JP3125546U - Deformation detector for continuous unloader bucket - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus capable of detecting deformation of a bucket of a continuous unloader with high accuracy and high efficiency while greatly reducing the load on an operator.
A photoelectric sensor 21 that detects the timing at which each continuously moving bucket 16 passes a predetermined position, and a width direction image of the bucket 16 existing at the predetermined position at the timing detected by the photoelectric sensor 21. A camera 22 to be imaged, an image processing device 23 for determining positions in the width direction of each bucket 16 by analyzing the width direction video of each bucket 16 imaged by the camera 22, and a width direction of each bucket 16 An arithmetic unit 24 that calculates the amount of deformation of each bucket 16 by comparing the position of both ends and the position of both ends of the reference bucket 16A in the width direction obtained by image analysis of the image in the width direction captured in advance by the camera 22. A device for detecting deformation of a continuous unloader bucket.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting deformation of a bucket of a continuous unloader.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the continuous unloader 1 winds an endless bucket conveyor 13 between a bucket elevator 11 supported in a vertical direction and a scraping portion 12 extending horizontally from the lower end thereof. The loose objects 15 such as coal and ore in the hold 14 circulated and moved to the endless and scraped by the scraping unit 12 are transported upward by the bucket elevator 11 and unloaded.

  The bucket conveyor 13 is configured by attaching a plurality of buckets 16 between two chains 18 that circulate along the plurality of sprockets 17 (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). .

  By the way, the bucket 16 is deformed so as to be lifted in the vertical direction by contacting or catching the bottom steel plate of the hold 14 when scraping the loose objects 15 in the hold 14 (ie, extending in the width direction). Deformation), and for this reason, it may deform considerably after long-term use. And if the bucket 16 deform | transforms excessively, the said bucket 16 will contact the casing 11a of the bucket elevator 11, and an equipment trouble may be caused.

  In order to avoid such equipment troubles, for example, a limit switch (not shown) is installed on the upstream side of the bucket elevator 11, and when excessive deformation of the bucket 16 is detected, the bucket conveyor 13 is urgently stopped. Safety measures have been taken.

  However, if the bucket conveyor 13 is urgently stopped due to excessive deformation of the bucket 16 during the unloading operation, it is necessary to interrupt the unloading operation for a long time in order to replace the bucket 16, which increases the cost of berthing. There is a problem that becomes a factor.

  Therefore, the amount of deformation of the bucket 16 is measured off-line, such as during inspection of the continuous unloader 1, not during unloading work, and it is expected that excessive deformation may occur and excessive deformation may occur during the next unloading work. It is conceivable to replace the bucket 16 to be replaced with a new bucket 16 in advance.

  For this reason, conventionally, means for detecting deformation of the bucket 16 by directly measuring the size of the bucket manually by a scale while the bucket 16 is moved and stopped one by one is used. It was done.

However, although the number of buckets of the continuous unloader 1 varies depending on the scale of the equipment, it reaches several tens to about 100. Therefore, it is not possible to measure the bucket size manually for all of these many buckets 16. However, it was very time consuming and the load on the workers was large, and the measurement error due to individual differences due to manual work was not small, so there was a strong demand for improvement.
JP-A-8-268564 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-267921

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of detecting deformation of a bucket of a continuous unloader with high accuracy and high efficiency while greatly reducing a worker's load.

  The device according to claim 1 is an apparatus for detecting deformation of a bucket of a continuous unloader having a bucket elevator in which a plurality of buckets attached to a chain move around a plurality of sprockets in a series and go around. A photoelectric sensor that detects the timing at which each continuously moving bucket passes a predetermined position, a camera that captures a video in the width direction of the bucket existing at the predetermined position at the timing detected by the photoelectric sensor, and the camera The image processing device that determines the width direction both end positions of each bucket by analyzing the image in the width direction of each bucket imaged in step 1, the reference position bucket imaged in advance by the camera (Hereinafter referred to as “reference bucket”), the reference bucket obtained by image analysis of the video in the width direction. An arithmetic unit for calculating a deformation amount of each bucket by comparing the widthwise end positions of a deformation detection system continuous unloader bucket comprising the.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the continuous unloader bucket deformation detection device according to claim 1, wherein the photoelectric sensor includes a light emitting part and a light receiving part provided to face each other at an interval wider than the width of the bucket. is there.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the photoelectric sensor, the camera, the image processing device, and the arithmetic device are integrally assembled on a carriage, and the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the photoelectric sensor are separated from the carriage. It is a deformation | transformation detection apparatus of the continuous type unloader bucket of Claim 1 or 2 provided in the front-end | tip part of the two arms extended | stretched, respectively.

