DE202020100887U1 - Device for operating a production plant - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for operating a production plant for the manufacture of material panels, the production system having at least devices for gluing the material, forming a fleece from the glued material and pressing it into material panels, and for producing a material panel, product parameters of the material panel to be manufactured and system parameters of the production system are set, wherein the production plant and / or its devices have sensors for determining measured values and computers operatively connected to it for control and / or regulation, characterized in that at least one virtual sensor is operated using a computer and this computer is used to transmit the virtual measured values to the computers for the control and / or regulation of the production plant or its devices is in operative connection.

Description

The invention relates to a device for operating a production plant according to the preamble of claim 1.

Intermittent presses or continuously operating single or double belt presses are generally used for the production of material panels made of plastics and / or raw materials based on biological raw materials (wood, plants). The raw material is prepared for this purpose, usually dried and mixed with a binding agent in a specified mixing ratio. The glued material (liquid or dry gluing) is then poured or sprinkled into a material fleece in a scattering device in predetermined layers and / or area weight ratios in such a production plant and fed to a press. For continuous production, the material fleece is preferably produced on an endlessly revolving molding belt and introduced into a continuously operating press, where it is pressed under pressure and with the supply of heat to form a material plate.

It is known to establish a control room in large production plants in which the entire production plant is graphically displayed by means of monitors. In addition to the individual parts or devices, there are general status values and status data from sensors and controls. Complex evaluations, control and regulation algorithms are unproblematic if all the necessary measured values are available.

With all known technical measuring methods, however, it is possible that there are areas in a production plant in which no measuring devices can be installed, measuring devices are not cost-effective compared to measuring success, or physical measuring limits cannot be grasped in transition areas.

The object of the present invention is to create one for operating a production plant with which it is possible to optimize the control and regulation of the production plant in a generic production plant by increasing or improving the usable measurement results.

In an extension of the task, it should be made possible to ensure the safe and optimal operation of a production plant, even if essential sensors for determining measured values fail or deliver incorrect values. At the same time, it should be possible to regularly check and maintain the entire range of sensors in a production system and to take preventive action by replacing foreseeable failures of the sensors during maintenance shutdowns in the production system.

The device is preferably used to operate a production plant for the manufacture of material panels, the production system having at least devices for gluing the material, forming a fleece from the glued material and pressing it into material panels, and for producing a material panel, product parameters of the material panel to be manufactured and system parameters of the Production system are set, the production system and / or its devices having sensors for determining measured values and computers that are operatively connected to them for control and / or regulation.

The invention is achieved in that at least one virtual sensor is operated using a computer and this computer is operatively connected to the computers for controlling and / or regulating the production plant or its devices for transmitting the virtual measured values.

• - Abweichungen vom regulären Verhalten sind schnell offensichtlich und helfen bei der Fehlerdiagnose.
• - Prozeßsteuerungen und -regelungen erhalten einen zusätzlichen Wert zur Berechnung ihrer Steuer- oder Regelstrecken und können somit feiner respektive mit höhere Auflösung vorgehen.
• - Durch die Verwendung von maschinellen Lernverfahren können sich die Simulationsparameter automatisch an das Altern der Maschine und/oder den Austausch von Komponenten anpassen.
• - Bei Parametern ohne in-situ-Messung besteht die Möglichkeit externe Datenquellen zu verwenden und die Offline-Messergebnisse für das Training anhand des Zeitstempels mit den jeweiligen Eingangs Größen zu korrelieren.

By integrating virtual sensors and displaying these values as measured values, the following advantages are achieved:

• - Deviations from the regular behavior are quickly apparent and help diagnose errors.
• - Process controls and regulations receive an additional value for the calculation of their control or regulation systems and can thus proceed more finely or with higher resolution.
• - By using machine learning methods, the simulation parameters can automatically adapt to the aging of the machine and / or the replacement of components.
• - For parameters without in-situ measurement, it is possible to use external data sources and to correlate the offline measurement results for the training with the respective input variables using the time stamp.

• - Bei einer laufenden Anlage können parallel zu real vorhandenen Sensoren testweise virtuelle Sensoren eingesetzt kann, um zu testen ob Sensor-Einsparungen durch virtuelle Sensoren möglich sind bzw. auch um einen Testbetrieb mit virtuellen Sensoren durchzuführen kann. Das virtuelle Signal kann zeitweise parallel zum echten Messsignal gebildet werden und nach erfolgreichem Testbetrieb kann diese oder zukünftige Produktionsanlagen an dieser erprobten Stelle ganz auf die reale Sensorik verzichten.
• - Virtuelle Sensoren können, insbesondere wenn sie angelernt sind, bei einem Sensorausfall mit dem virtuellen Signal weiter produzieren bis ein Ersatz-Sensor geliefert wurde.

