JP2001255239A - Actual work measuring instrument for gear - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an actual work measuring instrument for a gear detecting the use frequency and load frequency according to each tooth of a gear. SOLUTION: A pair of sensors 13A and 13B are arranged on a tooth side face of a rotary gear 4 at a prescribed interval and detect one tooth of the gear 4. A data processing device 12 calculates a difference (S1-S2) between signals S1 and S2 from the sensors 13A and 13B and calculates the teeth threadly engaged with a pinion 6 and the rotation direction at that time based on the calculated difference signal (S1-S2). The data processing device 12 calculates and stores the use frequency and load frequency of each tooth of the gear 4 according to each tooth based on the calculation results.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for ascertaining the actual working condition of a gear used in a construction machine, and more particularly to a device for monitoring the working condition of a large gear such as a turning gear. It relates to a working measuring device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In construction machines such as hydraulic excavators, an upper revolving unit is provided on a lower traveling unit via a revolving mechanism.
The turning mechanism includes a turning gear fixed to the lower traveling body, and an outer ring fixed to the upper turning body, and a ball bearing is interposed between the outer ring and the turning gear. By rotating a pinion gear that meshes with a swing gear by a swing motor provided on the upper swing body, the upper swing body is swiveled with respect to the lower traveling body. Since a crack or the like may occur due to fatigue in this revolving gear, a linear scale is provided on the outer circumference of the outer ring that revolves with respect to the revolving gear, and the relative revolving angle between the upper revolving unit and the lower traveling unit is measured. In some cases, the frequency of use of each gear tooth is counted.

[0003]

However, since the above-described linear scale is provided on the outer periphery of the outer ring,
The measurement was not possible due to dirt, or the sensor was deficient when the earth and sand collided with the sensor, resulting in poor usability. Further, in the above-described method, since the frequency of use for each tooth is counted from the relative rotation angle between the upper revolving unit and the lower traveling unit, accuracy is poor, and it is difficult to grasp the frequency of use for each tooth. .

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a gear working measuring device capable of detecting the frequency of use and the frequency of load for each tooth formed on the gear.

[0005]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. (1) When described in association with FIG. 2, the gear working measuring device according to the first aspect of the present invention is configured such that any one of a plurality of teeth formed on the gear 4 meshing with the pinion 6 meshes with the pinion 6. Position detecting means 11, 1 for detecting whether or not
2, 13A, 13B and meshing position detecting means 11, 12,
The above-mentioned object is achieved by providing use frequency counting means 11, 12, 13A and 13B for counting the number of engagements with the pinion 6 for each tooth of the gear 4 based on the detection results of 13A and 13B. (2) The gear working measuring device according to the second aspect of the present invention is a gear position detecting means for detecting which of the plurality of teeth formed on the gear 4 meshing with the pinion 6 is engaged with the pinion 6. 11, 12, 13A, 13B, load detecting means 10 for detecting whether or not the load acting on the meshing teeth is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and meshing position detecting means 11, 12, 13
A load frequency counting means 12 for counting, for each tooth of the gear 4, the number of engagements with the pinion 6 with a load equal to or more than a predetermined value, based on the detection results of the A, 13B and the load detecting means 10, To achieve. (3) Explaining in association with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the invention of claim 3 is the actual operation measuring device for gears according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the engagement position detecting means 11, 12, 1
3A and 13B are provided with a pair of sensors 13A and 13B capable of detecting any one of the teeth of the gear 4, respectively, and the detection signals S1 and S1 of the pair of sensors 13A and 13B are provided.
Based on S2, which tooth of the gear 4 meshes with the pinion 6 is detected.

In the section of the means for solving the above-mentioned problems, which explains the configuration of the present invention, the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention are used to make the present invention easier to understand. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a side view (partially in section) of a hydraulic excavator, and an upper revolving unit 2 having a front working device 3 (only a part is shown) on a lower traveling unit 1.
Are provided so as to be freely rotatable. A turning gear 4 is fixed to the lower traveling structure 1, and a turning wheel 7 is fixed to the upper turning structure 2 side. Many bearing balls 8 are interposed between the turning gear 4 and the turning wheel 7, and the turning wheel 7 is rotatable with respect to the turning gear 4. By rotating a pinion 6 meshing with the revolving gear 4 by a revolving motor 5 provided on a main frame of the upper revolving structure 2, the upper revolving structure 2 is rotated.
The entire body turns with respect to the lower traveling body 1 as shown by an arrow R.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a working measuring apparatus according to the present invention. A hydraulic pump and an oil tank are connected to the swing motor 5 via a control valve 9. The supply of the pressure oil to the swing motor 5 is controlled by the control valve 9, and the swing motor 5 is rotated forward and reverse to rotate the upper swing body 2. A pressure switch 10 for detecting a high-pressure side oil pressure is provided in the hydraulic circuit of the swing motor 5, and when the load on the swing motor 5 increases and the oil pressure becomes a predetermined value P0 or more, the pressure switch 10 is turned on from off. become. The signal output from the pressure switch 10 is converted into a digital quantity by the A / D converter 11,
The data is input to a data processing device 12 such as a microcomputer. 14 is a shuttle valve.

