Fan brake control system

A fan brake system for controlling an industrial fan system, the fan brake system comprising:

• a fan brake including a brake pad movable on the fan brake to selectively engage the fan system;
• an actuator including a motor operable to cause the fan brake to perform a braking procedure on the fan system to resist rotational movement of the fan system, the motor including an actuator shaft;
• a speed sensor operable to detect information related to a rotational speed of the motor;
• a position sensor operable to monitor the position of the brake pad when the fan brake system is placed adjacent to the fan system;
• and
• a controller communicated with the actuator, the position sensor, and the speed sensor, the controller operable to selectively cause the actuator and the fan brake to perform the braking procedure, wherein:
• the controller is operable to determine and monitor the rotational speed of the motor of the actuator based on information received from the speed sensor;
• the controller is operable to monitor and control power being supplied to the motor of the actuator and the rotational speed of the motor in real time during the braking procedure, and the controller is operable to stop the braking procedure once the position sensor detects that the brake pad has travelled at least a target closing displacement distance and the rotational speed of the motor is zero.

A fan brake system for controlling an industrial fan system, the fan brake system comprising:

• a fan brake including a brake pad movable on the fan brake to selectively engage the fan system;
• an actuator including a motor operable to cause the fan brake to perform a braking procedure on the fan system to resist rotational movement of the fan system;
• a position sensor operable to monitor the position of the brake pad when the fan brake system is placed adjacent to the fan system;
• and
• a controller communicated with the actuator and the position sensor, the controller operable to selectively cause the actuator and the fan brake to perform the braking procedure and monitor the rotational speed of the motor of the actuator, wherein:
• the controller is selectively operable to perform an initialization procedure including the steps of:
• causing via the actuator the brake pad to move away from the fan system until the motor reaches a predetermined opening torque limit which indicates the fan brake pad is in a desired open position;
• causing via the actuator the brake pad to move toward and engage the fan system until a predetermined closing torque limit is reached which indicates the brake pad is in a desired closed position;
• calculating via the position sensor a target closing displacement distance travelled by the brake pad between the open position and the closed position;
• and
• returning the brake pad to the open position for the braking procedure;
• and
• the controller is operable to monitor and control power being supplied to the motor of the actuator during the braking procedure, and the controller is operable to stop the braking procedure once the position sensor detects that the brake pad has travelled at least a target closing displacement distance and the rotational speed of the motor is zero.