In this context, deviations can also be detected so that the system can be retrained manually or automatically; as a result, more precise values result for the virtual sensor.

• - When the system is running, virtual sensors can be used for testing in parallel to sensors that are actually present, in order to test whether sensor savings are possible through virtual sensors or to carry out a test operation with virtual sensors. The Virtual signal can be generated in parallel to the real measurement signal at times, and after successful test operation, this or future production systems can do without real sensors at this tried and tested location.
• - In the event of a sensor failure, virtual sensors, especially if they have been trained, can continue to produce with the virtual signal until a replacement sensor has been delivered.

Particularly preferably, the measured values of the virtual sensor are created from a measured value of a different type with a correction factor and / or from several correlated non-specific measured values from actual value sensors. This has the advantage that measured values can be generated and used for the control and / or regulation of the production plant, which are only available via very expensive measuring devices or measuring devices that often fail and thus cannot be brought into relation to cost-effective production. It may also be that no measuring devices can be attached at certain locations in a complex production plant or that measuring devices for this application do not exist. Here, a virtual sensor, which receives measured values from neighboring or other (unrelated) actual value sensors, can create or deliver measured values that can be sensibly used in a control or regulation system.

The input data, the output data and / or the measured values of the virtual sensor are preferably provided with a, preferably system-synchronous, time stamp or they are already there. This means that the measured values can always be easily assigned to a current event or a specific production time.

Alternatively or cumulatively, the measured values of the virtual sensor can be taken from a database or current production data with measured values from earlier production cycles, preferably taking into account predetermined marginal and / or time data. This can be used, for example, to train a virtual sensor or to support the creation of a neural network as part of the virtual sensor.

In a preferred embodiment, an actual value sensor can be accompanied by a virtual sensor and, in the event of deviations outside of a predetermined range, trigger a reaction, preferably a notification function, to an operator and / or allow a corresponding notification entry to be made in a database. This means that the documentation requirement and the notification requirement can be sufficiently fulfilled.

Particularly preferably, selected actual value sensors in the production plant could be accompanied by a virtual sensor and thus checked at predetermined intervals. By regularly checking the real sensor system, measurement errors due to mechanical defects (cable, sensor or the like) can be detected at an early stage, especially in the course of predictive maintenance.

To avoid production stoppages, in the event of failure or obvious incorrect measurement of an actual value sensor, a virtual sensor could take over the generation of the measured values; this generation of the measured values could preferably start automatically, and in particular take place accompanied by alarm information to the operator.

In an advanced embodiment, the production plant could be optimized step by step to the extent that, after appropriate test runs with virtual sensors, the actual value sensors are gradually reduced or switched off. This is preferably used to minimize errors caused by sensor systems that often fail and to make production safer and more optimized.

In connection with one or more of the above-mentioned advantageous embodiments, a database with correct measured values can be created during regular production and, in the event of a failure, one or more actual value sensors can be used to generate the missing measured data from the virtual sensor.

In a particularly preferred and optimized embodiment, selected actual value sensors could be simulated as virtual sensors with the aid of a neural network.

It may also be advantageous to generate product parameters and / or system parameters, preferably which are without current or existing actual value sensors, with the help of a virtual sensor, supported by an artificial neural network.

Alternatively or cumulatively, the measured values of the virtual sensor can be transmitted as product parameters and / or system parameters to the computer for controlling and / or regulating the production system or its devices.

Alternatively or cumulatively, the input parameters for the neural network can be normalized and / or aggregated, in particular for the use of the input parameters also for other production systems or their controls / regulators.

It would be advantageous if the results of the neural network and / or the virtual sensor be standardized and / or aggregated before use at the local production facility or passed on to other production facilities.

Particularly preferably, a virtual sensor can be checked and / or trained in an ongoing production, preferably using actual value sensors from a local or other production facility.

Alternatively or cumulatively, the measured values of the virtual sensor or sensors can be written into a database, preferably with a time stamp, or visualized together with the actual values of the production system.

Alternatively or cumulatively, the program code of the virtual sensor can be set to a specific interface description, but it can be executed independently of the actual value sensor to be replaced.

