US20060124764A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20060124764A1
Application number: US11/338,241
Authority: US
Inventors: Sergey Guskov; Robert Allsop; Ronald McMahon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-08-03
Filing date: 2006-01-24
Publication date: 2006-06-15
Also published as: US20050011967A1; US7363100B2

Abstract

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/921,462 filed on Aug. 3, 2001 for APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONFIGURING, INSTALLING AND MONITORING SPRAY COATING APPLICATION SYSTEMS, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/222,890 filed on Aug. 3, 2000, the entire disclosures of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to material application systems including liquid and powder material application systems. More particularly, the invention relates to safety and customer service enhancements for such systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Material application systems may be broadly categorized as liquid or powder spraying or application systems. Liquid spraying systems may include, though not limited to, paint, adhesives, conformal coatings, lacquers, slurries and so forth. Powder spraying systems may include powder paint coatings and other non-paint materials in powder form such as lubricants (for example, powdered graphite) and food additives such as flavorings and coatings for example; and powdered super-absorbents such as may be applied to diapers.

Material application systems can be rather complex in terms of various control and safety functions. Such systems include an array of one or more spray or dispensing guns or spraying devices, pumps, material feed centers and overspray recovery systems. Some application systems include electrostatic devices and many use pneumatic pressure as part of the application process. Many parameters may be monitored and adjusted including electrostatic voltage and current, air pressure, material pressure, flow rates, spray gun position, pump flow rates and so forth. Also, parts may be sprayed in a stationary condition within a spray booth or while moving through a spray booth via a conveyor system. Thus, an application system may include a number of sensors for position and speed control of the conveyor system, as well as sensors associated with triggering control of the spraying devices.

It is known that on occasion an operator of a manual gun may tape the gun trigger in the on position. In some cases, this can create a possible safety concern. Other safety related items include fire detectors. It is desired to provide method and apparatus for remote monitoring to provide safety enhancements, and also to provide a detection arrangement for special cases such as a taped trigger.

Moreover, various items in an application device such as a spray gun for example, are subject to wear and must be replaced when worn. Oftentimes, visual inspections or routine maintenance of such application devices cannot detect such worn parts without extensive teardown of the device.

Methods and apparatus are needed to provide safety and/or maintenance enhancements for material application systems, including local and remote access functions as needed.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The invention provides safety enhancements for material application systems. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, apparatus and method are provided for detecting when a trigger has been activated for a predetermined time period, thereby indicating that possibly the trigger has been taped or otherwise secured in an on condition. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, fire detection events are monitored. In general, the invention provides remote and local access and monitoring of such safety enhancements.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, apparatus and methods are providing for detecting actual spray times for one or more wear components in an application system. Such information may then be used for scheduling maintenance and repair.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a call-in feature is provided by which manufacturing or supply personnel can query an operational system to determine status and performance. The queried system may also log such events and provide reports to the customer.

These and other aspects and advantages of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of one or more embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying Figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an information exchange system in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram and flowchart of a customer extranet site including maintenance, repair and information module such as may be used in the system ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram and software flowchart of a configurator module such as may be used in the system ofFIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate exemplary configurator screens presented to a user;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a remote access module such as may be used in the system ofFIG. 1;

FIGS. 5A, 5B and5C illustrate in functional block diagram form various application monitor and safety functions that may be used with the present invention;

FIG. 5D illustrates in functional block diagram form a safety and other enhancements for a material application system; and

FIG. 5E illustrates an exemplary flow diagram for the safety enhancement ofFIG. 5D.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED AND ALTERNATE EMBODIMENTS

With reference toFIG. 1, the invention contemplates aninformation exchange system10 that facilitates the electronic configuration and purchase operations, as well as supporting the installation and monitoring of aspraying application system12 located at a customer production site. Such production sites are typically geographically remote or distant from the manufacturing site of the spraying application system. A customer may also have a number of production and support sites that are geographically remote from each other. A customer support site may include purchasing, production engineering and so forth. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in the context of an Internet based information exchange or network system, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the Internet is but one example of an open undedicated communication system that may be used to practice the present invention. Proprietary or closed communication systems may also be used. Additionally, dedicated communication links via land wire and wireless modem connections, optical communication systems, satellite communications and so forth are just a few examples of data and information exchange communication systems that may also be used with the present invention. The Internet is a preferred example because of the ability to access information across the open network from virtually any location in the world. By “open” is simply meant the ready access to a network via a server connected thereto, it being recognized that secure access is available through various data encryption and password control scenarios.

