JP3188898B2 - Link chain elongation measuring device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the amount of elongation of a link chain, and more particularly, to an apparatus provided in a loop section of a continuous production line in a steel mill, and particularly has a function of compensating for a measurement error based on chain bending. And a link chain elongation measuring device for measuring the elongation of the link chain.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A continuous production line for a surface-treated steel sheet in a steel mill or the like generally has a basic configuration as shown in FIG. The steel sheet 30 wound in a coil shape is a payoff reel 31.
The welding machine 32
Is connected by welding. The fed steel sheet 30 connected to the preceding steel sheet is processed by the surface treatment section 34 after passing through the loop section 33 for performing loop control. The steel sheet 30 having been subjected to the surface treatment is successively cut into a predetermined length by a shear 36 through a similar loop section 35, wound up again in a coil shape by a tension reel 37, and carried out to the next step.

[0003] In order to improve the production efficiency and maintain the quality of such a continuous production line, it is necessary to continuously transport the steel sheet 30 at a predetermined speed in the surface treatment section 34. To this end, loop sections 33 and 35 that perform a loop control function are provided upstream and downstream of the surface treatment section 34 in order to cause the steel sheet 30 to stay or discharge.

The steel plate 30 in the loop section 33 is suspended by sewing between several fixed rolls 33a and a moving roll 33b attached to a looper carriage 33c that moves vertically. The steel plate 30 is stored in the loop section 33 when the looper carriage 33c is raised, and is discharged when the looper carriage 33c is lowered. Four link chains 33e are provided as components for raising and lowering the looper carriage 33c while keeping it horizontal.

[0005] A part of the link chain 33e is fixed to a looper cage 33c. The middle of the loop meshes with the upper and lower sprocket wheels 33d and 33f. When one sprocket wheel 33f is rotated forward and backward by the electric motor 33g, the looper carriage 3
3 goes up and down. The steel plate 30 is conveyed while being held horizontally by being hung by a moving roll 33b attached to a looper carriage 33c that moves up and down.

Therefore, the four link chains 33e
If any one of them is worn out and stretched, the looper carriage 33c cannot be held horizontally. As a result, the conveyed steel plate 30 meanders, causing unstable operation or equipment failure,
As a result, quality abnormalities such as ear breakage occur. For this reason, the maintenance technician measures the amount of elongation due to wear between the links of the link chain 33e using the time when the equipment is stopped, and checks the elongation state of the link chain 33e.

FIGS. 24 and 25 show enlarged structures of the link chain 33e. The link chain 33e includes a pair of outer links 40, a pair of inner links 41 arranged alternately with the outer links 40, a link pin 42 connecting the outer link 40 and the inner link 41, and a rotatable link pin 42. A sleep roller 43 as an intermediate member is sequentially connected between the chain roller 10 that is pivotally supported, and further between the link pin 42 and the chain roller 10, or between the link pin 42 and the inner link 41. ing.

The link chain 33e is always under tension, and the link pin 42 and the link pin fitting hole 44 of the outer link 40 in which the link pin 42 is fitted, the sleeve 43 and the sleeve 43 are fitted. A load is always applied between the sleeve fitting holes 45 of the inner link 41. Further, a rotational force is applied at a position where the sprocket wheels 33d and 33f mesh with each other.

For this reason, the link pin 42 and the sleeve 4
3, a link pin fitting hole 44, and a sleeve fitting hole 4
When gaps g1 and g2 are formed due to wear of 5, the link chain 33e extends by g1 + g2 per link as the use time increases. If the degree of this elongation exceeds a certain value, the length of the four link chains 33e holding the looper carriage 33c will vary, making it impossible to hold the looper carriage 33c horizontally, as a result as described above. It may cause breaks in the ears of the steel plate and unstable operation.

FIGS. 26 and 27 show a state in which the extension amount of the conventional link chain 33 is measured. FIG.
6 and 27, 46 is a loop section 33, 35
A scaffold assembled on both sides of the vehicle and on which an inspector rides, 47 is a scale. The scaffold 46 is provided near the middle of the height of the link chain 33e. Although not shown, a column for supporting the scaffold 46, a manual remote switch of the electric motor 33g, and the like are also prepared in addition to the above.

Inspection is performed on the scaffold 4 as schematically shown in the figure.
An inspector rides on 6 and moves the looper carriage 33c up and down by manual switching of the electric motor 33g in each section having a length substantially corresponding to the scale 47. Then, in a stopped state, the scale 47 is applied to a certain range of links as shown in FIG. 27, and a visual measurement of the stretched state is performed. Inspection has been performed by a method in which an inspector visually checks whether the amount of elongation is within a predetermined standard.

