JP5681061B2 - Bearing unit for conveyor with anomaly detection function and conveyor equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function applied to a conveyance device such as a belt conveyor, for example, a conveyance conveyor in a mining site such as iron ore and coal, and a conveyor facility including the bearing unit.

Since the belt conveyor which conveys iron ore, coal, etc. is operated by a comparatively long distance from a mining site to a truck loading site, for example, many conveyor bearings are used. As a bearing for conveyors, there are a bearing built in at both ends of each conveyor roller in the middle of the conveyor and a plummer block bearing that supports the rotation shafts of the conveyor rollers at both ends of the conveyor.
It is desirable to replace the bearing used in the above environment at an early stage when a malfunction that makes it impossible to rotate occurs. However, since a large number of bearings are installed over a long distance, it takes a lot of time to inspect maintenance personnel, and in some cases, the entire belt conveyor must be stopped.

  As a countermeasure, it has been proposed to provide a temperature switch and an alarm in the bearing used for each conveyor roller to detect an abnormal stop such as a bearing damage and to give an alarm (for example, Patent Document 1). In this patent document, an electromotive force generated by a rotor / stator installed in a conveyor roller is used as means for operating a rotation abnormality alarm device.

Patent No. 3798494

The configuration of Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult to apply such as a complicated structure, a dedicated design, and a small degree of freedom because a generator using a rotor / stator is installed in a conveyor roller. Also, as an alarm means for abnormality, lighting of a lamp installed in the vicinity of each conveyor roller and transmission by a buzzer are shown as an example, but in a conveyor with a long conveying distance, a lamp or buzzer in the vicinity of each conveyor roller In some cases, abnormal alarms cannot be confirmed reliably.
In addition, if an abnormality detection signal of each conveyor roller is guided to the central control room by wiring and centrally managed, the alarm of the abnormality can be surely confirmed. However, laying the signal wiring along a long path such as a belt conveyor for transporting iron ore and coal from the mining site to the truck loading site supports and connects the wiring as well as the wiring. Means are also required, equipment is large, and there is a problem of disconnection, which is not practical.
Moreover, in the structure of patent document 1, it is necessary to provide the sensor for abnormality detection separately from the said generator, and the structure is complicated.

Therefore, the present invention overcomes these problems, requires no simple sensor and requires a simple configuration, does not require signal wiring to the power supply and monitoring means, facilitates centralized management, and enables accurate bearing detection. It is to provide a bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function that can contribute.
Another object of the present invention is that there is no need for a dedicated sensor and a simple configuration is required, and even if the conveyor path is long, no power supply wiring or signal wiring to the monitoring means is required, centralized management is easy, and many bearings are provided. It is to provide a conveyor facility with an abnormality detection function that can contribute to accurate abnormality detection.

  A bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function according to the present invention includes a rolling bearing installed in a housing, and a power generation element that generates power by environmental energy in the bearing unit for a conveyance device provided in the conveyance device, and the power generation element And a transmitter having a transmission circuit unit that performs wireless transmission, and the transmitter transmits to the transmission circuit unit each time the amount of power stored by the power storage unit reaches a set value. A transmission control unit for performing

  According to this configuration, the power generated by the power generation element is stored in the power storage unit, and transmission is performed by the transmission circuit unit every time the amount of stored power reaches the set value under the control of the transmission control unit. The power generation element generates power by environmental energy, for example, heat generation or vibration associated with the operation of the bearing. When an abnormality such as poor lubrication or wear occurs in the bearing, the amount of power generation increases and vibration also increases. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the bearing, the amount of heat generated by the power generation element increases, the amount of stored electricity reaches the set value quickly, and the transmission interval by the transmission circuit unit is shortened. Therefore, the bearing abnormality can be determined by monitoring the transmission interval from the bearing unit on the receiving side. Also, if an abnormality occurs that causes the bearing to stop, transmission is not performed. Therefore, if a signal is not received even though the transport device equipped with the bearing unit is in a driving state, an abnormality that causes the bearing to stop occurs. It can be determined that it has occurred. As described above, since the abnormality detection is performed by using the power generation element serving as a transmission power source without providing a sensor dedicated to abnormality detection, abnormality detection can be performed with a simple configuration.

