JP2014095552A - Position measurement system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position measurement system capable of accurately obtaining the position of an object inside a metal shield space.SOLUTION: A position measurement system 1 includes: a transmission antenna 14 for transmitting electric wave of pulse wave having a UWB frequency into a metal shield space containing dust, sand, or charcoal; an object 2 that moves in the metal shield space and reflects the electric wave transmitted from the transmission antenna 14; and a receiving antenna 15 for receiving the electric wave reflected by the object 2. A plurality of corner reflectors having a shape having retroreflective ability are disposed on the outer surface of the object 2.

Description

  The present invention relates to a position measurement system.

  In a metal shielding space covered with a metal wall, there is a product group such as a reformed coal kiln furnace or a fluidized furnace that moves a solid substance under a high temperature condition and in a place where charcoal or sand floats. However, there is a case where the verification of the simulation accuracy is insufficient for the behavior such as the movement of the solid substance, and the performance improvement and the scale-up of the modified coal kiln furnace, the fluidized furnace, etc. depend on experience and experiment. For this reason, there are concerns about an increase in development costs and a prolonged development period due to the implementation of experiments.

  In patent document 1, it is invention of a subsurface exploration apparatus, Comprising: In order to identify the kind of substance which exists in the ground, a three-dimensional position, and quantity, the high frequency voltage which appears by flowing high frequency current through the ground A technique for performing multipoint measurement is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 4311745

  When verifying the simulation accuracy, it is desirable to be able to measure (monitor) the movement of solid substances in a real metal shielded space under high-temperature conditions and where charcoal or sand is floating. There is no technique for measuring the movement of solid substances at various locations.

As a technology for confirming the movement of solid substances in a certain space, there is a method of detecting the behavior of the target substance using radio waves or sound waves. No application results have been reported in places where is floating.
One reason for this is that when the position of a target substance is detected using radio waves, charcoal and sand exist in the space that is the path of the radio waves, and the radio waves are attenuated. It becomes impossible to detect and becomes undetectable.
It is known that the attenuation of radio waves varies depending on the dielectric constant, tan δ (dielectric loss tangent), permeability value, etc. of the substance that affects the radio wave. Also, when these substances mix with air, they are also affected by their ratio.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, Comprising: It aims at providing the position measuring system which can acquire the position of the target object inside a metal shielding space correctly.

In order to solve the above problems, the position measurement system of the present invention employs the following means.
That is, the position measurement system according to the present invention moves a pulse wave having a UWB frequency into a metal shielded space where dust, sand or charcoal exists, and moves in the metal shielded space, A plurality of corner reflectors having an object that reflects the radio wave transmitted from the transmission unit and a reception unit that receives the radio wave reflected by the object, the object having a shape capable of retroreflection Is provided facing the outside.

  According to the present invention, in a metal shielding space where sand or charcoal exists, a radio wave having a UWB (ultra-wide band radio) frequency is transmitted from the transmission unit to the target, reflected by the target, and received by the reception unit. However, since the radio wave has a frequency of UWB, it is possible to recognize that the object is away from the wall surface without being affected by the metal wall even in the metal shielding space. In addition, since the radio wave has a UWB frequency, there is no attenuation of the radio wave even in a space where dust, sand, or charcoal exists, so that the object can be detected. Furthermore, since the surface of the object is covered with the corner reflector, the radio wave transmitted from the transmission unit can be reflected in the same direction, and the reception unit can be installed in the same or in the vicinity of the transmission unit.

  In addition, the position measurement system according to the present invention includes a transmitter that transmits a pulse wave having a UWB frequency to a metal shielded space where dust, sand, or charcoal is present by pulse communication, and moves within the metal shielded space. And an object that reflects the radio wave transmitted from the transmitter, and a receiver that receives the radio wave reflected by the object, wherein the transmitter or the receiver is inside the metal shielding space. It is provided inside the installation part that is installed facing, the installation part has a heat insulating structure that reduces heat on the metal shielding space side, and the surface through which the radio wave passes among the installation parts is heat resistant And a material having radio wave permeability.

  According to this invention, since the transmission unit or the reception unit is installed inside the installation unit having a heat insulating structure that reduces the heat on the metal shielding space side, it is possible to prevent the transmission unit or the reception unit from being heated to a high temperature. In addition, since the surface of the installation part through which radio waves pass is made of a material that has heat resistance and radio wave transmission, it transmits radio waves from the inside of the installation part to the metal shielding space without being attenuated. Radio waves can be received from the space into the installation part.