[0012]

As described above, according to the conventional inspection method of the link chain 33e, after assembling the scaffold 46, the electric motor 33g is manually operated intermittently and the link chain 33e is inspected.
While the measurement position of e was being moved, the scale 47 was applied to check the position by visual measurement. Therefore, the measurement of the amount of elongation of the link chain 33e is not only inaccurate due to parallax, skill, and the like, but is also performed by installing the scaffolds 46 on both sides and performing manual inspection work, so that wasteful labor and time are wasted. There was a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and it is possible to easily and accurately measure the amount of elongation caused by wear of each link of a link chain in a short time, and furthermore, to reduce the chain bending. It is an object of the present invention to realize a link chain elongation measuring device capable of compensating the accompanying measurement error.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a pair of reference and comparison sprockets which are rotatably provided at fixed intervals and are driven and driven by being engaged with a link chain, and a reference sprocket for a pair of sprockets. Rotation position detecting means for detecting the start and end positions of the fixed rotation angle of the sprocket, and a rotation angle for detecting the rotation angle of the comparison sprocket corresponding to the rotation angle of the reference sprocket detected by the rotation position detection means Detecting means, link chain elongation calculating means for calculating the elongation of the link chain based on the rotation angle detected by the rotation angle detecting means, and link chain elongation indicating the elongation calculated by the link chain elongation calculating means Display means, and a measurement error compensating means for compensating for a measurement error based on chain bending in the link chain. It is obtained by constituting the elongation measuring apparatus of link chain.

Further, the present invention is a link chain elongation measuring device in which the measurement error compensating means is constituted by a swing guide mechanism using a link. Further, the link chain elongation measuring device is configured such that the reference and comparison sprocket wheels follow the bent portion of the link chain by the swing guide mechanism.

When the mechanism is mounted on the link chain and the motor is driven, the reference sprocket wheel raises the mechanism while rotating the meshing teeth while meshing with the chain rollers. At the same time, the comparative sprocket wheel having a pair of structures separated by a predetermined distance also rotates while meshing with the link chain. When the meshing path of the comparison sprocket wheel does not extend, the rotation phases of the pair of sprocket wheels are synchronized, and the rotation angles of the two sprocket wheels match.

If the link chain in the path where the measuring sprocket wheel meshes is extended, the rotation phases of the two are shifted, and the chain roller at the end of the rotation angle measurement range is displaced to the plus side by the extended amount. Therefore, at the moment when the reference sprocket wheel makes one rotation and reaches the measurement point,
The rotation angle detection sensor reads the rotation angle at that time. The rotation angle read by the rotation angle detection sensor is output to an arithmetic circuit, and the arithmetic circuit calculates the amount of extension of the link chain using a correction equation expressed by a linear equation. The calculated amount of elongation of the link chain is stored in a storage circuit, and then printed out to a printer to determine whether or not it is necessary to take a countermeasure such as replacement of the link chain.

A chain bending phenomenon may occur in the middle of a link chain for raising and lowering the looper carriage. If the elongation is measured as it is with the elongation measuring device attached to the link chain, a measurement error corresponding to the magnitude of the bending angle occurs. A swing guide mechanism for linking a guide plate and compensating for a measurement error is set at each position of the elongation measuring device opposed to the meshing teeth of the reference and measurement sprocket wheels. By driving the elongation measuring device attached to the link chain, the reference sprocket wheel reaches the bending point of the chain.

When the reference sprocket wheel reaches the bending point of the chain, the guide plate sandwiching the two chain rollers on both sides of the meshing tooth bends at the shaft supporting portion and follows the bending portion while swinging. Then, the relative position between the sprocket wheel and the chain roller maintains the same relational position as in the state without bending. As a result, the sprocket wheel follows substantially the same trajectory as when the chain is in a flat state without bending, and the measurement error of the amount of elongation is compensated.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic configuration of a mechanical unit in an elongation measuring device for explaining the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a processing unit. In FIG. 13, M is a mechanism of the elongation measuring device. Reference numeral 1 denotes a connecting bar of the mechanism M, and reference numerals 2 and 3 denote sprocket wheels for reference and comparison formed in a pair structure. Each of the pair of sprocket wheels 2 and 3 has a predetermined number of meshing teeth 2g and 3g corresponding to the shape of the link chain on the circumferential portion. The sprocket wheels 2 and 3 are rotatably mounted on the connecting bar 1 via the rotating shafts 2a and 3a at an interval L0 substantially corresponding to the measuring range in the vertical direction.

