TWI873957B - Tank wall thickness detection module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a barrel tank wall thickness detection module, comprising a base, two guide pillars, a slide, an actuator, an abutment seat, a buffer device and a probe. The guide pillars extend from the base and are parallel to each other. The slide is slidably connected to the two guide pillars. The actuator is respectively arranged at the base and the slide with its two ends, and can drive the slide to move along the two guide pillars. The abutment seat has two guide holes for the two guide pillars to pass through. The buffer device is arranged between the slide and the abutment seat, so that the abutment seat can change the distance and angle relative to the slide. The probe is arranged on the abutment seat, and the probe has a detection surface protruding from or flush with a bottom surface of the abutment seat. Thereby, the angle of the probe of the barrel wall thickness detection module can be automatically adjusted according to the surface to be measured, so that the detection surface of the probe is attached to the surface to be measured to measure the correct wall thickness value.

Description

Tank wall thickness detection module

The present invention relates to a detection device, and in particular to a barrel wall thickness detection module.

The petrochemical industry or the electronics industry requires many barrels to store raw materials. Some raw materials are corrosive and will gradually corrode the inside of the barrel. The outside of the barrel may also gradually rust due to exposure to the sun and rain. Therefore, the wall thickness of the barrel needs to be checked regularly to prevent the damage of the barrel from causing raw material leakage or causing industrial safety incidents. Currently, the wall thickness of the barrel is mostly detected manually using ultrasonic probes, but the surface area of the barrel is large and has a considerable height. Manual inspection is quite difficult and can only be done by sampling, which has poor integrity. Therefore, the industry is currently developing unmanned inspection vehicles that can set inspection paths to make sampling more complete.

However, the surface of the barrel is often uneven due to pressure or long-term rust. When the probe of the unmanned inspection vehicle cannot adjust to the irregular surface, the detected value is incorrect or cannot be obtained. These irregular surfaces are often the thinnest and most prone to damage, and require accurate inspection. Therefore, how to correctly perform barrel wall thickness inspection has become a technical problem that the industry needs to solve urgently.

One purpose of the present invention is to provide a barrel wall thickness detection module, the angle of the probe of which can be automatically adjusted according to the surface to be measured, so that the detection surface of the probe is attached to the surface to be measured to measure the correct wall thickness value.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the barrel tank wall thickness detection module of the present invention includes a base, two guide pillars, a slide, an actuator, an abutment seat, a buffer device and a probe. The guide pillars extend from the base and are parallel to each other. The slide is slidably connected to the two guide pillars. The actuator is respectively arranged at the base and the slide with its two ends, and can drive the slide to move along the two guide pillars. The abutment seat has two guide holes for the two guide pillars to pass through. The buffer device is arranged between the slide and the abutment seat, so that the abutment seat can change the distance and angle relative to the slide. The probe is arranged on the abutment seat, and the probe has a detection surface protruding or flush with a bottom surface of the abutment seat. Thereby, the angle of the probe of the barrel wall thickness detection module can be automatically adjusted according to the surface to be measured, so that the detection surface of the probe is attached to the surface to be measured to measure the correct wall thickness value.

The following is a detailed description of the technical content and features of the present invention by means of a preferred embodiment in conjunction with drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , a barrel wall thickness detection module 1 provided by a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a base 10, two guide pillars 12, a slide seat 20, an actuator 28, an abutment seat 30, a buffer device 40, a probe 50 and a nozzle 58.

The base 10 is used to be installed on a vehicle (not shown) such as an unmanned inspection vehicle, or the base 10 can be regarded as a part of the vehicle for installing the two guide pillars 12 and the actuator 28.

The two guide pillars 12 are two cylinders extending downward from the base 10 and are parallel to each other.

The slide 20 is slidably connected to the two guide pillars 12. Specifically, the slide 20 is in the shape of a triangular plate. The slide 20 has two through holes 21 for the two guide pillars 12 to pass through, and three first receiving holes 22 located at three corners.

The actuator 28 is disposed at its two ends on the base 10 and the slide 20 respectively, and can drive the slide 20 to move along the two guide posts 12. The actuator 28 can be an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder or other linearly driven components.

