque during the pressure stroke h_Dis here also substantially sinusoidal and depends on the transmission characteristic. At the beginning and the end of the pressure stroke h_Dthe force to be applied is very low by virtue of the transmission step-up ratio. Therebetween it rises to the maximum value M₁.
FIG. 3 b diagrammatically shows the variation in time of the torque (above) and the movement of the displacer element (below) over a stroke period, wherein the situation is shown here in which only a partial stroke is performed.
If the displacement element can no longer be moved back to the minimum deflection S_MIN, either because an adjustable abutment limits the stroke length or because the stroke length is limited for other unpredictable reasons, only a partial stroke is performed. It will be seen from the diagrammatic view of the displacer movement, shown at the bottom in FIG. 3 b, that the deflection is now between a deflection S_Aand the maximum deflection S_MAX. Consequently the pressure stroke h_Dand the suction stroke h_Sare markedly reduced in comparison with the pressure and suction stroke in FIG. 3 a.
It will also be seen at the top in FIG. 3 b that the variation in time of the torque differs markedly from that shown in FIG. 3 a. Consequently, conclusions about the actually performed stroke length can be drawn from the variation in torque, and same can be compared to a predetermined reference stroke length. If the actual stroke length should not be the same as the reference stroke length, then in a preferred embodiment the actual stroke length can be adapted to the reference stroke length by an alteration in the motor current and/or motor voltage. Nonetheless even if such adaptation to the reference stroke length is not wanted or is not possible, the actual stroke length can be determined by the method according to the invention, the metering volume can be calculated therefrom, and the latter can be compared to the reference metering volume. Possibly then the speed of the motor has to be increased to compensate for the reduced metering volume per stroke.
Blockade detection is also possible. While in the known embodiments a position sensor would have to detect the position of the displacement member, and then a blockade which under some circumstances has occurred could be deduced therefrom, the embodiment according to the invention provides that the pump is switched off if the torque to be applied by the motor exceed a predetermined limit value. Blockade shut-down according to the invention can therefore under some circumstances prevent damage to the motor.
It will be appreciated that blockade detection can also be such that a blockade situation is assumed to apply when the predetermined limit value is exceeded at a given moment in time or over a period longer than a predetermined period. It is also possible for the predetermined limit value to be deduced from the eccentric position, that is to say it is possible for the predetermined limit value to be adapted to be variable in time.
An incomplete suction stroke can be determined in this same manner. FIG. 4 a diagrammatically shows the variation in time of the torque (above) and the displacer movement (below). The solid corresponds to the configuration shown in FIG. 3 a. If now sufficient medium to be delivered cannot flow into the delivery chamber in the suction stroke for any reasons, the displacement member will not be able to follow the eccentric, but will lift off same. That situation is shown in broken line in FIG. 4 a. Instead of following the eccentric movement the metering chamber only gradually fills so that the eccentric is already moving in the direction of its maximum deflection again before the metering chamber is filled. The result of this is that the pressure stroke h_Dis shortened, as shown in FIG. 4 a. Consequently the torque variation also changes, as is also shown in broken line.
FIG. 4 b shows the same situation in the case of a partial stroke. From the time shift t_Vit can be deduced that an incomplete suction stroke has occurred and suitable measures can optionally be taken in order nonetheless to maintain the metering effect or a corresponding error signal can be outputted.
The method according to the invention further permits slippage detection within the stroke travel and optionally immediate stabilisation control also within a stroke period. While the rotary speed is usually determined by way of measurement of the stroke and the rotary speed is optionally adapted for the entire stroke, in the preferred embodiment it is provided that the torque is adapted with increasing slippage within a pressure and suction stroke.
For illustration purposes FIG. 5 shows the rotary speed versus time for known motors (solid line) and for a motor regulated by the method according to the invention (broken line). While the speed periodically drops because of the increased load within a period duration in the known motors, the rotary speed remains constant with the regulation according to the invention. To achieve that the motor torque must be varied at the appropriate moment in time within a stroke.
That measure provides that the length of the pressure stroke is reduced and also the length of the stroke period is adjusted to its ideal value while the length of the pressure stroke and the stroke period would increase in length due to the reduction in speed.
The method according to the invention therefore makes it possible to keep the metering output constant, even at a high load which would otherwise lead to a reduction in rotary speed.
The method according to the invention therefore makes it possible to deduce the hydraulic pressure, that is to say the working pressure, from the torque. Thus it is possible for example to determine the torque generated by the motor and to compare it to a reference torque and, upon a deviation between actual torque and reference torque of for example more than 30%, to stop the pump to prevent an overload and thus to protect the drive from self-destruction.
As already stated the pressure and suction stroke involves flexing of the displacement diaphragm so that the metering volume depends on the working pressure.
If the method according to the invention allows the working pressure to be determined from the motor core parameters, the metering error can be corrected in dependence on the ascertained working pressure. A further advantage of the method according to the invention is that in principle any motion curve of the displacement member can be set. Thus for example metering and suction intake can be effected at a constant reduced speed, by the variation in speed being compensated on the basis of the deflection angle of the eccentric, whereby uniform metering occurs and the necessary peak power output of the motor is reduced. In addition it is possible to implement an electronic suction intake assistance upon first filling of the suction intake line and the metering head (start-up of operation) if for example the motor is operated in the pendulum stroke mode and the full stroke length is performed in the suction intake situation.
In addition it is possible to actuate the motor in need-oriented relationship at any moment in time by predictive adaptation of the motor actuating parameters along the stroke travel as the rise in torque is known by virtue of the eccentric. In that way the motor can be operated in more energy-saving fashion.
It is known that cavitation can occur, leading to incomplete suction intake and increased material wear, for example in the valves. The described evaluation of the variation in force and/or the movements involved make it possible to detect the cavitation in the suction stroke and it is possible to immediately take counter-measure such as for example throttling the intake suction speed.