4 is a measuring hole for marking, 6 is an electric motor,
Reference numeral 7 denotes a rotation pulse detection type rotation angle detection sensor for comparison. The measurement hole 4 extends axially on the radial line of the sprocket wheel 2, and the electric motor 6 and the rotation angle detection sensor 7 are connected to the rotation shafts 2a and 3a, respectively. Reference numeral 8 denotes a rotation position detection sensor using light, which is fixed to a measurement point on a horizontal radius line so as to face the measurement hole 4.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a chain roller of the above-described link chain 33e, which is denoted by the same reference numeral. The meshing teeth 2g and 3g of the sprocket wheels 2 and 3 are spaced L
The chain rollers 10 are sequentially engaged with each other by a distance of 0. Δθx (x = 1, 2,... N, the same applies hereinafter) is the deviation angle of the comparison sprocket wheel 3 and the link chain 3
This corresponds to the elongation ΔLx within the range of the interval L0 of 3e. The magnitude of the deviation angle △ θx of the comparison sprocket wheel 3 that rotates following the chain roller 10 is calculated from the rotation angle detected by the rotation angle detection sensor 7 as described later.

In the block diagram of FIG.
Is a detection circuit, 12 is an arithmetic circuit, 13 is a correction formula, 14 is a storage circuit, and 15 is a printer. The detection circuit 11 corresponds to the reference rotation angle detected by the rotation position detection sensor 8,
The rotation angle detection sensor 7 outputs a rotation angle θx (herein, referred to as an absolute rotation angle) which represents the rotation angle actually detected by an absolute value. The arithmetic circuit 12 calculates the elongation .DELTA.Lx from the absolute rotation angle .theta.x output from the detection circuit 11 using the correction equation 13 obtained experimentally in advance.

The link chain 3 calculated by the arithmetic circuit 12
The elongation amounts ΔL1, ΔL2... Of 3e are sequentially stored in the storage circuit 14. Further, the expansion amounts △ L1, 1L2... Stored in the storage circuit 14 are printed out by the printer 15 if necessary. The correction formula 13 is represented by a linear formula (linear line) of the absolute rotation angle θx as shown in the drawing, a is a proportional constant (inclination of the linear line), and b is a value on the vertical axis at the origin (intrinsic elongation amount).

Next, the principle operation of the basic configuration shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 will be described. When the reference sprocket wheel 2 is rotated clockwise as indicated by an arrow by the motor 6 rotating at a constant speed, the meshing teeth 2 of the reference sprocket wheel 2 are rotated.
g is sequentially engaged with the chain roller 10 while the mechanism M
The whole rises at a constant speed. At this time, the comparatively rotating sprocket wheel 3 which is driven and rotated starts to follow and follow the chain roller 10 at a position separated by the distance L0. Then, the link chain 33 of the path along which the comparison sprocket wheel 3 has engaged.
If e does not elongate, the rotational phases of the sprocket wheels 2 and 3 match. Therefore, the absolute rotation angle θx detected by the rotation angle detection sensor 7 is one rotation, that is, 360 rotations.
°.

Now, if the link chain 33e has an interval L0
(= Lx), the chain roller 10 at the end of the rotation angle range that meshes with the meshing teeth 3g of the comparison sprocket wheel 3 is ΔL1 as shown by the broken line.
Just move up. Therefore, the rotation of the comparison sprocket wheel 3 is determined by the rotation angle Δ corresponding to the elongation ΔL1.
It will be delayed by θ1. The rotation angle detection sensor 7 detects the absolute rotation angle θ1 simultaneously with the detection of the measurement hole 4 by the rotation position detection sensor 8.

When the reference sprocket wheel 2 passes through the meshing path of the comparison sprocket wheel 3 described above,
When rotated, the rotation position detection sensor 8 detects the measurement hole 4 that has reached the second detection position. Then, there is no elongation in the second meshing path of the comparative sprocket wheel 3 and Δ
When L2 = 0, the rotation angle detection sensor 7 detects the absolute rotation angle .theta.2 = 360 DEG at the same timing as when the rotation position detection sensor 8 detects the measurement hole 4, and then resets it to zero. On the other hand, the link chain 33 of the second meshing path
If e has elongation .DELTA.L2 (.noteq.0), a delay of rotation angle .DELTA..theta.2 corresponding to elongation .DELTA.L2 occurs in comparison sprocket wheel 3 also at this time. Similarly, the second absolute rotation angle θ2 (<360
°) is detected.