Alternatively or cumulatively, a virtual sensor can be used, in particular in the course of a comparison with an actual value sensor, for status monitoring and / or predictive maintenance and / or failure detection.

Alternatively or cumulatively, in the course of the automated use of the production plant, an optimization of the production or the quality and / or a reduction of material input or scrap can be carried out, particularly preferably using an optimization computer which, with the help of one or more virtual sensors, a program for prediction the production quality and visualize its results. The operating personnel thus receives information about the probable production quality and, if this is desired, the results created by the virtual sensor are enabled and used for controlling and / or regulating the production system. This can even take place automatically within specified limits.

Alternatively or cumulatively, the optimization computer that is in operative connection with the production system can receive measured material, product and / or system parameters from the production system and / or its devices.

In such a production plant, devices for shredding, sorting, setting the mixing ratios of the material, providing the binding agent, gluing, storage, air conditioning of the material, for weighing, for monitoring and / or testing the material or the material fleece, for pre-pressing, for setting the humidity, temperature, width and / or height of the material fleece, for measuring parameters of the educts and material panels, for temperature control of the material panel and the like.

A computer is not necessarily to be understood as an independent computer, but rather a device on which a program code runs, whereby it is now common to run several program codes on a computer at the same time, which communicate with one another and are thus in operative connection with one another.

Alternatively or cumulatively, to operate the virtual sensor, the computer can be connected to actual value sensors of the same and / or a different type, preferably with the option of using their measured values with a correction factor and / or from several correlated non-specific measured values to create the virtual sensor map.

Alternatively or cumulatively, the virtual sensor can be in operative connection with a device for issuing a, preferably system-synchronous, time stamp

Alternatively or cumulatively, a database or current production data with measured values from earlier production cycles, preferably taking into account predetermined marginal and / or time data, can be arranged for the transmission of measured values to the virtual sensor. Alternatively or cumulatively, a neural network is arranged to form the virtual sensor.

Alternatively or cumulatively, a device for normalizing and / or aggregating the values can be arranged upstream and / or downstream of the virtual sensor, as well as alternatively integrated.

Devices for comminution, sorting, setting the mixing ratios of the material, provision of the binding agent, gluing, storage, air conditioning of the material, for weighing, for monitoring and / or testing the material or the material fleece, for pre-pressing, for setting the are preferred in the production plant Moisture, temperature, width and / or height of the material fleece, for measuring parameters of the educts and material panels, for tempering the material panel and the like. Provided. Product parameters are variables with which the characteristics of the material plate to be produced are recorded. For the necessary optimization and control purposes, no exact analytical determination of all product properties, including laboratory values, is necessary, but only essential product parameters are sufficient to be included. These could be: product name, mixing ratio of material or material / binding agent, basic moisture content of the starting material or mixed material, compression factor, Heat input, temperature, production speed, geometric characteristics of the cross-section (layer structure), compressibility, quality index, ... It should be pointed out that the individual conveying devices or other system components belonging to a system, which are necessary for the production process but not economically speaking, are necessary Have an impact, not specifically mentioned, but included in the control process. For example, depending on the production speed of the press, the necessary conveying and transport systems are adapted and controlled accordingly so that the starting materials or the products are conveyed in or out accordingly.

The invention understands glued material not only as liquid gluing, in which the binder is sprayed, for example, and applied to the material, but also the production of mixing ratios of material / binder in the dry process. Even if the use of the invention is adapted to a production plant for the production of material plates, the teaching and the knowledge of the invention can also be implemented in a hydraulic injection molding press, metal forming machines, recycling plants and / or other production plants. The invention can particularly preferably be used in special machine construction when the values are standardized and / or aggregated and can thus be easily ported to other production systems, preferably of the same type.

Advantageously, it is possible to reduce the product parameters to a few essential parameters, in particular if they are correlated with one another. For this purpose, a self-learning neural network is used to decide which product parameters correlate optimally with the machine parameters. Alternatively, this can also be specified from empirical values.

Finally, the neural network is used to perform an iterative optimization on the specification of one or several product parameters (quality, thickness, width of the material panel). For example, the automatic iterative optimization is implemented in that a higher-level optimization computer is separated from the system control or the controls of the individual system components (device for gluing, device for forming the mat fleece, press, ...) with the help of the neural network, measured value sets and processes the process variables of past, theoretical or in individual cases specified values are calculated and the process is iteratively transferred to the optimal operating point. For this purpose, the higher-level optimization computer will output key figures for controlling and / or regulating the production plant after the optimization has been completed. It is checked at specified intervals whether the process parameters are within the specified tolerance limits and whether the pressing time is shorter or the pressing speed is greater than the previous one.