Reference numerals 13A and 13B denote non-contact type sensors provided with a predetermined gap between the side surfaces of the teeth of the revolving gear 4 and, for example, non-contact type eddy current sensors. The sensors 13A and 13B are fixed to the upper revolving superstructure 2 side.
A and 13B also turn integrally above the tooth side surface.
Signals S1 and S2 output from sensors 13A and 13B
Is input to the data processing device 12 via the A / D converter 11.

In the data processing device 12, sensors 13A,
Based on the signal from 13B and the ON / OFF signal of the pressure switch 10, the use condition of each tooth of the revolving gear 4 is calculated, and the calculation result is stored. FIG.
It is a figure explaining the detection method at the time of detecting the teeth of the turning gear 4 from the signals S1 and S2 of A and 13B. FIG. 3 is a view of a part of the revolving gear 4 as viewed from above, and shows the sensors 13A, 13A.
3B is an interval d on a circumference L around the axis of the orbiting gear 4.
It is arranged in. This interval d is set to W / 2, where W is the width of the teeth on the circumference L. Hereinafter, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the case where the rotating wheel 7 (that is, the upper rotating body 2) rotates clockwise is referred to as forward rotation, and the case where the rotating wheel 7 rotates counterclockwise is referred to as reverse rotation.

The sensors 13A and 13B exhibit a higher output when facing the side surfaces of the teeth than when facing the tooth spaces. The sensor 13A is at W with respect to the sensor 13B.
When the turning wheel 7 rotates forward, the time change of the signals S1 and S2 is exactly the same as shown in FIG. 4A, but the phase of the signal S1 is advanced. You will be in. The interval between the peaks of the signals S1 and S2 changes according to the rotation speed of the revolving gear 4, but the sensor 13
Since the interval between A and 13B is W / 2, the phase shift between the peak α of the signal S1 and the peak α of the signal S2 is always の of the peak width Tα regardless of the rotation speed. ing. This peak width Tα is the time from when each of the sensors 13A and 13B starts detecting one tooth to when it ends.

The data processor 12 calculates a difference between the signals S1 and S2 based on the signal S1.
The difference signal (S1-S2) is as shown in FIG. 4A. When one tooth is detected, a pair of plus and minus peaks as shown by a symbol F is generated in the difference signal (S1-S2), and In the case of rotation, a positive peak and a negative peak occur in this order. On the other hand, in the case of reverse rotation, FIG.
As described above, the phase of the signal S2 is advanced by Tα / 2 with respect to the signal S1, and the difference signal (S1-S2) has a peak R in the order of a negative peak and a positive peak.

The distance d between the sensors 13A and 13B is
When the width of the teeth on the circumference L is set to の of the width W of the teeth, positive peaks and negative peaks included in the peaks F and R appear continuously as shown in FIG.
The peaks F and R in 2) can be easily detected. for that reason,
If the peaks F and R are easy to detect, the interval d is necessarily set to W /
There is no need to set it to 2. Separately, when the circumference L is set so that the tooth width W and the groove width Wd are equal as shown in FIG. 5A, the signal S2 at the time of the forward rotation with respect to the signal S1 is obtained. And the signal S2 'at the time of reverse rotation is as shown in FIG. This difference signal (S1
-S2) and (S1-S2 ') are repeated in exactly the same pattern as shown in FIG. 5 (c), so that it is difficult to distinguish between normal rotation and reverse rotation. Therefore, the circumference L is W ≠ Wd
Is set to be

The data processor 12 calculates the frequency of use for each tooth, that is, the number of times of meshing with the pinion 6, based on the difference signal (S1-S2) obtained in this manner. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a process performed by the data processing device 12. In FIG. 6, Sp is an on / off signal from the pressure switch 10, and a differential signal (S1-S2) is shown on the right side thereof. In FIG. 6, the time axis of the signal is taken toward the bottom of the figure. The data processing device 12 includes:
A memory M1, which has an area of the same number as the number N of teeth of the revolving gear 4,
M2 is provided, and an address A for associating the memories M1 and M2 with each tooth is provided. These addresses A and the values of the memories M1 and M2 are stored by the backup power supply or the like even when the main power supply of the excavator is turned off.

