JP2006099340A - Monitoring system for steel plant - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a monitoring system for steel plants capable of attaining longer life of a battery power source. <P>SOLUTION: An analog switch (switching means) 51 for switching a clock frequency of a PIC (processing means) 32 into a first or second clock frequency is arranged. When a transmission request for sensor results of a displacement sensor (monitoring means) 151 is included in an instruction signals received by the PIC 32 from a master device, the analog switch 51 switches to the first clock frequency, and performs processing operations to the sensor results on this clock frequency. After a transmission and receiving module (transmitting means) 34 transmits the sensor results to the master device, the clock frequency of the PIC 32 is switched to the second clock frequency. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring system that includes a parent device and a child device capable of wireless communication and monitors steel facilities.

Steel facilities installed at steelmakers' steelworks, etc. are connected to continuous casting machines and drive motors that produce cast semi-finished products such as slabs by flowing pig iron slabs from a steelmaking furnace between a pair of rollers. A large-scale machine / device such as a rolling mill that has a pair of rolling rollers that are rotated by a driving shaft and performs rolling processing on the cast semi-finished product by the rolling rollers is provided.
In steel facilities such as those described above, the quality of steel products produced in such facilities is greatly affected by the operating state of the components included in the machine, etc., and the fatigue (aging) state associated with use. For example, in the above continuous casting machine, it is proposed to monitor the state of occurrence of abnormality by installing a sensor and a determination device for each bearing device that rotatably supports each roller (for example, the following) (See Patent Document 1).

However, the slab is a high temperature of 800 ° C. or more, and vibrations generated when the slab passes between rollers, vibrations generated by the rolling mill disposed in the vicinity of the continuous casting machine, etc. As a result, a contact failure or the like may occur in the signal line connecting the sensor and the determination device, and disconnection may occur. Thus, for example, Patent Document 2 below discloses a monitoring system in which a wireless transmitter is installed for each sensor and the detection data of each sensor is transmitted to the monitoring device by wireless radio waves from the corresponding transmitter. .
Also in the rolling mill, since the operating state of the drive shaft is directly linked to the quality of the steel material to be rolled, it is desired to construct a monitoring system for monitoring the drive shaft. Since it is difficult to use a wired transmitter for rotating operation, monitoring the drive shaft in a system including the wireless transmitter as described above has been studied.

JP 2002-71519 A (6th page, FIG. 1) JP 2002-5156 A (page 4, FIG. 2)

By the way, in the conventional example like the said patent document 2, the battery power supply which consists of a battery is used as a power source of a sensor and a transmitter, and in the power line connected between each of this power supply and a sensor and a transmitter These power sources, sensors, and transmitters are unitized as slave units and provided in all the bearing devices included in the continuous casting machine so that the occurrence of disconnection due to vibration or the like can be suppressed as much as possible. And the operation state of each bearing apparatus was monitored with the monitoring apparatus by transmitting the detection data of the sensor which each subunit | mobile_unit respond | corresponds with respect to the main | base station provided in the said monitoring apparatus side.
However, the transmitter as described above includes an electronic component such as an amplifier that amplifies the sensor output. In this conventional example, the sensor is always detected and the detected data is continuously transmitted to the monitoring device side. Therefore, there is a problem that the power consumption of each slave unit is large and the life of the battery power source is short.
Further, in the structural members of steel equipment such as the bearing device for rolling mill rollers, the physical quantity such as vibration to be monitored by the sensor is a relatively high frequency, and in order to improve the monitoring accuracy, It is necessary to sample the monitoring results at a high frequency and process the data. That is, in the steel equipment monitoring system, it is required to process and transmit the monitoring result at a high speed, so it is difficult to suppress the power consumption in the processing means, which is a factor that hinders the extension of the battery power supply life. It was.

  In view of the conventional problems as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a steel equipment monitoring system with excellent monitoring accuracy capable of extending the life of a battery power source.

The present invention is a monitoring system having a slave unit provided on the steel facility side and a master unit capable of wireless communication with the slave unit, and monitoring the steel facility based on a transmission signal from the slave unit. There,
The slave unit is provided with a battery power source constituting a power source of the slave unit, a receiving means for receiving an instruction signal from the master unit, and a component member of the steel facility, and an operation state of the component member is determined. Monitoring means for monitoring is connected, processing means for performing predetermined data processing at a first clock frequency or a second clock frequency lower than the clock frequency, and connected to the processing means, the processing means A transmission means for transmitting the processed monitoring result of the monitoring means to the master unit; and a switching means for switching the first or second clock frequency.
When the processing unit detects that the instruction signal from the master unit received by the receiving unit includes a transmission request for the monitoring result of the monitoring unit, the switching unit switches to the first clock frequency, After the processing means is driven at the first clock frequency to perform a processing operation on the monitoring result of the monitoring means, and after the transmission means transmits the monitoring result after the processing operation to the master unit, The switching means switches to the second clock frequency.

