In-situ overheat alert for equipment

摘要

Malfunction or failure of mechanical, electrical and electro-mechanical equipment, for example equipment used in manufacturing operations, is often preceded by an increase in the operating temperature of at least some portion of the equipment. A temperature-sensitive, active material-containing actuator is pre-selected to operate at a pre-determined temperature indicative of impending equipment failure and placed in thermal contact with the equipment. If the equipment achieves the pre-selected temperature the actuator signals this by displaying a flag or providing some other passive visual indication. Alternatively, or additionally, the actuator may issue an electrically-powered alert including visual or audible alerts or a wireless communication. Selected actuators are based on smart materials including shape memory alloys (SMA), shape memory polymers (SMP) and paraffin wax, all of which may be adapted to operate over a temperature range sufficient to encompass the expected range of pre-determined temperatures.

主权项

1. A device for placement in thermal conduction contact with a machine, the device serving to detect and give notice of an over-heating condition in the machine when the machine is operating or has been operating; the device comprising:
a shaped body of an active material that is composed to experience a phase transformation, or undergo a glass transition, producing a shape, stiffness, or volume change when it is heated to a predetermined temperature, indicative of an over-heating condition in a machine when the device is placed in thermal conduction contact with the machine, the shaped body of active material being located in the device for heat transfer from the machine; a flag-member with a surface area for displaying a visible indication of overheating in the machine, the flag-member being maintained in a stored position in the device when the machine is not in a over-heating condition, the flag-member being movable to an alarm-giving position by activation of the active material when the active material is heated to its predetermined temperature by thermal contact with the machine and experiences its shape-, stiffness-, or volume-changing phase transformation or glass transition.