For example, the address A = 1 is associated with the first tooth, the address A = 2 is adjacent with the second tooth,..., And the address A = N is associated with the N-th tooth in order. I have. Which of the N teeth is associated with address A = 1 may be determined as follows. For example, the upper swing body 2 is set to a predetermined relative swing angle with respect to the lower traveling body 1. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the teeth 4a of the revolving gear 4 completely meshing with the pinion 6 are
= 1, the side where the turning wheel 7 rotates forward (left side in the figure)
And the tooth 4c on the side where the turning wheel 7 rotates in the reverse direction (right side in the figure) may correspond to the address A = N. At the above-mentioned predetermined relative turning angle, the teeth 4a meshing with the pinion 6 are known as design values.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 8 starts when the power supply of the excavator is turned on, and proceeds to step S1.
Go to 0. Step S10 is a step of determining whether or not the upper revolving superstructure 2 is turning. If the upper turning body 2 is off, the process of step S10 is repeated, and if it is determined on, the process proceeds to step S11. Note that whether or not the upper-part turning body 2 is turning can be determined by, for example, whether or not the signals S1 and S2 change. In step S11, a difference (S1-S2) is calculated from the received signals S1 and S2. Step S12 is based on the form of the difference signal (S1-S2), indicating whether the upper swing body 2 is rotating forward or reverse, that is, the difference signal (S1-S2).
This is a step of determining whether the form of the peak in S2) is a form like F shown in FIG. 4A or a form like R shown in FIG. 4B. If it is determined to be F in step S12, the process proceeds to step S13 to increase the address A by 1. If it is determined to be R, the process proceeds to step S14 to decrease the address A by 1.

Step S15 is a step of determining whether or not the pressure switch 10 is on. If it is determined that the pressure switch 10 is on, the process proceeds to step S16 to increase the values of the memories M1 and M2 by 1 and then returns to step S10. . on the other hand,
If it is determined in step S15 to be off, step S17
To increase the value of only the memory M1 by 1, and then return to step S10.

For example, when the upper revolving unit 2 is rotated forward by one tooth of the revolving gear 4 from the state shown in FIG.
That is, a state in which the teeth 4b mesh with the pinion 6 is considered. At this time, the sensors 13A and 13B detect one tooth and detect the difference signal (S1-S2) of the form F (see FIG. 4A).
Is obtained, and the address A is incremented by 1, and the address A = 2. At this time, if the hydraulic pressure of the swing motor 5 becomes equal to or more than the predetermined value P0 and the pressure switch 10 is turned on, the values of the memories M1 and M2 of the address A = 2 are respectively increased by 1, and the pressure switch 10 If it is off (oil pressure <P0), only the value of the memory M1 is increased by one. On the other hand, when the upper revolving unit 2 is reversely rotated by one tooth from the state shown in FIG. 7, the address A decreases by 1 and the address A = N, and if the pressure switch 10 is on, the address A =
The value of each of the memories M1 and M2 of N is increased by one.

As can be seen from the above, in this embodiment, the address A = k (where k = 1, 2,...,
The value of the memory M1 of N) indicates the number of times (frequency of use) that the k-th tooth of the orbiting gear 4 meshes with the pinion 6 irrespective of the light load (oil pressure <P0) and the heavy load (oil pressure ≧ P0). The value of the memory M2 indicates the number of times the k-th tooth of the revolving gear 4 meshes with a heavy load (heavy load frequency). In FIG. 9, the lower graph shows the value (frequency of use) of the memory M1 for each tooth, and the upper graph shows the value of the memory M2 (heavy load frequency) for each tooth. The horizontal axis in FIG. 9 represents the address A corresponding to each tooth.

As shown in FIG. 9, the memory M of each address A
The use status of the revolving gear 4 can be determined for each tooth based on the values of 1, M2. The value of the memory M1 is related to the occurrence of peeling of each tooth, and the value of the memory M2 is related to the degree of fatigue of the root portion. Therefore, by monitoring the usage status of each tooth, the management of each tooth of the revolving gear 4 can be performed in real time, and by appropriately performing maintenance based on the management, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of trouble. it can. Further, since the sensors 13A and 13b are provided inside the upper revolving superstructure 2 (inside the revolving wheel 7), they are not affected by the external environment, and the measurement becomes impossible due to the conventional dirt. Sensor 13A, 1
There is no possibility that the earth and sand collide with 3b and cause a problem.

