JP2022111502A - Distribution valve diagnosis system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a distribution valve diagnosis system that can perform a highly accurate diagnosis when diagnosing a distribution valve for abnormalities by a wireless device.SOLUTION: The distribution valve diagnosis system includes: distribution valves 8, 9, 10 having a unit valve for distributing a supplied material by operations of a piston, an indication bar of the distribution valves protruding to the outside making reciprocating motions in association with the operation of the unit valve; and a diagnosing/communication unit 31 attached to the distribution valves 8, 9, 10, the diagnosing/communication unit monitoring the reciprocating motions of the indication bar. The diagnosing/communication unit 31 diagnoses the distribution valves 8, 9, 10 on the basis of operations of the indication bar and wirelessly sends a diagnosis signal which notifies the result of diagnosis.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a system for monitoring the operation of distribution valves installed in lines for supplying supplies such as lubricating oil and diagnosing abnormalities.

For example, in a facility such as a factory where a large number of devices with mechanically actuated sliding parts and rotating parts are in operation, lubrication such as grease is regularly applied to each of the above-mentioned devices in an appropriate amount. need to be supplied. For this reason, a device called a distribution valve is provided in the middle of the flow path for supplying the lubricant. Distributing valves come in various methods and models, but a dual-line distributing valve is equipped with a piston that reciprocates in response to pressure-feeding of lubricant. or return movement), a certain amount of lubricant is delivered.

Here, if the operation of the distribution valve stops for some reason (clogging of pipes, etc.), there is a risk of malfunction in the operation of the equipment to which the lubricant is supplied. Needed. As such a mechanism, for example, a pointing rod is generally attached to one end of a piston that operates inside the distribution valve so that it can be visually recognized from the outside of the distribution valve. Since the indicator rod is interlocked with the piston, by visually checking the position of the indicator rod, it is possible to grasp whether the corresponding distributing valve is activated or not. In other words, visually inspect the appearance of the distribution valve, and if the indicator rod does not move, it is considered that the distribution valve or the flow path connected to the distribution valve is clogged or otherwise malfunctioned. etc.

Prior art documents describing such distribution valves and techniques related to their diagnosis include, for example, Patent Document 1 below.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-85995

By the way, in a place such as a factory, a large number of devices are often installed in a large site, and the number of distributing valves to be installed increases as the number of devices to which the lubricant is supplied increases. As described above, when distributing valves of the type that check operation/non-operation by visual inspection of the indicator rod are installed, it is a troublesome work to check all distributing valves, especially In a large-scale factory or the like, an enormous amount of labor is required for inspection. In addition, depending on the arrangement of equipment, it may be difficult to see the indicator rod of the distribution valve. In order to detect abnormalities at an early stage, regular patrols are required, and depending on the situation, it may be necessary to allocate personnel specializing in monitoring, which increases personnel costs.

As a measure to reduce the labor involved in inspecting such distribution valves, it is conceivable to install a device that monitors the operation of each distribution valve and introduce a system that automatically notifies when an abnormality occurs. Here, there are two major types of anomaly notification mechanisms, wired and wireless. In addition to increasing the cost of installation, there is also the risk of affecting the layout and maintainability of the factory. On the other hand, when trying to adopt a wireless system, there is a problem that it is difficult to maintain diagnostic accuracy. In a factory where operating signals from a large number of devices fly around, it is easy for radio waves to interfere with each other, or for one signal to be drowned out by another, and misdiagnosis is likely to occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a distribution valve diagnosis system capable of diagnosing an abnormality of a distribution valve with a high degree of accuracy using a wireless device.

The present invention comprises a unit valve for distributing a supply by the action of a piston, and a distribution valve configured such that a pointing rod protruding outside reciprocates in accordance with the operation of the unit valve, and a distribution valve attached to the distribution valve. and a diagnostic/communication unit for monitoring the reciprocating motion of the indicator rod, the diagnostic/communication unit diagnosing the distribution valve based on the operation of the indicator rod, and wirelessly transmitting a diagnostic signal notifying the result of the diagnosis. It relates to a distribution valve diagnostic system characterized by being configured to transmit at.

In the distribution valve diagnosis system of the present invention, the diagnosis/communication unit is configured to transmit a diagnosis signal to report an abnormality of the distribution valve on condition that the determination of non-operation of the distribution valve has been performed a plurality of times. can do.

In the diagnostic system for a distribution valve of the present invention, the diagnosis/communication unit includes a motion detection section that detects reciprocating motion of the pointer rod, and an operation of the distribution valve based on whether or not the reciprocating motion is detected by the motion detection section. - It can be configured to include a determination unit that determines non-operation and a communication unit that wirelessly transmits a diagnostic signal.

In the distribution valve diagnostic system of the present invention, the determination unit can be configured to be activated according to time and switched to a sleep state after execution of the determination.

In the distributing valve diagnostic system of the present invention, the pointer has a contact portion that contacts the motion detection portion during reciprocation, and the motion detection portion causes the pointer rod to reciprocate by contact with the contact portion. wherein the motion detection unit is arranged such that a contact is input in an intermediate portion of the motion range of the contact unit, and the determination unit responds to a contact input to the motion detection unit It may be configured to switch to a sleep state after starting up and the operation of the pointing stick is completed.

In the distribution valve diagnostic system of the present invention, the diagnostic/communication unit can be configured to include an attachment portion that is attached to the indicator rod by passing the indicator rod through an elongated mounting hole.

In the distribution valve diagnostic system of the present invention, the diagnostic/communication unit includes a support attached to the indicator rod, and a substrate having electronic components attached to the support, and the support includes the A surface provided with a fixing hole through which the pointing rod is passed and a surface provided with a support hole for supporting the substrate may be provided, and at least one of the fixing hole and the support hole may be configured as an elongated hole.

In the diagnosing system for a distribution valve of the present invention, the diagnosis/communication unit has a motion detection section on a substrate, and a division hole that allows a partial cutout of the substrate in a region of the substrate where the motion detection section is arranged. can be provided.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the diagnostic system of the distribution valve of this invention, when diagnosing the abnormality of a distribution valve with a wireless apparatus, it can show the outstanding effect of performing a diagnosis with high precision.

1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a form of a lubricant supply mechanism to which a distribution valve diagnostic system of the present invention is applied; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view conceptually showing an example of an internal mechanism of a distribution valve; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view conceptually showing another example of the internal mechanism of the distribution valve; FIG. 3 is a block diagram conceptually explaining an example of the configuration of a diagnostic/communication unit; Regarding the diagnosis of the distribution valve by the diagnosis/communication unit in FIG. 4 is a time chart showing an example of relationships; 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure for diagnosing a distribution valve by the diagnosis/communication unit of FIG. 4; FIG. 4 is a block diagram conceptually explaining another example of the configuration of the diagnostic/communication unit; Regarding the diagnosis of the distribution valve by the diagnosis/communication unit in FIG. 4 is a time chart showing an example of relationships; FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure for diagnosing a distribution valve by the diagnosis/communication unit of FIG. 7; FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining an example of the configuration of the diagnostic/communication unit according to the mechanism of FIG. 4, showing a state in which the cover is removed; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of FIG. 10 viewed from another direction; FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the diagnostic/communication unit of FIGS. 10 and 11; FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of the form of a board that constitutes the diagnostic/communication unit; FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining an example of the configuration of the diagnosis/communication unit according to the mechanism of FIG. 7, showing a state in which the cover is removed;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

I. Overall configuration of supply mechanism

FIG. 1 schematically shows a dual-line supply mechanism for supplying a lubricant such as grease in a factory or the like, as an example of an application target of the distribution valve diagnosis system of the present invention.

The feeder 1 includes a tank 2 that stores a supply G such as grease, and a pump 3 that discharges the supply G in the tank 2 to the outside (in this specification, a distribution valve is used to supply the supply G). Liquids such as oil and semi-solid fluids such as grease that are supplied through the feed are collectively referred to as "supplies"). In the case of the feeder 1 shown here, it has a first outlet 4 and a second outlet 5 as outlets for the feed G, and when the pump 3 is in operation, it is switched by a switching mechanism provided inside. , the feed G is pumped from either the first outlet 4 or the second outlet 5 .

Feeding lines (first feeding line 6 and second feeding line 7) for feeding the material G to equipment to be supplied to the first outlet 4 and the second outlet 5, respectively. is connected. The two feed lines 6 and 7 branch appropriately and extend substantially parallel to each other, and distribution valves are arranged at appropriate positions on the two feed lines 6 and 7 extending in parallel. In the example shown, a total of three distribution valves are shown on the feed lines 6, 7, labeled 8, 9, 10 respectively.

Each distribution valve 8, 9, 10 incorporates one or more unit valves and has a mechanism for drawing two feed lines 6, 7 inside. It should be noted that the term "unit valve" is a concept set for convenience of explanation in this specification, and is provided as a mechanism of a distribution valve, and has the function of distributing the supply G by the operation of a piston as described later. refers to one unit of In the example shown here, the distribution valve 8 includes four unit valves 11 (see FIG. 2) of the one-discharge port type, and the distribution valve 9 includes five unit valves 12 (see FIG. 3) of the two-discharge port type. Each of the valves 10 incorporates one unit valve 12 of a two-discharge port type.

The feed lines 6 and 7 are connected to the unit valves 11 and 12 inside the distribution valves 8, 9 and 10, respectively, to feed the feed G therein. Each of the unit valves 11 and 12 delivers the feed G drawn from the feed lines 6 and 7 to each distribution line 13 connected to one or two discharge ports. Devices are connected to the downstream side of each distribution line 13, and the supply G, which is a lubricant, is supplied thereto (in FIG. 1, some of the supply destinations of the supply G are only the equipment shown). Specific structures and mechanisms of the unit valves 11 and 12 will be detailed later.

At the ends of the feed lines 6 and 7, pressure detectors 29 are provided to detect the pressure of the material G in the feed lines 6 and 7. As shown in FIG. A pressure value detected by the pressure detection unit 29 is input to the control unit 30 as a pressure signal 29a.