The abutment seat 30 is in the shape of a triangular plate and has two guide holes 31 for the two guide pillars 12 to pass through, an axial hole 32 located in the center, an inclined hole 33 located next to the axial hole 32, and three second accommodating holes 34 located at three corners, wherein a gap 35 is respectively left between the two guide holes 31 and the two guide pillars 12, so that the abutment seat 30 can change its angle relative to the two guide pillars 12 within a predetermined range.

The buffer device 40 is disposed between the slide 20 and the abutment seat 30 so that the abutment seat 30 can change the distance and angle relative to the slide 20. Specifically, the buffer device 40 includes three elastic members 41 and three shaft members 42 passing through the three elastic members 41. Each of the elastic members 41 abuts the slide 20 and the abutment seat 30 with its two ends. Each of the shaft members 42 is disposed on the slide 20 via a first universal joint 43 and is disposed on the abutment seat 30 via a second universal joint 46. Each of the first universal joints 43 is respectively sleeved with a first washer 44. The first washers 44 are provided on the outside of the first universal joints 43. The ring 44 is plugged into the first receiving hole 22 of the sliding seat 20, and the inner edge of the first gasket 44 has a first ball joint 45 affixed to the outer edge of the first universal joint 43, so that the first universal joint 43 can rotate relative to the first gasket 44, and each second universal joint 46 is respectively sleeved with a second gasket 47, and the second gaskets 47 are plugged into the second receiving hole 34 of the abutment seat 30. The inner edge of the second gasket 47 has a second ball joint 48 affixed to the outer edge of the second universal joint 46, so that the second universal joint 46 can rotate relative to the second gasket 47. The top end of the shaft 42 has a stopper 421 that abuts against the top side of the first universal joints 43 to prevent the shafts 42 from disengaging from the first universal joints 43. In addition, two nuts 49 are disposed outside the lower section 422 of each shaft 42, and the two nuts 49 clamp the second universal joints 46 therein, so that the shafts 42 cannot move relative to the second universal joints 46. In this way, each shaft 42 can move relative to the first universal joints 43 along the axial direction A of the shaft 42.

The probe 50 is partially accommodated in the axial hole 32 of the abutment seat 30. The probe 50 has a detection surface 52 slightly protruding from a bottom surface 36 of the abutment seat 30. In other embodiments, the detection surface 52 can be flush with the bottom surface 36. The probe 50 can use the ultrasonic principle to detect wall thickness.

The nozzle 58 is disposed on the abutment seat 30 and is located next to the probe 50. Specifically, a portion of the nozzle 58 is accommodated in the inclined hole 33 so that the extension direction of the nozzle 58 passes under the probe 50. The nozzle 58 can spray water or other liquids to the location to be detected by the probe 50 to enhance the detection effect of the probe 50.

When the tank wall thickness detection module 1 is actually in operation, as shown in FIG. 4 , the actuator 28 first drives the slide 20 together with the buffer device 40 and the abutment seat 30 to move downward, so that the bottom ends of the two guide pillars 12 are just located in the two guide holes 31. Then, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 , the actuator 28 further drives the slide 20 to move downward, and the bottom surface 36 of the abutment seat 30 will be in contact with the surface S to be measured. Since the three shafts 42 can be driven by the abutment seat 30 to independently move upward relative to the slide 20 and change the angle, the abutment seat 30 can be moved upward relative to the slide 20. The receiving seat 30 can automatically adjust its angle in response to the irregular surface to be measured, and the three elastic members 41 can press the contact seat 30 against the surface to be measured S. In other words, since the buffer device 40 can change the distance and angle of the contact seat 30 relative to the slide 20, the contact seat 30 can automatically adjust its angle so that the detection surface 52 of the probe 50 is in contact with the surface to be measured S. In this way, the probe can detect the correct wall thickness value and can improve the defect that the probe of the known structure cannot adjust the angle in response to the irregular surface, thereby achieving the purpose of the present invention.