  By using the continuous unloader bucket deformation detection device of the present invention, a large number of buckets can be continuously captured without stopping each time, and the amount of deformation can be detected by image analysis, greatly reducing the load on the worker. However, highly accurate and efficient bucket deformation detection can be realized.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a deformation detector for a continuous unloader bucket according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment
(Device configuration)
As shown in FIG. 1, the continuous unloader 1 includes a bucket conveyor 13 in which a plurality of buckets 16 attached to a chain 18 move in series along a plurality of sprockets 17 and circulate.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bucket deformation detection device 2 according to the present embodiment includes a photoelectric sensor 21, a camera 22, an image processing device 23, and an arithmetic device 24. It is preferable that the photoelectric sensor 21, the camera 22, the image processing device 23, and the arithmetic device 24 are integrally assembled on the carriage 25 so as to be convenient for setting at a predetermined position. And this bucket deformation | transformation detection apparatus 2 is set and used so that the width direction image | video of the bucket 16 may be imaged when the continuous unloader 1 is offline.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the photoelectric sensor 21 includes a combination of a separate light emitting unit 21 a and a light receiving unit 21 b, and the separate light emitting unit 21 a and the light receiving unit 21 b are respectively provided on both sides in the width direction of the bucket 16. In order to be able to be installed, they are provided facing each other at an interval wider than the width of the bucket 16. Specifically, for example, two arms 26 and 26 provided at intervals wider than the width of the bucket 16 are extended from the carriage 25, and a light emitting portion 21 a and a light receiving portion 21 b are provided at the distal ends of the arms 26 and 26. It is good to attach each. Then, by setting the photoelectric sensor 21 so that the bucket 16 passes between the light emitting unit 21a and the light receiving unit 21b, the bucket 16 crosses (passes) between the light emitting unit 21a and the light receiving unit 21b. When that is the case, the passage timing can be detected. The two arms 26 and 26 are preferably rotatable around the attachment portions 27 and 27 to the carriage 25, so that when the deformation detector 2 is not used, as shown in FIG. The arms 26 and 26 can be stored compactly by rotating and folding the arms 26 and 26 onto the carriage 25 from the measurement position.

  If the lengths of the arms 26 and 26 are too short, the bucket deformation detection device 2 may be too close to the bucket 16 and come into contact therewith, but if it is too long, it is inconvenient for storage. Good.

  Further, if the distance between the light emitting portion 21a and the light receiving portion 21b of the photoelectric sensor 21 is too narrow, the possibility of contact with the bucket 16 increases. On the other hand, if it is too wide, the detection sensitivity of passing through the bucket 16 decreases. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the mounting portion 27 of the two arms 26, 26 to the carriage 25 is attached to a slide type shaft 28 and a bearing 29 so that the adjustment can be made within a range of about 1.1 to 2 times. It is preferable to configure each of these combinations.

  When the photoelectric sensor 21 detects the passage of the bucket 16, the camera 22 is directed between the light emitting unit 21 a and the light receiving unit 21 b of the photoelectric sensor 21 so that a video in the width direction of the bucket 16 can be captured at that timing. However, in order to detect the deformation of the bucket 16 with high accuracy, the installation height and depression angle (or elevation angle) can be adjusted so that the image in the width direction of the bucket 16 can be imaged as straight as possible. It is preferable to keep it. As the camera 22, it is recommended to use a CCD camera suitable for data transmission to the image processing device 23. Note that, depending on the weather, the imaging time zone, and the like, it may be easy to distinguish the image in the width direction of the bucket 16 from the background by illuminating the bucket 16 to be imaged. (Not shown) may be attached.

  The image processing device 23 may be any image processing device as long as it can perform basic processing such as A / D conversion of the video of the bucket 16 captured by the camera 22 into image data and digitizing the density of the image data. A processing device can be used.

  The arithmetic unit 24 calculates the amount of deformation of the bucket width from the position in the width direction of the bucket 16 determined from the image data by the image processing unit 23, and outputs an alarm if the amount of deformation exceeds the allowable value. Any commercially available personal computer can be used as long as it has ordinary arithmetic processing capability.

(Bucket deformation detection method)
Next, a method for detecting the deformation of the bucket 16 using the bucket deformation detection device 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, with the bucket conveyor 13 of the continuous unloader 1 shown in FIG. 7 stopped, the bucket elevator 11 and the scraper 12 are moved onto the work space 3 in the quay, and as shown in FIG. The bucket 16 is suspended between the two chains 18 of the take-up portion 12 and is held in a state of being slightly lifted from the ground. Then, the bucket conveyor 13 is operated, and a reference bucket (hereinafter referred to as “reference bucket”) 16A, which is determined to be substantially free of deformation by visual observation, is moved to the vicinity of the lowermost end of the chain 18 that is the imaging position. Set to that position.