  In the slave unit in the steel equipment monitoring system configured as described above, processing means capable of performing data processing at the first or second clock frequency and switching means for switching between these clock frequencies are provided. . When the processing means detects a transmission request for the monitoring result from the master unit, the switching means switches to the first clock frequency, and the processing means performs a processing operation on the monitoring result at the first clock frequency. Furthermore, after the transmission unit transmits the monitoring result to the master unit, the switching unit switches to the second clock frequency. As a result, the power consumption in the processing means can be suppressed, and the monitoring result can be data-processed at a higher clock frequency, and the monitoring accuracy can be improved.

Further, in the steel equipment monitoring system, the slave unit is configured to receive a command signal from the master unit by the receiving unit, a transmission mode to transmit a transmission signal to the master unit by the transmitting unit, and The slave unit is configured to be able to select any one of the sleep modes in which the slave unit is in a standby state, and when the slave unit is operating in the reception mode, the processing means operates at the second clock frequency. It is preferable that a processing operation for determining the content of the instruction signal from the master unit that is driven and received by the receiving unit is performed at the second clock frequency.
In this case, when the slave unit selects the sleep mode, power consumption in the slave unit can be easily reduced. Further, in the reception mode, the processing means performs the content determination processing of the instruction signal at the second clock frequency, so that the first signal is detected until it is detected that the instruction signal includes the transmission request for the monitoring result. By preventing the switching to the clock frequency, it is possible to surely suppress the power consumption in the processing means and by extension, the slave unit.

In the steel facility monitoring system, the processing unit preferably outputs a switching signal for requesting the switching unit to switch to the first or second clock frequency.
In this case, since the switching operation by the switching means is performed by a switching signal from the processing means, the processing means also serves as an instruction means for instructing the switching operation, and the installation of the instruction means is omitted and the slave unit is omitted. The configuration can be simplified.

In the steel equipment monitoring system, the monitoring unit may include a sensor unit that is provided on a drive shaft that drives the rolling roller and detects a physical quantity that changes due to damage to the drive shaft. .
In this case, since the sensor detection result indicating the damaged state of the drive shaft is transmitted from the sensor means to the master unit side via the transmission unit, while detecting the operation state of the drive shaft including the damaged state on the master unit side, The drive shaft can be monitored.

Further, in the steel facility monitoring system, the steel facility side is provided with a plurality of the slave units assigned different identifiers,
The processing means provided in each of the plurality of slave units includes that the instruction signal from the master unit includes a transmission request for a monitoring result of the monitoring unit and an identifier assigned to the slave unit. When detected, it is preferable that the switching means of the slave unit switches to the first clock frequency.
In this case, the slave unit can specify the slave unit that wants to obtain the monitoring result by using the identifier, and even if a plurality of slave units are included in the monitoring system, the slave unit that does not require the monitoring result It is possible to reliably prevent the processing means from operating at the first clock frequency, and it is possible to prevent the power consumption in the slave unit from increasing unnecessarily.

  According to the present invention, since the processing unit can process the monitoring result of the monitoring unit at high speed and with high accuracy while improving power consumption while suppressing power consumption in the processing unit, the battery power can be increased. It is possible to provide a monitoring system for steel equipment with excellent monitoring accuracy capable of extending the service life.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a monitoring system for steel facilities according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following description, the case where this invention is applied to the drive shaft of the rolling mill provided in the steel equipment is illustrated and demonstrated.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a drive shaft used in a rolling mill of a steel manufacturer, and FIG. 2 is a view of a main part of a cross joint from the axial direction of the drive shaft (including a partial cross section). . In the figure, a cross joint 11 is used in the vicinity of both ends of the drive shaft 10, and a drive motor and steel, not shown, are provided on one end side and the other end side of the drive shaft 10 with the joint 11 interposed. Each rolling roller is connected. That is, in addition to the intermediate shaft portion (first shaft portion) 10a disposed between the two cross joints 11, the drive shaft 10 includes a drive shaft portion (second shaft) connected to the motor and the roller side, respectively. (Shaft portion) 10b and driven shaft portion (third shaft portion) 10c are provided, and the intermediate shaft portion 10a and the drive shaft portion 10b are connected by one cross shaft joint 11, and the other cross shaft joint 11 is connected. The intermediate shaft portion 10a and the driven shaft portion 10c are coupled (see FIG. 1). Further, in the rolling mill, two drive shafts 10 are arranged in parallel to each other, and a steel material subjected to a rolling process is manufactured by passing a slab or the like between the two rollers connected to each drive shaft 10. Is configured to do. Further, during this rolling process, the drive shaft 10 rotates in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 1 while being allowed to tilt from the axial direction by each cross joint 11, thereby rolling the rotational force of the drive motor. Transmit to the roller. Furthermore, in this rolling mill, the operating state of each drive shaft 10 is monitored by the monitoring system of the present invention, and the degree of progress of damage accompanying the operating time is determined.