Furthermore, although the described embodiments herein are in the context of exemplary spraying application systems, such examples are intended to be illustrative in nature and should not be construed in a limiting sense. The present invention may be used in a wide variety of material spraying application systems, including powder spraying systems and liquid spraying systems, and further may be used in connection with the spraying of a wide variety of articles such as but not limited to car parts, electronic components, metal parts, non-metal parts, cans and other containers including biodegradable containers, and so forth. The invention is applicable to manual guns and automatically (electronically) triggered guns. The foregoing is not intended to be an exhaustive list by any means and should not be construed in a limiting sense. Additionally, some or all of the aspects of the present invention may find application outside the material spraying technologies. Still further, although the described embodiments incorporate various aspects of the invention into a single system, such description is for convenience and ease of understanding and not intended to be limiting. The various aspects of the invention may be used individually or in any number of various combinations in a particular system based on the particular needs of the customer. For example, a customer may avail itself of the configuration capability of the present invention but may decide not to incorporate a remote access and monitoring function, or vice-versa. The terms “customer” and “user” are used interchangeably herein and in a broad sense to identify anyone having access to the various features of the system.

InFIG. 1 then, thesystem10 includes a customer manufacturing orproduction site12, that may include one or more spraying application systems or system requirements. Theproduction site12 may include one or more spraying application

system monitoring modules

14a,14b,14c. Themonitoring modules14a,b,care realized in a conventional manner using a number of sensors, gauges, detectors, controllers, actuators, valves, pumps and so forth that are typically linked to a local primary control system (with possibly one or more local secondary controllers) such as a programmable logic controller (PLC) or other suitable control system at the customer'sproduction facility12. Alternatively for example a distributed embedded control system may be used. Themonitoring modules14a,b,cthus utilize a number of interactive system components that are provided by the manufacturer (“M”) or other supplier, for example, to permit local monitoring and control functions via a controller. An example of such a local monitoring and control system is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,132,511 and 5,167,714 the entire disclosure of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. Such patents may be referred to for details of a typical local control system but should not be construed as limiting of the present invention. Many types of local control systems are well known to those skilled in the art and a detailed description thereof herein is not necessary to the understanding and practice of the present invention. By “local” is simply meant that the control and monitoring functions are implemented within the customer's site, but may include the feature of dedicated LAN and WAN systems and other dedicated closed networked systems within theproduction site12 and possibly linked to other dedicated closed network systems of the customer.

One or more of themonitor modules14a,b,cmay be connected to the Internet via a suitable interface controller andsoftware module16. Theinterface module16, for example, may be realized based on a Windows™ style or other suitable platform that provides data and other information that is accessible via aweb site18 and web page links accessible through the Internet. The Internet access may be carried out in a conventional manner using a server that is connected to the Internet. In this embodiment of the invention, the toplevel web site18 is a public accessible web site and web page maintained on a server that is under the control of the manufacturer M. The specific customer information and data however is accessed only through a secure customerspecific web page20 link from the main page. Of course, a customer might not require a secure link but it is expected that in almost all cases a secure link will be used. A secure link may be realized, for example, by a required user name and password combination. Higher lever secure access features such as public and private key exchanges and so forth may be used as required. The web pages and sites may be implemented with conventional HTML language or other suitable software. For example, Java™ scripts and XML based protocols may be used. The various databases described herein may be realized using conventional spreadsheet programs or custom programs.

Access to the secure customerspecific web site20 thereby provides access todatabases22 that are requested by or provided to the customer. The particular content of thedatabases22 will be customer specific in many cases, however, in accordance with one aspect of the invention it is contemplated that the securecustomer web site20 may function as a customer extranet that is accessible by different customer production sites and support sites even if such sites are spread throughout the world. Alternatively, a customer may decide not to permit all of its sites to have full access to all databases within theextranet20. Each customer site for example may have itsown extranet20 with a secure access feature to allsuch extranets20 being granted to a central home office for example.