LIST OF REFERENCES

1 Eccentric housing
2 Drive motor
3 Bottom plate
7 Adjusting member
8 Stroke adjusting pin
10 Control lines
11 Step-down transmission
12 Metering head
13 Diaphragm
14 Inlet valve
15 Outlet valve
16 Metering chamber
17 Eccentric shaft
18 Longitudinal axis
19 Thrust rod
20 Thrust ring
22 Eccentric carrier
23 Compression spring
24 Bearing disk
27 Slide bush
29 Electronic housing

Claims

1. A method of controlling and/or regulating a metering pump comprising a drive motor having a shaft driven by the motor and a displacement member arranged in a metering head, in which the rotary movement of the shaft is converted into an oscillating movement of the displacement member, wherein the displacement member, interacting with an outlet and inlet valve in alternate sequence, leads to a pump stroke (pressure stroke) and an intake stroke and thus to delivery of a medium to be metered,

characterised in that

at least one motor operating parameter, preferably a motor voltage U or a motor current I, is measured,

at least one regulating parameter is calculated from the measured motor operating parameters and optionally further known motor characteristics,

the at least one regulating parameter is compared to a predetermined guide parameter, and

a comparison signal dependent on the result of the comparison is outputted, and can be used as a status, actuating and/or regulating signal.

2. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally the magnetic actual flux Φ_ACTUALof the motor, preferably an asynchronous motor, is calculated as the regulating parameter.

3. A method according to claim 2 characterised in that a reference torque M_LIMis used as the guide parameter and a status and/or actuating signal is outputted if the regulating parameter deviates from the guide parameter more than a predetermined torque difference, wherein preferably the guide parameter varies in time.

4. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that as the regulating parameter the actual motor speed is measured preferably a plurality of times, particularly preferably at least five times, during a motor revolution, or is calculated from the motor operating parameters, preferably from the actual torque M_ACTUALand the magnetic actual flux Φ_ACTUALof the motor, and the difference between the actual motor speed and a predetermined reference motor speed is outputted as the comparison signal and the comparison signal is used as a regulating signal for adaptation of motor current I and/or motor voltage U to adapt the actual motor speed to the reference motor speed.

5. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the metering pump is controlled and/or regulated, having a transmission for conversion of a rotary movement into a translatory movement, which connects the driven shaft of the motor to the displacement member, wherein the transmission preferably has an eccentric which runs on a contact element connected to the displacement member so that by rotation of the shaft the eccentric moves the displacement member in the direction of the metering head and thereby can perform a pump stroke.

6. A method according to claim 5 characterised in that a predetermined reference motor speed is used as the guide parameter wherein the reference motor speed is a periodic function having a period duration corresponding to the period duration of the displacement member.

7. A method according to claim 6 characterised in that the reference motor speed is established having regard to the transmission characteristic in a such a way that the translatory movement is effected substantially at a constant speed.

8. A method according to claim 5 characterised in that as the regulating parameter the actual motor magnetisation is calculated, preferably a plurality of times, particularly preferably at least five times during a motor revolution, from the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally from further motor operating parameters and/or known motor characteristics, and a predetermined reference motor magnetisation is selected as the guide parameter and the difference between the regulating parameter and the guide parameter is outputted as the comparison signal and the comparison signal is used as the regulating signal for the adaptation of motor current I and/or motor voltage U to adapt the actual motor magnetisation to the reference motor magnetisation, wherein preferably the reference motor magnetisation is a periodic function with a period duration corresponding to the period duration of the displacement member.

9. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally the magnetic actual flux Φ_ACTUALof the motor, preferably an asynchronous motor, is calculated as the regulating signal and the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally the magnetic actual flux Φ_ACTUALof the motor is substantially continuously determined over at least one period duration and the time-dependent actual torque M_ACTUALcalculated in that way and optionally the time-dependent magnetic actual flux Φ_ACTUALof the motor is compared to at least pre-determined pattern function as the guide parameter and the comparison signal represents the degree of similarity between the regulating parameter and the guide parameter and if the degree of similarity assumes a predetermined range of values the comparison signal is used as the status signal.

10. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the metering pump has a displacement member with an at least partially elastic diaphragm, the metering amount is calculated as the regulating parameter from the time variation in the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally the magnetic actual flux Φ_ACTUALof the motor having regard to further motor characteristics, wherein the influence to be expected by virtue of flexing of the elastic diaphragm on the metering amount is taken into consideration and the difference between the actual metering amount and a predetermined reference metering amount is outputted as the comparison signal and used as the regulating signal for the adaptation of motor current I and/or motor voltage U to adapt the actual metering amount to the reference metering amount.

11. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that an actual stroke length of the displacement member is calculated as the regulating parameter from the actual torque M_ACTUALand optionally the magnetic actual flux Φ_ACTUALand the difference between the actual stroke length and a predetermined reference stroke length is outputted as the comparison signal, wherein preferably the comparison signal is used as the regulating signal for the adaptation of motor current I and/or motor voltage U to adapt the actual stroke length to the reference stroke length.

12. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the thrust rod position is calculated as the regulating parameter from the measured motor operating parameters and optionally further known motor characteristics.

13. A metering pump comprising a drive motor having a shaft driven by the motor and a displacement member arranged in a metering head, in which the rotary movement of the shaft is converted into an oscillating movement of the displacement member by means of a transmission, wherein the displacement member, interacting with an outlet and inlet valve in alternate sequence, leads to a pump stroke (pressure stroke) and an intake stroke and thus to delivery of a medium to be metered, characterised in that the metering pump has a control and/or regulating device for carrying out a method according to one of claims 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12.

14. A metering pump according to claim 13 characterised in that the pump is so adapted that it can operate in the pendulum stroke mode of operation, that is to say the direction of rotation of the motor can invert to end an intake stroke or a pump stroke.