The cross shaft joint 11 includes a cross shaft 12 and four bearing cups 13, and each of the four shafts of the cross shaft 12 so that the bearing cup 13 covers a portion around the cross shaft 12 in the axial direction. 12a is swingably mounted. Each bearing cup 13 includes a cup portion 131 and a plurality of rollers 132 that are held inside and are in rolling contact with the shaft 12a. The inner peripheral surface of the cup portion 131 and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 12a are respectively provided. Outer ring track and inner ring track. In addition, the pair of upper and lower bearing cups 13 in FIG. 2 are arranged on the shaft portion of the drive shaft 10 on one side in the axial direction when viewed from the cross joint 11 (for example, the drive shaft portion 10b). It is connected to a shaft portion (for example, the intermediate shaft portion 10a) of the drive shaft 10 on the other side in the direction.
At the center in the circumferential direction of the cup portion 131, a hole 131a for injecting grease is formed. A hole 12b is formed around the central axis of the shaft 12a coaxially with the hole 131a. The support member 14 is attached to the hole 131a of the cup part 131 by screwing. The support member 14 has a flat bottom saddle-shaped attachment portion 14a and a round bar-like support portion 14b extending from the bottom portion in the axial direction of the shaft 12a. The support portion 14b is inserted into the hole 12b. Yes. For example, an eddy current displacement sensor 151 is attached near the tip of the inserted support portion 14b so as to face the wall surface of the hole 12b.

A slave 1 capable of wireless data transmission / reception is attached in the attachment portion 14a. The slave sensor 1 is connected to the displacement sensor 151 by a cable 16 that passes through a groove provided in or on the surface of the support member 14. The displacement sensor 151 is attached to a predetermined reference position and detects a change in the distance of the hole 12b from the wall surface, thereby increasing according to the degree of damage such as surface peeling occurring on the shaft 12a and the bearing. A displacement signal indicating relative displacement (positional deviation) with respect to the cup 13 is output to the child device 1.
Similarly, support members 14 (not shown), displacement sensors 152, 153, and 154 and slave units 2, 3, and 4 are provided for the other three shafts 12a. Displacement signal data can be transmitted from 2, 3, 4 respectively. Further, the slave units 1 to 4 do not always transmit the displacement signal data, but form a handshake type data communication channel that transmits the signal data only when a request is received from the master unit described later. Has been.

In addition, a vibration sensor 17 using, for example, a piezoelectric acceleration pickup is attached to the concave portion at the center of the cross shaft 12 so as to face the surface of the concave portion. It connects with the subunit | mobile_unit 5 attached to the side surface of the cup 13 (left). The vibration sensor 17 detects the vibration of the cross shaft 12 that increases in accordance with the degree of damage such as surface peeling occurring on the shaft 12 a and outputs the vibration signal to the slave unit 5. Moreover, this subunit | mobile_unit 5 has the function similar to the said subunit | mobile_unit 1-4, and transmits the vibration signal data from the vibration sensor 17 according to the request | requirement from a main | base station.
Moreover, the said subunit | mobile_units 1-5, the displacement sensors 151-154 directly connected to these, and the vibration sensor 17 are contained in the said monitoring system, respectively, and each subunit | mobile_unit 1-5 is each as an identifier. ID numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 of consecutive integers are assigned. And each subunit | mobile_unit 1-5, the displacement sensors 151-154, and the vibration sensor 17 can be specified within the monitoring system for drive shafts. In addition, by assigning different ID numbers to each of the slave units 1 to 5 in this way, even if the sensor connected to the slave unit is changed, the trouble of changing the ID number of the slave unit can be omitted. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the monitoring system T includes the above-described sensors (displacement sensors 151 to 154 and vibration sensor 17), slave devices 1 to 5, and wireless communication between these slave devices 1 to 5. And a single parent device 6 capable of communication. A panel computer 8 disposed in the steel facility is connected to the parent device 6 via a communication line 7a compliant with, for example, RS232C. Further, a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as “PC”) 9 installed in a monitoring room away from the steel facility is connected to the panel computer 8 via a LAN 7b using, for example, a 10Base-T line. The PC 9 is configured to be connectable to an information processing terminal 21 such as a manufacturer of the cruciform joint 11 or its maintenance company via a communication network 20 such as the Internet. In the monitoring system T, the slave units 1 to 5 are mounted on each of the four cross joints 11 assembled to the two drive shafts 10, and the master unit 6 is included in the system T. Data communication is individually performed with all the slave units so that the drive shaft 10 can be monitored in units of the cross joint 11. However, in the following description, for simplification of description, the slave units 1 to 5 provided in one cross shaft joint 11 as illustrated in FIG. 3 will be described.

  Each of the above slave units 1 to 5 is a transceiver type wireless transceiver in which the same constituent members are unitized. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the slave unit 1 is connected to the connected displacement sensor 151. A preamplifier 31 for amplifying an analog detection signal, a PIC (Peripheral Interface Controller) 33 and a transmission / reception module 34 sequentially connected to the preamplifier 31 are provided. The PIC 32 is provided with an A / D conversion function 33 for converting the detection signal for one cycle amplified by the preamplifier 31 into, for example, 12-bit detection data. The transmission / reception module 34 is constituted by a wireless chip, and receives a result of detection (monitoring) by a receiving means for receiving an instruction signal from the parent device 6 and a displacement sensor 151 as a sensor means (monitoring means). The transmission means for transmitting to the machine 6 is integrally configured. Furthermore, in the subunit | mobile_unit 1, as mentioned later in full detail, the transmission mode which receives the instruction | indication signal from the main | base station 6 in the transmission / reception module 34, The transmission mode which transmits a transmission signal from the transmission / reception module 34 with respect to the main | base station 6, Any mode of the sleep mode in which the slave unit 1 is in a standby state can be selected, and intermittent operation in the sleep mode is performed.