  Also, since wireless transmission is used for transmission and the power source for transmission is obtained from the power generation element in the bearing unit, complete abnormality detection, information transmission, and power supply securing can be performed for each bearing unit. Wiring between units and to the central control room is not required. In the case of wired, the infrastructure is complicated because the infrastructure such as wiring is laid down, and the degree of freedom in design is reduced, whereas in wireless, such a problem is eliminated. For this reason, for example, it can be easily applied to a conveyor facility having a long conveying path such as a conveying conveyor such as iron ore or coal. In addition, since the power source uses a power generation element that generates electricity by environmental energy, it can be used as a sensor for detecting an abnormality as described above, and a rotor / stator that requires provision of components on both the rotating side and the stationary side Compared with the case where the generator according to is provided, the configuration is simplified and made compact. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the need for a dedicated design, and a great degree of design freedom can be obtained, which makes it easy to apply. It is possible to easily replace existing bearing units.

  In this invention, the transmission control unit may cause the power storage unit to discharge each time the amount of power stored by the power storage unit reaches a set value and causes the transmission circuit unit to perform transmission. The power storage means reduces the amount of power stored when power is used for transmission, but the power consumed for transmission may vary. Stabilize.

  As the power generation element that generates power using the environmental energy, a thermoelectric generation element or a vibration power generation element can be used. A Seebeck power generation element can be used as the thermoelectric power generation element. An electret element or the like is used as the vibration power generation element. According to these power generation elements, it is possible to generate power using heat and vibration generated in the environment where the bearings of the transfer device are installed. In addition, when an abnormality such as poor lubrication or wear occurs in the bearing, the amount of heat generation and vibration increase, so the bearing abnormality appears as the amount of power generation, and when the amount of stored electricity reaches the set value as described above, Can also be used as an abnormality detection sensor.

  In the present invention, the transmitter may transmit the identification information of the bearing unit for the conveying device as a signal for performing the transmission. By transmitting the identification information, on the receiving side, it is possible to identify a large number of bearing units provided in the transport device, and identify which transport device the bearing unit is.

  In the present invention, a GPS terminal that is a terminal of a global positioning system may be provided in the transmitter. If the GPS terminal is provided, the position of the bearing unit is specified, and even if a means for identifying the bearing unit is not provided, the bearing unit in which an abnormality has occurred can be easily specified. When the above identification information is transmitted and a GPS terminal is used together, even if the identification information is only information for identifying which bearing unit in the transport device, which bearing unit of which transport device is installed in large numbers Can be identified.

  In the present invention, the conveyance device with an abnormality detection function may be a belt conveyor. The belt conveyor may be a belt conveyor provided from a mining site such as iron ore or coal to a truck loading site. Some belt conveyors have a long conveying distance and many bearing units are used. Even in such a case, according to the bearing unit for a conveying device with an abnormality detection function of the present invention, the configuration of the power supply and wiring system is It is simple, easy to perform centralized management, and can contribute to accurate bearing abnormality detection.

When applied to a belt conveyor, the housing is a member provided at an end of a cylindrical body on the outer periphery of a conveyor roller on which the belt of the belt conveyor is hung, and the rolling bearing includes a fixed shaft and the housing The conveyor roller may be supported so as to be rotatable.
In this case, the bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function of the present invention can be applied to each conveyor roller provided in a large number on one conveyor.

  The conveyor roller is provided with a cover made of synthetic resin that covers the end surface of the cylindrical body, and the transmitter is a radio wave shielding member between the antenna of the transmitter and the cover in a space inside the cover. It is good to arrange at the place where no intervenes. Thus, transmission can be performed from the transmitter antenna built in the conveyor roller without causing a problem of radio wave shielding, and the end of the conveyor roller can be sealed.

When applied to a conveyor roller, the housing may be a plumer block bearing box that supports a rotating shaft of a conveyor roller that is provided with a belt of the belt conveyor.
Although the conveyor roller at the end of the conveyor is supported by the plummer block, it is important to detect an abnormality because the load on the bearing is large or the influence upon damage is large. By applying to such a plummer block, accurate abnormality detection can be performed for a bearing having a high necessity for abnormality detection.

  A bearing box of the plummer block is composed of a housing main body having an opening facing both end faces and inserting a shaft into one opening, and a lid member closing the other end opening of the housing main body, the transmitter, and A power source may be installed on the lid member. By providing the transmitter or the like on the lid member, a common bearing unit with an abnormality detection function and a normal bearing unit without a detection function can be used in common with parts other than the lid member, and the productivity is excellent. An existing bearing unit can be provided with an abnormality detection function simply by replacing the lid member.

