With networked sensors and AI to new business models
Enabling reliable plant analyses with smart machine components
What started in 2013 with university research at the Technical University of Darmstadt is now successfully growing in its fourth year as a multiple award-winning start-up (e.g. Hermes Award 2021 at the Hannover Messe).
"We teach your machine elements to feel" - This is the company slogan of core sensing GmbH from Darmstadt, which specializes in the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of measurement data from inside machines and commercial vehicles.
Sensing machine components - what exactly is behind them?
At the heart of core sensing technology is the integrated sensor body coreINwhich is fitted with strain gauges prior to its assembly and then inserted into the component to be monitored by means of a patented joining process. The integration of the sensor technology can be flexibly incorporated into the manufacturing process of a machine component, so that the components refined with "intelligence" can still be further processed after sensor integration, e.g. by welding, milling or surface treatment.
Therefore, the measurement is made directly inside the component, directly at the point of load. The required energy supply type is possible according to customer requirements. A rechargeable battery variant (runtimes of up to 2 years), a rotary energy harvester or inductive energy transfer are available.
The measuring electronics are also integrated in the component so that they are protected from damaging external influences. The integrated electronics has, in addition to a 2-channel strain gauge measuring amplifier also a powerful microcontroller for data processing and storage of the measurement data, as well as a radio module. By reducing and pre-processing the data, only relevant events and the accumulated load spectra and damage values are stored locally and transmitted in reduced form as required. In this way, a smart machine element can also autonomously record data that can then be read out at a later time. In addition, the electronics contain further sensors such as a 3-axis acceleration sensor, a speed sensor and a temperature sensor.
For the transmission of the measurement results to the control of a machine or plant, the gateway receives coreGATE the wirelessly transmitted measured values and forwards them by cable as analog or digital signals to the existing measuring and control systems (Fig. 1). For fast evaluation via tablet or smartphone, the display and evaluation of measurement data is carried out via the app coreVIEWER.
Online condition monitoring through integrated intelligence
The combination of available measurement data from various sensors, computing capacity and integrated memories makes fully comprehensive, intelligent monitoring of loads and current conditions possible.
The coreINSIGHT software toolbox is used to monitor components and systems and to plan maintenance. Here, load spectra are generated from the continuous measured values and a damage sum is calculated from them. This allows a forecast to be made of the remaining service life of the component. This makes it possible to plan maintenance intervals more reliably not on the basis of operating hours, but on the basis of the calculated remaining service life of the components. And not only for the component itself, but also for other components and systems in the load path.
By capturing actual usage data and the insights generated from it, new business models are made possible for OEMs. This puts OEMs in a more favorable position to offer optimized service performance in addition to machine sales.
Innovative potential benefits for machine and plant operators
In addition to successful implementations of core sensing technology in cardan shafts from ELBE, couplings from R+W, threaded spindles from Bornemann, applications for viscosity monitoring, valve control and other use cases are now in the realization phase.
Even more interesting will be the technological approach and the now extended product range of core sensing for pay-per-X business models, which will enable OEMs new ways to increase revenue and efficiency and thus be able to realize new IoT-based business models. This area is likely to see the greatest potential once "machine elements have been taught to sense." Especially if a company enters this new world of machine building with core sensing's highly motivated and agile team.
The experts at core sensing do not evaluate a large cloud of data with some AI algorithm, but as engineers they not only have their finger on the pulse and blood pressure of the component, but in particular understand the mechanics behind the load conditions.