  Moreover, the subunit | mobile_unit 1 comprises the electric power source of the said subunit | mobile_unit 1, the battery power supply 35 which has a battery (for example, two AA batteries), the voltage regulator 36 connected to this battery power supply 35, A timer circuit 37 is provided, and the battery power source 35 is configured to supply power to each part of the child device 1 via a power line indicated by a thick arrow in FIG. That is, the PIC 32, the transmission / reception module 34, and the timer circuit 37 are each directly connected to the battery power source 35 as shown in FIG. Further, since the preamplifier 31 is required to apply a voltage of, for example, ± 2.5 V as its power supply voltage, the battery power supply voltage is converted to the above voltage by the voltage regulator 36 and then given to the amplifier 31. . However, the preamplifier 31, the PIC 32, the transmission / reception module 34, and the voltage regulator 36 other than the timer circuit 37 are always set to a standby (sleep) state (that is, the sleep mode). The battery is not consumed as much as possible (details will be described later). The displacement sensor 151 is supplied with electric power from the preamplifier 31 via a cable when the preamplifier 31 interlocked with the on / off state of the voltage regulator 36 is on. The on / off state is switched in conjunction.

The PIC 32 is constituted by a one-chip microcomputer and constitutes processing means for performing predetermined data processing. The PIC 32 is connected to an oscillator 52 with a built-in frequency divider through an analog switch 51 as a switching means. A clock signal oscillated by the oscillator 52 is input to the PIC 32 through the analog switch 51. Then, the PIC 32 is operated. Further, the oscillator 52 constantly outputs a clock signal having a first clock frequency (for example, 20 MHz) and a second clock frequency (for example, 10 MHz) lower than the clock frequency to the analog switch 51. Therefore, a clock signal having one of the clock frequencies is supplied to the PIC 32 by the switching operation of the analog switch 51.
The switching operation of the analog switch 51 is performed by a switching signal from the PIC 32, and the PIC 32 itself is configured to select its operation speed. Specifically, signal lines 53 and 54 are connected between the PIC 32 and the analog switch 51. The PIC 32 sets, for example, the voltage level of one signal line 53 to L level and the other signal line. When the voltage level of 54 is set to H level, the analog switch 51 switches to the first clock frequency. When the voltage levels of the one and other signal lines 53 and 54 are set to the H level and the L level, respectively, the analog switch 51 switches to the second clock frequency. When the handset 1 is in the sleep mode, the voltage levels of these signal lines 53 and 54 are set to L level.

  The PIC 32 is connected to the timer circuit 37 for defining the time of the operation state (ON state), and the PIC 32 controls each part of the slave unit during the operation state period. . The timer circuit 37 is configured to output an activation signal for activating the PIC 32 to the PIC 32 every predetermined cycle (for example, 10 seconds). When the activation signal is input to the PIC 32, The PIC 32 outputs a switching signal to the analog switch 51 so as to operate at the second clock frequency, and is turned on for a predetermined time (for example, 10 msec) from the sleep state. When the PIC 32 is turned on, the PIC 32 immediately outputs an ON signal for switching from the sleep state to the on state to the transmission / reception module 34, allows power supply from the battery power source 35, and sets the transmission / reception module 34 in the reception mode. Thus, the mode in the slave unit 1 is also shifted from the sleep mode to the reception mode.

  Further, when the transmission / reception module 34 receives a transmission wave from the base unit 6 during the ON state period of the predetermined time, the PIC 32 determines the content of the instruction signal from the base unit 6 included in the transmission wave. Processing is performed at the second clock frequency. Only when the PIC 32 detects that the received instruction signal includes a request signal for requesting the detection result of the displacement sensor 151, the PIC 32 switches the voltage regulator 36 from the sleep state to the on state. A signal is output to allow power supply from the preamplifier 31 to the displacement sensor 151. Further, the PIC 32 sets the transmission / reception module 34 to the transmission mode, and shifts the mode in the slave unit 1 from the reception mode to the transmission mode. Further, the PIC 32 activates the A / D conversion function 33 and outputs a switching signal to the analog switch 51 so as to operate at the first clock frequency. As a result, the PIC 32 processes the sensor detection signal from the displacement sensor 151 at the first clock frequency to acquire sensor detection data, and transmits the acquired data to the parent device 6 via the transmission / reception module 34. To do.