The bearing unit / monitoring device set according to the present invention includes a bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function according to any one of the above configurations of the present invention, and a monitoring device having a receiver for receiving the transmission signal and an abnormality determination means. Thus, the abnormality determining means determines abnormality from a change in the interval of signals transmitted from the transmitter and received by the receiver.
According to this bearing unit / monitoring device set, the above-described operations and effects described for the bearing unit for a conveying device with an abnormality detection function of the present invention can be obtained, and a bearing abnormality can be determined from a change in signal interval. It should be noted that the change in the interval mentioned here includes a case where the signal is not received. When the bearing is stopped, power generation is not performed. However, since no signal is received, it can be determined that an abnormality has occurred to the extent that the bearing stops.

In this bearing unit / monitoring device set, the abnormality determination means always includes the signal interval in the past, the reference period or the reference transmission count just before the present, and the currently determined target period or target transmission. The abnormality determination may be performed by comparing the number of signal intervals. For example, the moving average of the comparison reference period and the moving average of the target period are compared.
In many cases, the occurrence of heat generation and vibration differs depending on whether the bearing has been used for many years or if it is nearly new. In the case of long-term use, even if there is a large amount of heat generation or vibration, it may not be abnormal. For this reason, an accurate abnormality determination cannot be performed simply by comparing the transmission interval with the set interval. On the other hand, as in the above configuration, the signal interval in the reference period or the reference transmission count that is always determined before the present in the past, and the signal interval of the currently determined target period or the target transmission count, By performing the abnormality determination by comparing the two, it is possible to perform the abnormality determination with high reliability. This is because if the amount of heat generation or vibration suddenly increases during use of the bearing as compared to a certain period in the past, the bearing is often abnormal.

The conveyor equipment with an abnormality detection function of this invention is equipped with a bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function of any one of the above-described configurations of this invention on a plurality of conveyors. Even in such a conveyor facility having a plurality of conveyors, the configuration of the power supply and wiring system is simple, centralized management is easy, and it is possible to contribute to accurate abnormality detection of the bearing.
In this case, the information transmitted by the transmitter is received, amplified, and wirelessly transmitted between the centralized control panel that collectively monitors the information transmitted by the transmitters mounted on the conveyors and the conveyor. A relay device may be provided. Even when the distance between the conveyor and the central control panel such as the central control room is long, wireless communication is possible by using the relay device.

  A bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function according to the present invention includes a rolling bearing installed in a housing, and a power generation element that generates power by environmental energy in the bearing unit for a conveyance device provided in the conveyance device, and the power generation element And a transmitter having a transmission circuit unit that performs wireless transmission, and the transmitter transmits to the transmission circuit unit each time the amount of power stored by the power storage unit reaches a set value. Because it has a transmission control unit that performs the operation, a dedicated sensor is not required and a simple configuration is required, and no signal wiring to the power supply and monitoring means is required, making centralized management easy and contributing to accurate bearing detection The effect that it can be obtained.

  The bearing unit / monitoring device set according to the present invention comprises the bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function according to any one of the above-described configurations of the present invention, and a monitoring device having a receiver for receiving the transmission signal and an abnormality determining means. The abnormality determining means determines the abnormality from the change in the interval of the signal transmitted from the transmitter and received by the receiver, so that a dedicated sensor is not required and a simple configuration is required. There is no need for signal wiring to the monitoring means, centralized management is easy, and the effect of contributing to accurate abnormality detection of the bearing can be obtained.

  The conveyor facility with an abnormality detection function according to the present invention is provided with the bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function according to any one of the above configurations of the present invention on a plurality of conveyors. Even if the configuration is sufficient and the conveyor path is long, the configuration of the power supply and wiring system is simple, centralized management is easy, and it is possible to contribute to accurate abnormality detection of a large number of bearings.

