JP2000088526A - Chain conveyor abnormality diagnosis method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To judge the presence or absence of a T-pin or a top plate and to detect wear of wheels and bearings at the same time, and to automatically diagnose an abnormality of a chain conveyor. SOLUTION: An image 4 is illuminated on a side surface of a chain conveyor 10 by irradiating light to emphasize an edge of an uneven portion on the side surface.
2, the change of the convex portion is determined from the obtained image 42 to determine the presence or absence of the side part, and the wear state is detected from the height information of the image.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for diagnosing abnormalities of a chain conveyor, and more particularly to a long chain used for transferring vehicles, wires and coils in a multilevel parking garage or a steelworks. A chain conveyor abnormality diagnosis method capable of detecting component parts such as a connecting pin or a falling-off prevention pin suitable for use in a conveyor, the presence or absence of a top plate, and the abrasion state of wheels and bearings, and the like. Related to the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a chain conveyor 10 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the chain link 12 is connected via a connecting pin 14 and a falling-off prevention pin (referred to as a T pin) 16. The connecting pin 14 connects two adjacent chain links 12, and the T pin 16 In order to prevent the connection pin 14 from coming off, the connection pin 14 is passed from the side. A top plate 18 rides on each chain link 12, and a conveyed object 8 is conveyed thereon. In the drawing, reference numeral 20 denotes a rail, and reference numeral 22 denotes a wheel rotatably supported by the chain link 12 and running on the rail 20.

In such a chain conveyor 10, in order to stably convey the conveyed object 8, when the wheels 22 and their bearings become severely worn, the wheels 22 and the bearings are replaced, and the T-pins 16 and the like are replaced. If the top plate 18 is missing, it is necessary to refill them immediately.

Conventionally, wear of the wheels 22 and bearings cannot be diagnosed unless the equipment is stopped, and is dependent on manual labor. The presence or absence of the T-pin 16 and the top plate 18 is also visually checked.

[0005]

However, in the manual inspection, the equipment must be stopped in some cases, which causes downtime. In addition, since it is not possible to determine an appropriate time for updating the chain, maintenance work is troublesome. In addition, there is a problem that an abnormal portion is easily overlooked because it is visually checked.

Although not related to a chain conveyor, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 5-805358 discloses a brake system for a running railway vehicle using a television camera, an image recording device, an image processing device, and a sensor for detecting a vehicle position. Shooting
It has been proposed to measure the remaining thickness of the brake shoe by processing the image to automate the inspection.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 52-45361 discloses a method of irradiating a side of a molten metal flow flowing out of a metallurgical vessel with a light irradiation zone using an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp as a light source, and reflecting the reflected light through an interference filter to the field of view. There has been proposed a method for detecting a position of a molten metal flow, in which the position of the molten metal flow is detected as an imaging position in an imaging surface of the imaging tube by capturing an image with an imaging tube substantially equal to the light irradiation zone.

[0008] However, none of these methods are directed to detecting a chain conveyor, and cannot be used directly for diagnosing an abnormality of the chain conveyor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and automatically judges the presence or absence of a side part such as a T-pin or a top plate, and detects the wear state of wheels and bearings, and automatically performs the determination. It is another object of the present invention to perform an abnormality diagnosis on a chain conveyor.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, when diagnosing an abnormality in a chain conveyor, the side surface of the chain conveyor is illuminated with light, and an image is taken under a condition in which the edges of the irregularities on the side surface are emphasized. The above problem is solved by determining a change in a convex portion from an image to determine the presence or absence of a side part, and detecting a wear state from height information of the image.

Further, in the abnormality diagnosis apparatus for a chain conveyor, means for irradiating light to the side surface of the chain conveyor to form a shadow of a side part such as a connecting pin or a falling-off prevention pin to emphasize an edge of each part of the chain conveyor, Means for taking an image of the side surface of the chain conveyor illuminated with the light, means for storing the taken image, means for judging the presence / absence of a side part from the stored image, and means for judging the presence / absence of a top plate from the stored image And a means for detecting the wear state of the wheels and bearings from the stored images to solve the above-mentioned problem.

Further, the means for judging the presence or absence of the side part from the stored image is such that the presence or absence of the side part is judged from the shape of the shadow of the side part formed by light irradiation.

The means for judging the presence or absence of the top plate from the stored image is configured to judge the presence or absence of the top plate from the image density at a predetermined position where the top plate exists and the density of the background portion. is there.

The means for detecting the abrasion state of the wheel or the bearing includes a pixel having a sharply changing density as a boundary between the lower end of the chain link and the rail, and measuring a distance between the pixel and the wheel. This is to detect the abrasion state of.