The output waveforms of the rotation angle detection sensor 7 and the rotation position detection sensor 8 in this case are shown in the detection circuit 11 of FIG. The absolute rotation angles .theta.1 and .theta.2 are output to the arithmetic circuit 12, and the above-mentioned correction formula [L = (360-.theta.x) .times.a +
b], the elongation amounts ΔL1 and ΔL2 are calculated. The thus calculated extension amounts ΔL1 and ΔL2 of the link chain 33e are sequentially stored in the storage circuit 14 as described above. Then, using the ΔL1 and ΔL2 printed out on the printer 15 connected to the mechanism section M, the extension amount ΔL of the link chain 33e is displayed on the chart as a numerical value.

The specific structure of the above-mentioned mechanism M is shown in FIG.
5 to FIG. As shown in FIG. 17, the mechanism section M is exemplified by a case of a link chain 33e having a quadruple structure in which four chains are integrally combined.

15 to 17, reference numeral 16 denotes a main body of the mechanism section M. The main body 16 is a front plate 1 corresponding to the connecting bar 1.
6a, a back plate 16b, a holding rod 16c for holding the back plate 16b with a certain gap, and a fixing screw 16
d. The holding rod 16c and the fixing screw 16d are provided at four places on both sides of the main body 16, and each holding rod 1c
The rear plate 16b is openably and closably connected with both ends of 6c as hinges (shown by broken lines). Components such as the sprocket wheel 2 described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 are also given the same reference numerals and are attached to the front plate 16a.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a case of the processing section S attached to the front plate 16a, 18 denotes a fixed guide on the back side of the front plate 16a, and 19 denotes a movable liner provided on the back plate 16b. The front surface of the case 17 is provided with an operation unit having a switch and a lamp, which constitutes a panel, and a display unit. The processing unit S and a control circuit for controlling each component unit are housed therein. The fixed guide 18 and the movable liner 19 face each other, and guide the two rows of chain rollers 10 to mesh with the sprocket wheels 2 and 3. In particular,
The movable liner 19 always presses the chain roller 10 against the fixed guide 18 on the front plate 16a side by the spring 19a to make contact with the tooth bottoms of the meshing teeth 2g and 3g to reliably mesh.

In the case of the mechanism section M shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, of the many links 40 and 41 that are connected one after another to form the link chain 33e, the extension amount △ is continuously set every 10 links. It is configured to measure Lx. For this reason,
The distance L0 between the pair of sprocket wheels 2 and 3 is 10
Is set to the length corresponding to the number of links. And
The sprocket wheels 2 and 3 measure the elongation amount .DELTA.L1, .DELTA.L2... Of the link chain 33e once per rotation.

Reference numerals 20 and 21 denote small chain wheels, and reference numeral 22 denotes a chain suspended on the chain wheels 20 and 21 (see also FIGS. 18A and 18B). Chain wheels 20 and 21 are fixed to rotating shafts 2a and 3a of sprocket wheels 2 and 3, respectively. 2
Reference numeral 3 denotes two arc grooves penetrating in the thickness direction of the chain wheel 21; 24, a pin implanted in the sprocket wheel 3 and inserted through the arc groove 23;
A pin 26 implanted at 1 is a tension spring suspended at the tips of the pins 24 and 25.

The pulling force of the pulling spring 26 constantly applies a pulling force in the direction of rotation, and the link chain 33
The play gap generated between the chain roller 10 of e and the sprocket wheel 3 is not generated. In addition, 27 is a storage box for accommodating the power source battery 27,
Reference numeral 28 denotes a connection terminal of the printer 15, and reference numeral 29 denotes upper and lower limit sensors for controlling a vertical movement range of the self-propelled main body 16.

The operation of the elongation measuring apparatus of FIGS. 15 to 17 having such a structure will be described below. The looper carriage 33c of the loop section 33 or 35 is lowered by the electric motor 33g and held at the lowest position by using the operation stop state of the processing equipment (FIG. 23). Back plate 1 of main body 16 of mechanism section M
6b opens and closes the main body 16 by using the holding rod 16c as a hinge.
Is mounted near the lower end of the link chain 33e. When the main body 16 is attached to the link chain 33e, as shown in FIG. 16, the chain roller 10 is sandwiched between the fixed guide 18 and the movable liner 19, and the sprocket wheels 2 and 3 mesh with the chain roller 10 which is 10 pieces away from each other. Is done.