The use of neural networks is understood to mean the use of machine learning, in which no model is coherently specified based on mathematical and / or physical values and the model parameters are then adjusted, but the use of artificial neural networks in which parts or the complete algorithm are used can be adjusted through training procedures. One or more layers of a network can thus be defined and / or created, as well as starting values for the weighting parameters from previous experience. The neural networks can also be multilayered and can have different structures. What they have in common is that in the design step, there is no modeling in the actual sense, but only a framework structure is specified for how the network is constructed and then an optimization algorithm optimizes the parameters. This optimization algorithm does not need or has no information about the process that is being simulated and only adapts all network parameters in such a way that the output variables in the training data matched the specified target variables as closely as possible. An example of a neural network from another industry is e.g. AlexNet, which is used for face recognition. If it is recognized that the algorithm is no longer working optimally, independent retraining can take place or the operator can be requested to initiate the automated adjustment manually.

The virtual sensor will preferably be freely configurable, so that configuration files or computer program products can be created for the production plant, in which the input and output parameters and the algorithm used for the simulation are defined. A virtual sensor defines a sensor that does not actually exist for creating a measured value in the production plant, which computer program product tries to approximate a current actual value from other known values (possibly also historical values), states and changes in state and outputs this accordingly.

For example, displacement, pressure or, for example, humidity sensors can be replaced by a virtual sensor. Alternatively, you can try to optimize or correct real results with the help of a virtual sensor.

It is particularly advantageous that the production plant can be tested and compared during operation as to which algorithms are used to obtain which quality of the estimate of a certain sensor value and whether sensor savings / compensation for a temporary failure of the signal is possible without complex software adjustments to have to make in the computers or their software of the production plant.

Another important application is the estimation of values that cannot be determined or can only be determined with great effort during production.

An example of this would be the determination of the plastic content of a recycled raw material. The proportion of the 'non-wood material' has previously been determined manually by employees who then enter these values e.g. B. can enter together with the time of sampling in a table of a database. In a virtual training session, these manually recorded measured values are then combined with process data and / or camera images so that a continuous inline plastic content measurement can then be carried out and this information (e.g. also strong fluctuations in this value) can be used to improve can flow into the production process.

A similar application example would be the chip size distribution after comminution. This is done manually for the training on the basis of one or more material samples, stored in a database and the virtual sensor can estimate which chip size distribution is currently being processed on the basis of the motor temperatures of the shredding systems and density measurement of the material before gluing, molding or the press. With a corresponding sensor quality of the virtual sensor, samples can be taken significantly less often in order to still be able to guarantee the same measurement information for the setting of the production system or process changes / damage in system components can be detected early.

External data sources are any data sources that exist apart from the installed measurement data acquisition system and provide data together with time information about their acquisition.

Claims (6)

Device for operating a production plant for the manufacture of material panels, the production system having at least devices for gluing the material, forming a fleece from the glued material and pressing it into material panels, and for producing a material panel, product parameters of the material panel to be manufactured and system parameters of the production system are set, wherein the production plant and / or its devices have sensors for determining measured values and computers operatively connected to it for control and / or regulation, characterized in that at least one virtual sensor is operated using a computer and this computer is used to transmit the virtual measured values to the computers for the control and / or regulation of the production plant or its devices is in operative connection. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that, to operate the virtual sensor, the computer is connected to actual value sensors of the same and / or a different type, preferably with the possibility of their measured values with a correction factor and / or several correlated The virtual sensor can be used to map the set foreign measurement values. Device at least according to one of the preceding device claims, characterized in that the virtual sensor is in operative connection with a device for outputting a, preferably system-synchronous, time stamp. Device at least according to one of the preceding device claims, characterized in that a database or current production data with measured values from earlier production cycles, preferably taking into account predetermined marginal and / or time data, is arranged for the transmission of measured values to the virtual sensor. Device at least according to one of the preceding device claims, characterized in that a neural network is arranged to form the virtual sensor. Device at least according to one of the preceding device claims, characterized in that a device for normalizing and / or aggregating the values is arranged upstream and / or downstream of the virtual sensor.