The control unit 30 is a control panel that monitors and controls the operation of various devices in the facility, including the feeder 1 and distribution valves 8, 9, and 10. FIG. The control unit 30 receives the pressure signal 29a from the pressure detection unit 29 as described above, and also inputs the operation signal 1a to the feeder 1 to turn on/off the pump 3 of the feeder 1 and switch the discharge port ( switching between the first outlet 4 and the second outlet 5 to discharge the material G).

The distribution valves 8, 9, and 10 monitor the operation of the unit valves 11 and 12 incorporated therein to diagnose the presence or absence of an abnormality, and transmit the result as a diagnostic signal 31a to the control unit 30 by radio. A communication unit 31 is attached to each. A specific configuration and operation of the diagnostic/communication unit 31 will be described in detail later.

An alarm unit 32 is provided in the vicinity of the control unit 30, which is a switchboard, or at another suitable location. As will be described later, when a diagnostic signal 31a that informs the abnormality of the unit valves 11 and 12 is input from the diagnostic/communication unit 31 to the control unit 30, the control unit 30 sends the alarm signal 32a to the alarm unit 32 wirelessly or by wire. , and the alarm unit 32 issues an alarm. Various configurations can be adopted as the alarm unit 32. For example, an abnormality in the unit valves 11 and 12 may be notified by lighting of a lamp or sound. The warning unit 32 can be configured as an information terminal device such as the above, and a warning can be displayed there. Also, different types of alarm units 32 may be used together, or a plurality of alarm units 32 may be installed at separate locations.

It should be noted that the configuration of the feed line and various equipment shown here is an example assumed for convenience of explanation, and in actual equipment, the flow path configuration of the feed line and distribution line, unit valves and distribution The number and positions of valves, and other configurations may be changed as appropriate.

II. Configuration of distributing valve (1)

FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of a unit valve 11 of a single outlet type, which is an example of a unit valve that constitutes a distribution valve. The unit valve 11 has a lead-in port (first lead-in port) 14 that draws in the feed G from the first feed line 6 (see FIG. 1) and a feed G from the second feed line 7 (see FIG. 1). A lead-in port (second lead-in port) 15 for drawing in G is provided. The inlet ends of the first inlet port 14 and the second inlet port 15 are respectively opened at the upper or lower side of the unit valve 11, where the first feed line 6 or the second feed line 6 or the second A feed line 7 is connected via a pipe (not shown).

Inside the unit valve 11, two cylindrical spaces (a pilot cylinder 16 and a main cylinder 17) extending in the vertical direction are provided. Upper and lower ends of the pilot cylinder 16 are connected to the first and second lead-in ports 14 and 15 via lead-in passages 18 and 19, respectively. For the lead-in channel 18, the first lead-in port 14 is the inlet, and the connection with the upper end of the pilot cylinder 16 is the outlet. The connection with the lower end of the is the outlet.

An inlet end of a discharge passage 20 is connected to an intermediate portion of the pilot cylinder 16, and an outlet end of the discharge passage 20 opens at one location (here, the bottom surface) of the outer surface of the unit valve 11 as a discharge port 21. is doing. The outlet 21 is connected to the inlet end of the distribution line 13 (see FIG. 1).

The pilot cylinder 16 and the main cylinder 17 are connected to each other through two communication passages 22 and 23 . One end of the communication channel 22 is connected to a position between the outlet end of the intake channel 18 and the inlet end of the discharge channel 20 in the pilot cylinder 16 , and the other end of the communication channel 22 is connected to the main cylinder 17 . connected to the top. One end of the communication channel 23 is connected to a position between the outlet end of the intake channel 19 and the inlet end of the discharge channel 20 in the pilot cylinder 16 , and the other end of the communication channel 23 is connected to the main cylinder 17 . connected to the bottom.

Pistons (pilot piston 24 and main piston 25) are built in pilot cylinder 16 and main cylinder 17, respectively.

A pilot piston 24 provided in the pilot cylinder 16 has cylindrical valve bodies 24b and 24c at both ends of a shaft 24a extending along the axial direction of the pilot cylinder 16, respectively. The cross-sectional shape of each valve body 24b, 24c perpendicular to the axis 24a matches the cross-sectional shape of the pilot cylinder 16. The entire piston 24 moves up and down within the pilot cylinder 16 .

The length of the shaft 24a and the positions of the two valve bodies 24b and 24c with respect to the shaft 24a are set as follows. When the pilot piston 24 is positioned above the pilot cylinder 16, the upper valve body 24b is positioned above one end of the communication channel 22, and the lower valve body 24c is located above the inlet of the discharge channel 20. end and one end of the connecting channel 23 (see the position of the pilot piston 24 shown in solid lines in FIG. 2). When the pilot piston 24 is positioned on the lower side in the pilot cylinder 16, the upper valve body 24b is positioned between the inlet end of the discharge passage 20 and one end of the communication passage 22, and The valve body 24c is positioned below one end of the communication channel 23 (see the position of the pilot piston 24 indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2).

A main piston 25 provided in the main cylinder 17 has a cylindrical valve body 25a. The cross-sectional shape of the valve body 25a perpendicular to the axial direction matches the cross-sectional shape of the main cylinder 17. As will be described later, the valve body 25a moves up and down in the main cylinder 17 due to the pressure of the supply material G. It's like

The valve body 25a moves up and down between the communicating passages 22 and 23 in the main cylinder 17. As shown in FIG. That is, when the valve body 25a is positioned at the upper end of the operating range of the main cylinder 17, the upper end of the valve body 25a is positioned below the other end of the communication passage 22 (indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2). (see position of main piston 25). When the valve body 25a is positioned at the lower end of the operating range of the main cylinder 17, the lower end of the valve body 25a is positioned above the other end of the communication passage 23 (the main cylinder shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). (see position of piston 25). Thus, the main piston 25 moves up and down within the main cylinder 17 while separating the upper portion to which the communication passage 22 is connected and the lower portion to which the communication passage 23 is connected.

A shaft 25b protrudes along the operating direction of the main piston 25 from one end side (the upper end side in the example shown here) of the valve body 25a. A pointer rod 26 is attached to the tip of the shaft 25b (the end opposite to the valve body 25a). The indicator rod 26 projects upward and outward from the unit valve 11 and moves up and down outside the unit valve 11 as the main piston 25 reciprocates.

III. Operation of distributing valve (1)

The operation of the unit valve 11 will be explained. In the initial state, the pilot piston 24 is located below the pilot cylinder 16 (the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2), and the main piston 25 is located above the main cylinder 17 (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2). ). The interior of pilot cylinder 16 and main cylinder 17 is filled with feed G.

In this state, the first intake port 14 and the upper space of the main cylinder 17 are connected through the intake channel 18 , the upper space of the pilot cylinder 16 and the communication channel 22 . Also, the lower space of the main cylinder 17 is connected to the discharge flow path 20 through the communication flow path 23 and the lower space of the pilot cylinder 16 .

When the feed G is sent from the first feed line 6 (see FIG. 1) to the first inlet port 14, it flows from the inlet passage 18 through the upper space of the pilot cylinder 16 and the communication passage 22 into the main cylinder 17. pressure is applied to the upper surface of the main piston 25 at . The valve body 25a of the main piston 25 descends inside the main cylinder 17 due to this pressure. Then, the feed G under the main piston 25 of the main cylinder 17 is pushed out from the connecting passage 23 into the lower space of the pilot cylinder 16, through the discharge passage 20, and from the outlet 21 to the distribution line 13 (see FIG. 1). ). When the main piston 25 reaches the lower end of the range of movement within the main cylinder 17 (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2), the movement of the main piston 25 stops there. In this way, a constant amount of material G is discharged from the discharge port 21 .

Subsequently, the operating state of the feeder 1 is switched (see FIG. 1), the supply of the feed G to the first feed line 6 is stopped, and the feed G is fed to the second feed line 7 . At the time when the supply of the feed G to the second feed line 7 is started, the pilot piston 24 is at the lower side in the pilot cylinder 16 (the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2), and the main piston 25 is also It is located on the lower side inside the main cylinder 17 (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2).

In this state, the space from the second pull-in line 15 to the internal space of the pilot cylinder 16 is defined by the valve body 24c of the pilot piston 24. As shown in FIG.

When the supply G is sent from the second feed line 7 (see FIG. 2) to the second lead-in port 15, pressure is applied from the lead-in channel 19 to the lower surface of the valve body 24c. The pilot piston 24 rises in the pilot cylinder 16 by this pressure and moves to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG.

As a result, the lead-in passage 19 and the lower space of the main cylinder 17 are connected to the lower space of the pilot cylinder 16 through the communication passage 23 . Also, the upper space of the main cylinder 17 is connected to the discharge passage 20 through the communication passage 22 and the upper space of the pilot cylinder 16 .

Further, when the feed G is sent from the second feed line 7 (see FIG. 1) to the second inlet port 15, it passes through the lower space of the pilot cylinder 16 and the connecting passage 23 from the inlet passage 19 to the main cylinder 17. Pressure is applied to the lower surface of the valve body 25a of the main piston 25 inside. The main piston 25 rises inside the main cylinder 17 due to this pressure. Then, the feed G above the main piston 25 of the main cylinder 17 is pushed out from the communication passage 22 into the upper space of the pilot cylinder 16, and is passed through the discharge passage 20 from the discharge port 21 to the distribution line 13 (see FIG. 1). is discharged to When the main piston 25 reaches the upper end of the range of movement within the main cylinder 17 (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2), the movement of the main piston 25 stops there. In this way, a constant amount of material G is discharged from the discharge port 21 .

When the operating state of the feeder 1 is switched again (see FIG. 1), the supply of the feed G to the second feed line 7 is stopped and the feed G is fed to the first feed line 6, the pilot cylinder Pressure is applied to the upper surface of the valve body 24b of the pilot piston 24 located above the inside of the pilot piston 24 (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. side (the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2). At this point, the main piston 25 is at the upper side within the main cylinder 17 (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2). This is the same as the initial state described above.

In this way, the pilot piston 24 and the main piston 25 move up and down in the pilot cylinder 16 or the main cylinder 17 in accordance with the switching of the operation state of the feeder 1, and a constant amount of the feed material G is discharged from the discharge port 21 each time. , through a distribution line 13 to the instrumentation. At this time, the pointer rod 26 attached to the shaft 25b of the main piston 25 interlocks with the main piston 25 and reciprocates up and down.

