# US 10,374,525 B2 · Multiple drive for a heavy-load application and method for operating such a multiple drive > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,374,525 B2 - Document ID: US10374525B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/528,306 - Filed: 2015-11-17 - Published: 2017-12-21 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-11-21 - Assignees: Flender GmbH - Applicants: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Andreas Kube - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374525B2 ## CPC - H02P 1/58: sequentially - B02C 15/006: {Ring or disc drive gear arrangement} - B02C 25/00: Control arrangements specially adapted for crushing or disintegrating - H02P 29/60: Controlling or determining the temperature of the motor or of the drive (H02P29/02 takes precedence) - H02P 29/68: based on the temperature of a drive component or a semiconductor component - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - B02C: CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN ({household tools and machines for pulverising foodstuffs, e.g. coffee and spice mills A47J42/00; pharmaceutical mortars A61J3/02; mechanical processing of refuse and garbage B03B9/06; dressing mould materials by grinding B22C5/04}; obtaining metallic powder by crushing, grinding or milling B22F9/04; {recovery of plastics by disintegrating B29B17/00; crushing raw materials in starch making C08B30/02; beaters for papermaking D21D1/02; crushing devices specially for transport in mines E21F13/002; slag crushing devices F23J1/00; fuel milling devices in combustion apparatus F23K1/00; household devices for crushing coal F24B15/02; ice disintegrating devices F25C5/02}) ## Abstract A multiple drive for a heavy load application includes a plurality of drive trains which are activated such that individual ones of the plurality of drive trains are successively activated automatically during startup of the heavy load application as part of a predefined activation strategy according to a predefined activation scheme and an activation sequence defined therein. In the event of a repeated start of the heavy-load application, a different activation scheme can be used for the activation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A multiple drive for a heavy load application, comprising a plurality of drive trains, a control device controlling the drive trains, and a sensor system configured to measure at least one temperature-proportional value for the drive trains of the multiple drive, wherein the control device controls individual ones of the plurality of drive trains automatically according to an activation scheme on the basis of the at least one measured temperature-proportional value, and uses a different activation scheme when the-heavy load application is subsequently started again with a new control loop. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The multiple drive of claim 1, wherein the drive trains include a motor and a coupling operably connected to the motor and configured as a fluid coupling. ### Claim 3 A method for operating a multiple drive for a heavy load application, comprising: automatically controlling with a control device individual drive trains of the multiple drive according to an activation scheme stored in a memory of the control device; measuring at least one temperature-proportional value for the drive trains of the multiple drive; selecting one or more of the drive trains to be activated on the basis of the measured temperature-proportional value; and using a different activation scheme when-the heavy load application is subsequently started again with a new control loop. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, comprising the further steps of, when the heavy load application is started with a first control loop of the activation scheme, initially activating only one of the drive trains, bringing the heavy load application to an initial speed by the one activated drive train, and thereafter successively activating with subsequent control loops all the drive trains or further drive trains when the initial speed is attained. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the initial speed is an idling speed. ### Claim 6 A computer program comprising program code stored on a non-transitory storage medium, which program code, when loaded into a memory of a control device for controlling a multiple drive for a heavy load application and executed by the control device, causes the control device to perform the steps of: automatically controlling individual drive trains of the multiple drive according to an activation scheme stored in a memory of the control device; measuring at least one temperature-proportional value for the drive trains of the multiple drive; selecting one or more of the drive trains to be activated on the basis of the measured temperature-proportional value; and using a different activation scheme when-the heavy load application is subsequently started again with a new control loop. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The computer program of claim 6, further causing the control device, when the heavy load application is started with a first control loop of the activation scheme, to perform the steps of initially activating only one of the drive trains, bringing the heavy load application to an initial speed by the one activated drive train, and thereafter successively activating with subsequent control loops all the drive trains or further drive trains when the initial speed is attained. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The computer program of claim 7, wherein the initial speed is an idling speed. ### Claim 9 A control device for controlling a multiple drive for a heavy load application, comprising: a processing unit; a memory; and a computer program embodied as a control program on a non-transitory medium, which control program, when loaded into the memory and executed by the processing unit during operation of the control device causes the processing unit to perform the steps of: automatically controlling individual drive trains of the multiple drive according to an activation scheme stored in a memory of the control device; measuring at least one temperature-proportional value for the drive trains of the multiple drive; selecting one or more of the drive trains to be activated on the basis of the measured temperature-proportional value; and using a different activation scheme when-the heavy load application is subsequently started again with a new control loop. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The control device of claim 9, wherein the computer program causes the processing unit to perform, when the heavy load application is started with a first control loop of the activation scheme, as part of the controlling, the steps of initially activating only one of the drive trains, bringing the heavy load application to an initial speed by the one drive train, and thereafter successively activating with subsequent control loops all the drive trains or further drive trains when the initial speed is attained. ### Claim 11 A vertical mill, comprising: a multiple drive for a heavy load application, said multiple drive comprising a plurality of drive trains, a control device controlling the drive trains, and a sensor system configured to measure at least one temperature-proportional value for the drive trains of the multiple drive wherein the control device has a processing unit, a memory and a computer program embodied as a control program in a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the computer program, when loaded into the memory and executed by the processing unit during operation of the control device causes the processing unit to perform the steps of controlling individual ones of the plurality of drive trains automatically according to the activation scheme, selecting one or more of the drive trains to be activated on the basis of the measured temperature-proportional value; controlling the heavy load application using a different activation scheme when the heavy load application is subsequently started again with a new control loop. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vertical mill of claim 11, wherein the drive trains include a motor and a coupling operably connected to the motor and configured as a fluid coupling. ### Claim 13 A vertical mill, comprising: a multiple drive for a heavy load application, said multiple drive comprising a plurality of drive trains and a control device controlling the drive trains, wherein the control device has a processing unit, a memory and a computer program embodied as a control program in a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the computer program, when loaded into the memory and executed by the processing unit during operation of the control device causes the processing unit to perform the steps of controlling individual ones of the plurality of drive trains according to the activation scheme, wherein the control device controls the heavy load application using a different activation scheme when the-heavy load application is subsequently started again, wherein when the heavy load application is started with a first control loop of the activation scheme, initially only one of the drive trains is activated, which brings the heavy load application to an initial speed, and thereafter all the drive trains or further drive trains are successively activated with one or more control loops of the activation scheme when the initial speed is attained.