Here, when the electric motor 6 is driven and the meshing teeth 2g1 of the sprocket wheel 2 start meshing in order from the lower chain roller 10, the meshing teeth 3g of the upper sprocket wheel 3 are also moved from the chain roller 10 with this. Start meshing. At the same time, the main body 16 starts to move up along the link chain 33e. When the main body 16 is raised by the rotation force of the sprocket wheel 2 by the electric motor 6 and the sprocket wheel 2 makes one rotation, the meshing teeth 2g become 10
The measurement hole 4 meshes with the chain roller 10 which is separated by a distance, and reaches the horizontal position.

At this time, light projected from the light emitting element on the opposite side of the rotational position detection sensor 8 passes through the measurement hole 4, and the transmitted light is received by the light receiving element, and the measurement hole 4 is detected. At this timing, the rotation angle detection sensor 7 of the comparison sprocket 3 reads the absolute rotation angle θx. At this time, the link chain 3 of the first meshing path of the sprocket wheel 3
If there is an extension at 3e, the rotation angle detection sensor 7 detects the absolute rotation angle .theta.1 = (360-.DELTA..theta.1).

The absolute rotation angle θ1 detected as described above is calculated by the following equation (L = (360−θ1) × a + b).
, The elongation amount ΔL1 of the link chain 33e within the first range is calculated by the arithmetic circuit 12 and stored in the storage circuit 14. Subsequently, the sprocket wheel 2 has one more
The absolute rotation angle .theta.2 at the time of rotation is similarly calculated by the arithmetic circuit 12, and the elongation .DELTA.L2 within the second measurement range in which the sprocket wheel 3 meshes is stored in the storage circuit 14. Thereafter, when the same measurement operation is performed and the main body 16 reaches the upper limit of the loop section 33 or 35, the looper carriage 33c is raised and the detection of the extension ΔLx of the remaining portion of the link chain 33e is resumed again. become.

While the main body 16 is moving, the chain rollers 10.
Are guided by the fixed guide 18 while being pressed by the movable liner 19, so that they are accurately meshed with the meshing teeth 2g and 3g. Further, since the chain wheels 20, 21 having the function of absorbing play (play) shown in FIG. 18 are provided alongside the sprocket wheels 2, 3, the link chains 3 are provided.
The elongation amount ΔLx of 3e can be accurately detected. In this manner, when the inspection of one link chain 33e is completed, the mechanism M is removed and another link chain 3e is removed.
The measurement of the elongation ΔLx of 3e is performed by the same operation.

The link chain 33e used in this type of apparatus has a bending phenomenon as shown in FIG. 19 during suspension near the outlets of the sprocket wheels 33d and 33f in the loop section 30 due to friction or the like. May occur. The bending phenomenon is the link chain 33e
In many cases, the bent state is semi-fixed by bending concavely or convexly in the direction intersecting with the suspension direction. FIG. 20 is an enlarged view when the link chain 33e is bent in a convex shape to the left in the suspension direction. B in FIGS. 19 and 20
Is a bent portion of the link chain 33e, and α is a bent angle of the bent portion b (here, temporarily referred to as a bent angle).

As shown in FIG. 20, two chain rollers 10 alternately connected by an outer link 40 and an inner link 41 are provided.
If the distance between them is c, Δc
= C- (c cosα). Therefore, if the bent link chain 33e is measured as it is, it is theoretically measured to be shorter by the value of ΔC calculated from the following equation. △ C = 2 ｛c- (c cosα)｝ ... (1)

On the other hand, in the elongation measuring device constituted by the mechanism section M described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18, the chain roller 10 is held between the movable liner 19 within the measurement range while the main body 16 is moving as described above. The guide is guided by the fixed guide 18 while being pressed. When the main body 16 is raised and the sprocket wheel 2 or 3 meshes with the bent portion b, the meshing position of the meshing tooth and the chain roller 10 is displaced to the root side and the tip side according to the bending angle α. I do.

As shown in FIG. 21, when the meshing position is shifted by in Min to the root side, an upper shift ズ Sup occurs with respect to the horizontal center position of the meshing tooth when the link chain 33e is not bent. [See FIG. 21 (c)]. Further, when the meshing position is shifted by otMot toward the tooth tip, a shift of △ Sdn is similarly generated on the lower side. Therefore, according to the mechanism M in which the chain roller 10 is held by the fixed guide 18 and the movable liner 19 as shown in FIG. 16, a measurement error is expected due to the above-mentioned shifts ΔSup and ΔSdn as shown in FIG. .