IV. Configuration of distributing valve (2)

Next, as another example of the unit valve, FIG. 3 shows the internal structure of a unit valve 12 of two discharge port type.

A basic structure of the unit valve 12 is common to that of the unit valve 11 . The unit valve 12 has a first lead-in port 14 that draws in the feed G from the first feed line 6 (see FIG. 1) and a second draw-in port 14 that draws in the feed G from the second feed line 7 (see FIG. 1). It has two lead-in openings 15 . A pilot cylinder 16 accommodating a pilot piston 24 and a main cylinder 17 accommodating a main piston 25 are provided inside the unit valve 12 . Upper and lower ends of the pilot cylinder 16 are connected to the first and second lead-in ports 14 and 15 via lead-in passages 18 and 19, respectively. The pilot cylinder 16 and the main cylinder 17 are connected to each other through two communication passages 22 and 23 .

A main piston 25 provided in the main cylinder 17 partitions an upper portion connected to the communication passage 22 and a lower portion connected to the communication passage 23 in the main cylinder 17 by a valve body 25a. It is designed to operate up and down.

A shaft 25b protrudes along the operating direction of the main piston 25 from one end side (the upper end side in the example shown here) of the valve body 25a. An indicator rod 26 is attached to the tip of the shaft 25b, and the indicator rod 26 moves up and down outside the unit valve 12 as the main piston 25 reciprocates.

The above configuration is similar to that of the unit valve 11 (see FIG. 2) of the single discharge port type, but in the case of the unit valve 12 of the two discharge port type shown in FIG. The difference is that the pilot piston 24 is equipped with three valve elements.

An inlet end of a discharge passage 27 is connected to an upper position in the intermediate portion of the pilot cylinder 16 . The outlet end of the discharge channel 27 is opened as a discharge port 28 at one location (here, the side surface) of the outer surface of the unit valve 12. The discharge port 28 is provided with the inlet end of the distribution line 13 (see FIG. 1). is connected.

An inlet end of a discharge passage 20 is connected to a lower position in the intermediate portion of the pilot cylinder 16 . The outlet end of the discharge flow path 20 is opened as a discharge port 21 at one point (here, the bottom surface) of the outer surface of the unit valve 11, and the distribution line 13 (see FIG. 1; the discharge port described above) is connected to the discharge port 21. The inlet end of the distribution line 13 connected to 21) is connected.

One end of the communication channel 22 is connected to a position between the outlet end of the intake channel 18 and the inlet end of the discharge channel 27 in the pilot cylinder 16 , and the other end of the communication channel 22 is connected to the main cylinder 17 . connected to the top. One end of the communication channel 23 is connected to a position between the outlet end of the intake channel 19 and the inlet end of the discharge channel 20 in the pilot cylinder 16 , and the other end of the communication channel 23 is connected to the main cylinder 17 . connected to the bottom.

In the case of the two-discharge port type unit valve 12, the pilot piston 24 has a total of three valve bodies 24b, 24c, and 24d at both ends and an intermediate portion of a shaft 24a extending along the axial direction of the pilot cylinder 16. there is The length of the shaft 24a and the positions of the three valve bodies 24b, 24c and 24d relative to the shaft 24a are set as follows. When the pilot piston 24 is positioned above the pilot cylinder 16, the upper valve body 24b is positioned above one end of the communication passage 22, and the lower valve body 24c is positioned above the inlet end of the discharge passage 20. , and one end of the communication channel 23 (see the position of the pilot piston 24 indicated by solid lines in FIG. 3). When the pilot piston 24 is positioned on the lower side in the pilot cylinder 16, the upper valve body 24b is positioned between the inlet end of the discharge passage 27 and one end of the communication passage 22, and the lower side The valve body 24c is positioned below one end of the communication channel 23 (see the position of the pilot piston 24 indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 3). The intermediate valve body 24 d moves up and down between the inlet end of the discharge channel 20 and the inlet end of the discharge channel 27 . That is, when the pilot piston 24 is on the upper side (the position indicated by the solid line), the valve body 24d is positioned slightly below the inlet end of the discharge passage 27, and the pilot piston 24 is on the lower side (the position indicated by the dashed line). At one time, the valve body 24d is located slightly above the inlet end of the discharge channel 20. As shown in FIG.

V. Operation of distributing valve (2)

The operation of the unit valve 12 will be explained. In the initial state, the pilot piston 24 is located below the pilot cylinder 16 (the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2), and the main piston 25 is located above the main cylinder 17 (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2). ).

In this state, the first intake port 14 and the upper space of the main cylinder 17 are connected through the intake passage 18, the upper space of the pilot cylinder 16, and the communication passage 22, and the lower space of the main cylinder 17 communicates. It is connected to the discharge flow path 20 through the flow path 23 and the lower space of the pilot cylinder 16 .

When the feed G is sent from the first feed line 6 (see FIG. 1) to the first inlet port 14, it flows from the inlet passage 18 through the upper space of the pilot cylinder 16 and the communication passage 22 into the main cylinder 17. A pressure is applied to the upper surface of the main piston 25 located at , and the valve body 25a descends. The feed G under the main piston 25 of the main cylinder 17 is pushed out from the communication passage 23 into the lower space of the pilot cylinder 16 and discharged from the discharge port 21 through the discharge passage 20 . When the main piston 25 reaches the lower end of the range of movement within the main cylinder 17 (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2), the movement of the main piston 25 stops there.

Subsequently, the supply of the feed G to the first feed line 6 is stopped and the feed G is fed to the second feed line 7 . At the time when the supply of the feed G to the second feed line 7 is started, the pilot piston 24 is at the lower side in the pilot cylinder 16 (the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2), and the main piston 25 is also It is located on the lower side inside the main cylinder 17 (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2).

In this state, the space from the second pull-in line 15 to the internal space of the pilot cylinder 16 is defined by the valve body 24c of the pilot piston 24. As shown in FIG.

When the supply material G is sent from the second feed line 7 (see FIG. 1) to the second drawing port 15, pressure is applied from the drawing passage 19 to the valve body 24c, and the pilot piston 24 rises. 2 to the position indicated by the solid line. As a result, the lead-in passage 19 and the lower space of the main cylinder 17 are connected to the lower space of the pilot cylinder 16 through the communication passage 23 . Also, the upper space of the main cylinder 17 is connected to the discharge flow path 27 through the communication flow path 22 and the upper space of the pilot cylinder 16 .

Further, when the supply material G is sent from the second supply line 7 (see FIG. 1) to the second drawing port 15, pressure is applied to the valve body 25a of the main piston 25, and the main piston 25 is raised. The feed G above the piston 25 is pushed out from the communication channel 22 into the upper space of the pilot cylinder 16 and discharged from the discharge port 28 through the discharge channel 27 . When the main piston 25 reaches the upper end of the range of movement within the main cylinder 17 (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3), the movement of the main piston 25 stops there.

When the operating state of the feeder 1 is switched again (see FIG. 1), the supply of the feed G to the second feed line 7 is stopped and the feed G is fed to the first feed line 6, the pilot cylinder Pressure is applied to the valve body 24b of the pilot piston 24 located on the upper side (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2) in the 16, and the pilot piston 24 descends to the lower side (the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2). back to

Thus, in the unit valves 11 and 12 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pilot piston 24 and the main piston 25 move up or down depending on from which supply line the feed G is drawn. A plurality of unit valves 11 and 12 having such a mechanism are provided on the feed lines 6 and 7 so as to stop when the main piston 25 reaches the end of the operating range.

As the structure of the distribution valve and the unit valve, various structures other than those described above can be assumed. Any type of distribution valve can be applied as long as it has an indicator rod on the outside that operates in conjunction with the distribution valve.

VI. Actuation of the feeding mechanism

In the supply mechanism for the material to be supplied G as described above, the operation control of the feeder 1 by the controller 30 is performed, for example, as follows.

The controller 30 (see FIG. 1) periodically commands the pump 3 of the feeder 1 to start. At that time, the feed material G is discharged from a discharge port different from that during the previous operation for each operation. That is, when the feed G is discharged from the first discharge port 4 to the first feed line 6 in one run, it is discharged from the second discharge port 5 to the second feed line 7 in the next run. Feed G is discharged. In the next operation, the feed G is discharged from the first discharge port 4 to the first feed line 6 again. Each operation of the pump 3 is stopped when the pressure value indicated by the pressure signal 29a input from the pressure detection unit 29 reaches a threshold value.

With the pilot piston 24 and the main piston 25 positioned at the upper end of the operating range (see FIGS. 2 and 3), when the feed G is discharged from the feeder 1 to the first feed line 6, the first feed By inputting pressure from the supply line 6 , the pilot piston 24 descends and stops in each of the unit valves 11 and 12 , and then the main piston 25 descends and stops while pushing the supply material G into the discharge passage 20 . Here, while the pilot piston 24 and the main piston 25 are operating in each of the unit valves 11 and 12, the pressure input from the pump 3 to the first feed line 6 causes the pilot piston 24 and the main piston 25 to operate. Therefore, the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit 29 does not rise so much. When the pilot piston 24 and the main piston 25 of all the unit valves 11 and 12 on the feed lines 6 and 7 are completely lowered and the operation stops, there is no way for the pressure to escape, and the pressure detected by the pressure detection part 29 increase in value. Therefore, the pump 3 is stopped on condition that a pressure value equal to or higher than a preset threshold value is detected as the pressure signal 29a. In this manner, the main pistons 25 of all the unit valves 11 and 12 move downward, and the pump 3 is stopped when a certain amount of the feed G is discharged to the distribution line 13 .

After a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of the previous operation, the control unit 30 operates the pump 3 in the opposite direction. When the feed G is discharged from the feeder 1 to the second feed line 7, the pilot piston 24 and the main piston 25 of the unit valves 11 and 12 are successively raised and stopped at the upper end. When the pilot pistons 24 and main pistons 25 stop rising in all the unit valves 11 and 12, the pressure in the second feed line 7 rises. The control unit 30 stops the pump 3 when the pressure value detected by the pressure detection unit 29 exceeds the threshold value. After a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of this operation, the control unit 30 switches the discharge port and operates the pump 3 again.

