The more complex a production line, the more time-consuming it is to investigate the causes of faults, malfunctions or quality defects. Recording process data for each station in the plant network helps to determine the 'state of health' and thus reduce downtimes. The Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB - Industrial Automation Division (IOSB-INA), for example, offers assistance with the intelligent workpiece carrier 'Inacarry'. Almost a year after the development of the mobile production data acquisition system 'Inasense', this workpiece carrier is used for data-driven error analysis in companies. The sensor unit uses conveyor lines to record, collect and wirelessly transmit various environmental and machine data from production.

Machine data is the basis of all digitalization or Industry 4.0 applications. In order to give existing systems a 'voice', relevant process data must be collected with as few sensors as possible. Sensors are the lever for digitally mapping and analyzing individual machines or entire production lines and making them more transparent, efficient and flexible on this basis: To date, temperature, power consumption, vibration, noise, air pressure and many other process variables have been measured on existing systems using external sensors and compared with the production KPIs - for example with the help of the 'Inasense' production data acquisition system.

Mobile sensor carrier

In the current development 'Inacarry', a workpiece carrier that moves from station to station on
conveyor lines from station to station through production is equipped with a set of sensors and thus records various environmental data such as temperature, humidity, air quality and pressure. It makes sense to map and analyze this data in context, especially for products whose manufacture is influenced by environmental factors. Inacarry also records machine-related data such as vibration, operating temperature, illumination and operating noise.

The special feature of the solution is that the sensor carrier on the conveyor line makes its way autonomously through the entire production process and can therefore create a holistic data image - without the need for stationary sensors or additional (experienced) personnel. In this case, autonomous does not refer to independent pathfinding; rather, the path is specified by the conveyor system. More precisely, it is a closed sensor system that has a power supply and wireless communication interfaces. This means that the system does not require any further coupling with the system, i.e. no changes need to be made to the process on the system side. The system is a self-contained unit. This provides the company with a cost-efficient database - focusing on the sensitive production section or the machine that needs to be analyzed or optimized.