Thedatabases22 may include, for example, aninteractive troubleshooting module24, a laboratorytest records module26 and a general database ofrecords28. Thetest records module26 database will typically be maintained by the manufacturer M based on system tests and initial setup parameters prior to shipping theapplication system12 to the customer. Thecustomer records database28 may include a public section and a private section wherein the public section allows the customer to view historical data and other information unique to their facilities, whereas the private section permits a field technician or other representative of the manufacturer M to input repair and maintenance information into the manufacturer's more detailed database. In either case, the customer only has access to itsspecific databases22.

In addition to the customerspecific web site20, the manufacturer M may also have access to itsown Intranet site30 via thepublic web site18. Typically theIntranet site30 will also be a secure access site available only to the manufacturer M. ThisIntranet site30 may contain access to any number of databases and services pertinent to the operation of the manufacturer's business selected by the manufacturer M to be available on its Intranet, as is known in the art.

The invention also contemplates the capability for the customer to configure electronically aspraying application system12 based on its requirements such as the type of articles being sprayed, the material being sprayed and so forth. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, via the customer web site orExtranet20 the customer has access to aconfigurator module32. Theconfigurator module32 may include a number of features as will be described hereinafter, including animation and other video functions34. Theconfigurator module32 may have aconfiguration records database36 for storing prior configuration requests and any associated price quotes. Theconfigurator module32 may also interface to a pricing andinventory module38 that provides price and delivery information for various selected components of the configuredsystem12. A further link to an e-commerce marketing andsales site40 may also be provided as required to permit conventional catalog sales and ordering processes.

The invention further contemplates a remote access function by which personnel at the manufacturing site M have access to the operation of theapplication system12 at the customer's site. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, aremote access module42 may be used to provide a communication link over the Internet or other communication network to permit the manufacturer M to monitor thesystem12 performance. For example, theremote access module42 may provide access to the customer's production site via asecure web site44 that is maintained by the customer. Alternatively, the manufacturer may have access to the customer's site via adedicated communication network46 for added security. In either case, the monitored performance via themonitor modules14a,b,care thus accessible to the manufacturer's personnel such as service technicians and design engineers. Theremote access module42 may also include alink41 to thedatabase22 to allow a field technician to update the database with the results of such an online field service activity. Although thelink41 is illustrated as direct to the database, in practice the link may be established through either the manufacturer'sIntranet30 or theextranet20.

With reference toFIG. 2 then, an exemplary flowchart for the customer/userExtranet web site20 is illustrated. Atstep100 the customer enters the manufacturer's M public web page by any suitable connection to the Internet and selects the link to thespecific product area102 of interest, such as powder spraying systems, liquid spraying systems, container spraying systems and so on. The customer may then be presented atstep102 with a menu of choices including a link to the e-commerce catalog ordering and

sales site

38,40. The customer may also browse general information made available by the manufacturer M or may link to the customer's extranet site atstep104. The link into the customer's extranet will typically be through a secure web page such as by requiring a user name and password for example.

Atstep106 the customer is presented another menu of options from within its extranet site. Anorder link108 may connect the customer to the

e-commerce site

38,40 for pricing or status check of a customer specific order (it being recognized that the e-commerce site may be separately accessed by the customer from themain web site18 if so desired). Asecond option110 will link the customer to theconfigurator module32. Anotheroption112 will link the user to an equipmenttest results database114 which may be part of the laboratory test records module26 (FIG. 1). Thetest results database114 may include such information as test date, product identification, test results and so forth including video or other visual data of tests and so forth.

Another option in the user'sextranet site106 is alink116 to the manufacturer'spublic database28. This database may be maintained by the manufacturer M, the customer or both as required and will contain historical data relating to repairs, initial setup parameters, spare parts lists, system profile information and any other useful information the user may want to know about the operation, performance, maintenance and repair of thesystems12 in place. Thisdatabase28 is thus unique to the specific customer, and may be configured for access by all the customer's sites or only selected ones of the customer's sites. Separate databases may be provided for each customer site. Anoptional update link118 may be used by the manufacturer to update therecords database28 based on the latest field reports, repair reports and so on. The customer and/or the manufacturer M may also update thedatabase28 via

steps

120,122 when changes are made to thesystem12 such as repairs and upgrades for example.