It is sectional drawing of the conveyor roller provided with the bearing unit for conveyance apparatuses with an abnormality detection function which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial expanded sectional view of the conveyor roller. It is a notch perspective view of the plummer block which is a bearing unit for conveyance devices with an anomaly detection function concerning other embodiments. It is a front view of the plummer block. It is a notch perspective view of the plummer block which is a bearing unit for conveyance devices with an anomaly detection function concerning other embodiments. It is a block diagram of a power supply, a transmitter, and a monitoring device in each embodiment. It is a block diagram of the modification of the same power supply and a transmitter. It is a graph which shows the repetition condition of the electrical storage and discharge by the electric power generation element of the electrical storage means of the same power supply. (A), (B) is explanatory drawing which shows the change of the repetition period of the same discharge at the time of normal time and abnormality occurrence, respectively. It is a front view of the conveyor which applied the bearing unit for conveyance apparatuses with an abnormality detection function of embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the installation which installed the plurality of the same conveyors.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 is a front view of the conveyor 1, which is a transport device equipped with the bearing unit for a transport device with an abnormality detection function. The conveyor 1 is a belt conveyor, and an endless conveyor belt 2 is hung between the conveyor rollers 3 and 3 at both ends, and in the middle portion, the conveyor belt 2 is arranged by a plurality of conveyor rollers 4 arranged in the transport direction (direction A). The lower surface is supported. In addition, a conveyor roller 4A for applying tension is provided. The conveyor belt 2 is rotationally driven by rotating one of the conveyor rollers 3 at both ends by a motor (not shown).
Examples of the intermediate conveyor roller 4 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and examples of plummer blocks that support the conveyor rollers 3 at both ends are shown in FIGS.

  In FIG. 1, the conveyor roller 4 includes a cylindrical body 7 that is rotatably attached to a fixed shaft 5 via a bearing 6. Both ends of the fixed shaft 5 are fixed to the conveyor frame 1a. The cylindrical body 7 is provided with a stepped cylindrical housing 8 serving as a side plate at both ends, and a bearing 6 is fitted in a small diameter cylindrical portion 8 a of the housing 8. The housing 8 is fitted to the inner periphery of the cylindrical body 7 with the large-diameter cylindrical portion 8b (FIG. 2). The bearing 6 is a rolling bearing such as a deep groove ball bearing, and an inner ring thereof is fitted to the outer periphery of the fixed shaft 5. The bearing 6 and the housing 8 constitute a bearing unit 10. The bearing unit 10 constitutes a bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function together with a power source and a transmitter, which will be described later.

  A cover 9 and a labyrinth seal 29 are attached to the outside of the bearing 6 in the housing 8 to prevent rainwater and dust from entering the inside of the bearing 6 and the cylindrical body 7. The labyrinth seal 29 includes a fixed side seal member 29 a provided on the fixed shaft 5 and a rotation side seal member 29 b attached to the housing 8.

  In the housing 8 at both ends of the conveyor roller 4, a power source 12 and a transmitter 13 are disposed between the bearing 6 and the cover 9. A spacer 11 is interposed between the bearing 6 and the power source 12, but the power source 12 may be disposed in contact with the bearing 6 without providing the spacer 11. The power source 12 and the transmitter 13 are fixed to the outer periphery of the fixed shaft 5 on the fixed side. The power source 12 and the transmitter 13 may be provided on a part of the outer periphery of the fixed shaft 5 or may be provided over the entire periphery. The cover 9 is made of a synthetic resin, and the transmitter 13 is arranged at a location where the antenna is not interposed between the cover 9 and the radio wave shielding member such as metal in the space inside the cover 9. In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotation side seal member 29b of the labyrinth seal 29 is interposed between the cover 9 and the transmitter 13. However, the interposed portion or the whole of the rotation side seal member 29b is shielded against radio waves. It is made of synthetic resin so that it does not have the property.

  The power source 12 serves as a driving power source for the transmitter 13, but also serves as a sensor for detecting abnormality of the bearing 6. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 6, the power source 12 includes a power generation element 14, a rectification / charging circuit 15, and a power storage unit 16. As the power generation element 14, a thermoelectric power generation element or a vibration power generation element that generates power using environmental energy in the environment of the element can be used. A Seebeck power generation element can be used as the thermoelectric power generation element. An electret element or the like is used as the vibration power generation element. In the case of a thermoelectric generator, the necessary electric power can be generated by arranging the high temperature side of the element inside and arranging the outside air side on the low temperature side. Furthermore, if the contact area with the atmospheric air on the outside air side is increased and the comb shape (fins) is formed so as to promote heat dissipation, the temperature difference is further increased and the power generation amount can be increased.

  The power storage means 16 is a storage battery such as a capacitor or a lithium secondary battery. The rectification / charging circuit 15 is a circuit that rectifies the current generated by the power generation element 14 and charges the power storage means 16.