In this manner, the feeder 1 performs an intermittent operation in which the pump 3 is repeatedly operated and stopped while alternately switching the discharge port for discharging the feed material G for each operation.

VII. Diagnosis/Communication Unit Configuration Overview (1)

An example of the configuration of the diagnostic/communication unit 31 will be described. The diagnosis/communication unit 31 shown in FIG. 4 detects the reciprocating motion of the indicator rods 26 provided in the unit valves 11 and 12 by physical contact, and diagnoses the unit valves 11 and 12 . The diagnosis/communication unit 31 includes a limit switch 40 as an operation detection unit that detects contact of the pointer rod 26, a storage unit 41 that records contact input data to the limit switch 40, and a contact input to the operation detection unit 40. A determination unit 42 that determines whether the unit valves 11, 12 are operating or not based on the above, and diagnoses an abnormality in the distribution valves 8, 9, 10, and communication that wirelessly transmits the diagnosis result of the determination unit 42 as a diagnostic signal 31a. 43, a battery-powered power supply unit 44 that supplies operating power to them, and an operation switching unit 45 that switches the operating states of the determination unit 42 and the communication unit 43 between a sleep state and an active state. configuration device. Furthermore, in the case of the diagnostic/communication unit 31 shown in FIG. 4, it is provided with a timer section 46 for measuring time, and the operation switching section 45 refers to the time measured by the timer section 46 and Then, the sleep state of the determination unit 42 is switched to the active state. Further, as will be described later, the operation switching unit 45 switches the sleep state of the communication unit 43 to the active state according to the diagnosis result by the determination unit 42 . Further, the operation switching unit 45 automatically switches the judgment unit 42 and the communication unit 43 in the active state to the sleep state after a series of diagnosis and communication is completed.

The limit switch 40 is installed within the operating range of the indicator rod 26 of each of the unit valves 11, 12 (FIGS. 2 and 3) constituting the distribution valves 8, 9, 10 (see FIG. 1). As described above, the indicator rod 26 reciprocates within the operating range in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of the main piston 25. Therefore, when the main piston 25 moves upward, the indicator rod 26 comes into contact with the limit switch 40, causing the limit switch 40 to turn on. When the main piston 25 moves downward, the indicator rod 26 moves away from the limit switch 40 and the limit switch 40 enters a non-input state. Since the main piston 25 reciprocates while being switched at regular intervals by switching the discharge port of the feeder 1, as long as the unit valves 11 and 12 are operating normally The limit switch 40 switches between an input state and a non-input state for each operation cycle of the feeder 1 . If the unit valves 11 and 12 have some kind of abnormality and the main piston 25 does not operate normally, the limit switch 40 does not switch between the input state and the non-input state. Therefore, by monitoring the presence or absence of the reciprocating motion of the indicator rod 26 through the contact input to the limit switch 40, the presence or absence of an abnormality related to the operation of the unit valves 11, 12 can be grasped. Note that the motion detector is not limited to the limit switch, and a laser or ultrasonic proximity sensor, for example, can also be used. As long as the device can monitor the reciprocating motion of the pointing rod, the motion detector may be of any configuration.

Here, the diagnosis/communication unit 31 employs a wireless communication section 43 and a battery-powered power supply section 44 so that the distribution valves 8, 9, and 10 can be wirelessly monitored at any time. If wiring for communication and power transmission is provided for each of the distributing valves 8, 9, and 10, the wiring configuration becomes complicated and lengthy, especially in large-scale factories, etc., requiring time-consuming wiring work. This is a configuration for avoiding this. On the other hand, if the power for diagnosis and communication is to be supplied by the battery-powered power supply unit 44, the communication takes a lot of power. (See FIG. 1), the power of the power supply unit 44 will run out early, and the work of replacing and charging the battery will occur frequently. Therefore, the timer unit 46 and the operation switching unit 45 activate the determination unit 42 according to the time to perform determination and diagnosis, further communicate with the communication unit 43 as necessary, and then switch each unit to the sleep state. This enables continuous diagnosis over a long period of time while reducing power consumption.

VIII. Diagnosis procedure (1)

A specific procedure for diagnosis will be described. Fig. 5 relates to the diagnosis of the distribution valve when the diagnosis/communication unit as shown in Fig. 4 is provided. is an example of a time chart showing the temporal relationship between the input of , and the operation state of each part (the operation switching part, the determination part, the communication part) constituting the diagnosis/communication unit. Here, it is assumed that diagnosis is performed by attaching a limit switch to each indicator rod of a distribution valve having four unit valves. The horizontal axis represents time, and each horizontal line represents the operating state of each part along the time axis.

First, the feeder operates while switching the ejection port at regular time intervals (Δt). Here, a certain period of time including the operation from time _t0 (Operation 1), the operation from time _t0 +Δt (Operation 2), and the operation from time _t0 +2Δt (Operation 3). It shows the operation of the band.

In the first operation (Operation 1) of the feeder starting at time _t0 , for example, when the feed G is discharged from the second discharge port to the second feed line, the main piston in each unit valve is Operated one after the other, each indicator rod located at the lower end of its operating range rises to contact its respective limit switch (indicated by the word "on" in FIG. 5). When all unit valves on the feed line have been actuated, the pressure of the feed increases in the _second feed line, and when the pressure value exceeds the threshold value, the feeder is stopped (time t1 ).

In the second operation (Operation 2) of the feeder 1 starting at time t ₀ +Δt, the discharge port is switched, and the feed is discharged from the first discharge port to the first feed line, and the inside of each unit valve The main piston descends, and each indicator rod located at the upper end of the operating range descends and leaves the limit switch (off).

Here, in one unit valve corresponding to the limit switch D in FIG. 5 among the four unit valves, after the main piston operates in the first operation (Operation 1), time _ta is shown in the figure. It is assumed that a problem (for example, clogging in the inside of the unit valve or a distribution line connected to the unit valve, etc.) occurs in the indicated timing, and the unit valve does not move. In this case, as far as this unit valve is concerned, even if the outlet of the feeder is switched after that, the corresponding limit switch D remains in contact (on).

When all normal unit valves on the feed line have finished operating, the pressure rises and the feeder 1 stops (time t ₂ ).

In the third operation of the feeder starting at time t ₀ +2Δt (Operation 3), the discharge port is switched again, the feed is discharged to the second feed line, the main piston in each unit valve rises, Along with this, each indicator rod rises and comes into contact with the limit switch (on). For the unit valve (corresponding to the limit switch D) whose main piston has been raised during the period from Operation 1 to Operation 2 due to an abnormality, the limit switch D continues to be contacted (on). When all normal unit valves have finished operating, the pressure rises and the feeder stops ₍ time t3).

The operation switching section of the diagnostic/communication unit is set to activate the determination section periodically (every Δt in the example shown here) based on the time measured by the timer section.

In the diagnosis/communication unit configured in this way, it is preferable to diagnose the distributing valve during intermittent operation of the feeder. This is because the main piston and indicator rod of the distribution valve operate while the pump of the feeder is in operation, so there is a possibility that correct determination cannot be made depending on the timing of diagnosis.

Therefore, in the example shown here, the operation switching unit is set so as to activate the determination unit slightly before the start of each operation of the feeder. In the time period shown in FIG. 5, the operation switching unit operates at time td corresponding to the intermission period (Intermission 0) immediately before the first operation and time _td + _Δt corresponding to the intermission period (Intermission 1) after the first operation. Then, the determination unit is activated at time t _d +2Δt corresponding to the intermission 2 after the second operation and at time t _d +3Δt corresponding to the intermission 3 after the third operation. In this way, by activating the determination unit in accordance with the operation cycle of the feeder, determination is made at an appropriate timing with respect to the operation cycle, and accurate determination is ensured.

When the determination unit is activated by the operation switching unit, the determination unit determines whether there is contact input to each limit switch at that time, records it in the storage unit, and compares it with the data up to the previous time to correspond to each limit switch. Determines whether the unit valves that The result of this determination is also recorded in the storage unit. Furthermore, the communication unit is activated, and the result of diagnosis (that the distribution valve is normal or that an abnormality is detected) is transmitted as a diagnosis signal (see FIG. 1).

First, at time _td during Intermission 0, the determination unit is activated by the operation switching unit. At time td, all of the limit switches A to _D corresponding to the four unit valves are in a non-input state. The determination unit determines whether or not there is contact input for each limit switch, and records the state (off) at time _td in the storage unit. Further, the operation switching unit activates the communication unit, and the communication unit transmits the diagnosis result indicating that the distribution valve is normal as a diagnosis signal. After the determination, recording, and communication are completed, the operation switching unit switches the operation states of the determination unit and the communication unit to the sleep state.

After time _td , the feeder operates from time _t0 (Operation 1), each unit valve operates, and contact is input (on) to each limit switch. Thereafter, at time t _d +Δt during Intermission 1, the operation switching unit activates the determination unit again, and the determination unit determines whether or not there is an input to each limit switch. The determination unit compares the state at the current time t _d +Δt with the state at the previous time t _d for each limit switch. At this point, it is determined that all the limit switches were off last time and on this time, and that all the unit valves corresponding to each limit switch are operating. The determination unit records the state (on) of each limit switch at the current time t _d +Δt and the determination result (operation) of the unit valve in the storage unit. Further, the operation switching unit activates the communication unit, and the communication unit transmits a diagnosis result indicating that the distribution valve is normal as a diagnosis signal. After the determination, recording, and communication are completed, the operation switching unit switches the operation states of the determination unit and the communication unit to the sleep state.

After time t _d +Δt, the feeder operates again from time t ₀ +Δt (Operation 2). Here, three of the four unit valves operate normally, and contact inputs to the corresponding limit switches A to C are released (off). As for the remaining one unit valve, since _a problem occurred after the operation in the previous Operation 1 (time ta), it does not operate in Operation 2, and the limit switch D remains in contact (on). is.