Thecustomer extranet site20 may also be provided with access by the manufacturer's service technicians atstep124 to permit the service technicians to provide useful repair information. This information may be entered into the manufacturer's private database atstep126 and then the data may be filtered if so required prior to updating the customer'sdatabase28. The service technician may also link from the customer'sextranet page106 into the manufacturer'sIntranet site30.

Another useful option presented to the user at theextranet site106 is atroubleshooting module128. When thesystem12 is not spraying properly or other problems arise, the user may access thetroubleshooting module128 to obtain helpful suggestions as to possible solutions. Themodule128 includes a database that stores typical problems and suggested solutions. Thetroubleshooting module128 may also be an interactive function such as a message board or chat operation. The database may for example be developed from the manufacturer's historical data from the customer or all customers. Atstep128 the user inputs system identification data and may type in a problem description. An unsuccessful search atstep130 may prompt additional questions or may suggest a service representative call. Asuccessful search result132 may be directly obtained from the initial query atstep128 or additional queries atstep130. In either case, a recommended or possible solution may be presented along with optional visual demonstrations.

FIG. 2 is exemplary in nature as to the types of functions that may be presented to the customer/user at its private extranet site. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many other functions may be incorporated as required or some deleted as required. But the ability to provide customer specific troubleshooting functions, database searches and customer specific system configuration functions greatly enhance the effectiveness of the spraying application system operation within the customer'sproduction site12.

The manufacturer'sprivate Intranet30 may also include a secure extranet feature to permit access by the manufacturer's personnel for sales reports and related information. This database may include such information as news of recent installations, visual archives of installations, sales report information, laboratory test results and so forth.

FIG. 3 provides an exemplary flowchart for a configurator module32 (FIG. 1) which permits a user to electronically configure a spraying application system. Atstep200 the user enters the public web site of the manufacturer M and at

steps

202 and204 enters the appropriate security access information for gaining access to the customer specific web site20 (FIG. 1) as previously described hereinabove. At step106 (FIG. 2) the user can select theconfigurator module32, and specifically atstep206 selects the type of system to configure, such as a powder spraying system. Atstep208 the customer selects the type of system components desired such as the pumping system and pump selection, nozzle selection, filters, gun design, control systems and so on. Atstep210 the customer enters specific information to his particular application such as the type of material, article dimensions and type, conveyor feed rates, material type, weight, viscosity and so forth, as well as operating parameters such as temperature and desired coating characteristics such as film thickness. The data entered at

steps

208 and210 will be dependent on the particular customer spraying application needs. Atstep212 the configurator software then can assimilate the data entered and perform a database query in order to recommend the various system components that the customer will need. Alternatively, if the customer is knowledgeable of the system components, the customer may directly select the components. Theconfigurator software212 may then be used to detect whether the customer has attempted to make an invalid combination of system components. Atstep214 the configurator software may query the e-commerce pricing anddelivery database38 for pricing and delivery information, and may also present a visual representation of the selected system to the customer. Finally atstep216 the customer is presented with a configuration number, quote number and any other useful tracking information, and this data may be stored for later access. A link to thee-commerce ordering site40 can then be used if so desired to place the order.

It should be noted that the manufacturer M may also provide a public configurator module that can be accessed from the manufacturer'spublic web site18. This would permit a customer to “try out” various configurations using a pick and choose approach rather than basing the configuration on specific customer parameters.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate typical web pages that might be presented to a user as part of a configurator program. Many other options and methods of presentation may be used. InFIG. 3A, themain screen250 provides ageneral component list252 and avisual representation254 of thesystem12. Thelist252 may provide a link for each component to a “drag and drop” style of selection menu for example. A configuration “wizard”option256 may be provided to facilitate component selection based on a preset series of questions about the customer's particular spraying application. An example of a “wizard”option256 is illustrated inFIG. 3B.FIG. 3B may be realized using a single screen or a series of screens. The software selects the components based on the answers to thequestions258 and at260 provides a bill of materials.Various links262 as previously described can be used to connect the user to the pricing, availability and ordering modules.

