Drive-as-a-sensor

Drive-as-a-Sensor

Drives are more than simple power processors

iQunet makes from your already installed drive a versitale sensor that is monitoring 24/7 your assets.  By exporting the relevant information such as power, currrent, torque, frequency, RPM, IGBT temperature, and much more, your drive becomes a valuable source of data which is usefull for monitoring the condition of industrial assets.  The exported data is stored in the iQunet Edge Server and data is readily available for analysis, trends, and more while offering immediat communication via OPC UA and MQTT.  In combination with iQunet’s embedded AI, this becomes a powerfull tool for asset and condition monitoring of your valuable equipment.

While iQunet only exports the drive parameters by design, the system is a secure and does not interfere with the automation functions of the drive.  In no circumstances it is possible to change the parameters of the drive.

How it works

Trends in Industry 4.0

In an automation network, the amount of data is prominent. As data is mainly produced by sensors, the number of sensors in modern automation systems is increasing. Motors and driven machines such as fans, pumps and conveyors are not the most obvious participants in a data network. Sensors are therefore required to collect data from these machines. The sensors are connected to the data network using various means to utilize the data. During the introduction of an advanced condition monitoring system, the additional cost of sensors and connectivity is often seen as a barrier.

Modern variable speed drives open new opportunities in the Industry 4.0 automation network. Traditionally, drives have been considered power processors for controlling the motor speed. Today, drives are also part of the information chain, using the advantage of built-in processing power, storage capacity, and communication interface, within the drive.