At time t _d +2Δt during subsequent Intermission 2, the determination unit is activated again by the operation switching unit to determine the presence or absence of contact input in each limit switch. The determination unit compares the state at the current time t _d +2Δt with the state at the previous activation time t _d +Δt for each of the limit switches AD. At this point, it is determined that the limit switches A to C corresponding to the three normal unit valves were on last time and off this time, and that the corresponding unit valve is operating, but the remaining one As for the unit valve, it is determined that it was on both last time and this time, and the corresponding unit valve is not operating. The determination unit records the state (on or off) of each limit switch at the current time t _d +2Δt and the result of determination (non-operating unit valve) in the storage unit. Also, the communication unit is activated and transmits a diagnostic signal. For the reason described later, at this point in time, a diagnosis signal indicating that the distributing valve is normal is sent as a diagnosis result (although it has already been determined that the distribution valve is not operating). After the determination, recording, and communication are completed, the operation switching unit switches the operation states of the determination unit and the communication unit to the sleep state.

After time t _d +2Δt, the feeder is activated again from time t ₀ +2Δt (Operation 3). Here, three of the four unit valves operate normally, and contact is input (turned on) to the corresponding limit switches A to C. As for the remaining one unit valve, the contact is still input (on) to the limit switch D due to the malfunction that occurred at time _ta .

At time t _d +3Δt during subsequent Intermission 3, the determination unit is activated again by the operation switching unit to determine the presence or absence of contact input in each limit switch. The determination unit compares the state of each limit switch at the current time t _d +3Δt with the state at the previous activation time t _d +2Δt. At this point, the three limit switches A to C were off last time and on this time, and the remaining one limit switch D was on both last time and this time. The determining unit again determines that the target unit valve is non-operating.

Here, the determination unit refers to the records in the storage unit. In addition to the past record, since the unit valve has been determined to be non-operating twice, the determination section uses this to diagnose that there is an abnormality in the distribution valve. The determination unit stores the status (on) of each limit switch at the current time t _d +3Δt, the determination result of the unit valve at the same time (non-operating), and the diagnosis result of the distribution valve (abnormal) in the storage unit. Record.

Further, the communication unit activated by the operation switching unit transmits a diagnosis result indicating that there is an abnormality in the distribution valve to the control unit as a diagnosis signal. After the determination, diagnosis, and recording by the determination unit and the transmission of the diagnostic signal by the communication unit, the operation switching unit switches the operation states of the determination unit and the communication unit to the sleep state.

When a diagnosis signal 31a notifying an abnormality is input from the diagnosis/communication unit 31, the control unit 30 inputs an alarm signal 32a to the alarm unit 32 (see FIG. 1). The alarm unit 32 issues an alarm upon receiving the input of the alarm signal 32a. Personnel placed in the facility receive an alarm from the alarm unit 32, inspect the corresponding distribution valve 8, the distribution line 13 connected to the distribution valve 8, the diagnostic/communication unit 31, etc., and recognize an abnormality. Make repairs as necessary.

Here, in this embodiment, the timing for activating the communication unit 43 is limited, and the diagnosis result by the determination unit 42 is transmitted as the diagnosis signal 31a. This is a configuration for suppressing power consumption, reducing erroneous diagnosis due to noise, and improving diagnostic accuracy.

As described above, in the operation of the diagnosis/communication unit 31, the communication by the communication section 43 in particular consumes power. This is because a suitable output is required in order to reliably deliver the signal to the target device (control unit 30) in the factory where various signals fly. Depending on the scale of the factory, the communication distance will be longer, so the output of radio waves required for communication will be even greater.

Therefore, as in the present embodiment, if the diagnosis/communication unit 31 performs judgment and diagnosis and transmits the result as the diagnosis signal 31a, the number of times of communication required to grasp the diagnosis result can be reduced. can be done. For example, each motion detection unit 40 is constantly monitored, and the presence or absence of motion detection is sent to the outside (control unit 30 or other device) from time to time so that the external device performs the detection instead of the diagnosis/communication unit 31 side. Such a configuration can also be assumed, but in such a configuration, constant communication with the outside will be performed, and a large amount of power will be consumed. According to this embodiment, only the result of diagnosis is transmitted without transmitting the data itself regarding the state of each limit switch 40 and the operation of the unit valves 11 and 12, so power consumption can be kept low.

In addition, in a factory or the like, signals from many devices are flying around. Therefore, when the diagnostic signal 31a is input to the control unit 30, which is an external device, radio waves emitted from other devices are mixed as noise. A situation in which an erroneous determination or an erroneous diagnosis may occur can be assumed. Therefore, for example, if a method is adopted in which the control unit 30 inputs the results each time a determination is made and the control unit 30 diagnoses normality/abnormality, errors due to noise are included in the data used as the basis for determination. There is a possibility that it may cause non-detection or over-detection. On the other hand, if the diagnostic/communication unit 31 attached to each of the distribution valves 8, 9, 10 performs a diagnosis as in the present embodiment and transmits the result to the control unit 30, errors may be included. It is possible to reduce the possibility of misdiagnosis due to data and improve the accuracy of diagnosis.

In this embodiment, the diagnosis of the distribution valves 8, 9, and 10 includes determination of presence/absence of contact input to the limit switch 40, determination of operation/non-operation of the unit valves 11 and 12 based on this, and determination of the operation/non-operation of the distribution valve 8. , 9, 10 are diagnosed as normal or abnormal, and the diagnosis result of the distribution valves 8, 9, 10 based on the determination of the unit valves 11, 12 is reported as the content of the diagnosis signal 31a for reporting the result of the diagnosis. However, the content of the diagnosis actually performed on the distributing valve, the content of the diagnostic signal, and the like can be changed as appropriate according to the embodiment of the present invention. For example, "distribution valve diagnosis" does not include "distribution valve normality/abnormality diagnosis", but determines "existence of contact input to limit switch" and "operation/non-operation of each unit valve". can be

Further, for example, only when an abnormality is found in the distribution valve as a result of the diagnosis, the fact may be notified by a diagnosis signal. By doing so, it is possible to further reduce the number of times of communication by the communication unit 43 and further reduce power consumption. On the other hand, as in the example described above, when the diagnostic signal 31a is transmitted even when the distribution valves 8, 9, and 10 are diagnosed as normal, the control unit 30 determines the transmission time of the diagnostic signal 31a. It is possible to confirm and grasp the remaining battery level in the power supply unit 44 . That is, if the reception time is recorded together with the presence or absence of the diagnostic signal 31a, even if the diagnostic signal 31a is not received at the scheduled time, if the presence or absence of the reception is arranged in chronological order, it will be possible to determine whether it is due to radio interference. It is possible to grasp whether it is due to the battery running out.

Furthermore, when the determination unit 42 determines that there is an abnormality a plurality of times (two times in the example shown here), the distribution valves 8, 9, and 10 are diagnosed as abnormal. It is possible to further reduce the possibility of misdiagnosis due to overdetection. In addition, although the number of times of non-operation determination as a condition for diagnosing an abnormality is set to two times here, it may be set to an appropriate number of times such as three times or more. Further, in diagnosing an abnormality, it is possible to make it a condition that a specific unit valve has been judged to be non-operating more than a set number of times (condition setting A). If it is a built-in unit valve, the unit valve may not be specified, and only the number of non-operation determinations may be used as a condition (condition setting B). For example, regarding a distributing valve having a plurality of unit valves, if the number of non-operating determinations is set to two as a condition for abnormality diagnosis, under condition setting B, the non-operating determination is performed twice for the same unit valve a. (Case 1), or after one unit valve a is determined to be non-operating once, another unit valve b is determined to be non-operating once (Case 2). However, in case of condition setting A, only case 1 is diagnosed as abnormal.

Further, in the present embodiment, the activation cycle of the determination unit 42 by the operation switching unit 45 is set to the same Δt as the operation cycle of the feeder 1 . Here, it is conceivable that the time measured by the timer unit 46 may deviate from the time used as the reference for switching the operation of the feeder 1 due to an error in the clock function. It does not necessarily have to be exactly synchronized with feeder 1 time. The timing of determination by the diagnostic/communication unit 31 is sufficient if it is within an appropriate period (each intermittent period in the example shown here) even if it is not precisely synchronized with the operation of the feeder 1. Therefore, for example, the diagnosis does not have to be made exactly X minutes before the start of every operation. Of course, if time lags accumulate between the diagnosis/communication unit 31 and the feeder 1, there is a possibility that a discrepancy will eventually occur between the timing of diagnosis and the operation interval of the feeder 1. For example, By periodically synchronizing the clock of the timer unit 46 with that of the feeder 1, or by setting the time until the next activation to Δt each time the determination unit 42 is activated by the operation switching unit 45, such a Possibilities can be ruled out.

Also, the period of diagnosis does not necessarily have to be set to the same (Δt) as the operation period of the feeder 1 . For example, diagnosis can be made every 2Δt or 3Δt.

The process of diagnosis by the diagnosis/communication unit 31 as described above can be summarized in a flowchart as shown in FIG. 6, for example.

First, the necessary supply amount of the supply material G in the supply mechanism is calculated according to the number of installed devices to which the supply material G is to be supplied and their specifications (step S1). Next, the model, number, arrangement, etc. of the unit valves 11, 12 and the distribution valves 8, 9, 10 to be installed on the feed lines 6, 7 are determined, and the feed lines 6, 7 and the distribution valve 8 are determined accordingly. , 9 and 10 are installed. In addition, the feeder 1 is installed according to the required supply amount of the feed G calculated in step S1, and the operating conditions of the feeder 1 (operating interval, discharge amount of feed G, etc.) are set (step S2). A diagnosis/communication unit 31 is attached to each distribution valve 8, 9, 10 (step S3).

For each diagnostic/communication unit 31 attached to the distribution valves 8, 9, 10, initial settings related to diagnosis are performed (step S4). The interval of diagnosis is set according to the operation interval (Δt) of the feeder 1, and the reference number of times of abnormality diagnosis (how many times non-operation is judged to be diagnosed as abnormality) is set. Also, the determination unit 42 is activated once, and the state (on/off) of each operation detection unit (limit switch 40 corresponding to each unit valve 11 , 12 ) in the initial state is recorded in the storage unit 41 . In addition, the number of times of non-operation determination so far is reset to zero.