Next, the error factors occurring in the mechanism section M will be described with reference to FIG.
2 will be described. Each upper stage in FIGS. 22 (a) and 22 (b) shows a state where there is no bending, and the middle and lower stages show that the link chain 33e is bent toward the root side and the tip side so that the bent portion b is formed on the sprocket wheel 3 on the comparison side. Indicates the reached state. FIG.
When the bent portion b reaches the sprocket wheel 3 in the mechanism M of FIG.
9 is spread by a chain roller 10. As a result,
The measurement error ΔS as described in FIGS. 21 (b) and (c)
Up and △ Sdn will occur. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the mechanism portion M1 which is not affected by the chain bending is configured.

The specific structure of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the present invention, since the structure for compensating for the chain bending error is added to the elongation amount measuring device shown in FIGS. 13 to 18 as described above, only different components will be described. In the first embodiment, the left and right double link chains 33 are used.
The figure shows a case where the sprocket wheel 33e is engaged with the right-hand side of e. 1 is a front view showing the structure of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X1-X1 of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X2-X2 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line Y2-Y2 of FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line Y1-Y1 of FIG. 1, and FIG.
-X3 sectional view, FIG. 8 is a sectional explanatory view showing the configuration near the connection fitting.

In FIGS. 1 to 8, M1 is the first embodiment.
And 5, the main body of the mechanism M1. 50 is the body 5
Reference numeral 51 denotes a connecting rod fixed integrally on the left and right sides of the frame 50. The frame body 50 and the connecting rods 51 on both sides form a lotus-shaped main body 5. Also,
52 and 53 are front plates connected to the upper and lower portions of the frame body 50, and 54 and 55 are guide plates which also serve as back plates. The guide plates 54, 55 are connected to the front plates 52, 5 via studs 56.
The front plates 52 and 53 and the guide plates 54 and 55 are substantially symmetrical. 57 denotes a pair of inverted T-shaped bearing stands erected on both front plates 52 and 53, and 58 denotes an auxiliary guide plate.

The upper and lower bearing stands 57 bear the rotating shafts 2a and 3a of the sprocket wheels 2 and 3, respectively. An electric motor 6 is connected to the rotating shaft 2a via a gear train 59, and a rotary encoder 8 for detecting rotation is connected to the rotating shaft 3a. Reference numeral 61 denotes a connection fitting having a substantially H-shaped cross section. Reference numeral 62 denotes two connection pins loosely fitted in connection holes of the connection portion. These connecting fittings 61 and connecting pins 6
2, the front plates 52 and 53 are flexibly connected to the upper and lower portions of the connecting rod 51.

A swing guide mechanism T for swinging the front plates 52, 53 about the rotating shafts 2a, 3a via the bearing stand 57 is constituted by the pair of upper and lower connecting fittings 61 and the like. 63 is an adjusting screw for regulating the swing range of the swing guide mechanism T, and 64 and 65 are two types of large and small guide pieces. The large guide piece 64 is fixed to the inner surfaces of the front plates 52 and 53 and the guide plates 54 and 55, and faces the chain roller 10 of the two link chains 33e.

The small guide piece 65 (FIG. 6) is attached to the auxiliary guide plate 58 and faces only the chain roller 10 on the left side. In particular, guide plates 54 and 55
As shown in FIG. 5, each of the sprocket wheels 2 and 3 has a width covering two chain rolls 10 sandwiching the meshing teeth 2g and 3g during the meshing of the sprocket wheels 2 and 3, respectively. When the mechanism M1 attached to the link chain 33e moves up and down, these guide pieces 64 and 65
Thus, the chain roller 10 is guided to follow a predetermined path.

In addition, although not shown, the case 17 of the processing section S is attached to the surface of the frame body 50 in the same manner as the above-described mechanism section M, and an operation section and a display section are provided on the front surface and the inside thereof is provided inside. A control circuit and the like are also accommodated. Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Following the mechanism section M1 having such a configuration, for example, the guide plate 54,
Loosen the fixing bolts of 55 and the auxiliary guide plate 58, and attach them to the link chain 33e to be measured. When the electric motor 6 is driven after the attachment, the mechanism section M1 rises, and the extension amount of the link chain 33e is measured as described above.

