JP4666250B2 - Ultrasonic inspection apparatus, ultrasonic inspection method, and program for executing ultrasonic inspection method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic inspection apparatus , an ultrasonic inspection method, and a program for executing an ultrasonic inspection method for inspecting contents inside a partition wall by analyzing reflected waves of ultrasonic waves.

  2. Description of the Related Art An ultrasonic flowmeter that measures the flow rate of a liquid flowing in a pipe using ultrasonic waves is known. In such an ultrasonic flowmeter, the propagation time of the ultrasonic wave propagating in the pipe from the transmission point to the reception point is measured, and the flow rate of the liquid is measured based on the propagation time.

JP 2001-304931 A

  However, when the flow rate is calculated by the flow meter, the thickness of the pipe is used as a parameter, so it is necessary to know this. For this reason, when measuring a flow volume, the instrument for measuring the thickness of piping separately is needed. In addition, when the thickness of the pipe changes due to residual deposits on the inner wall of the pipe or corrosion of the pipe, it is difficult to stably measure the flow rate with high accuracy.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic inspection apparatus , an ultrasonic inspection method, and a program for executing the ultrasonic inspection method, which can stably perform analysis of contents with high accuracy.

The ultrasonic inspection apparatus of the present invention includes a transmitting unit that transmits an ultrasonic wave from the outside of the partition toward the contents inside the partition, and a receiving unit that receives the ultrasonic wave that has passed through the contents outside the partition. And a normal wave received by the receiving means without being reflected between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the partition wall in an ultrasonic inspection apparatus that executes the content inspection based on the received ultrasonic wave analysis means for performing an analysis on the content based on the propagation time, and the normal wave, multiple reflection waves received by the receiving means and reflected at least twice between the inner wall and the outer wall surface And a partition wall thickness calculating means for calculating the thickness of the partition wall based on the difference in reception time with respect to.
According to this ultrasonic inspection apparatus, the partition wall is based on the reception time difference between the normal wave received without reflection between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the partition wall and the multiple reflected wave based on the multiple reflection at the partition wall. Therefore, a separate device for measuring the thickness of the partition wall is not necessary. The “partition wall” includes a partition wall of a container for storing contents, a partition wall of piping for flowing the contents, and the like.

The analysis unit may execute the analysis in consideration of the partition wall thickness calculated by the partition wall thickness calculation unit.
In this case, accurate analysis is possible even when the partition wall thickness affects the analysis result. Even when the partition wall thickness changes, stable and accurate analysis can be performed.

  The analysis means may perform flow measurement of the contents as the analysis.

  The analysis means includes a pair of transmission / reception means attached to the upstream side and the downstream side of the contents, respectively, and functions as the transmission means and the reception means, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves bidirectionally between the pair of transmission / reception means. May measure the flow rate of the contents based on the propagation time of the normal wave respectively obtained by bidirectional transmission and reception.

  You may provide the determination means which determines that the said partition wall thickness calculated by the said partition wall thickness calculation means became a predetermined value.

The ultrasonic inspection method of the present invention includes a step of transmitting an ultrasonic wave from the outside of the partition toward the contents inside the partition, and a step of receiving the ultrasound via the contents outside the partition. In the ultrasonic inspection method for performing the content inspection based on the received ultrasonic wave, the normal wave received by the receiving step without reflecting between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the partition wall performing a analysis on the content based on the propagation time, and the normal wave, the multiple reflection waves received by said receiving step is reflected at least twice between the inner wall and the outer wall surface And calculating the thickness of the partition wall based on the difference in reception time.
According to this ultrasonic inspection method, the partition wall is based on the reception time difference between the normal wave received without reflection between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the partition wall and the multiple reflected wave based on the multiple reflection at the partition wall. Therefore, a separate device for measuring the thickness of the partition wall is not necessary. The “partition wall” includes a partition wall of a container for storing contents, a partition wall of piping for flowing the contents, and the like.

You may provide the step which performs the analysis about the contents in consideration of the said partition thickness calculated by the said partition thickness calculation means.
In this case, accurate analysis is possible even when the partition wall thickness affects the analysis result. Even when the partition wall thickness changes, stable and accurate analysis can be performed.

  In the analyzing step, the flow rate of the contents may be measured as the analysis.