  The transmitter 13 includes a transmission antenna 17, a transmission circuit unit 18, and a transmission control unit 19. The transmission circuit unit 18 is a circuit that modulates information to be transmitted in a predetermined modulation format and transmits the information as a radio wave from the antenna 17. The information to be transmitted may be arbitrary information, but preferably includes identification information for identifying the bearing unit 10. This identification information may be stored in the transmission circuit unit 18 or the transmission control unit 19, or may be stored in a storage means (not shown) provided separately from the transmission control unit 19. A function of transmitting the identification information to the transmission circuit unit 18 is provided in the transmission control unit 19 or the like. In this example, transmission is performed using radio waves, but transmission may be performed using means other than radio waves as long as transmission is performed wirelessly.

  The transmission control unit 19 is a unit that determines whether or not the amount of charge of the power storage unit 16 (for example, the stored charge) reaches a set value, and performs transmission when the set value is reached. The transmission control unit 19 includes an electronic circuit such as a switching circuit that opens and closes the connection of the power storage unit 16 with respect to the transmission circuit unit 18. The determination of the charge amount of the power storage unit 16 is performed based on, for example, the terminal voltage of the power storage unit 16. Although the transmission interval depends on the generated power of the power generation element 14 of the power supply 12, for example, when the power generation element 14 can generate power of about 100 μW, transmission can be performed every 5 minutes. The transmission control unit 19 may be configured to cause the power storage unit 16 to discharge until the set amount reaches zero or the set value for stopping discharge after the set value is reached and transmission is performed. When the power is used for transmission, the amount of power stored in the power storage means 16 decreases. However, since the power consumed for transmission is not necessarily constant, the transmission interval is stabilized by further discharging.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the GPS terminal 21 may be provided in association with the transmitter 13. The GPS terminal 21 is a global positioning system (GPS) terminal. The GPS terminal 21 transmits information for informing the position, but acquires the position information transmitted from the GPS according to the transmission signal, and further transmits the position information together with other transmission information from the transmitter 13. Anyway. The identification information transmitted by the transmitter 13 may be information for identifying only which part of the bearing unit 10 in one conveyor 1, and even in that case, by combining with the position information of the GPS terminal 21. It is possible to specify which bearing unit 10 of which conveyor 1 is.

  In FIG. 6, a monitoring device 45 is a device that is provided in the central management panel 42 of the central management room and monitors a signal transmitted from the transmitter 13 of the bearing unit 10. The monitoring unit 45 and the bearing unit 10 for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function constitute a bearing unit / monitoring device set 50. The monitoring device 45 includes a receiver 47 that receives a transmission signal from the transmitter 13 of the bearing unit 10, an abnormality determination unit 48, and a bearing unit identification unit 49. The receiver 47 includes an antenna 52 and a receiving circuit unit 51. The bearing unit specifying means 49 is means for specifying which bearing unit 10 the signal is from the signal received by the receiver 47, and is specified by the identification information in the transmission information. When the GPS terminal 21 is provided in the bearing unit 10, the bearing unit specifying means 49 uses the position signal from the GPS terminal 21 or the position signal from the GPS terminal 21 and the identification information. The bearing unit 10 is specified.

  The abnormality determination unit 48 determines an abnormality from a change in the interval of signals transmitted from the transmitter 13 and received by the receiver 47. Specific determination processing of the abnormality determination unit 48 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  In the above example, the power source 12 and the transmitter 13 are individually installed in the bearing unit 10, but a power source / transmitter module (not shown) in which the power source 12 and the transmitter 13 are combined together, This power source / transmitter module may be installed in the bearing unit 10.

  3 and 4 show examples applied to a bearing unit composed of a plummer block 10P. This plummer block 10P supports the rotating shaft 31 which the conveyor roller 3 of the both ends in the conveyor 1 of FIG. 10 has, and the bearing 36 which supports the rotating shaft 31 is provided in the housing 32 which is a plummer block bearing box. Configured. The bearing 36 is a rolling bearing such as a double row spherical roller bearing. The housing 32 includes a housing body 32a and a lid member 32b. The housing main body 32a is provided with a bearing 36 therein, has an opening facing both end faces, and allows the rotary shaft 31 to be inserted into the opening at one end. The lid member 32b is a member that closes the opening at the other end.