  Next, the carriage 25 on which the bucket deformation detection device 2 is placed is caused to approach the reference bucket 16A from the opening side. 1 and 2, the arms 26 and 26 accommodated on the carriage 25 are rotated and extended in the direction of the reference bucket 16A, and the stop position of the carriage 25, the rotation angle of the arms 26 and 26, and the like are set. By adjusting, positioning is performed so that the light emitting portion 21a and the light receiving portion 21b of the photoelectric sensor 21 are arranged on both sides in the width direction of the reference bucket 16A. At this time, in order to secure the sensitivity of the photoelectric sensor 21, the two arms 26, 26 are slid in the axial direction of the attachment portion to the carriage 25, and the distance between the light emitting portion 21a and the light receiving portion 21b is deformed by a considerable amount. Adjustment is performed so that the bucket 16 is as close as possible within a range where there is no risk of contact.

  Next, in order to detect the deformation of the bucket 16 (16A) with high accuracy, the installation height and depression angle of the camera 22 are adjusted so that the opening of the bucket 16 (16A) can be imaged from the front as much as possible. Thereafter, the zoom, focus and aperture of the camera 22 are adjusted for the bucket 16 (16A).

Then, the bucket conveyor 13 of the continuous unloader 1 is operated for one bucket, and the opening of the reference bucket 16A is opened by the camera 22 at a timing when the opening of the reference bucket 16A crosses (passes) in front of the photoelectric sensor. A video in the width direction viewed from the side is captured. The video in the width direction of the reference bucket 16A is sent to the image processing apparatus, and the shade of the video can be converted into a numerical value as shown in FIG. 3, so that the position where the numerical change of the shade is the largest is determined as the end face of the bucket 16. Thus, both end positions in the bucket width direction can be determined. Then, the data at the both end positions is transmitted to the arithmetic device 24 and stored.

Thereafter, the bucket conveyor 13 of the continuous unloader 1 is operated to move the bucket 16 continuously. Thereby, at each timing when the opening of each bucket 16 crosses (passes) in front of the photoelectric sensor 21, a video in the width direction viewed from the opening of the bucket 16 is captured by the camera 22.

  The video in the width direction of each bucket 16 is transmitted to the image processing device 23, and both end positions in the bucket width direction can be determined from the density of the video in the same manner as in the case of the reference bucket 16A. Then, the data at the both end positions in the width direction of each bucket 16 is transmitted to the arithmetic unit 24 and compared with the data at the both end positions in the width direction of the reference bucket 16A. Can be calculated. Therefore, by moving the bucket conveyor once, it is possible to calculate the displacement amount at both ends in the width direction for all the buckets 16 of the continuous unloader 1.

  Here, as a deformation of the bucket 16 that may come into contact with the casing 11a of the bucket elevator 11, as shown in FIG. 4, the bucket 16 is crushed in the vertical direction and deformed so that both ends in the width direction protrude outwardly on the left and right sides. In some cases (FIG. A), there is a case in which it is crushed in the vertical direction, but only one end of both ends in the width direction is deformed so as to project to the left or right outside (FIG. B). Since the bucket 16 is considered not to be greatly deformed except when it collides with the bottom of the hold 14, it is not actually necessary to consider the deformation protruding in the vertical direction.

Therefore, the amount (W ₁ −W ₀ ), (W ₂ −W ₀ ), or (W ₃ −W ₀ ) that protrudes only to the left and right outside of the width direction end face position of the reference bucket 16A [these are collectively expressed as ΔW. ] May be the bucket deformation amount.

  For example, an alarm may be output to the bucket 16 in which ΔW exceeds a preset allowable value. As a result, since the bucket 16 deformed by a considerable amount can be replaced in advance while the continuous unloader 1 is offline, the bucket 16 is excessively deformed during online (unloading) and the bucket conveyor is urgently stopped. Can be reliably prevented.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the photoelectric sensor 21 is exemplified by a combination of a separate light emitting unit 21a and light receiving unit 21b. However, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are integrated, and the photoelectric sensor 21 is disposed at a position opposed to the photoelectric sensor. A reflector may be provided.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the photoelectric sensor 21, the camera 22, the image processing device 23, and the arithmetic device 24 are integrally assembled on the carriage 25 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the photoelectric sensor 21 may be set separately from the carriage 25.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the reference bucket 16A is imaged every time the deformation detection operation of all the buckets 16 is performed has been described. However, only the reference bucket 16A is imaged in advance, and the deformation of all the buckets 16 is performed. The imaging of the reference bucket 16A may be omitted during the detection operation. However, in the former method, since the reference bucket 16A is imaged each time, even if the set positions of the photoelectric sensor 21 and the camera 22 are slightly different at the time of imaging, there is no error in the calculated value of the bucket deformation amount. In this method, if the set positions of the photoelectric sensor 21 and the camera 22 are different between when the reference bucket 16A is imaged and when all the buckets 16 are imaged, an error occurs in the calculated value of the bucket deformation amount. Although it is necessary to always set the camera 22 accurately at a predetermined position or to correct the position by the arithmetic unit 24, the accuracy is slightly lowered.