A program for executing the ultrasonic inspection method of the present invention includes a step of transmitting an ultrasonic wave from the outside of a partition toward the contents inside the partition, and an ultrasonic wave passing through the contents outside the partition. A program for executing the ultrasonic inspection method for executing the content inspection based on the received ultrasonic wave, between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the partition wall. performing a analysis on the contents on the basis of the propagation time of regular waves received by the step of receiving without reflection, and the normal wave, at least twice between the inner wall and the outer wall surface And a step of calculating the thickness of the partition wall based on a reception time difference from the multiple reflected wave reflected and received by the receiving step.
According to this program, the thickness of the bulkhead based on the reception time difference between the normal wave received without reflection between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the bulkhead and the multiple reflected wave based on the multiple reflection at the bulkhead. Therefore, a separate device for measuring the thickness of the partition wall is not necessary.
The “partition wall” includes a partition wall of a container for storing contents, a partition wall of piping for flowing the contents, and the like.

  You may make a computer perform the step which performs the analysis about the contents in consideration of the said partition thickness calculated by the said partition thickness calculation means.

  In the analyzing step, the flow rate of the contents may be measured as the analysis.

According to the ultrasonic inspection apparatus of the present invention, based on the reception time difference between the normal wave received without reflection between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the partition wall and the multiple reflected wave based on the multiple reflection at the partition wall. Since the partition wall thickness is calculated, a separate device for measuring the partition wall thickness is not required. According to the ultrasonic inspection method of the present invention, based on the reception time difference between the normal wave received without being reflected between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the partition wall and the multiple reflected wave based on the multiple reflection at the partition wall. Since the partition wall thickness is calculated, a separate device for measuring the partition wall thickness is not required. Further, according to the program of the present invention, based on the reception time difference between the normal wave received without reflection between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the partition wall and the multiple reflection wave based on the multiple reflection at the partition wall. Since the partition wall thickness is calculated, a separate device for measuring the partition wall thickness becomes unnecessary.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram functionally showing an ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 1A, the transmission means 101 transmits an ultrasonic wave from the outside of the partition toward the contents inside the partition. The receiving means 102 receives the ultrasonic wave that has passed through the contents outside the partition wall. The analysis unit 103 performs analysis on the contents based on the propagation time of the normal wave received by the reception unit 102. The partition wall thickness calculating unit 104 calculates the partition wall thickness based on the reception time difference between the normal wave received by the receiving unit 102 and the multiple reflected wave received by the receiving unit 102 based on the multiple reflection at the partition wall. calculate.

  The determining unit 105 determines that the partition wall thickness calculated by the partition wall thickness calculating unit 104 has reached a predetermined value.

  In FIG. 1B, a pair of transmission / reception means 106 are attached to the upstream side and the downstream side of the contents, respectively, and function as the transmission means 101 and the reception means 102. A pair of transmission / reception means 106 transmits / receives an ultrasonic wave bidirectionally between each other. At this time, the analysis means 103 performs the flow measurement of the contents based on the propagation time of the normal wave obtained by bidirectional transmission / reception.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the present invention is applied to an ultrasonic flowmeter will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic flowmeter, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a method for attaching the ultrasonic transceiver.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic flowmeter 100 includes a pair of ultrasonic transmitters / receivers 1A and 1B for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and transmission / reception circuits 5A and 5B connected to the ultrasonic transmitters / receivers 1A and 1B, respectively. And a control unit 7 for controlling the transmission / reception circuits 5A and 5B and the analysis unit 6. The control in the control unit 7 can be executed according to a software program installed in the control unit 7.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the attachment jig 2 is fixed to the outer periphery of the pipe 3 in close contact with the pipe 3, and the ultrasonic transceiver 1 </ b> A and the ultrasonic transceiver 1 </ b> B are attached to the attachment surface 21 of the attachment jig 2. Each can be attached. As will be described later, according to the ultrasonic flowmeter 100, the flow rate of the content 4 flowing inside the pipe 3 can be measured by generating ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1A and the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1B. it can.

  Next, the operation of the ultrasonic flowmeter 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an analysis procedure in the analysis unit 6.

  At the time of flow rate measurement, ultrasonic waves are first transmitted from the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1 </ b> A toward the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1 </ b> B, that is, along the flow direction of the contents 4. The outline of the ultrasonic path is shown as path 8 in FIG.

  First, a transmission signal is sent from the transmission / reception circuit 5A to the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1A, and ultrasonic waves are generated from the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1A. The ultrasonic wave propagates to the contents 4 through the mounting jig 2 and the pipe 3 in order. As shown in the path 8, the ultrasonic wave propagating through the contents 4 is reflected by the pipe 3 toward the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1 </ b> B, passes through the pipe 3 and the mounting jig 2 in order, and then the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1 </ b> B. Received at.

  The received ultrasonic reception signal is input to the analysis unit 6 via the transmission / reception circuit 5B.