If the request signal is not included in the instruction signal received from the base unit 6, the PIC 32 is driven at the second clock frequency without performing the switching operation in the analog switch 51, and the instruction signal The processing according to is performed.
Further, the PIC 32 outputs the OFF signal for switching from the on state to the sleep state to the transmission / reception module 34 when the on-state period elapses without receiving the instruction signal from the base unit 6, so that the battery power supply The power supply from 33 to the transmission / reception module 34 is cut off, and the transmission / reception module 34 is put into a sleep mode in which it cannot operate. Furthermore, the PIC 32 itself stops the A / D conversion function 33 and shifts from the on state to the sleep state, and the slave unit 1 shifts from the reception mode to the sleep mode.

  The sleep state in each part of the child device such as the PIC 32 is a sleep state in which the current consumption is 0.1 mA or less. As described above, the timer circuit 37 activates the PIC 32 and the PIC 32 is turned on. The slave unit 1 is configured to suppress the power consumption of the battery power source 35 as much as possible by activating each unit. That is, in the sleep mode of the slave unit 1, only the timer circuit 37 composed of an IC with extremely low power consumption, including the connected displacement sensor 151, always operates, and the PIC 32 is connected to the master unit. Only when the request signal from 6 is confirmed, the battery power source 35 is used and the sensor detection data of the displacement sensor 151 is transmitted to the parent device 6. As a result, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the battery of the battery power source 35 as much as possible, thereby extending the battery life of the battery power source 35 and extending the replacement time.

The PIC 32 is provided with a function for detecting the remaining battery capacity of the battery power supply 35 by software, and is configured to detect the voltage of the battery power supply 35 at the present time. This battery remaining amount detection process is performed when the PIC 32 receives the request signal. The PIC 32 uses the detected battery remaining amount (detected voltage) data as a parent together with the sensor detection data. Transmit to the machine 6. When the PIC 32 determines that the current battery power supply voltage is equal to or lower than the predetermined voltage, the PIC 32 generates a battery replacement signal for requesting the base unit 6 to replace the battery of the battery power supply 35. Thus, it is configured to be transmitted by being included in the battery remaining amount data.
In addition to the above description, it is also possible for the parent device 6 to transmit an instruction signal for executing only the battery remaining amount detection processing alone to the child device 1 and to return only the processing result to the parent device 6.
Further, an ID setting unit 38 configured by, for example, a DIP switch is connected to the PIC 32, and the number set by the ID setting unit 38 is registered in the PIC 32 as an ID number assigned to the slave unit 1 ( Recognized).

  The transmission / reception module 34 includes an oscillator that oscillates a transmission wave (carrier wave) having a predetermined frequency, a modulator that modulates sensor detection data to be transmitted on the transmission wave, and a demodulator that demodulates the transmission wave from the base unit 6. It is provided and performs two-way wireless communication with the parent device 6 via the connected antenna 39. The transmission / reception module 34 is configured to selectively select a transmission mode or a reception mode in accordance with an instruction signal from the PIC 32, and has a predetermined number of bits for each transmission cycle (one period of the carrier wave). Data blocks are transmitted by serial transmission. Specifically, signal lines C1 and C2 are connected between the PIC 32 and the transmission / reception module 34 in addition to the data transfer cable for the reception signal and transmission signal indicated by the double arrows in FIG. For example, when the PIC 32 sets the voltage level of both the signal lines C1 and C2 to the H level, the transmission / reception module 34 is set to the reception mode. When the voltage levels of the one and other signal lines C1 and C2 are set to the H level and the L level, respectively, the transmission / reception module 34 is set to the transmission mode, and the voltage levels of both the signal lines C1 and C2 are set to the L level. Sometimes, the transceiver module 34 is set to sleep mode.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the base unit 6 controls a transmission / reception module 41 that performs wireless communication using a frequency common to the transmission / reception modules 34 of the slave units 1 to 5 and each part of the base unit. A PIC 42 constituting a control unit to be performed and an RS232C driver 43 connected to the panel computer 8 (FIG. 3) are provided. The master unit 6 constitutes a transceiver-type wireless transceiver similar to the slave units 1 to 5, and includes a battery power source as a power source thereof. The battery power supply voltage is constantly monitored by the detection function provided in the PIC 42 as in the case of the slave units 1 to 5, and the detected voltage value (current battery power supply voltage value) is notified to the panel computer 8 side. At the same time, a battery replacement signal is output to the computer 8 when the detected voltage value falls below a predetermined voltage. Similarly to the transmission / reception module 34, the transmission / reception module 41 includes an oscillator, a modulator, and a demodulator, and alternatively selects a transmission mode or a reception mode according to an instruction signal from the PIC 42. A data block having a predetermined number of bits is transmitted from the antenna 40 every transmission cycle.

  In addition, according to an instruction (request signal) from the panel computer 8 side, the base unit 6 requests to transmit the detection data of the sensor corresponding to each handset 1 to 5 and receives from each handset 1 to 5 The sensor detection data and the remaining battery data are transferred to the panel computer 8 side. Further, when the master unit 6 requests one slave unit to transmit the detection data of the sensor connected to the slave unit, the master unit 6 creates a request signal including the identifier of the slave unit, and the created signal The data block containing is transmitted.