When the intermittent operation of the feeder 1 is started, in the diagnosis/communication unit 31, the determination unit 42 is activated at an appropriate time according to the time measured by the timer unit 46 (step S5), and the first determination is performed. (Step S6). The presence or absence of contact input in the limit switch 40 corresponding to each of the unit valves 11 and 12 is determined, and it is determined whether or not there are any non-operating unit valves 11 and 12 by collating with data up to the previous time. When it is set to perform a diagnosis every Δt, each limit switch 40 is operating if the previous state (on/off) and the current state are different, and is non-operating if they are the same. I can judge. If it is determined that there is no non-operating unit valve 11, 12, the process advances to step S7 to record data (the state of each limit switch 40 and the result of determining whether the unit valve 11, 12 is operating or not). Moreover, the communication part 43 is started and the diagnostic signal 31a is transmitted. In this case, a diagnostic signal 31a indicating that the distribution valves 8, 9 and 10 are normal (no abnormality was detected with respect to the distribution valves 8, 9 and 10) is transmitted (step S11). After the recording and communication are completed, the determination unit 42 and the communication unit 43 are switched to the sleep state (step S8).

After a series of determination/recording processes (steps S5 to S8) are completed, the process proceeds to step S9 to determine the passage of time. In step S9, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time (Δt) has passed since the determination unit 42 was activated last time. When it is determined that a certain period of time has passed since the previous activation, the process returns to step S5, and the determination unit 42 is activated.

As a result of confirming the state of the limit switch 40 in step S6, if it is determined that one or more unit valves 11 and 12 are inoperable (the state is the same as the previous determination), the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, the data obtained in the most recent step S6 and the previous data are referred to, and it is determined whether or not the determination of non-operation has been performed more than a set number of times. If the number of non-operation determinations is less than the set number, the process proceeds to step S7, data (the state of each limit switch 40 and the determination result of each unit valve 11, 12) is recorded, the communication unit 43 is activated, and the distribution valve 8, 9, 10 are normal (no abnormality was detected in the distribution valves 8, 9, 10) as a diagnostic signal 31a (step S11), and the determination unit 42 and the communication unit 43 are switched to the sleep state. (Step S8) After the time has passed (Step S9), the process returns to Step S5.

In step S10, if it is determined that the number of non-operational determinations has reached the set number or more, it is diagnosed that an abnormality has occurred in the corresponding distributing valves 8, 9, 10 (step S12), and then the process proceeds to step S7. Data (the state of each limit switch 40, the determination results of each unit valve 11, 12, and the diagnosis results of the distribution valves 8, 9, 10) are recorded, and then the communication section 43 is activated (step S11). The communication unit 43 inputs to the control unit 30 a diagnosis signal 31a indicating that an abnormality has occurred. The control unit 30 inputs an alarm signal 32a to the alarm unit 32, and the alarm unit 32 issues an alarm indicating that an abnormality has been detected.

After the determination, diagnosis, and communication are completed, the determination unit 42 and the communication unit 43 are switched to the sleep state (step S8), and after a certain period of time has passed (step S9), the process returns to step S5.

IX. Diagnosis/communication unit configuration outline (2)

Another example of the configuration of the diagnosis/communication unit 31 is shown in FIG. The basic configuration of the diagnostic/communication unit 31 shown in FIG. 7 is generally common to the diagnostic/communication unit 31 shown in FIG. A communication unit 43, a power supply unit 44, an operation switching unit 45, and a timer unit 46 are provided. The example shown is different.

In the diagnostic/communication unit 31 of FIG. 7, the limit switch 40 is installed within the operating range of the indicator rod 26 of each unit valve 11, 12 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). After the portion 47 temporarily comes into contact with the limit switch 40 each time the pointer rod 26 is moved, it is quickly separated from the limit switch 40 .

The contact portion 47 is, for example, a ball-shaped part attached to the tip of the indicator rod 26 as shown in FIG. ing. The limit switch 40 is provided in the intermediate portion of the operating range of the contact portion 47 associated with the operation of the pointer rod 26, and when the pointer rod 26 moves from one end to the other end and from the other end to the other end. In any case, the contact portion 47 is once in contact with the limit switch 40 in the intermediate portion of the operating range, and then separated. Therefore, as long as the unit valves 11 and 12 are operating normally, the limit switch 40 installed in each of the unit valves 11 and 12 is normally in a non-input state, and temporarily automatically enters the input state.

The operation switching unit 45 switches the sleep state of the determination unit 42 to the active state when the contact of the limit switch 40 is input. The state is switched to the active state. The operation switching unit 45 also refers to the timer unit 46 and automatically switches each unit in the activated state to the sleep state after a certain period of time has elapsed after the activation of the determination unit 42 . In the example shown in FIG. 4, the elapse of time is used as a condition for activating the judging unit 42 in order to suppress power consumption, and a method is adopted in which judgment is made at regular time intervals. The condition for activating the determination unit 42 is the input of contact to the .

X. Diagnosis procedure (2)

A specific procedure for diagnosis will be described. Fig. 8 relates to the diagnosis of the distribution valve when the diagnosis/communication unit as shown in Fig. 7 is provided. is an example of a time chart showing the temporal relationship between the input of , and the operation state of each part (the operation switching part, the determination part, the communication part) constituting the diagnosis/communication unit. Here, as in FIG. 5, it is assumed that diagnosis is performed by attaching a limit switch to each indicator rod of a distribution valve having four unit valves. The operation of the feeder is the same as in FIG. 5, and it is assumed that the operation (Operations 1 to 3) is performed every time Δt with intermittent periods (Intermission 0 to 3) interposed. It is assumed that, of the four unit valves, one unit valve corresponding to the limit switch D malfunctions at time t _a after the main piston moves in the first operation, and the unit valve does not move.

In the case of the example shown here, the judging unit is activated and judgment is made during operation of the feeder, not during the intermittent period. When activated by the operation switching unit, the determination unit monitors the presence or absence of input to each limit switch for a certain period of time, and if an input is detected, records it in the storage unit. determines whether the is working or not. If there is a limit switch that is not contacted during one activation, the unit valve 11 corresponding to that limit switch is determined to be non-operating. When the unit valve is determined to be inoperable more than a set number of times, the communication unit transmits a diagnostic signal (see FIG. 1) indicating that an abnormality has been detected.

At time _t0 when the first operation (Operation 1) of the feeder started, all of the limit switches provided in each diagnostic/communication unit are in a non-input state (off), and the determination unit and communication unit Sleep state. Thereafter, at time t1, the unit valves of each distribution valve are operated _one after another. When the first unit valve of a distributing valve to which a diagnostic/communication unit is attached operates (this time is assumed to be _ts ), contact is input from the indicator rod to the corresponding limit switch, and the operation switching unit receives this. to activate the determination unit. After the time t _s , the determination unit operates in the activated state until a certain period of time (assumed to be Δt') has elapsed, and is switched to the sleep state by the operation switching unit when the certain period of time has elapsed (time t _s +Δt'). . The term "constant time (Δt')" as used herein means that in one operation of the feeder, one indicator rod operates first, and then all indicator rods in the target distributing valve finish operating. It is a time preset as a time sufficient to For example, it is possible to measure an approximate time from when the feeder starts operating until it stops, and set this as the time Δt′.

During one operation, the determination unit monitors the presence or absence of contact input for each limit switch corresponding to each unit valve, and makes a determination. In the first operation (Operation 1), all the unit valves operate normally, so contact is input to all the corresponding limit switches AD. The determination unit records in the storage unit that the operation of each unit valve was confirmed at the time of operation this time. After a certain period of time Δt′ has passed since the activation and the operation of the pointing rod is finished, the operation switching unit switches the operation state of the determination unit to the sleep state (time t _s +Δt′).

Further, the operation switching unit activates the communication unit, and the communication unit transmits the diagnosis result indicating that the distribution valve is normal as a diagnosis signal. After communication is completed, the operation switching unit switches the operation state of the communication unit to the sleep state.

When the second operation (Operation 2) starts at time t ₀ +Δt and the first unit valve operates (this time is assumed to be t _s2 ), the determination unit is activated again, and the contact input to each limit switch is kept constant. Time (from time t _s2 to time t _s2 +Δt′) is monitored. During this time, three of the four unit valves operate normally, and contact inputs to the corresponding limit switches A to C are confirmed. As for the remaining one unit valve, a problem occurred after the previous operation in Operation 1 (time t _a ), it does not operate in Operation 2, and the corresponding limit switch D is not touched.

If contact input is not confirmed for one or more target limit switches, the determination unit determines that there is a non-operating unit valve. The judging section records in the storage section whether or not there is a contact input to each limit switch at the time of this operation and the judgment result (non-operating) regarding the unit valve. After a certain period of time Δt' has passed since the activation, the operation switching unit switches the operation state of the determination unit to the sleep state (time t _s2 +Δt').

Also, the communication unit is activated by the operation switching unit. At this point, the communication unit transmits a diagnostic signal indicating that the distribution valve is normal. After communication is completed, the operation switching unit switches the operation state of the communication unit to the sleep state.

When the third operation (Operation 3) starts at time t _d +2Δt (this time is assumed to be t _s3 ), the unit valves are similarly operated one after another, the determination section is activated, and contact input to each limit switch is monitored for a certain period of time (from time t _s3 to time t _s3 +Δt'). As for one limit switch D, contact input is not confirmed as in the previous time, so it is determined that there is an inoperative unit valve.

Here, the determination unit refers to the records in the storage unit. In addition to the past record, since the determination of the existence of an abnormality has been made twice, the determination section uses this to diagnose that the distribution valve has an abnormality. The judging section records in the storage section whether or not there was contact input to each limit switch during this operation, the result of the judgment regarding the unit valve (non-operating), and the diagnosis result of the distributing valve (abnormal). . The operation switching unit switches the operation state of the determination unit to the sleep state after a certain period of time has elapsed since the activation of the determination unit. The control section 30 (see FIG. 1) receives the diagnostic signal 31a from the diagnostic/communication unit 31 and inputs an alarm signal 32a to the alarm section 32 .

Further, the communication unit activated by the operation switching unit transmits a diagnosis result indicating that there is an abnormality in the distribution valve to the control unit as a diagnosis signal. After communication is completed, the operation switching unit switches the operation state of the communication unit to the sleep state.

In this way, the diagnosis/communication unit 31 shown in FIG. 7 also reduces power consumption by shortening the startup time and the number of times of communication. It is possible to increase the accuracy of diagnosis by reducing the risk.