In this case, the chain bending phenomenon described above may occur in the middle of the link chain 33e. Then, the sprocket wheel 3 for comparison approaches the bent portion b which is convex toward the cutting edge side as shown in FIG. 9, for example. When the sprocket wheel 3 ascends and reaches the bent portion b, the swing guide mechanism T operates to tilt the sprocket 2.
Along the chain rollers 10, the front plate 52 and the guide plate 55 integrally rotate clockwise about the rotation shaft 3a as indicated by solid arrows.

When the mechanism M1 further rises and passes over the chain roller 10 at the bent end, the guide plate 55 rotates counterclockwise together with the front plate 52 in response to the inclination of the chain roller 10 in the opposite direction (dotted line). Arrow). By the swing operation following the bent portion b by the swing guide mechanism T, the relative position between the sprocket wheel 3 and the chain roller 10 is maintained in the same state as when there is no bending. Therefore, the sprocket wheel 3 ascending along the link chain 33e follows the substantially same engagement locus as in the flat state where the chain is not bent. As a result, the first embodiment including the mechanism section M1 provided with the swing guide mechanism T compensates for the structural measurement errors △ Sup and △ Sdn caused by the aforementioned chain bending.

Subsequently, the mechanism M1 is connected to the link chain 3
When the reference sprocket wheel 2 reaches the bent portion b by ascending on 3e, the relative position between the sprocket wheel 2 and the chain roller 10 is maintained in the same state as in the flat state by the same operation. Also, when the chain roller 10 is bent to the root side, the measurement error is similarly compensated by the swinging operation of the swing guide mechanism T in the opposite direction.

Incidentally, the experimental results obtained by measuring the error using the mechanism section M of FIGS. 13 to 18 and the mechanism section M1 of the first embodiment are as follows.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of measurement conditions of the two mechanical units M and M1 associated with the chain bending, FIG. 11 is a comparison diagram of measured values of M and M1 associated with the chain bending,
FIG. 12 is a distribution diagram of the measured values of M and M1 accompanying the bending of the chain. The experiment of the error caused by the chain bending is as follows. The bending amount (△ Mot or ΔMin... Unit mm in FIG.
The measurement range of a and b was set by providing an interval L0 above and below the bent portion b, divided into seven steps of 2, ± 4 and ± 8. And
The average value of the three measurement values was determined and compared with the actual measurement value using a caliper as a reference (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

FIG. 12 is a plot of the experimental results. As shown in the figure, according to the mechanism section M1 provided with the swing guide mechanism T, the measurement error of the amount of elongation of the link chain 33e can be kept within the range of -0.3 to +0.5, so that higher accuracy can be achieved. An elongation measuring device is realized (see FIGS. 22A and 22B).

In the above-described first embodiment of the present invention, the case where one measurement hole has a measurement range of 10 links has been described. However, the measurement holes and the measurement range can be appropriately increased or decreased. If you increase the number of measurement holes or decrease the number of target links,
A compact and lightweight measuring device can be realized. Further, although the transmission type rotational position detection sensor is shown and described in the drawings, not only the reflection type but also a magnetic detector or an ultrasonic detector for detecting a mark by magnetism or ultrasonic waves may be used.

[0057]

The present invention provides a pair of reference and comparison sprockets which are rotatably provided at fixed intervals and are driven and driven by being engaged with a link chain, and a reference sprocket of a pair of sprockets. Rotation position detection means for detecting the start and end positions of the rotation angle, rotation angle detection means for detecting the rotation angle of the comparison sprocket corresponding to the rotation angle of the reference sprocket detected by the rotation position detection means, Link chain elongation amount calculating means for calculating the elongation amount of the link chain based on the rotation angle detected by the rotation angle detection means; link chain elongation amount displaying means for displaying the elongation amount calculated by the link chain elongation amount calculating means; Means for compensating for a measurement error based on the chain bending in the link chain. We configured the elongation measuring apparatus.

Further, a link chain elongation measuring device is provided in which the measurement error compensating means is constituted by a swing guide mechanism using a link. Further, a link chain elongation measuring device is configured such that the reference and comparison sprocket wheels follow the bent portion of the link chain by the swing guide mechanism.