  At this time, in step S1 of FIG. 4, the process waits for the input of the reception signal from the transmission / reception circuit 5B to the analysis unit 6 and then proceeds to step S2. In step S2, the waveform of the reception signal from the transmission / reception circuit 5B is captured.

  In step S3, the propagation time of the ultrasonic wave is calculated based on the waveform of the received reception signal.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the waveform of the received signal. In step S3, the time from when the ultrasonic wave is generated from the ultrasonic transceiver 1A until the reception of the regular wave reception signal is calculated as the ultrasonic wave propagation time. As will be described later, the normal wave is an ultrasonic wave that propagates without being multiple-reflected by the partition 3.

  Next, in step S4, a time difference from when the normal wave is received until the multiple reflected wave is received is calculated based on the waveform of the received reception signal.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing paths of normal waves and multiple reflected waves. As shown in FIG. 6, the normal wave 81 is an ultrasonic wave that propagates from the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1 </ b> A to the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1 </ b> B without multiple reflection inside the pipe 3. On the other hand, the multiple reflected wave 82 is an ultrasonic wave propagated from the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1 </ b> A to the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1 </ b> B through a multiple reflection path between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the pipe 3.

  The multiple reflected wave 82 shown in FIG. 6 shows an example in which reflection is repeated twice inside the pipe 3 on the ultrasonic transceiver 1A side. In practice, there are components that repeat more reflections, and multiple reflections occur similarly on the ultrasonic transceiver 1B side. Since the multiple reflected wave 82 is the multiple reflected wave with the least number of multiple reflections, the next peak 82a following the peak 81a of the normal wave 81 is formed in FIG.

  In step S4, a time difference Δt from when the regular wave peak 81a is received until the multiple reflected wave peak 82a is received is calculated (FIG. 5).

  Next, in step S5, the pipe thickness d (FIG. 6) is calculated based on the time difference Δt calculated in step S4. The pipe thickness d is approximately proportional to the time difference Δt calculated in step S4, but is calculated using a relational expression d = d (Δt) indicating the relationship between the time difference Δt and the thickness d. Since this relational expression differs depending on the material of the pipe, the relational expression prepared for the corresponding material is used.

  Next, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1 </ b> B toward the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1 </ b> A, that is, in a direction opposite to the flow direction of the contents 4. When a transmission signal is sent from the transmission / reception circuit 5B to the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1B to generate an ultrasonic wave, the ultrasonic wave propagates in the opposite direction along the path 8 and is received by the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 1A.

  In step S11 of FIG. 4, the input of the received signal from the transmission / reception circuit 5A to the analysis unit 6 is waited for, and then the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the waveform of the reception signal from the transmission / reception circuit 5A is captured.

  In step S13, the propagation time of the ultrasonic wave is calculated based on the waveform of the received reception signal. In step S13, the time from generation of an ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic transceiver 1B to reception of a normal wave reception signal is calculated as the ultrasonic wave propagation time.

  Next, in step S20, the flow rate of the contents 4 is calculated based on the propagation time calculated in step S3, the propagation time calculated in step S13, and the thickness d of the pipe 3 calculated in step S5. . Here, basically, the flow velocity can be obtained by using the fact that the difference between the propagation time calculated in step S3 and the propagation time calculated in step S13 increases as the flow velocity increases.

  Further, the flow rate of the contents 4 is calculated based on the calculated flow velocity and the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the pipe 3. The cross-sectional area of the flow path is calculated using the thickness d of the pipe 3. Since the propagation time of the ultrasonic wave is affected by the thickness d of the pipe 3, a correct flow rate can be obtained by performing correction according to the calculated thickness of the pipe 3.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the thickness of the pipe 3 can be calculated by the flow meter without using another device for measuring the thickness of the pipe 3. Further, since the flow rate of the content 4 is measured using the calculated thickness of the pipe 3, even if the thickness of the pipe 3 changes, the calculated value of the flow rate is appropriately corrected according to the change in thickness. . For this reason, the flow rate can always be stably measured with high accuracy regardless of the change in the thickness of the pipe 3.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the mechanism of the conventional ultrasonic flowmeter can be used as it is, and the thickness of the pipe 3 can be simply changed by replacing the analysis unit 6 or a program that defines the analysis procedure in the analysis unit 6. There is an advantage that it can correspond to the measurement of.