The panel computer 8 has, as its computer function, the degree of damage on the corresponding shaft 12a (drive shaft 10) based on the sensor detection data from each of the sensors (displacement sensors 151 to 154 and vibration sensor 17) ( A discrimination / diagnosis function for the degree of progress) is provided. The computer 8 includes a monitoring function for displaying predetermined history information such as a waveform of each detection data and a change in the degree of progress on a display, a start of sensing to each sensor, and the slave units 1 to 5 and the master unit 6. An operation instruction function for confirming the remaining battery level of each battery power source is provided by software.
Further, in addition to the above computer functions of the panel computer 8, the PC 9 stores input detection data and data such as damage diagnosis results based on the data, or stores the above stored data in another information processing terminal 21. A server function that works as a Web server that provides the service is provided.

Here, the operation of the monitoring system T configured as described above will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In the following description, for example, the operation in the slave unit 1 (FIG. 4) will be mainly described.
In FIG. 6, the handset 1 is set in the sleep mode, and in this sleep mode, the PIC 32 (FIG. 4) is activated by the activation signal output every 10 seconds from the timer circuit 37 (FIG. 4) (step S1). ) PIC 32 is in the above-mentioned on-state period of 10 msec (step S2). Then, the PIC 32 allows power supply from the battery power source 35 (FIG. 4) to the transmission / reception module (FIG. 4), and sets the transmission / reception module 34 to the reception mode (step S3). Subsequently, in the slave unit 1, when the transmission / reception module 34 receives the instruction signal from the master unit 6, the PIC 32 performs content determination processing for the received instruction signal, and whether the detection signal request signal is received from the master unit 6. The confirmation operation about whether or not is performed (step S4). At this time, if the child device 1 does not receive the instruction signal from the parent device 6 or the request signal is not included in the instruction signal, the child device 1 proceeds to step S16 described later.

  Further, when the base unit 6 transmits a request signal to the handset side, the base unit 6 sends the same request signal for the data request destination handset to the cycle of the on-state period of the PIC 32 (slave unit 1) (activation signal). The output signal is repeatedly transmitted to the slave unit for a time longer than the output cycle (for example, 20 seconds) so that the request signal can be reliably received by the slave unit that can operate only for 10 msec every 10 seconds. It has become.

In step S4, when the PIC 32 confirms reception of the request signal, the PIC 32 compares the ID code included in the received request signal with the ID code of its own station to determine whether or not they match. Thus, it is determined whether or not the transmission destination of the request signal is the slave unit 1 (step S5). When it is determined that the request signal is for different slave units 2 to 5, the slave unit 1 proceeds to step S16.
In step S5, when the ID code matches the ID code of the slave unit 1, the slave unit 1 determines that the own station is called from the master unit 6 and shifts to the transmission mode. That is, the PIC 32 outputs an ON signal to the voltage regulator 36, whereby power is supplied to the preamplifier 31 (step S6), and the displacement sensor 151 operates. Further, the PIC 32 switches the analog switch 51 to switch to the first clock frequency (step S7), and further activates the A / D conversion function 33 (step S8). The PIC 32 allows power supply to the transmission / reception module 34 and sets the transmission / reception module 34 to the transmission mode (step S9).

Next, in the PIC 32, when the sensor signal of the displacement sensor 151 is input from the preamplifier 31, the A / D conversion function 33 performs A / D conversion processing including sampling processing at a predetermined sampling frequency, and sensor detection data is obtained. Obtain (step S10). Further, this sensor detection data is configured in the PIC 32 as a data block transmitted in the one transmission cycle in the transmission / reception module 34, and an ID code given to the slave unit 1 is included in the header portion of each block. It is done. Then, the data block is sequentially transferred from the PIC 32 to the transmission / reception module 34 and transmitted from the transmission / reception module 34 to the parent device 6 (step S11).
The sampling frequency is set to 3 kHz, for example, so that sampling processing can be performed with sufficient accuracy for the detection signal of the displacement sensor 151 which is a high frequency signal of 100 Hz. Moreover, in the subunit | mobile_unit 5 to which the said vibration sensor 17 was connected, since the frequency of the detection signal of the vibration sensor 17 is a higher frequency signal with 10 kHz, it is the sampling frequency in the A / D conversion function 33 of the said subunit | mobile_unit 5 Is set to 100 kHz.

Subsequently, the slave unit 1 determines whether or not a predetermined time T1 seconds have elapsed after data transmission to the master unit 6 (step S12). If T1 seconds have not elapsed, the slave unit 1 determines whether or not the step S10 has been performed. The PIC 32 performs A / D conversion on the sensor signal of the displacement sensor 151 to obtain sensor detection data, and repeats data transmission to the base unit 6. Thereby, the subunit | mobile_unit 1 is preventing that the transmission mistake to the main | base station 6 of the said data arises.
In Step S12, when the handset 1 determines that T1 seconds have elapsed, the handset 1 is shifted from the transmission mode to the sleep mode. That is, as shown in step S13 of FIG. 7, the PIC 32 switches the analog switch 51 to switch to the second clock frequency. Then, the PIC 32 outputs an OFF signal to the voltage regulator 36, thereby stopping the power supply to the preamplifier 31 and putting the preamplifier 31 into a sleep state (step S14). Furthermore, the PIC 32 performs A / D conversion. The function 33 is also set in the sleep state (step S15). Thereafter, the PIC 32 stops power supply to the transmission / reception module 34, sets the transmission / reception module 34 to the sleep mode (step S16), and finally the PIC 32 itself shifts to the sleep state (step S17).