  In this example, the power source 12 and the transmitter 13 are embedded in the upper surface portion of the housing main body 32a of the housing 32. For example, a recess is provided on the surface of the housing 32, and the power supply 12 and the transmitter 13 are disposed therein. The power supply 12 and the transmitter 13 can be configured as described in the examples of FIGS. 1 and 2, but the transmitter 13 is provided so that the antenna 17 (FIG. 6) is exposed to the atmosphere. The power source 12 and the transmitter 13 may be integrated as a power source / transmitter module as described above. Also in this example, the GPS terminal 21 may be installed in the housing 32 as described above.

  3 and 4, the power source 12 and the like are provided in the housing main body 32a, but the power source 12 and the transmitter 13 may be embedded in the lid member 32b of the housing 32 as shown in FIG. Also in this case, the transmitter 13 is provided so that the antenna 17 (FIG. 6) is exposed to the atmosphere.

  The configurations of the power supply 12 and the transmitter 13 in the examples of FIGS. 3 and 4 and the example of FIG. 5 are the same as those described above with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 11 shows a conveyor facility with an abnormality detection function in which a plurality of conveyors 1 equipped with the conveyor 1 of FIG. This conveyor equipment is for conveying iron ore or coal, for example, and a conveyor row in which the conveyors 1 are arranged in a vertical row is provided from the mining site to the track loading site.
In this example, a central management room 53 having a central management panel 42 and a relay device 43 are installed. The centralized management panel 42 has an antenna 52 and a receiver (not shown), and a display device (not shown) based on a pictorial diagram or table showing each conveyor 1 and its bearing unit 10 with a malfunction detecting function. And it has a function which displays the abnormality occurrence information of each bearing unit 10 on the pictorial chart or table. The picture or table showing the bearing unit 10 may be displayed as an image on the screen of one display device.
The centralized management panel 42 has a monitoring device 45 having the above-described abnormality determination means 48, and displays the abnormality determination result on the display device. The relay device 43 is a device that is installed between each conveyor 1 and the central management board 42, receives information transmitted from the transmitter 13 of each conveyor 1, amplifies it, and wirelessly transmits it.

  According to the above configuration, the power generated by the power generation element 14 (FIG. 6) is stored in the power storage unit 16, and transmission is performed by the transmission circuit unit 18 every time the storage amount reaches the set value under the control of the transmission control unit 19. Is called. The determination of the charge amount of the power storage unit 16 is performed based on, for example, the terminal voltage of the power storage unit 16. FIG. 8 shows this state, the vertical axis is the terminal voltage V of the power storage means 16, and the horizontal axis is time t. The following is a case where the power generation element 14 is a thermoelectric power generation element such as a Seebeck power generation element.

  Since the bearings 6 and 36 generate heat during operation, power generation is performed by the power generation element 14 due to a temperature difference from the ambient atmosphere such as the atmosphere. The generated power is charged in the power storage means 16. As shown in FIG. 8, when the charge amount of the power storage unit 16 increases, the terminal voltage V increases. When the charge amount increases to the set value, that is, when the terminal voltage V increases to the set value VA, the switching operation of the transmission control unit 19 is performed. Transmission is performed by the transmission circuit unit 18 under the control of the above. This transmission consumes the power stored in the power storage means 16 and the terminal voltage V decreases. At this time, after the transmission, the transmission control unit 19 performs the discharge until the amount of power stored in the power storage means 16 becomes equal to or lower than the set value for stopping the discharge, that is, until the terminal voltage V decreases to the set voltage VB for stopping the discharge. You may do it. Thereafter, the amount of power storage is increased again by power generation by the power generation element 14, the terminal voltage V rises, and transmission and discharge are performed when the terminal voltage V rises to the set value VA. Such an operation is repeated.

When the temperature of the bearings 3 and 36 is constant, the amount of power generated by the power generation element 14 is also constant, so that the transmission period T is constant. However, if the temperature rises due to an abnormality in the bearings 3 and 36, the transmission cycle T is shortened.
As a specific example, if the power generation state of the power generation element 14 when the bearing temperature is 40 ° C. is 1 V / h at the terminal voltage V, the power generation state of the power generation element 14 when the bearing temperature is about 50 ° C. Is 1.5 V / h at the terminal voltage V. Therefore, the transmission frequency is 1.5 times (transmission cycle is 2/3).