  Further, the thickness of the pipe 3 can be constantly monitored using the flow meter. As shown in FIG. 2, by connecting an alarm generation device 30 to the analysis unit 6, an alarm can be generated when the thickness of the pipe 3 indicates an abnormal value.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the alarm generation device 30 is configured to determine whether the thickness of the pipe 3 has become an abnormal value based on the analysis result of the analysis unit 6, and whether the abnormality is determined by the determination unit 31. An alarm generation unit 32 for generating an alarm when the alarm is issued. Thus, by using the alarm generation device 30 that generates an alarm under a certain condition, the measured value of the thickness of the pipe 3 can be effectively used independently of the flow rate measurement. For example, it can be used to monitor plant piping and the like.

  The scope of application of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The present invention is not limited to the flow meter, and can be widely applied to the case where the contents are inspected via the partition using ultrasonic waves. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the case where the presence / absence of contents in a container such as a tank or piping, the amount of contents stored, the type or state of the contents in the container or piping, and the like are inspected.

The block diagram which shows the ultrasonic inspection apparatus by this invention functionally. The block diagram which shows the structure of an ultrasonic flowmeter. The figure which shows the attachment method of an ultrasonic transmitter / receiver. The flowchart which shows the analysis procedure in an analysis part. The figure which shows the waveform of a received signal. The figure which shows the path | route of a regular wave and a multiple reflected wave.

Explanation of symbols

1A transceiver (transmission means, reception means, transmission / reception means)
1B transceiver (transmitting means, receiving means, transmitting / receiving means)
6 Analysis unit (analysis means, partition wall thickness calculation means)
7 Control unit (computer)
31 determination part (determination means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Transmission means 102 Reception means 103 Analysis means 104 Partition wall thickness calculation means 105 Judgment means 106 Transmission / reception means

Claims (11)

Transmitting means for transmitting ultrasonic waves from the outside of the partition toward the contents inside the partition, and receiving means for receiving ultrasonic waves passing through the contents outside the partition, the received ultrasonic waves In the ultrasonic inspection apparatus for performing the content inspection based on
Analyzing means for performing analysis on the contents based on a propagation time of a normal wave received by the receiving means without reflecting between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the partition ;
And said normal wave, partition wall thickness of calculating the thickness of the partition wall on the basis of the reception time difference of the multiple reflection wave received by the receiving means and reflected at least twice between the inner wall and the outer wall surface Calculating means;
An ultrasonic inspection apparatus comprising: The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit performs analysis in consideration of the partition wall thickness calculated by the partition wall thickness calculation unit. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit performs flow measurement of the contents as the analysis. A pair of transmission / reception means attached to the upstream side and the downstream side of the contents, respectively, functioning as the transmission means and the reception means,
Transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves bidirectionally between the pair of transmitting and receiving means;
The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the analysis unit performs flow measurement of the contents based on propagation times of the normal waves obtained by bidirectional transmission and reception. The ultrasonic inspection according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a determination unit that determines that the partition wall thickness calculated by the partition wall thickness calculation unit has reached a predetermined value. apparatus. A step of transmitting an ultrasonic wave from the outside of the partition toward the contents inside the partition, and a step of receiving an ultrasonic wave via the contents outside the partition, based on the received ultrasound In the ultrasonic inspection method for performing the content inspection,
Performing an analysis on the contents based on a propagation time of a normal wave received by the receiving step without reflecting between an inner wall surface and an outer wall surface of the partition ;
Calculating a thickness of the partition wall on the basis of said normal wave, the reception time difference between the multiple reflection waves received by said receiving step is reflected at least twice between the inner wall and the outer wall surface When,
An ultrasonic inspection method comprising: The ultrasonic inspection method according to claim 6 , further comprising: performing an analysis on the contents in consideration of the partition wall thickness calculated by the step of calculating the partition wall thickness. The ultrasonic inspection method according to claim 6, wherein in the analyzing step, the flow rate of the content is measured as the analysis. A step of transmitting an ultrasonic wave from the outside of the partition toward the contents inside the partition, and a step of receiving an ultrasonic wave via the contents outside the partition, based on the received ultrasound In the program for executing the ultrasonic inspection method for executing the content inspection,
On the computer,
Performing an analysis on the contents based on a propagation time of a normal wave received by the receiving step without reflecting between an inner wall surface and an outer wall surface of the partition ;
Calculating a thickness of the partition wall on the basis of said normal wave, the reception time difference between the multiple reflection waves received by said receiving step is reflected at least twice between the inner wall and the outer wall surface When,
The program for performing the ultrasonic inspection method characterized by performing . On the computer,
10. The ultrasonic inspection method according to claim 9, wherein the step of performing analysis on the contents in consideration of the partition wall thickness calculated by the step of calculating the partition wall thickness is executed. program for. The program for executing the ultrasonic inspection method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein in the analyzing step, the flow rate of the contents is measured as the analysis.

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