  In the monitoring system T of the present embodiment configured as described above, the analog switch (switching means) 51 is provided only when a detection data transmission request of the corresponding sensor is made from the parent device 6 to each of the child devices 1 to 5. By switching to a higher first clock frequency (20 MHz), the PIC (processing means) 32 performs data processing on the detection signal from the sensor at the first clock frequency. Further, after the transmission / reception module (transmission means) 34 transmits the sensor detection data after the data processing to the master unit 6, the analog switch 51 is switched to the second clock frequency (10 MHz). That is, in the monitoring system T, only the data processing for the sensor detection (monitoring) result is performed at the first clock frequency, so that the sensor detection result is processed at a higher clock frequency to improve the monitoring accuracy. In addition, power consumption in the PIC 32 can be suppressed, and the life of the battery power source 35 can be extended. In addition, since the battery power supply 35 can be extended in this way, the frequency of replacement of the battery included in the power supply 35 can be greatly reduced, and a monitoring system excellent in maintenance workability can be constructed. can do.

  In the verification test conducted by the inventor of the present application, without providing the analog switch 51, an oscillator that oscillates a clock signal having a single frequency of 20 MHz is directly connected to the PIC 32, and the clock frequency of 20 MHz is set. It was confirmed that the life of the battery power source 35 can be extended more than twice as compared with the case where it is always driven. Further, the current consumption of the entire slave unit is 3 mA and 1 mA, respectively, when the PIC 32 is driven at 20 MHz and 10 MHz.

In this embodiment, as shown in step S4 of FIG. 6, the PIC 32 is operated at the second clock frequency until the PIC 32 confirms the data transmission request from the parent device 6. . As a result, for example, even when the slave unit 1 receives from the master unit 6 an instruction signal requesting only the remaining battery level detection process, the slave unit 1 is prevented from being unnecessarily driven at the first clock frequency. As a result, the power consumption of the PIC 32 and thus the slave unit 1 can be reliably suppressed.
In the present embodiment, as shown in step S5 of FIG. 6, the PIC 32 checks the ID code (identifier) included in the request signal with the ID code of the own station, and the codes match. Only when the PIC 32 does the PIC 32 cause the analog switch 51 to perform the switching operation to switch to the first clock frequency. As a result, the PIC 32 of the slave unit that does not require the sensor detection result can be reliably prevented from operating at the first clock frequency, and the power consumption in the slave unit is unnecessarily increased. Can be prevented.

Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the subunit | mobile_unit 1-4 and the displacement sensors 151-154 are each arrange | positioned inside the four bearing cups 13 of the cross joint 11, and also the said joint 11 and The slave unit 5 and the vibration sensor 17 are arranged in an empty space with the shaft end portion of the drive shaft 10, and based on the sensor detection data sent from each of the slave units 1 to 5 on the master unit side, The degree of surface peeling is determined and monitored. That is, in this embodiment, it is difficult to secure the installation location of the sensor, and it is possible to accurately grasp the degree of damage (progression degree) of the rotating drive shaft 10, such as the cross joint 11. It becomes possible to accurately determine when the replacement work is necessary.
The number of installed sensors and the type (type) of the sensor are not limited to those in the above embodiment. In other words, the sensor only needs to detect a physical quantity that changes due to damage to the drive shaft, and may acquire detection data such as force and temperature. However, as described above, the case where a plurality of types of sensors having different sensor types is installed is preferable because the degree of damage to the drive shaft 10 can be detected with higher accuracy.

  In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to a drive shaft of a rolling mill has been described. However, the present invention relates to a first clock frequency or a second clock lower than the clock frequency in a slave unit provided on the steel equipment side. The processing means operable at the frequency and the switching means for switching these clock frequencies are provided, and when the processing means detects a transmission request for the monitoring result of the monitoring means from the master unit, the switching means detects the first clock. Switching to the frequency causes the processing means to perform a processing operation on the monitoring result at the first clock frequency. Further, after the monitoring result after the processing operation is transmitted, it is sufficient that the switching unit switches to the second clock frequency so that the processing unit operates at the second clock frequency, and the facility is operated. The present invention is applied to the monitoring of various machines, devices, devices, etc. included in the equipment when the surrounding environment is operated under a severe environment such as high temperature, high humidity, high vibration, and high noise. be able to. More specifically, the present invention can be applied to a system for monitoring an operating state of a bearing device that rotatably supports a roller for flowing a slab in a continuous casting machine of a steel facility.