The abnormality determination means 48 of the monitoring device 45 monitors the signal transmitted in this way, and determines that it is normal when the transmission frequency is constant as shown in FIG. 9A, for example, and FIG. When the transmission frequency increases (transmission cycle T is short) as in the interval tc, it is determined that a bearing abnormality has occurred, and the determination result is output.
Further, if the bearings 3 and 36 are stopped due to an abnormality, no transmission is performed. Therefore, even if the drive source of the conveyor 1 is driven, the transmission signal is not received within the set time. 3 and 36 are determined to be abnormal enough to stop.

The abnormality determining means 48 may appropriately set how much the transmission frequency is determined to be abnormal according to experience, simulation, or the like. In addition to determining the presence or absence of abnormality by simply comparing the transmission frequency or transmission cycle with a set value, the presence or absence of abnormality may be determined by performing statistical processing.
For example, the abnormality determination unit 48 always compares the signal interval in the reference period or the reference transmission count that is set before the present and in the past with the signal interval of the current target period or the target transmission count. Then, the abnormality determination may be performed.

  In the specific example of FIG. 9B, assuming that the current time is t1, the reference transmission frequency (3 times) before the current time t1 is determined (for example, 3 times) before the current time t1 (FIG. 9). In (B), the average signal interval in the interval ta) is compared with the average signal interval in the current number of target transmissions (for example, three times of signals) of the current (t1) (interval tb in FIG. 9B). If the difference is greater than or equal to the set value, it is determined that there is an abnormality. In other words, the moving averages are compared.

  In many cases, the occurrence of heat generation and vibration differs depending on whether the bearing has been used for many years or if it is nearly new. In the case of long-term use, even if there is a large amount of heat generation or vibration, it may not be abnormal. For this reason, an accurate abnormality determination cannot be performed simply by comparing the transmission interval with the set interval. On the other hand, as in the above configuration, the signal interval in the reference period or the reference transmission count that is always determined before the present in the past, and the signal interval of the currently determined target period or the target transmission count, By performing the abnormality determination by comparing the two, it is possible to perform the abnormality determination with high reliability. This is because if the amount of heat generation or vibration suddenly increases during use of the bearing as compared to a certain period in the past, the bearing is often abnormal.

  In this way, by monitoring the transmission interval from the bearing unit 10, the abnormality of the bearings 3 and 36 can be determined. In addition, since transmission is not performed when an abnormality that stops the bearings 3 and 36 occurs, the bearing 3 does not receive a signal even though the conveyor 1 equipped with the bearing unit 10 is in a driving state. 36 can be determined to have occurred. As described above, since the abnormality detection is performed using the power generation element 14 serving as the transmission power source 12 without providing a sensor dedicated to abnormality detection, the abnormality detection can be performed with a simple configuration. Therefore, when a malfunction occurs, the bearings 6 and 36 can be replaced early before the rotation becomes impossible.

  In addition, since power for transmission is obtained from the power generation element 14 in the bearing unit 10, it is possible to perform complete abnormality detection, information transmission, and secure a power source for each bearing unit 10. Wiring to the management room is unnecessary. Thus, neither power wiring nor signal wiring is required. In the case of wired, the structure becomes complicated due to the installation of infrastructure such as wiring, and the degree of freedom in design is reduced, whereas in wireless, such a problem is eliminated. In addition, when the distance of the conveyor 1 is long, the relay device 43 is installed along the conveyor 1 for each transmission possible range, so that transmission to the centralized management room 42 can be performed wirelessly. For this reason, for example, it can be easily applied to a conveyor facility having a long conveying path such as a conveying conveyor such as iron ore or coal.

  When wirelessly transmitting from the bearing unit 10, the antenna 17 becomes incapable of communication when covered with metal. However, in the belt conveyor 1 used outdoors, as shown in the examples of FIGS. A good communication state can be obtained by arranging them.

  In addition, since the power generation element 14 that generates power using environmental energy is used for power generation, in addition to the advantage that it can also be used as a sensor, a generator with a required rotor and stator is provided by providing parts on both the rotating side and the stationary side. Compared to the case, the configuration is simplified and the size is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the need for a dedicated design, and a great degree of design freedom can be obtained, which makes it easy to apply. Existing bearing units can be easily replaced.

  When a thermoelectric generation element (Seebeck element) is used as the power generation element 14, necessary power can be generated by arranging the high temperature side of the element inside and the outside air side on the low temperature side. Furthermore, if the comb-shaped (fin) shape is used so as to increase the contact area with the outside air on the outside air side and promote heat dissipation, the power generation amount can be further increased due to a temperature difference.