The process of diagnosis by the diagnosis/communication unit 31 as described above can be summarized in a flow chart as shown in FIG. 9, for example.

Calculate the required supply amount of the feed G (step S21), determine the model, quantity, arrangement, etc. of the unit valves 11, 12 and the distribution valves 8, 9, 10, and install them and the feeder 1 And the operating conditions are set (step S22). A diagnosis/communication unit 31 is attached to each distribution valve 8, 9, 10 (step S23).

Subsequently, initial setting of each diagnostic/communication unit 31 is performed (step S24). Set the reference number of times for abnormality diagnosis (how many times non-operation is judged to be diagnosed as abnormal), start the judgment unit 42 once, and check the state of each operation detection unit (limit switch 40) in the initial state is recorded, and the number of non-operational judgments so far is reset to zero.

When the operation of the feeder 1 and the operation of each diagnosis/communication unit 31 are started, the operation switching unit 45 of the diagnosis/communication unit 31 waits until the operation detection unit (limit switch) 40 receives an input. When the unit valves 11 and 12 are actuated and contact is input to one or more limit switches 40 (step S25), the operation switching unit 45 activates the determination unit 42 (step S26), and each limit switch 40 is determined. is performed (step S27). Based on the presence or absence of contact input in each limit switch 40, it is determined whether the corresponding unit valves 11 and 12 are in operation.

If it is determined that there is no non-operating unit valve 11, 12, the process proceeds to step S28, and data (whether or not contact input is confirmed for each limit switch 40, and operation/non-operation of each unit valve 11, 12) is determined. ) and determination results of the distribution valves 8, 9, 10 (whether or not at least one of the built-in unit valves 11, 12 was determined to be non-operating) is recorded. Moreover, the communication part 43 is started and the diagnostic signal 31a is transmitted. In this case, a diagnosis signal 31a indicating that the distribution valves 8, 9 and 10 are normal (no abnormality was detected with respect to the distribution valves 8, 9 and 10) is transmitted (step S31). After a certain period of time Δt′ has passed since the activation of the determination unit 42, the determination unit 42 is switched to the sleep state (step S29). Moreover, the communication part 43 is switched to a sleep state.

After a series of determination/recording steps (steps S25 to S29) are completed, the system waits until there is contact input to the limit switch 40 again.

As a result of the determination in step S27, if it is determined that one or more unit valves 11 and 12 are inoperable (contact is not input to the corresponding limit switch 40), the process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, the data obtained in the most recent step S27 and the previous data are referred to, and it is determined whether or not the non-operation determination has been performed more than a set number of times. If the number of non-operation determinations is less than the set number, the process proceeds to step S28, data (determination results regarding contact input to each limit switch 40 and operation of each unit valve 11, 12) is recorded, and the communication unit 43 is activated. Then, a diagnostic signal 31a indicating that the distribution valves 8, 9, and 10 are normal (no abnormality was detected with respect to the distribution valves 8, 9, and 10) is transmitted (step S11). Switch the determination unit 42 to the sleep state after a certain period of time Δt′ has elapsed since the activation of the determination unit 42, switch the communication unit 43 to the sleep state (step S29), and wait until there is an input to the limit switch 40 (step S25). do.

If it is determined in step S30 that the number of non-operating determinations has exceeded the set number, it is diagnosed that an abnormality has occurred in the corresponding distributing valves 8, 9, 10 (step S32), and then the process proceeds to step S28. Data (the state of each limit switch 40, the determination results of each unit valve 11, 12, and the diagnosis results of the distribution valves 8, 9, 10) are recorded, and then the communication section 43 is activated (step S31). The communication unit 43 inputs to the control unit 30 a diagnosis signal 31a indicating that an abnormality has occurred. The control unit 30 inputs an alarm signal 32a to the alarm unit 32, and the alarm unit 32 issues an alarm indicating that an abnormality has been detected.

After determination, diagnosis, and communication are completed, the determination unit 42 and the communication unit 43 are switched to the sleep state after a certain period of time (step S29), and waits until there is an input to the limit switch 40 (step S25).

XI. Mechanical configuration of diagnostic/communication unit (1)

10 to 12 show an example of a specific configuration of the diagnosis/communication unit 31 based on the mechanism shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the diagnosis/communication unit 31 is attached to the distribution valve 8 having four unit valves 11 .

The diagnosis/communication unit 31 is configured to support a substrate 50 on which the limit switch 40 and other parts are mounted on the surface (upper surface) from which the indicator rod 26 of the distribution valve 8 protrudes. The board 50 has a battery box as a power supply unit 44 attached to one surface, and functions as a limit switch 40, a storage unit 41, a determination unit 42, an operation switching unit 45, and a timer unit 46 on the other surface. It is a plate-shaped member to which electronic components are attached, and the electronic components are electrically connected on the substrate 50 to form an electronic circuit.

The substrate 50 is arranged on the upper surface of the distribution valve 8 via the base portion 51 , the mounting portion 52 and the support portion 53 . The base portion 51 is a rectangular plate-like member serving as a foundation for supporting the entire diagnosis/communication unit 31. The base portion 51 has a through hole 51a in the center for passing parts such as the indicator rod 26 projecting from the upper surface of the distribution valve 8. area.

An attachment portion 52 is attached to the upper surface of the base portion 51 so as to cover the through hole 51a. The mounting portion 52 is a plate-shaped member that serves as a seating surface for mounting the substrate 50 on the base portion 51, and has a mounting hole 52a through which the pointer rod 26 is passed. In the case of the example shown here, the mounting hole 52a is formed in an elongated hole shape. is equal to or less than the length of the mounting hole 52a, regardless of the distance between the indicator rods or the number of indicator rods, all indicator rods provided in one distributing valve are passed through and the diagnosis/communication unit 31 is attached. It is possible to do so. Of course, even with a distribution valve having only one indicator rod (for example, the distribution valve 10 shown in FIG. 1), the indicator rod can be passed through the mounting hole 52a and attached without any trouble.

The support portion 53 is a member that is attached to the upper surface of the attachment portion 52 and supports the substrate 50, and is formed by bending a plate-shaped material. Of the two surfaces that are perpendicular to each other and form an L-shaped cross section, one is provided with a fixing hole 53a for fixing the indicator rod 26 through, and the other is provided with a support hole 53b for attaching and supporting the substrate 50. is provided. The fixing hole 53a is a circular hole having a diameter that allows one pointer rod 26 to pass therethrough, and the supporting hole 53b is formed in an elongated shape parallel to the surface on which the fixing hole 53a is provided. there is

When the diagnosis/communication unit 31 is attached to the distribution valve 8, first, the base portion 51 is placed on the upper surface of the distribution valve 8 by passing the indicator rod 26 through the through hole 51a, and the mounting portion 52 is placed on the upper surface of the base portion 51. It is attached so as to cover the through hole 51a. At this time, the pointer rod 26 is passed through the attachment hole 52 a of the attachment portion 52 . Next, the support portion 53 is attached to one or more pointer rods 26 protruding upward from the mounting holes 52a by passing the pointer rods 26 through the fixing holes 53a. In the example shown here, four pointer rods 26 protrude from the mounting holes 52 a of the mounting portion 52 , and two of the pointer rods 26 are further passed through the fixing holes 53 a of the support portion 53 . .

Subsequently, the attachment portion 52 and the support portion 53 are attached to the indicator rod 26 using fasteners 54 . The fastener 54 is, for example, a nut having a hole in the center through which the pointer rod 26 is passed. In two of the four pointer rods 26, the mounting portion 52 and the support portion 53 are sandwiched between the base portion and the fastener 54. As shown in FIG. The remaining two pointer rods 26 have mounting portions 52 sandwiched between the bases and fasteners 54 . Thus, the base portion 51 and the mounting portion 52 are attached to the indicator rod 26 on the upper surface of the distribution valve 8 , and the support portion 53 is attached to the indicator rod 26 and fixed to the upper surface of the mounting portion 52 . The surface of the support portion 53 on which the support hole 53b is provided protrudes above the mounting portion 52 along with the pointer rod 26. As shown in FIG.

The same number of limit switches 40 as the indicator rods 26 are attached to one side of the substrate 50 . The interval between the limit switches 40 is matched with the interval between the indicator rods 26.例文帳に追加

The substrate 50 on which the limit switch 40 and other electronic components are attached is attached to the surface of the support portion 53 projecting upward from the attachment portion 52 (the surface provided with the support hole 53b). A fastener such as a bolt (not shown) is passed through the support hole 53b and the substrate 50, and fixed using a nut or the like. At this time, the position of the board 50 is adjusted so that the position of each limit switch 40 attached to one side of the board 50 corresponds to the position of the indicator rod 26 . Since the support hole 53b has an elongated shape, the position at which the substrate 50 is fixed to the support portion 53 (the position at which the fixture is attached) is determined by the arrangement of the indicator rods 26 so that the fixture does not interfere with the limit switch 40. It can be adjusted accordingly along the direction. Although the case where only the support hole 53b is elongated is exemplified here, the fixed position of the substrate 50 can be similarly adjusted even if only the fixing hole 53a or both the fixing hole 53a and the support hole 53b are elongated. be able to. The mounting height of the board 50 is adjusted so that each indicator rod 26 contacts each limit switch 40 at the upper end of its operating range. The substrate 50 is thus supported on the upper surface of the distribution valve 8 .

Further, a rectangular parallelepiped cover 55 is put on the board 50 so as to cover the entire board 50 including the limit switch 40 and other electronic components, and fixed to the base part 51 using a fixture (not shown). An antenna as the communication section 43 is fixed to the end of the base section 51 .

In this way, the substrate 50 equipped with electronic components as the limit switch 40, the storage unit 41, the determination unit 42, the operation switching unit 45, and the timer unit 46, the antenna as the communication unit 43, and the battery box as the power supply unit 44 are arranged. The provided diagnostic and communication unit 31 is compactly and simply attached to the distribution valve 8 . Wireless communication and battery power supply eliminate the need for troublesome wiring work. When performing maintenance on the diagnostic/communication unit 31 such as battery replacement, the internal components can be accessed immediately by removing the cover 55 . Also when performing maintenance on the distribution valve 8 , the entire diagnosis/communication unit 31 can be easily removed from the distribution valve 8 by simply removing the cover 55 and then removing the fastener 54 .