  In order to verify the applicability of the present invention, using the bucket deformation detection device having the configuration of FIG. 1 described in the above embodiment, first, a bucket that is determined to be substantially free of deformation (maximum width: about 1000 mm) About, the test which measures the position of each width direction end surface was done. As a result, as shown in the measurement example by the image processing apparatus in FIG. 5, the widthwise outer shape of the bucket can be almost accurately grasped, and the right end position in the width direction of the two buckets has a difference of about 20 mm, but the left end It can be seen that the positions are in good agreement. From this, it was confirmed that the deformation of the bucket can be detected with an accuracy of about 10 mm by the bucket deformation detection device according to the present invention.

  Furthermore, the bucket width measured with this bucket deformation | transformation detection apparatus and the operator photographed each bucket, and compared with the bucket width measured manually with the ruler on this photograph. In addition, in order to check the measurement error due to individual differences due to manual work, two people were measured using the same photograph. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the measured value (designed example) by the bucket deformation detection device according to the present invention and the measured value by manual labor (Comparative Examples 1 and 2) are about 20 mm at the maximum for some buckets. Although there are differences, they are almost the same as a whole, and it is judged that they can be applied sufficiently. In the case of manual measurement, the measurement error between the two persons was about 8 mm.

  As a result, the working time for detecting the deformation of all buckets per continuous unloader with 102 buckets is measured directly by hand on a conventional bucket (actual) before introduction of this device. However, after the introduction of this apparatus, it is possible to process in real time in 2 to 3 seconds per bucket, and time for positioning the photoelectric sensor and camera, etc. Even if included, it can be completed in about 30 minutes to process all buckets, and it has been confirmed that the workload is greatly reduced by applying the present invention.

It is a front view which shows the structure of the bucket deformation | transformation detection apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the bucket deformation | transformation detection apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example which digitized the shade of the bucket width direction image | video with the image processing apparatus. It is a front view which shows the aspect of a deformation | transformation of a bucket. It is a graph which shows the example of a measurement by an image processing apparatus. It is a graph which shows the measured value of the bucket width for every bucket. It is a front view which shows the structure of a continuous type unloader.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Continuous unloader 2 ... Bucket deformation detection apparatus 11 ... Bucket elevator 16 ... Bucket 16A ... Reference bucket 17 ... Sprocket 21 ... Photoelectric sensor 21a ... Light emission part, 21b ... Light reception part 22 ... Camera 23 ... Image processing device 24 ... Arithmetic unit 25 ... Dolly 26 ... Arm

Claims (3)

A device for detecting deformation of a bucket of a continuous unloader provided with a bucket elevator in which a plurality of buckets attached to a chain move in series along a plurality of sprockets and circulate,
A photoelectric sensor for detecting the timing at which each continuously moving bucket passes a predetermined position;
A camera that captures a width direction image of the bucket present at the predetermined position at a timing detected by the photoelectric sensor;
An image processing device that determines the position in the width direction of each bucket by analyzing the image in the width direction of each bucket imaged by the camera;
Both end positions in the width direction of the reference buckets obtained by image analysis of both end positions in the width direction of the buckets and a width direction image of a reference bucket (hereinafter referred to as “reference bucket”) captured in advance by the camera. An arithmetic unit that calculates the amount of deformation of each bucket by comparing the position;
A device for detecting deformation of a continuous unloader bucket.   The said photoelectric sensor is a deformation | transformation detection apparatus of the continuous type unloader bucket of Claim 1 which consists of a light emission part and a light-receiving part which were provided facing the space | interval wider than the width | variety of a bucket. The photoelectric sensor, the camera, the image processing device, and the arithmetic unit are integrally assembled on a carriage, and the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the photoelectric sensor extend from the ends of the two arms extending from the carriage. The deformation detection device for a continuous unloader bucket according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the deformation detection device is provided for each of the above.

Images