# US 2018/0321109 A1 · Overpressure encapsulation system for explosion protection, and corresponding operating method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0321109 A1 - Document ID: US20180321109A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/774,131 - Filed: 2016-11-04 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-20 - Assignees: Dürr Systems AG - Applicants: Dürr Systems AG - Inventors: Jens Häcker; Alexander Carls - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180321109A1 ## CPC - G01M 3/26: by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors - B25J 19/0079: {using an internal pressure system} - G01M 3/283: {for double-walled pipes} - B25J 11/0075: {Manipulators for painting or coating} - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) ## Abstract The disclosure relates to an overpressure encapsulation system for explosion protection, comprising the following: a device (1), in particular a painting robot (1), an overpressure-encapsulated device housing (2) comprising a housing outlet (6) for discharging gas out of the device housing (2), a compressed air system (3, 4) for operating the device (1), said compressed air system (3, 4) being arranged within the device housing (2), a sensor assembly (7, 8, 9) for measuring at least one fluid variable (Q, PI, PA), and an analysis unit (11) which analyzes the fluid variable (Q, PI, PA) measured by the sensor assembly (7, 8, 9), in particular in order to detect a leakage of the device housing (2). The disclosure proposes that, when a leakage of the device housing (2) starts, the analysis unit (11) ascertains a remaining run time until a required maintenance operation or until a system failure on the basis of the measured fluid variable (Q, PI, PA) and/or detects a fault (14, 16) of the compressed air system (3, 4) on the basis of the measured fluid variable (Q, PI, PA). The disclosure further relates to a corresponding operating method. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 -13. (canceled) ### Claim 14 An overpressure encapsulation system for explosion protection, comprising: a) a device, b) an overpressure-encapsulated device housing for explosion protection for the device, c) a housing outlet in the device housing for discharging gas out of the device housing through the housing outlet into a surrounding atmosphere, d) a compressed air system for operating the device by means of compressed air, said compressed air system being arranged at least partially inside the overpressure-encapsulated device housing, e) a sensor assembly for measuring at least one fluid variable in the device housing, at the housing outlet and/or in the surrounding atmosphere, and f) an analysis unit, which is connected to the sensor assembly on the inlet side and analyzes the fluid variable measured by the sensor assembly, wherein g) when a leakage of the device housing starts, the analysis unit ascertains a remaining runtime until a required maintenance operation or until a system failure on the basis of the measured fluid variable. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 14, wherein the device is a painting robot. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 15, wherein the analysis unit considers the flow volume of the gas through the housing outlet as the fluid variable to be analyzed for ascertaining the remaining runtime. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 16, wherein the sensor assembly comprises: a) an internal pressure sensor, which measures the internal pressure inside the device housing, and b) an ambient pressure sensor, which measures the ambient pressure outside the device housing, c) wherein the analysis unit calculates the flow volume of the gas through the housing outlet from the measured internal pressure and the measured ambient pressure. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 15, wherein the sensor assembly comprises a flow volume sensor, which measures the flow volume of the gas through the housing outlet. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 15, wherein the sensor assembly emits a quantitative sensor signal of the at least one measured fluid variable. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 15, wherein a valve is arranged in the housing outlet. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 15, wherein a) in a leakage, the fluid variable follows a predetermined temporal course, which is stored in the analysis unit, b) the analysis unit measures the temporal course of the measured fluid variable, c) from the stored temporal course and the measured temporal course, the analysis unit calculates the remaining runtime until a required maintenance operation or until a system failure. ### Claim 22 (depends on 15) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 15, wherein b) the analysis unit calculates a statistical trend of the measured fluid variable, b) the analysis unit calculates an intersect point between the statistical trend of the measured fluid variable and a predetermined threshold value for the fluid variable, and c) the analysis unit calculates the remaining runtime before the intersect point is reached. ### Claim 23 (depends on 15) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 15, wherein the compressed air system of the device contains at least one of the following components: a) a pneumatically controlled coating agent valve for controlling a coating agent flow, b) a control valve for controlling a compressed air flow, c) a compressed air line for conducting a compressed air flow. ### Claim 24 An overpressure encapsulation system for explosion protection, comprising: a) a device, b) an overpressure-encapsulated device housing for explosion protection for the device, c) a housing outlet in the device housing for discharging gas out of the device housing through the housing outlet into a surrounding atmosphere, d) a compressed air system for operating the device by means of compressed air, said compressed air system being arranged at least partially inside the overpressure-encapsulated device housing, e) a sensor assembly for measuring at least one fluid variable in the device housing, at the housing outlet and/or in the surrounding atmosphere, and f) an analysis unit, which is connected to the sensor assembly on the inlet side and analyzes the fluid variable measured by the sensor assembly, h) wherein the analysis unit detects a fault of the compressed air system on the basis of the measured fluid variable. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 24, wherein the device is a painting robot. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 25, wherein the sensor assembly comprises the following: a) an internal pressure sensor, which measures the internal pressure inside the device housing, and b) an ambient pressure sensor, which measures the ambient pressure outside the device housing, c) wherein the analysis unit calculates the flow volume of the gas through the housing outlet from the measured internal pressure and the measured ambient pressure. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 25, wherein the sensor assembly comprises a flow volume sensor, which measures the flow volume of the gas through the housing outlet. ### Claim 28 (depends on 25) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 25, wherein the sensor assembly emits a quantitative sensor signal of the at least one measured fluid variable. ### Claim 29 (depends on 25) An overpressure encapsulation system according to claim 25, wherein a valve is arranged in the housing outlet.