  When the identification information is transmitted from the transmitter 13 of each bearing unit 10 together with the sensor information, it is possible to identify which bearing 6 and 36 information. However, when the individual devices are used in combination, a large number of conveyors 1 In the case of the equipment provided with, it is possible to identify which bearing 6, 36 of which conveyor 1 by interlocking with the GPS terminal 21.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where a conveying apparatus was the belt conveyor 1, this invention is applicable also to conveyors other than a belt type, and also conveying apparatuses other than a conveyor.

1 ... conveyor (conveying device)
2 ... conveyor belt 3 ... conveyor roller 4 ... conveyor roller 5 ... fixed shaft 6 ... bearing 7 ... cylindrical body 8 ... housing 9 ... cover 10 ... bearing unit 10P ... plummer block 12 ... power source 13 ... transmitter 14 ... power generation element 16 ... Power storage means 17 ... Antenna 19 ... Transmission control unit 21 ... GPS terminal 31 ... Rotary shaft 32 ... Housing 32a ... Housing body 32b ... Cover member 36 ... Bearing 42 ... Centralized control panel 43 ... Relay device 45 ... Monitoring device 48 ... Abnormality determination means 50. Bearing unit and monitoring device set

Claims (15)

In a bearing unit for a transport device that is installed in a housing and has a rolling bearing installed in the housing,
A power generation element that generates power using environmental energy; a power storage unit that stores power generated by the power generation element; and a transmitter having a transmission circuit unit that performs wireless transmission. A bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function having a transmission control unit that causes the transmission circuit unit to perform transmission each time a set value is reached.   2. The transport device with an abnormality detection function according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control unit discharges the power storage unit each time the amount of power stored by the power storage unit reaches a set value and causes the transmission circuit unit to perform transmission. Bearing unit.   3. The bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function according to claim 1, wherein the power generation element is a thermoelectric power generation element.   The bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function according to claim 1, wherein the power generation element is a vibration power generation element.   5. The conveyance device bearing unit with an abnormality detection function according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits identification information of the conveyance device bearing unit as a signal for performing the transmission. 5. The bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function according to claim 1, wherein a GPS terminal which is a terminal of a global positioning system is provided in the transmitter.   The bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the conveyance device with an abnormality detection function is a belt conveyor.   In Claim 7, The said housing is a member provided in the edge part of the cylindrical body of the outer periphery of the conveyor roller which hung the belt of the said belt conveyor, The said rolling bearing is between a fixed axis | shaft and the said housing. A bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function that rotatably supports the conveyor roller interposed between the two.   9. The synthetic resin cover for covering the end surface of the cylindrical body is provided on the conveyor roller, and the transmitter is disposed between the antenna of the transmitter and the cover in a space inside the cover. A bearing unit for a transport device with an abnormality detection function, which is disposed at a location where no radio wave shielding member is interposed.   8. The bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function according to claim 7, wherein the housing is a plumber block bearing box that supports a rotating shaft of a conveyor roller on which a belt of the belt conveyor is hung.   In claim 10, the bearing box of the plummer block is composed of a housing body having an opening facing both end faces and inserting a shaft into one end opening, and a lid member closing the other end opening of the housing body. A bearing unit for a conveyance device with an abnormality detection function in which the sensor, transmitter, and power source are installed on the lid member.   A conveyance device bearing unit with an abnormality detection function according to any one of claims 1 to 11, and a monitoring device having a receiver for receiving the transmission signal and an abnormality determination means, wherein the abnormality determination means. Is a bearing unit / monitoring device set for determining abnormality from a change in the interval of signals transmitted from the transmitter and received by the receiver.   13. The abnormality determination unit according to claim 12, wherein the abnormality determination means always includes a signal interval in a reference period or a reference transmission count that is set before the present and a current interval, and a signal interval of a current target period or a target transmission count. A bearing unit / monitoring device set that judges abnormalities by comparing with.   The conveyor equipment with an abnormality detection function which equipped the bearing unit for conveyance apparatuses with an abnormality detection function of any one of Claim 1 thru | or 11 in the some conveyor.   15. The information transmitted from the transmitter is received, amplified, and wirelessly between the conveyor and the centralized control panel that collectively monitors the information transmitted from the transmitters mounted on the conveyors. Conveyor equipment with abnormality detection function provided with a relay device to transmit.

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