Based on the design spirit of the present invention, the structure of the tank wall thickness detection module 1 can have other changes, for example: a linear bearing can be set between the slide 20 and the two guide pillars 12 to reduce friction, the buffer device 40 can be replaced by other equivalent mechanisms, for example, only three elastic members 41 are used to connect the slide 20 and the abutment seat 30 respectively, and the three shafts 42 can be omitted. The nozzle 58 is used to spray water on the surface S to be tested to facilitate the detection of the probe 50, but it can also be set on the abutment seat 30 in other ways, or even omitted. All these easily conceivable structural changes should be covered by the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

1: Tank wall thickness detection module 10: Base 12: Guide column 20: Sliding seat 21: Perforation 22: First receiving hole 28: Actuator 30: Abutment seat 31: Guide hole 32: Shaft hole 33: Oblique hole 34: Second receiving hole 35: Slit 36: Bottom surface 40: Buffer device 41: Elastic member 42: Shaft 421: Stopper 422: Lower section 43: First universal joint 44: First gasket 45: First ball joint 46: Second universal joint 47: Second gasket 48: Second ball joint 49: Nut A: Axial 50: Probe 52: Detection surface 58: Nozzle S: Surface to be tested

Figures 1-2 are three-dimensional diagrams of a barrel wall thickness detection module of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a barrel wall thickness detection module of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figures 4-7 are schematic diagrams of the operation of a barrel wall thickness detection module of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1: Tank wall thickness detection module

10: Base

12: Guide pillar

20: Sliding seat

21:Piercing

22: First receiving hole

28: Actuator

30: Butt seat

31: Guide hole

32: Axle hole

34: Second receiving hole

35: Gap

40: Buffer device

41: Elastic parts

42: Shafts

421: Stopper

44: First gasket

47: Second gasket

49: Nut

A: Axial

Claims (11)

A barrel tank wall thickness detection module comprises: a base; two guide pillars extending from the base and parallel to each other; a slide seat slidably connected to the two guide pillars; an actuator, with its two ends respectively disposed on the base and the slide seat, capable of driving the slide seat to move along the two guide pillars; an abutment seat, having two guide holes for the two guide pillars to pass through; a buffer device, disposed between the slide seat and the abutment seat, so that the abutment seat can change the distance and angle relative to the slide seat; and a probe, disposed on the abutment seat, the probe having a detection surface protruding from or flush with a bottom surface of the abutment seat. As described in claim 1, the barrel wall thickness detection module, wherein the buffer device includes three elastic members, each of which is connected to the sliding seat and the abutment seat at its two ends. The barrel wall thickness detection module as described in claim 2, wherein the buffer device further includes three shafts passing through the three elastic members, each of the shafts is respectively arranged on the sliding seat via a first universal joint, and is arranged on the abutment seat via a second universal joint, and each of the shafts can move axially along the shaft relative to the first universal joints. As described in claim 3, the barrel tank wall thickness detection module, wherein each of the first universal joints is respectively sleeved with a first gasket, and the first gasket plugs are disposed in the three first receiving holes of the sliding seat, and the first universal joint can rotate relative to the first gasket, and each of the second universal joints is respectively sleeved with a second gasket, and the second gasket plugs are disposed in the three second receiving holes of the abutment seat, and the second universal joint can rotate relative to the second gasket. The barrel wall thickness detection module as described in claim 4, wherein the inner edge of the first gasket has a first ball joint attached to the outer edge of the first universal joint, and the inner edge of the second gasket has a second ball joint attached to the outer edge of the second universal joint. A barrel wall thickness detection module as described in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein each of the shafts is provided with two nuts on the outside, and the two nuts clamp the second universal joint therein, so that the shafts cannot move relative to the second universal joints. A barrel wall thickness detection module as described in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein each of the shafts has a stopper abutting against the first universal joints to prevent the shafts from detaching from the first universal joints. As described in claim 1, a barrel wall thickness detection module is provided, wherein a gap is respectively left between the two guide holes of the abutment seat and the two guide pillars. As described in claim 1, the barrel wall thickness detection module, wherein the abutment seat is provided with an axial hole, and a part of the probe is accommodated in the axial hole. The barrel wall thickness detection module as described in claim 1 further includes a nozzle disposed on the abutment seat. As described in claim 10, the barrel wall thickness detection module, wherein the abutment seat is provided with an inclined hole located next to the probe, and a portion of the nozzle is accommodated in the inclined hole.

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