At this time, the monitor 15 (FIG.
9) may be provided, and the monitor 15 may display a usage frequency state as shown in FIG. Further, the fatigue strength curve may be associated with the value of the memory M2, and when the value or frequency of any address of the memory M2 becomes a predetermined value or more, a warning for maintenance may be displayed. In addition, at the time of maintenance, a service person can download data from the data processing device 12 and display the data on a separate monitor, which can be utilized for inspection of the turning gear 4. Further, such data can be reflected in the design of a hydraulic excavator or the like. Further, such data can be wirelessly transmitted from the vehicle to the management base, and the management base can collectively manage the usage of the turning gears of the plurality of excavators.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two sensors 13A and 13B are provided to detect each tooth and to detect the turning direction of the turning gear 4. It is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a single sensor may be used to detect the teeth, and which of the hydraulic oil supply circuits of the turning motor 5 is on the high pressure side may be detected to determine the turning direction of the turning gear 4. In addition, whether or not a heavy load state is determined based on one pressure value P0.
Type reference values P0, P1, P2 (where P0>P1>
P2) and the corresponding memory M
2, M3, and M4 may be set, and the heavy load state may be divided into three stages to calculate the frequency. This type is not limited to three types.

In the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking a hydraulic shovel as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to a hydraulic shovel, but can be applied to a practical measuring device of a turning gear used in various construction machines. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a large gear such as the revolving gear 4 but also to an actual measurement device for a linear gear such as a rack and pinion. In the case of a small gear like the pinion 6 described above, all the teeth are used uniformly, but in the case of a large gear such as the revolving gear 4 or a linear gear, the usage is biased. Therefore, more appropriate maintenance can be performed by checking the usage status of each tooth using the actual measurement device as described above.

In the correspondence between the embodiment described above and the elements of the claims, the turning gear 4 is a gear, the data processing device 12 is a use frequency counting unit and a load frequency counting unit, and the pressure switch 10 is a load detection unit. The A / D converter 11, the data processing device 12, and the sensors 13A and 13B constitute meshing position detecting means.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the number of times of meshing with the pinion and the number of times of meshing with the pinion with a load of a predetermined value or more can be counted for each tooth of the gear, efficient maintenance of the gear can be performed by managing these. At the same time, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a gear failure. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since one tooth of the gear is detected by a pair of sensors provided in the meshing position detecting means, and the number of meshing with the pinion is thereby counted, a reliable counting can be performed. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a hydraulic excavator.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a working measurement device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view of a part of the revolving gear 4 as viewed from above.

FIG. 4 shows signals S1 and S2 and a difference signal (S1-S2).
(A) shows the case of forward rotation, and (b) shows the case of reverse rotation.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the positions of sensors 13A and 13B. FIG. 5A shows the relationship between the sensors 13A and 13B and the teeth of the revolving gear 4, FIG. 5B shows the signals S1, S2 and S2 ′, and FIG. c)
Indicates the difference signals (S1-S2) and (S1-S2 '), respectively.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a process performed by the data processing device 12;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method of setting an address A.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for calculating a frequency.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a use frequency and a heavy load frequency for each tooth.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower traveling body 2 Upper revolving superstructure 4 Revolving gear 5 Revolving motor 6 Pinion 7 Revolving wheel 10 Pressure switch 11 A / D converter 12 Data processing device 13A, 13B Sensor

Claims (3)

[Claims] A plurality of teeth formed on a gear meshing with the pinion; a mesh position detecting unit for detecting which tooth meshes with the pinion; and a detection result of the mesh position detecting unit. And a use frequency counting means for counting the number of meshes with the pinion for each tooth of the gear. 2. A plurality of teeth formed on a gear meshing with a pinion, meshing position detecting means for detecting which tooth meshes with the pinion, and a load acting on the meshing tooth. Load detecting means for detecting whether or not the gear is equal to or more than a predetermined value; and, based on detection results of the mesh position detecting means and the load detecting means, the number of times the pinion meshes with the load at or above the predetermined value is determined for each tooth of the gear. And a load frequency counting means for counting each time. 3. The gear working measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the meshing position detecting means includes a pair of sensors capable of detecting any one of the teeth of the gear. A gear measuring device for detecting which tooth of the gear meshes with the pinion based on the detection signals of the pair of sensors.