10 to 12, for convenience of explanation, parts not directly related to the gist of the invention are omitted as appropriate. For example, packings may be inserted between the distributing valve 8 and the base portion 51 or between the base portion 51 and the cover 55 in order to suppress looseness or the like during installation, but they are not illustrated here. Moreover, not all of the screws, screw holes, etc. used for fixing the parts are shown.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, the substrate 50 may be provided with a structure for separation in the edge region where the limit switch 40 as the motion detector is arranged. In the example shown here, a perforation-like division hole 50a is provided near the lower end of the substrate 50, and a part of the substrate 50 can be cut into strips along the division hole 50a. .

As a distributing valve, there are various types of unit valves, indicator rods, number and arrangement, overall dimensions, etc., so as to respond to various different feed line configurations depending on the number and arrangement of equipment to which the feed is supplied. model is for sale. For example, in a distribution valve in which a small number of indicator rods are arranged at short intervals from each other, the limit switches arranged at positions corresponding to the indicator rods are also arranged in a narrow area on the substrate. In such a case, an area for arranging the limit switches will remain on the substrate side.

Therefore, if a division hole 50a is provided in the substrate 50 as shown in FIG. 13, it is possible to easily cut off the excess area of the substrate 50 for the distributing valve to be attached. If the size of the cover 55 and the base portion 51 are reduced to match the size of the board 50 that has been cut off, the diagnosis/communication unit 31 can be made more compact.

XII. Mechanical configuration of diagnostic/communication unit (2)

FIG. 14 shows an example of a specific configuration of the diagnosis/communication unit 31 based on the mechanism of FIG. The example shown here has substantially the same configuration as that of FIGS. The mounting position of the switch 40 is also slightly different. That is, the mounting position of each limit switch 40 is adjusted so that the contact portion 47 comes into contact with the limit switch 40 in the intermediate portion of the operating range.

As described above, the diagnosis/communication unit 31 can be applied to distribution valves of a type in which an indicator rod that protrudes to the outside reciprocates, and the type and size of the distribution valve, as well as the method of judging non-operation and diagnosing. Instead, devices with similar configurations can be used while being adjusted and modified as appropriate.

As described above, the distribution valve diagnosis system of this embodiment includes the unit valves 11 and 12 for distributing the supply G by the operation of the pistons 24 and 25. Distributing valves 8, 9, 10 configured to reciprocate the projecting indicator rod 26, and a diagnostic/communication unit 31 attached to the distributing valves 8, 9, 10 and monitoring the reciprocating movement of the indicator rod 26. , the diagnosis/communication unit 31 is configured to diagnose the distribution valves 8, 9, and 10 based on the operation of the indicator rod 26, and to wirelessly transmit a diagnosis signal 31a notifying the result of the diagnosis. In this way, when diagnosing the distributing valves 8, 9, 10 by the wireless diagnosis/communication unit 31, the possibility of erroneous diagnosis due to data containing errors can be reduced, and the accuracy of diagnosis can be improved. can.

Further, in this embodiment, the diagnostic/communication unit 31 outputs a diagnostic signal 31a for notifying the abnormality of the distribution valves 8, 9, 10 on the condition that the unit valves 11, 12 are determined to be non-operating a plurality of times. configured to transmit. In this way, the possibility of erroneous diagnosis can be further reduced.

Further, in this embodiment, the diagnosis/communication unit 31 operates the unit valves 11 and 12 based on a motion detector 40 that detects the reciprocating motion of the pointer rod 26 and whether or not the motion detector 40 detects the reciprocating motion. - It is composed of a determination unit 42 for determining non-operation and a communication unit 43 for wirelessly transmitting a diagnostic signal 31a. In this way, the distribution valves 8, 9 and 10 can be diagnosed by the diagnosis/communication unit 31 having a simple configuration.

Further, in some of the embodiments, the determination unit 42 is configured to be activated according to time and switched to a sleep state after execution of determination. In this way, it is possible to reduce power consumption when diagnosing.

In another part of the embodiment, the pointing rod 26 is provided with a contact portion 47 that contacts the motion detection portion 40 during reciprocating motion, and the motion detection portion 40 moves the pointer rod 26 by contact with the contact portion 47. It is configured to detect a reciprocating motion, the motion detection unit 40 is arranged so that a contact is input in the middle portion of the motion range of the contact unit 47, and the determination unit 42 detects a contact input to the motion detection unit 40. It is configured to be activated in response to the movement of the pointing rod 26 and to switch to a sleep state after the operation of the pointing rod 26 is completed. Even in this way, power consumption can be suppressed when diagnosing.

Further, in this embodiment, the diagnostic/communication unit 31 includes an attachment portion 52 that is attached to the indicator rod 26 by passing the indicator rod 26 through an elongated mounting hole 52a. In this way, in the case of distribution valves 8, 9, 10 in which a plurality of indicator rods are arranged in a straight line, all the indicator rods 26 provided in one distribution valve 8, 9, 10 can be passed through for diagnosis. - A communication unit 31 can be attached.

Further, in this embodiment, the diagnosis/communication unit 31 includes a support portion 53 attached to the pointer rod 26, and a substrate 50 having electronic components and attached to the support portion 53. The support portion 53 At least one of the fixing holes 53a and the supporting holes 53b (in the case of the above embodiment, only the supporting holes 53b ) are configured as slots. In this way, the fixed position of the substrate 50 with respect to the support portion 53 can be adjusted along the direction in which the pointer rods 26 are arranged.

In this embodiment, the diagnostic/communication unit 31 includes the motion detection unit 40 on the substrate 50, and the area of the substrate 50 where the motion detection unit 40 is arranged has a split hole 50a through which the substrate 50 can be partially cut. is provided. In this way, the diagnostic/communication unit 31 can be further made compact by cutting out the excess area of the substrate 50 for the distributing valve to be attached.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, when diagnosing an abnormality in the distribution valve using a wireless device, the diagnosis can be performed with high accuracy.

It should be noted that the distribution valve diagnostic system of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

8 distribution valve 9 distribution valve 10 distribution valve 11 unit valve 12 unit valve 24 piston (pilot piston)
25 Piston (main piston)
31 diagnostic/communication unit 31a diagnostic signal 40 motion detector (limit switch)
42 determination part 43 communication part 47 contact part 50 substrate 50a division hole 52 attachment part 52a attachment hole 53 support part 53a fixing hole 53b support hole

The present invention comprises a unit valve for distributing a supply by the action of a piston, and a distribution valve configured such that a pointing rod protruding outside reciprocates in accordance with the operation of the unit valve, and a distribution valve attached to the distribution valve. and a diagnostic/communication unit for monitoring the reciprocating motion of the indicator rod, the diagnostic/communication unit diagnosing the distribution valve based on the operation of the indicator rod, and wirelessly transmitting a diagnostic signal notifying the result of the diagnosis. The diagnostic/communication unit comprises a support attached to the pointer rod, and a substrate having electronic components attached to the support, wherein the support attaches the pointer to the A distributor comprising a surface provided with a fixing hole through which the substrate passes and a surface provided with a support hole for supporting the substrate, wherein at least one of the fixing hole and the support hole is configured as an elongated hole . It concerns a valve diagnostic system.
Further, the present invention provides a distribution valve comprising a unit valve for distributing a supply by the action of a piston, wherein an indicating rod projecting to the outside reciprocates in response to the operation of the unit valve; a diagnostic/communication unit attached to monitor the reciprocating motion of the indicator rod, the diagnostic/communication unit diagnosing the distribution valve based on the motion of the indicator rod and providing a diagnostic signal to notify the result of the diagnosis; The diagnostic/communication unit includes a substrate having a motion detection unit, and a region of the substrate where the motion detection unit is arranged has a split hole that allows a partial cutout of the substrate. A diagnostic system for a distribution valve, characterized in that it is provided with:

Claims (8)

a distribution valve comprising a unit valve for distributing a supply by the action of a piston, wherein an indicator rod projecting to the outside reciprocates in accordance with the operation of the unit valve;
a diagnostic/communication unit attached to the distribution valve and monitoring the reciprocating motion of the indicator rod;
The diagnosis/communication unit is configured to diagnose the distribution valve based on the operation of the indicator rod, and to wirelessly transmit a diagnosis signal notifying the result of the diagnosis. . 3. The diagnostic/communication unit is configured to transmit a diagnostic signal for notifying the abnormality of the distribution valve on condition that the non-operating determination of the unit valve has been performed a plurality of times. 2. The distribution valve diagnostic system according to 1. The diagnostic and communication unit includes:
a motion detection unit that detects the reciprocating motion of the pointer;
a determination unit that determines whether the unit valve is activated or not based on whether or not the reciprocating motion is detected by the motion detection unit;
3. The distributing valve diagnostic system according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit that wirelessly transmits a diagnostic signal. 4. The distribution valve diagnosis system according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit is activated according to time and switched to a sleep state after execution of the determination. The pointing rod includes a contact portion that contacts the motion detection portion during reciprocating motion,
The motion detection unit is configured to detect a reciprocating motion of the pointing rod by contact with the contact unit,
The motion detection unit is arranged so that a contact is input in an intermediate portion of a motion range of the contact unit;
4. The distribution according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit is activated in response to a contact input to the motion detection unit, and is switched to a sleep state after the motion of the pointer ends. Valve diagnostic system. The diagnostic and communication unit includes:
The diagnostic system for a distribution valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an attachment portion that is attached to the indicator rod by passing the indicator rod through an elongated mounting hole. The diagnostic and communication unit includes:
a support attached to the pointing rod;
a substrate that includes electronic components and is attached to the support,
The support portion has a surface provided with a fixing hole through which the pointing rod passes, and a surface provided with a support hole for supporting the substrate,
The distribution valve diagnosis system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least one of the fixing hole and the support hole is configured as an elongated hole. The diagnostic and communication unit includes:
Equipped with a motion detector on the board,
The distributing valve according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the region of the substrate where the motion detection unit is arranged is provided with a split hole that allows the substrate to be partially cut off. diagnostic system.

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