With reference toFIG. 4, an exemplary embodiment of aremote access module42 is illustrated in flow diagram form as may be used, for example, by personnel of the manufacturer M, such as technicians and engineers. In this case, the user from the user's local computer at one of the manufacturer's M sites, selects remote access atstep300 which typically will be a customer specific software program that allows an interface to thevarious monitor modules14a,b,cat the customer'ssite12. Alternatively, the modules14 may be standardized thus permitting a single program to access different customer sites (provided appropriate security measures are maintained). Atstep302 the user selects either an Internet based connection atstep304 or a direct or dedicated connection atstep306. Step304 will require security access verification atstep308, while a direct connection atstep306 will connect via a data communication program which may be conventional. In either case the user connects into the manufacturer's control network atstep310. This connection provides direct access to the customer's Internet connection16 (FIG. 1). Atstep312 the user can monitor in real time various operating parameters at the customer's site including pressure, flow rates, fire detector status, review setup parameters and so on. Atstep314 the customer is contacted to initiate a test solution. Atstep316 if the problem was corrected, atstep318 corrective action is implemented by ordering parts as required with a service call scheduled and so forth. Atstep320 the actions taken may be entered into the customer database28 (FIGS. 1 and 2) and the manufacturer's private database126 (FIG. 2). If atstep316 the problem was not corrected, the algorithm returns to step312 for another test solution.

FIG. 4 illustrates additional features that may optionally be used to monitor system performance and improve customer service. In one embodiment, atelephone interface500 is provided that allows a remote user, such as, for example, a technician, sales representative, project manager and so on, to use aremote telephone502 to dial into themenu interface500. Thetelephone502 may be from a land line or wireless, and could alternatively be a pager system, e-mail interface and so on. For example, thetelephone502 may be used to access e-mail with commercially available services such as ADOMO™. Theinterface500 may be realized in the form of a menu driven system that receives some or all of the information being collected instep312, and makes that information available via the telephone. For example, a modified voicemail system could be used that stores system information retrievable as a voice message. The voice messages can be computer generated in a manner similar to commercially available voicemail systems. The information may be updated periodically or when a call is received and a menu selection made. In cases where the information is updated regularly, automated notices could be sent to voice mail and e-mail or other communication form to advise personnel that an event has occurred requiring follow-up.

An additional feature that may be included in the system is aninquiry log function510. This function for example can track the number of times a representative queries the system either through theremote access function300 or through thetelephone access500 or both. Thelog function510 may further include or interface with an automatic notification function such as with e-mail, page and so on to let key contact personnel of the customer know that the manufacturer's representative made the inquiry. This can be used, example, to help satisfy certification requirements such as ISO certification.

Theremote access module42 is particularly advantageous in supporting customers that may not have a large internal support function. The data collected by the manufacturer M may also be used with expert systems to provide predictive maintenance and repair functions. Theremote access module42 can be used to not only monitor manufacturer supplied components such as spray guns and pumps, and so forth, but also in connection with available software can monitor electronic devices such as encoders and proximity switches. A field service engineer, for example, may perform regular audits of a spraying application system direct from the engineer's desktop computer without having initially to travel to the customer'sproduction site12. Various parameters such as flame detection, dew point and proper grounding could be monitored and historically reviewed. Although most changes and adjustments would be implemented via contact with the customer, remote modifications and changes to various parameters such as pressure and flow rates may be implemented with the appropriate software.