In the above description, the case where the PIC is used as the processing means has been described. However, the processing means of the present invention may be any one that can process data at different clock frequencies, and a DSP, MPU, or the like can be used. .
In the above description, the case where the A / D conversion function is provided in the PIC has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an ADC (Analog Digital Converter) separate from the processing means is used. You can also. However, as described above, when the processing means is provided with the A / D conversion function, the number of parts of the slave unit can be reduced as compared with the case where an independent ADC is used, and the clock frequency of the ADC is reduced. It is preferable in that it is not necessary to switch between them separately.

In the above description, the case where the analog switch as the switching unit is provided between the PIC and the oscillator with a built-in frequency divider has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to input a switching signal from the PIC to a selector provided between the frequency divider and the output terminal and use the selector as switching means.
In the above description, the configuration in which the PIC outputs a switching signal for requesting the analog switch (switching means) to switch the first or second clock frequency has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a determination means for determining whether or not a transmission request flag is included in the instruction signal from the base unit is provided. When the determination means detects the flag, the first clock frequency is changed to the first clock frequency. The switching operation to the clock frequency may be performed, and the monitoring result after the above processing operation is transmitted at a predetermined data amount and a predetermined data transmission speed, so from the time when the monitoring result is input to the processing means. A timer for measuring the time is provided, the end of data transmission is determined using this timer, and the switching operation from the first clock frequency to the second clock frequency is performed. It may be. However, as described above, when the switching means is operated by the switching signal from the processing means, it is possible to omit the determination means, the timer, etc., and to reduce the number of parts of the slave unit. Is preferable in that it can be simplified.

In the above description, the configuration has been described in which the detection data of the sensor means (displacement sensor and vibration sensor) that detects physical quantities that change due to damage to the drive shaft is transmitted from the slave unit side to the master unit side. The monitoring system of the present invention is not limited to this, and any monitoring system may be used as long as it transmits the result data of the monitoring means for monitoring the operation state of the monitoring object including the sensor means to the parent device side.
In the above description, the case where the base unit and the panel computer are separately configured has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the panel computer is equipped with a transmission / reception module to be the same as the base unit. It may be configured integrally with a computer.

It is a perspective view which shows the drive shaft used for the rolling mill of a steel manufacturer. It is the figure which looked at the principal part of the cross shaft coupling from the axial direction of the drive shaft (including a partial cross section). It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the monitoring system for steel facilities which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the specific structure of the subunit | mobile_unit shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the parent device shown in FIG. 3. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation in the subunit | mobile_unit of the said drive shaft monitoring system. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation in the subunit | mobile_unit between the branch points A and B shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 to 5 Slave unit 6 Master unit 10 Drive shaft 17 Vibration sensor (monitoring means / sensor means)
32 PIC
34 Transmission / reception module (transmission means / reception means)
51 Analog switch (switching means)
151-154 Displacement sensor (monitoring means / sensor means)
T Steel system monitoring system

Claims (5)

It has a slave unit provided on the steel equipment side, a master unit capable of wireless communication with the slave unit, and a monitoring system for monitoring the steel facility based on a transmission signal from the slave unit,
The slave unit is a battery power source constituting a power source of the slave unit,
Receiving means for receiving an instruction signal from the base unit;
A monitoring means provided on a structural member of the steel facility is connected to a monitoring means for monitoring an operation state of the structural member, and predetermined data processing is performed at a first clock frequency or a second clock frequency lower than the clock frequency. Processing means for performing
A transmission unit connected to the processing unit and transmitting the monitoring result of the monitoring unit processed by the processing unit to the master unit;
Switching means for switching the first or second clock frequency,
When the processing unit detects that the instruction signal from the master unit received by the receiving unit includes a transmission request for the monitoring result of the monitoring unit, the switching unit switches to the first clock frequency, After the processing means is driven at the first clock frequency to perform a processing operation on the monitoring result of the monitoring means, and after the transmission means transmits the monitoring result after the processing operation to the master unit, The monitoring system for a steel facility, wherein the switching means switches to the second clock frequency. The slave unit includes a reception mode in which the reception unit receives an instruction signal from the master unit, a transmission mode in which the transmission unit transmits a transmission signal to the master unit, and a sleep mode in which the slave unit is in a standby state. Either mode can be selected, and
When the slave unit is operating in the reception mode, the processing means is driven at the second clock frequency, and the content of the instruction signal from the master unit received by the reception means is determined. The steel system monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the operation is performed at the second clock frequency.   The steel processing monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing means outputs a switching signal for requesting the switching means to switch to the first or second clock frequency. .   The said monitoring means is provided in the drive shaft which drives a rolling roller, The sensor means which detects the physical quantity which changes due to the damage of this drive shaft is included. The monitoring system for steel facilities described in any one. The steel equipment side is provided with a plurality of the slave units given different identifiers,
The processing means provided in each of the plurality of slave units includes that the instruction signal from the master unit includes a transmission request for a monitoring result of the monitoring unit and an identifier assigned to the slave unit. The steel facility monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, when detected, the switching means of the slave unit switches to the first clock frequency.

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