Further, a background plate is provided on a side surface opposite to a surface on which the light is irradiated.

According to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, a light 30 and an image pickup means (32) are installed on one side of a chain conveyor in which chain links are connected via connecting pins or T-pins. On the other side, a background plate 36 is installed as necessary, and when, for example, the connecting pin 14 passes through the front surface of the imaging means, the top plate 18 of the chain link and the lower part of the connecting pin connected by the connecting pin are connected. An image including wheels is photographed, and the presence or absence of the top plate 18 and the T-pin 16 is determined by the image processing device 40 that inputs an image signal from the imaging unit, and the distance from the lower end of the chain link to the rail is measured. By comparing the measured value and the set value, the wear state of the wheel or the bearing is detected.

If the T-pin 16 and the top 18 are not provided, the state of the shadow due to the illumination changes. Therefore, the state of the shadow is specified from the image taken when the connecting pin 14 passes, and the T-pin 16 and the top 18 is detected. If the wear amount of the wheel 22 or the bearing exceeds the allowable range, the distance L (see FIG. 1) from the lower end of the chain link 12 to the rail 20 specified from the image taken when the connecting pin 14 passes is set. Therefore, the occurrence of wear is detected. T pin 1
When the wheel 6 and the top plate 18 are not present, or when the wear of the wheels 22 or the bearings is detected, the chain conveyor 10 is stopped, an alarm is generated, and the like.
An abnormality of 0 can be found immediately, the chain link in the abnormal state can be easily specified, and maintenance work such as replacement of worn parts can be easily performed.

Although the description has been made with reference to the connection pin 14, a projection is provided at a fixed position on the side surface instead of the connection pin, and the provided projection is measured. As a reference, the connection pin 14, the T pin 16, and the like may be determined.

When the T-pins 16 are arranged on both sides of the chain conveyor 10, the abnormality diagnosis devices are arranged on both sides of the chain conveyor 10, respectively.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, one side (lower side in the figure) of the side of the chain conveyor 10 has an illumination 30, an image pickup device 32 such as a CCD camera, and the like.
A sensor 34 for detecting the passage of the connecting pin 14 is provided, and a background plate 36 is provided on the opposite side.

The illumination 30 irradiates the image pickup surface from an oblique direction to produce shadows on the connecting pins 14 and the T pins 16.
Creates a state where the edges of each part are emphasized. Imager 32
In this state, when receiving a trigger signal from the sensor 34 in this state, the camera takes an image from a direction perpendicular to the imaging surface. Here, the sensor 34 is a range finder such as a laser range finder or an ultrasonic range finder, and when the sensor 34 detects the approach of the connection pin 14b on the left side of the figure, the connection pin 14a on the right side of FIG. 32
Is predicted before arrival, and an image of the connecting pin 14a is taken. In the present embodiment, the connection pin is used as a reference. However, a protrusion may be separately provided on the side surface, and this may be used as a reference point. It is known in advance where the connection pin 14 or the T pin 16 is located from the reference point. If so, the same processing can be performed by obtaining the image.

The transported object 8 such as a coil on the top plate is
As shown in FIG. 4, when there is a case where the light 30 may protrude from the image pickup surface, as shown in FIG. 4, the illumination 30 is disposed below the top plate height position, and the shadow of the conveyed object 8 cannot be on the image pickup surface. To do.

An image signal from the image pickup device 32 is input to an image processing device 40, which determines whether or not the T-pin 16 and the top plate 18 are present, and that the rail 20
The abnormal position of the chain conveyor is detected by measuring the distance L to the chain conveyor.

More specifically, as shown in FIG.
6, the distance L from the lower end of the chain link 12 to the rail 20 is first determined as shown in FIG.
Is set. Within this range, the density of each pixel is integrated in the horizontal direction to obtain a profile B as shown in FIG. 6 (step 104). Using the steep position of the profile B as the position of the lower end of the chain link 12 and the position of the rail 20, the distance L from the lower end of the chain link 12 to the rail 20 is calculated (step 108). By comparing the distance L with the set value, the wear state of the wheel 22 and the bearing is detected (step 110).

Next, the presence or absence of the T pin 16 is determined. Specifically, first, as shown in FIG.
A range C including the shadow of the pin 16 is set (Step 11)
2). This range C is, as shown by the dashed line D, the step 10
Setting based on the chain link lower end position calculated in 6 allows accurate setting. By binarizing within this range C (step 114), the shadow of the connecting pin 14 and the T pin 16 is detected (step 116), and the shape of the shadow is determined (step 118). Is determined (step 120).