As a result, unlike the conventional inspection method, there is no measurement error due to parallax, skill, or the like in the measurement of the amount of elongation.
In addition, since the inspection can be automatically performed without setting a scaffold, the inspection work can be easily performed without wasteful labor and time. In particular, in the present invention, since the rotation angle detecting means is configured to directly detect the rotation angle of the comparison sprocket wheel and output a digital signal, an angle absolute value output type is provided.
There is an advantage that the detector on the comparison side does not include a detector such as a photodetector on the reference side or a component element such as a pulse counter, so that the entire configuration including the detection circuit can be simplified. In particular, according to the mechanism of the first embodiment, it is possible to realize an elongation measuring device capable of substantially suppressing the measurement error to almost zero even when the chain is bent.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the elongation of the link chain can be automatically measured in a short time and with high accuracy by using a simple mechanism, and the elongation of the link chain compensated for the measurement error caused by the bending of the chain. A quantity measuring device can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line X1-X1 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line X2-X2 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the mechanism section 2 is mounted on a link chain.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line Y2-Y2 of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line Y1-Y1 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line X3-X3 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing a configuration near a connection fitting.

FIG. 9 is a schematic operation explanatory view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of measurement conditions of mechanism units M and M1 associated with chain bending.

FIG. 11 is a comparison diagram of measured values of the mechanical units M and M1 associated with chain bending.

FIG. 12 is a distribution diagram of measured values of mechanism units M and M1 associated with chain bending.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic configuration of a mechanism in the elongation measuring device.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a processing unit in the elongation measuring apparatus.

FIG. 15 is a front view showing a configuration of a mechanism in the elongation measuring apparatus.

FIG. 16 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a top view of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged explanatory view of a part A in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of a bending phenomenon of a link chain.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of the principle of error generation due to chain bending.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of a measurement error generation factor due to chain bending.

FIG. 22 is an operation comparison diagram of the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a steel sheet processing facility to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 24 is a sectional view of a link chain to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 25 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a link chain.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a conventional inspection system.

FIG. 27 is a schematic view showing a conventional measurement method.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 2 sprocket wheel 3 sprocket wheel 2a rotating shaft 3a rotating shaft 6 electric motor 7 rotation angle detection sensor (rotation angle detection means) 8 rotary encoder [rotation position detection sensor (rotation position detection means)] 10 chain roller 50 frame 51 connecting rod 52 Front plate 53 Front plate 54 Guide plate 55 Guide plate 56 Stud 57 Bearing stand 58 Auxiliary guide plate 59 Gear train 61 Connection fitting 62 Connection pin 63 Adjustment screw 64 Guide piece 65 Guide piece L0 Interval M Mechanism part M1 Mechanism part T swing guide mechanism

Continued on the front page (73) Patent holder 000002118 Sumitomo Metal Industries Co., Ltd. 4-33, Kitahama, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka (73) Patent holder 000239149 Mentec Kiko Co., Ltd. 5-31-17, Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Masaharu Nakamura 1-2-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Kokan Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shigeo Ishida 1-2-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Kokan Co., Ltd. (72 Inventor Hirotaka Okamoto 1-chome, Mizushima-Kawasaki-dori, Kurashiki-shi, Okayama Pref. (72) Inside Mizushima Works, Kawasaki Steel Co., Ltd. Inventor Yoshimitsu Beppu 1850 Minato, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.Wakayama Works (72) Inventor Ryoichi Kadota Fukuyama City Machinery Co., Ltd., Fukuyama City, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture (56) References 3-211433 (JP, A) JP, A) JitsuHiraku flat 2-129806 (JP, U) JitsuHiraku Akira 63-126816 (JP, U) (58 ) investigated the field (Int.Cl. ^7, DB name) G01B 5/00 - 5/30 G01B 21/00-21/32

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of reference and comparison sprockets which are rotatably provided at fixed intervals and are driven and driven by being engaged with a link chain, and a pair of reference sprockets having a fixed rotation angle of the reference sprocket. Rotation position detection means for detecting the start and end positions, rotation angle detection means for detecting the rotation angle of a comparison sprocket corresponding to the rotation angle of the reference sprocket detected by the rotation position detection means, Link chain elongation amount calculating means for calculating the elongation amount of the link chain based on the rotation angle detected by the angle detecting means; link chain elongation amount displaying means for displaying the elongation amount calculated by the link chain elongation amount calculating means; A compensating means of a measurement error for compensating a measurement error based on a chain bending in the link chain. Elongation measuring device of link chains to symptoms. 2. The link chain elongation measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the compensating means for the measuring error is constituted by a swing guide mechanism using a link. 3. The sprocket wheel for reference and comparison is made to follow the bent portion of the link chain by the swing guide mechanism.
The link chain elongation measuring device described in the above.