  In the above invention, the object may include a measuring unit that measures a temperature around the object and a storage unit that records the measured temperature together with time.

  According to this invention, since the object can measure the ambient temperature change, it is possible to acquire the temperature distribution of the path through which the object passes in the metal shielding space by matching with the position information of the object.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately acquire the position of the object inside the metal shielding space.

It is a block diagram which shows the position measurement system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the metal shielding space where the position measuring system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and a position measuring system are applied. It is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-section which shows the target object which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows a corner reflector. It is a front view which shows the transmission / reception apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the transmission / reception apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the apparatus installation part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the apparatus installation part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the DD line | wire of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the apparatus installation part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by CC line of FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an apparatus installation portion according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an apparatus installation portion according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view cut along line BB in FIG. 7.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the position measurement system 1 according to this embodiment includes an object (tracer or target) 2 that moves inside a metal shielding space 30, a transmission / reception device 3 that transmits / receives radio waves (for example, radar), and transmission / reception. A control device 4 connected to the device 3 is provided. The clock unit 11 of the object 2 and the clock unit 18 of the control device 4 are synchronized.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the position measurement system 1 is a metal shielding space 30 covered with a metal wall, and is a solid substance in a location 31 where dust, charcoal, or sand is floating under high temperature conditions. The position of (object 2) can be measured. Moreover, the object 2 is measuring the temperature change of the circumference | surroundings, and the temperature distribution inside the metal shielding space 30 is acquirable by matching the position of the measured object 2 and time. The metal shielding space 30 is, for example, a waste incinerator, a reformed coal kiln furnace, a fluidized furnace, or the like.

  The object 2 includes a clock unit 11, a temperature measurement unit 12, a storage unit 13, and the like. The target object 2 has a heat resistant performance in its outer shell, and can protect each of the built-in components even when placed in the metal shielding space 30 under a high temperature condition. The object 2 moves inside the metal shielding space 30 in accordance with a function of a reformed coal kiln furnace or a fluidized furnace. For example, in the case of a fluidized furnace, when the object 2 is introduced from the inlet inside the metal shielding space 30, the object 2 moves along the flow of the fluidized bed and is finally taken out from the outlet.

  The target object 2 reflects the radio wave transmitted from the transmission antenna 14. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of corner reflectors 22 are provided along the outer surface 21 on the inner side of the outer surface 21 of the object 2. FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing the object 2, and is cut so as to pass through the center of the object 2. The corner reflector 22 has a shape that allows retroreflection, that is, reflection of transmitted radio waves in the original direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the corner reflector 22 is formed by combining three plate-like members at a right angle.

When the object 2 is formed of a hexahedron such as a cube, four corner reflectors 22 are provided for each surface, and the object 2 has a total of 24 corner reflectors 22. As a result, even if the object 2 changes its posture at any angle while the object 2 is moving inside the metal shielding space 30, the object 2 transmits the radio wave transmitted from the transmission antenna 14 to the original state. It can be reflected in the direction. Therefore, by installing the receiving antenna 15 in the vicinity of the transmitting antenna 14, the object 2 is reliably detected by radio waves.
The size of one side of the corner reflector 22 is determined based on the wavelength of the transmitted / received radio wave. When a pulse wave having a frequency of 9 GHz is transmitted and received, the size of one side of the corner reflector 22 is, for example, 3 cm.

  The temperature measuring unit 12 is, for example, a thermocouple, and measures the temperature around the object 2. The storage unit 13 records the time based on the clock unit 11 together with the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 12. By matching with the position and time of the object 2 measured by the position calculation unit 16 of the control device 4, the temperature distribution on the path of the object 2 in the metal shielding space 30 can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transmission / reception device 3 is installed inside a device installation portion 32 provided in the metal shielding space 30. The transmission / reception device 3 includes a transmission antenna 14 and a reception antenna 15. The transmission antenna 14 transmits a radio wave having a UWB (ultra-wide band radio) frequency, for example, a pulse wave having a frequency of 9 GHz, toward the inside of the metal shielding space 30. The radio wave transmitted and received in the present embodiment preferably has a UWB frequency of 9 GHz to 76.5 GHz. As a result, a distance resolution of ± 10 mm and separation from the wall of ± 10 mm to ± 100 mm can be realized.

  The transmission direction of the radio wave of the transmission antenna 14 is adjusted by the antenna control unit 19. The receiving antenna 15 receives the radio wave transmitted from the transmitting antenna 14 and reflected by the object 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the reception antenna 15 is installed in the vicinity of the transmission antenna 14.