Next, it is determined whether or not the top plate 18 is present. Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 6, a range E including the space between the top plates is set (step 122). As shown by the broken line F, the range E can be set with high accuracy if it is set based on the chain link lower end position calculated in step 106.
In this range E, the density of each pixel is integrated in the vertical direction, and FIG.
(Step 12)
4). The minimum and maximum values of the profile G are calculated (step 126), and the difference is calculated (step 12).
8) The presence or absence of the tabletop 18 is determined (step 130).
That is, when the top plate 18 is not provided, the difference is small.
When it is less than the set value, it is determined that there is no top plate 18.

As a result of the above inspection, if there is an abnormality, for example, an alarm is activated to urge replacement or replenishment of parts. Further, when an abnormality occurs, a marking section for spraying paint or the like may be operated to mark the abnormal portion.

In this embodiment, since the background plate 36 is provided on the side of the chain conveyor 10 opposite to the illumination 30 and the image pickup device 32, a stable image can be obtained and a highly accurate abnormality diagnosis can be performed. The background plate 36 may be omitted when the background is not complicated.

In this embodiment, the determination of the presence or absence of the T-pin 16 and the top plate 18 and the detection of the wear of the wheel 22 and the bearing are performed, but the abnormality diagnosis target is not limited to this.

[0031]

According to the present invention, the presence / absence of components and the state of wear can be simultaneously detected, and the abnormality of the chain conveyor can be automatically diagnosed. Therefore, it is possible to save labor and reduce downtime for manual inspection, determine an appropriate time for updating the chain conveyor, and facilitate maintenance work.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a main part shape of a chain conveyor which is an object of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a chain conveyor showing a state where an embodiment of the present invention is arranged.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which a large conveyed object is placed on a chain conveyor.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a lighting arrangement position in the state shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an image similarly obtained by the image pickup device;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 ... Conveyed object 10 ... Chain conveyor 12 ... Chain link 14, 14a, 14b ... Connection pin 16 ... Fall-off prevention pin (T-pin) 18 ... Top plate 20 ... Rail 22 ... Wheel 30 ... Lighting 32 ... Image sensor 34 ... Sensor 36 ... Background plate 40 ... Image processing device 42 ... Image L ... Distance

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shinji Shiraishi 1-chome, Mizushima-Kawasaki-dori, Kurashiki-shi, Okayama Pref. Chome (without address) Inside the Mizushima Works of Kawasaki Steel Corporation (72) Inventor Tetsuji Uetake 1-term Kawasaki-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba F-term (reference) 2F065 AA12 AA16 AA18 AA22 AA56 AA63 AA65 BB15 BB18 CC00 DD00 FF01 FF02 FF04 FF68 GG01 HH12 JJ03 JJ09 JJ26 PP22 QQ24 QQ25 QQ29 QQ31 QQ36 RR08 SS09 2F069 AA15 AA24 AA42 AA60 AA64 BB34 BB40 DD16 DD30 GG04 GG90 GG07 GG90 NN 3F027 AA04 CA01 DA23 FA01 FA02

Claims (6)

[Claims] An image is taken under a condition in which light is applied to a side surface of a chain conveyor and edges of uneven portions of the side surface are emphasized, and a change in a convex portion is determined from the obtained image to determine whether or not a side component exists. A method for diagnosing an abnormality of a chain conveyor, comprising: determining a wear state from height information of an image; 2. A means for irradiating light to the side surface of a chain conveyor to form a shadow of a side part such as a connecting pin or a falling-off prevention pin to emphasize an edge of each part of the chain conveyor; Means for taking an image, means for storing the taken image, means for determining the presence or absence of a side component from the stored image, means for determining the presence or absence of a top plate from the stored image, wheels and the like from the stored image. A chain conveyor abnormality diagnostic device, comprising: means for detecting a wear state of a bearing. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means for judging the presence / absence of a side part from said stored image judges the presence / absence of a side part based on a shadow shape of said side part formed by light irradiation. An abnormality diagnosis device for the chain conveyor described in the above. 4. The means for judging the presence or absence of a top plate from the stored image judges the presence or absence of the top plate based on the image density at a predetermined position where the top plate exists and the density of the background portion. The abnormality diagnosis device for a chain conveyor according to claim 2. 5. The means for detecting a wear state of a wheel or a bearing includes a pixel having a sharply changing density as a boundary between a lower end of a chain link and a rail, and measuring a distance between the pixel and the wheel. The abnormality diagnosis device for a chain conveyor according to claim 2, wherein a wear state of the chain conveyor is detected. 6. The abnormality diagnosis device for a chain conveyor according to claim 2, wherein a background plate is provided on a side surface opposite to a surface on which the light is irradiated.