FIGS. 5A, 5B and5C illustrate exemplary monitor modules14 that may be used with the remote access concept of the present invention. Although the examples inFIGS. 5A-5C are related to a powder spraying system, such description is intended to be exemplary in nature. The concepts of the present invention are equally applicable to liquid spraying systems and spraying systems for containers, for example. InFIG. 5A a fire detection sensor400 includes a self-test feature402 and outputs a self-test status signal404. Thestatus signal404 is input to the firedetection system controller406 and further provides a status signal or signals to themain system controller410. In this example theapplication system12 is a powder spraying application system. Themain controller410 interfaces through the Internet via alink412 to the manufacturer's system via theremote access module42 as previously described herein. InFIG. 5B, operational parameters may be remotely monitored. The system controller receives various inputs from thepart ID controller420, which detects the part ID and position using a number ofsensors422. Themain controller410 interfaces with thespray gun controller424, for example, although the main controller may interface to other subsystem controllers such as a gun mover, spray booth, powder feed center and so on. Thesubsystem controller424 for example may control operation of an electrostatic gun and related powder feed pump. Thegun controller424 receives various feedback signals426 including voltage and current values and settings, air pressure readings, flow rates and so on. These signals may then be formatted and made accessible to theremote access module42 over the Internet or other suitable network communication system. In addition to fire detection and gun parameters, themain controller410 may provide additional monitored parameters to theremote access module42, such as for example, flow rates, ground monitors, fan speeds, pressure readings, dew points, triggering information, film thickness and so on.FIG. 5C illustrates a block diagram of various monitoring functions that may be provided to the manufacturer M via theremote access module42. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list but exemplary in nature and should not be construed in a limiting sense as to the available functions to be monitored.

With reference toFIG. 5D, the invention also contemplates various safety enhancements that may optionally be included in the systems described herein. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, apparatus and methods are provided for detecting a safety condition such as when the manual trigger of a spray gun has been taped or otherwise secured in the “on” or actuated position. This can create in some cases an undesirable situation due to excessive uninterrupted and even unattended use of the device. In the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 5D, amaterial application device550 such as, for example, a powder spray gun, includes a manually actuatedtrigger552. Actuation of thetrigger552 results in powder and air flow, and may also activate an electrical power source for electrostatic devices. Actuation of the trigger can easily be detected in a variety of different ways, and is referred to herein as a “trigger event.” Detection for example can be based on contact closure, movement of thetrigger552 past a predetermined point, operation of the power supply or material flow, and so on.

Detection and analysis of the trigger event may also be implemented in a wide variety of ways. In the exemplary embodiment, atimer circuit560 is provided that receives anelectrical signal562 that corresponds to the trigger event. The signal need not be electrical from thedevice550, although for convenience in most cases will be converted to an electrical signal. Thetimer circuit560 may, for example, be incorporated into any of the control circuits for theapplication device550, or one of the monitoring circuits14 (FIG. 4) and so on, or may be its on stand alone circuit.

Thetimer circuit560 includes awatchdog timer564 that receives thetrigger event signal562 as an input. When thesignal562 indicates the trigger has been activated, thetimer564 operates to time how long the trigger event is present. If the trigger event remains active for a predetermined period of time, thetimer564 times out and produces anoutput566 that indicates that thetrigger552 has been active for a period of time that needs to be investigated. Thetimer output566, for example, may be used to activate alocal signal568 such as an alert or shutdown signal to deactivate thedevice550. The alert may be audible, visual or in any other form. By local is simply meant that thesignal568 is produced within the locale of the equipment. In addition to or in lieu thereof thetimer output566 may be used by thesystem controller410 such as described herein to provideremote access42 to the timer output or alert signal, such as via a telephone, text message, page, e-mail and so on. Even if the timer does not produce an alert, a log may be used to store the occurrence of such events for later analysis. Areset function570 is provided. Thereset function570 can be, for example, a reset signal that is based on release of thetrigger552 before the timer times out. Thereset function570 may also be a manual reset for instances where thetimer564 has generated an alert and has shutdown the system or otherwise interrupted operation and control of theapplication device550.

FIG. 5E illustrates an exemplary flow diagram for the safety enhancement ofFIG. 5D. Atstep570 the reset function occurs for the timer and the circuit waits at572 for a trigger event as indicated by theevent signal562. Atstep574 the circuit checks if the trigger is still activated. If not, the system resets the timer at570. If yes, the timer decrements (an incrementing counter may alternatively be used) at576 and if the trigger has turned off at578 the timer resets to step570. If atstep578 the trigger is still on, the circuit checks atstep580 if the timer has timed out. If not, the sequence loops back to step574 and checks again if the trigger is still on. If atstep580 the timer has timed out, then the sequence advances to step582, which in this case generates ashutdown sequence584. For example, the system can be programmed so that at step584 a system power down and up is required to start again.