  The transmission antenna 14 is a planar antenna, for example, and includes a plurality (64 in the example of FIG. 5) of antenna elements. By controlling each antenna element, the transmission direction of the radio wave transmitted from the transmission antenna 14 can be adjusted three-dimensionally. As a result, the inside of the metal shielding space 30 can be scanned, and the object 2 can be detected and tracked. The transmission antenna 14 is not limited to a planar antenna, and may be a horn antenna, for example. However, since a driving device for scanning the inside of the metal shielding space 30 is provided and a large operating space for the horn antenna is required, the scale becomes large. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the transmission / reception device 3 may be provided with a fan 23 so that the inside of the transmission / reception device 3 can be cooled.

  The control device 4 is, for example, a computer, and includes a position calculation unit 16, a correction unit 17, a clock unit 18, an antenna control unit 19, and the like. The position calculation unit 16 calculates the position of the object 2 using the transmission / reception direction and arrival time of the radio wave based on the radio wave received by the reception antenna 15 after being transmitted from the transmission antenna 14 and reflected by the object 2. When there is dust, charcoal, sand, or the like inside the metal shield space 30, the correction unit 17 calculates the position calculation unit 16 in consideration of the dielectric constant of the dust, charcoal, sand, or the like and the refraction angle of the radio wave. Correct the position.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11, the device installation unit 32 in which the transmission / reception device 3 is installed will be described.
The device installation portion 32 has a wall portion formed of a refractory material 33 and a cooling air flow path 34 formed on the inner side of the wall portion. The cooling air is introduced into the cooling air flow path 34 from the outside of the metal shielding space 30. Then, the cooling air passes through the cooling air flow path 34, reaches the entire inner side of the wall portion, and is then discharged to the outside of the metal shielding space 30. At this time, the cooling air may be blown out to the transmission / reception device 3 to cool the transmission / reception device 3. With the above-described configuration, the device installation unit 32 prevents the heat of the metal shielding space 30 from being transmitted to the inside and prevents the transmission / reception device 3 from being heated to a high temperature.

The device installation portion 32 is formed to protrude from the wall surface of the metal shielding space 30 toward the inside. The transmission / reception device 3 is fixed inside the device installation unit 32 so that the transmission antenna 14 and the reception antenna 15 face downward. Thereby, the range in which the target object 2 moves can be scanned. The window member 35 facing the transmission antenna 14 and the reception antenna 15 in the device installation portion 32 is not a normal refractory material but a refractory material having radio wave permeability. The window member 35 is made of a porous material having a small dielectric constant and electrical conductivity, such as foamed SiO ₂ or foamed alumina. Accordingly, it is possible to allow radio waves to pass from the inside of the device installation portion 32 to the inside of the metal shielding space 30 while preventing the transmission / reception device 3 from being heated to a high temperature. In addition to the window member 35 at the bottom of the apparatus installation portion 32, a ceramic thin plate may be installed on the metal shielding space 30 side for heat resistance.

Next, the position measurement method according to the present embodiment will be described.
First, when the metal shielding space 30 is a furnace, the calibration corner reflector 40 is installed inside the metal shielding space 30 before the furnace is started up. The plurality of corner reflectors 40 are installed as far as possible from each other so that the position in the metal shielding space 30 is obtained by interpolation. Then start up the furnace.

  Then, cooling air is supplied to the device installation portion 32 provided on the wall surface of the metal shielding space 30 to cool the inner wall surface of the device installation portion 32 to 100 ° C. or less. Thereafter, the transmission / reception device 3 is installed inside the device installation unit 32. At this time, the time of the control device 4 and the time of the object 2 are matched. Thereby, the relationship between the position of the target object 2 and the temperature inside the metal shielding space 30 can be acquired after the measurement.

Next, calibration is performed to correct a positional deviation between the radio wave transmission / reception direction and the actual position of the metal shielding space 30.
After completion of the correction, the object 2 is prepared and put into the metal shielding space 30. The transmission / reception device 3 samples the vicinity of the entrance of the metal shielding space 30 in detail by finely adjusting the distance and angle in order to detect the input object 2. When the object 2 is detected, the transmission / reception device 3 tracks the object 2 around the object 2. When the object 2 is no longer detected, the scanning range is expanded while maintaining the current measurement location. When the object 2 is detected again, the tracking of the object 2 is resumed.
Until the object 2 comes out of the exit of the metal shielding space 30, the detection of the object 2 by the transmission / reception device 3 is continued.