FIG. 5D illustrates another aspect of the invention. In addition to monitoring whether a trigger event has occurred for too long a time period, thereby indicating possible improper use of the equipment, various components of theapplication device550 are subject to wear over time. Although illustrated as a manual gun, the invention may also be used with an automatically (electronically) triggered gun. Often times it is difficult or very expensive to perform routine visual parts inspection. Empirical data however or other analysis can be used to determine when various wear parts need to be replaced or at least inspected for wear. Such parts may include, for example, electrodes, nozzles, pump throats, filters and so on. Thetrigger event signal562 can be monitored, such as by atimer control circuit590. Thistimer590 may for example store the total elapsed time that adevice550 has been in use, as evidenced by the on time of the trigger.Other parameters590acan be monitored besides the trigger. For example, the timer circuit may monitor a flow signal for the material being applied, or a pressure signal such as at a filter arrangement, or air flow at a pump and so on. These parameters, along with the timer information, may be archived in a database or other way for analysis to optimize expected use time. After selected time periods the timer can be used to generate a local592 or remote594 signal, or both, to indicate that inspection and/or maintenance is required. These

signals

592 and594 need not be shutdown signals, but rather alerts that notify appropriate personnel that adevice550 has been used for a period of time that indicates the need for maintenance and/or repair/replacement of various wear items. Different wear parts may have different time durations of useful life and thetimer circuit590 may issue one or more signals that are part dependent. Theremote signals594 can be especially useful such as through text messaging, voice mail, e-mail and so on to alert service representatives that a service call is to be scheduled. Moreover, additional inputs to thecontrol circuit590 may include such things as type of material, flow rates, pressure and so on that can affect the time period allowed before a maintenance/inspection alert is issued. Thus thecontrol circuit590 can be used to monitor usage time for wear parts that are a function of exposure to flowing material or other parameters such as exposure to electrical energy (e.g. the electrodes.) Still further, the remote access feature can be used to interface with replacement parts inventory and order systems if so desired. It is important to note that the usage timer may be implemented with a manually controlled trigger system or a control system that electronically controls the trigger.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof.

Therefore, it is intended that invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1-28. (canceled)

29. A system for monitoring a material application system, comprising:

a material application system in a first building site at a first geographic location;

a material application system monitoring module that receives operating data from said material application system and that is accessible to a communication network;

said monitoring module formatting said operating data into signals accessible via said network; said operating data comprising one or more characteristics of the material being applied to an object; and

a remote access module in a second and different building site than said first building site with said second building site being located at a second geographic location that provides access by a geographically remote user to acquire said operating data via said network.

30. The system ofclaim 29 wherein said network comprises the Internet.

31. The system ofclaim 29 comprising a database that contains historical operating parameter information, said database being accessible by said remote user via said remote access module.

32. The system ofclaim 29 wherein said database and operating data are accessible via secure Web pages on the Internet.

33. The system ofclaim 29 wherein said remote access module accesses real time operational parameters and corresponding parameters stored as initial set-up values to permit geographically remote monitoring of system performance.

34. The system ofclaim 33 wherein said remote access module accesses operating and historical data for trend analysis and preventative maintenance.

35. The system ofclaim 29 wherein said material application system comprises a powder spraying system and wherein said operating data comprises powder flow rates, powder spray gun electrical powder characteristics, powder spray gun triggering characteristics, powder film thickness characteristics and pressure characteristics.

36. A method for monitoring a material application system which is operating in a customer building site at a first geographic location, comprising the steps of:

accessing operating data from said material application system over a communication network; said operating data comprising one or more characteristics of the material being applied;

wherein said operating data is accessed from a second and different building site than said first building site with said second building site being located at a second geographic location so that a geographically remote user can acquire said operating data via said network to monitor performance of said material application system.

37. The method ofclaim 36 comprising the step of accessing historical operating data.

38. The method ofclaim 36 comprising the step of accessing real time operational parameters and corresponding parameters stored as initial set-up values to permit geographically remote monitoring of system performance.

39. The method ofclaim 36 comprising the step of accessing and updating a repair history database for said material application system.