  After the object 2 comes out of the metal shielding space 30, the object 2 is cooled and then the internal storage unit 13 is taken out. And the time and temperature recorded on the memory | storage part 13 of the target object 2 are moved to the control apparatus 4 etc., and data arrangement is performed. For example, the temperature distribution of the movement path of the object 2 in the metal shielding space 30 can be grasped by collating the time obtained by the position measurement of the object 2 with the position information.

Next, a data processing method will be described.
First, calibration is performed to correct a positional deviation between the radio wave transmission / reception direction and the actual position of the metal shielding space 30. In calibration, position correction is performed using the theory of refraction.

  And the position measurement of the solid-state substance (target object 2) in the metal shielding space 30 based on the measurement method mentioned above is started. While the target object 2 is thrown into the metal shielding space 30, the position measuring device records the time (t) and the position (x, y, z) of the target object 2 at the same time. The sampling interval may be as short as 2 seconds or less, or may be a relatively long interval such as 20 seconds. During the position measurement, the display device 5 connected to the control device 4 displays the position and movement path of the object 2 recognized by the position calculation unit 16 in a three-dimensional manner.

  When the measurement is completed, the measured data is stored in the control device 4. By storing the data, it is possible to graph the movement state of the object 2 inside the metal shielded space 30 and the relationship between the position inside the metal shielded space 30 and the temperature.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the position of the solid substance (target object 2) can be grasped three-dimensionally in a high-temperature field of the metal shielding space 30 where dust, sand, or charcoal exists. The behavior can be measured.

  Further, a temperature measuring unit 12 that measures the temperature around the object 2 and a storage unit 13 that records the measured temperature together with the time are installed inside the object 2, and obtained by measuring the position of the object 2. The temperature distribution of the moving path of the target object 2 in the metal shielding space 30 can be grasped by collating the time and the position information. In addition, before putting the target object 2 in the metal shielding space 30, it is necessary to synchronize the time of the clock unit 18 of the control device 4 and the clock unit 11 of the target object 2.

  Furthermore, since the correction unit 17 has a function of correcting a positional information shift caused by refraction of radio waves by dust, sand, or charcoal, it is possible to accurately grasp the movement of the object 2 in the actual metal shielding space 30. .

  Furthermore, since the transmitting / receiving device 3 is installed inside the device installation section 32 provided on the wall surface of the metal shielding space 30, the environment in which the metal shielding space 30 (inside the furnace) has a maximum temperature of 600 ° C. However, it is possible to use the transmission / reception device 3 that is assumed to be used in a normal temperature range.

The device installation unit 32 uses a material having heat resistance and radio wave transmission for the window member 35 through which radio waves pass, for example, foamed SiO ₂ with many bubbles and low dielectric constant and conductivity, thereby transmitting antennas. The attenuation of the radio wave transmitted from 14 and received by the receiving antenna 15 can be minimized.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Position measurement system 2 Object 3 Transmission / reception apparatus 4 Control apparatus 5 Display apparatus 11,18 Clock part 12 Temperature measurement part 13 Storage part 14 Transmitting antenna (transmission part)
15 Receiving antenna (receiving unit)
16 Position calculation unit 17 Correction unit 19 Antenna control unit 22 Corner reflector 30 Metal shielding space

Claims (3)

A transmitter for transmitting a radio wave of a pulse wave having a frequency of UWB into a metal shielding space where dust, sand or charcoal exists;
An object that moves in the metal shielding space and reflects the radio wave transmitted from the transmitter;
A receiving unit for receiving the radio wave reflected by the object;
With
The object is a position measurement system in which a plurality of corner reflectors having a shape capable of retroreflection are provided facing the outside. A transmitter for transmitting pulse wave radio waves having a UWB frequency into a metal shielded space where dust, sand or charcoal is present by pulse communication;
An object that moves in the metal shielding space and reflects the radio wave transmitted from the transmitter;
A receiving unit for receiving the radio wave reflected by the object;
With
The transmitting unit or the receiving unit is provided inside an installation unit that is installed facing the inside of the metal shielding space,
The installation part has a heat insulating structure for reducing heat on the metal shielding space side, and the surface of the installation part through which the radio wave passes is formed of a material having heat resistance and radio wave transmission. system. The object is
A measuring unit for measuring the temperature around the object;
A storage unit for recording the measured temperature together with time;
The position measurement system according to claim 1, comprising:

Images