JPS5968079A - Automatic reader of mark character on internal surface of tube - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To read a mark on the internal surface of a tube automatically regardless of whether the diameter of the tube is large or not by fitting a mirror to a sensor camera and inserting only the mirror into the tube. CONSTITUTION:The mirror 4 which slants at 45 deg. is fitted at the top end of the sensor camera 5. This camera 5 and the mirror 4 are supported on a casing in one body rotatably around an axial line. Then, while only the mirror 4 is inserted along the tube axial line of the tube 1, the mirror and camera are rotated to easily read the mark 2 on the internal surface regardless of an existing position of the mark circumferentially. The camera 5 is movable to and off the mirror 4 to adjust an object distance constant according to the variation in the tube diameter. Thus, the mark on the internal surface is read automatically regardless of the size of the tube diameter.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for automatically reading mark characters marked on the inner surface of a steel pipe or the like.

In the manufacturing of pipe materials, large diameter pipes are generally marked with marks by spraying paint or pasting labels on the inner surface near the end of the pipe, and transportation, etc. is managed based on these marks. ing. Usually, computers are used to automate management of transportation and the like. However, the reading of mark characters relies exclusively on visual recognition, which poses problems in terms of labor saving, prevention of erroneous conveyance, and risk prevention, and automatic reading has been desired.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for automatically reading mark characters marked on the inner surface of a tube.

For this purpose, the reading device of the present invention has a mirror attached to a sensor camera for reading the mark characters, so that the mark characters can be detected by the sensor camera with only the mirror inserted into the test tube. It is characterized by being able to read a wide range of pipes, from small diameter pipes to large diameter pipes.

More specifically, in this reading system, only the part of the mirror attached to the sensor camera is inserted along the axis of the tube and is supported so as to be rotatable around the axis. To enable characters to be easily detected no matter where they are located in the diurnal direction. In addition, the distance between the sensor camera and the mirror is adjustable, making it possible to constantly adjust the object distance to a constant value in response to changes in the diameter of the tube to be inspected.

Below, examples will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which a label 2 with mark letters is attached to the inner surface of the tube 1. In order to read such inner surface markings, it is usually disadvantageous to insert a sensor camera f directly into the tube.

This is because the sensor camera is quite thick and difficult to apply to small diameter pipes. Additionally, if a small close-up sensor camera is inserted, there is a greater risk of contact damage. Furthermore, in order to apply this method to tubes with significantly different diameters, focusing by zooming is required, which also has the disadvantage that the camera itself becomes even larger.

For this purpose, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the sensor part 3 is constructed by assembling a mirror 4 inclined at 45 DEG to the tip side of the sensor camera 5. The sensor-camera 5id is attached to a mounting base 6, which is adapted to slide in the axial direction within the storage cylinder 12 along a pair of rails 7 provided in the storage cylinder 12. This sliding movement is carried out by a motor 9 attached to the lid 13 at one end of the storage cylinder 12.
The sensor camera 5 is mounted on the mounting base 6 by rotational driving, and the sensor camera 5 can be positioned at a desired position by remote control using a hole position detector 10 and a position detecting bar 11 attached to the storage cylinder 12.

The mirror 4 is supported by a support 22 fixed to a window lid 14 fixed to the tip of the storage tube 12. In other words, the mirror 4 is fixed in position regardless of the sliding movement of the sensor camera 5. The housing cylinder 12 and the lids 13 and 14 are fixed to each other and are integrated, and a bearing 17 is installed in the casing 16.
It is supported by a shaft and can rotate on its axis. A motor 18 is fixed to the casing 16.
A gearwork 9 on the motor output shaft meshes with a gear 20 fixed to the outer periphery of the housing tube 12 to rotate the housing tube 12 within the casing 16. Due to this, the sensor camera 5 and the mirror 4 rotate together around the axis. The window 15 of the window-equipped lid 14 is a viewing window for the sensor camera 5. An illumination lamp 21 is also attached to the sensor camera 5, and the inner surface of the tube is irradiated with light reflected by the mirror 4, and the mark characters on the label 2 are read by the sensor camera 5 through the mirror 4. The rotation and reading of the storage cylinder can also be controlled remotely.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a truck 32 is mounted on a frame 36 on a support column 37 so as to be movable by a motor 34, and a support frame 3 that can be suspended from the truck 32 is provided.
The casing 16, that is, the sensor part 3 is attached so as to be movable up and down along a guide rod 31 provided at the bottom. This elevating drive can be remotely controlled by an elevating drive IfI+ mechanism 33 attached to the trolley 32 and connected to the upper end of the casing 16. This lifting and lowering is performed to position the axis of rotation of the sensor part 30 on the axis of the test tube.

The reading device having such a configuration is as shown in FIG.
It is arranged on the side of the conveyance skid 39. When the tube 1 is conveyed on the skid 39 and stopped at the reading position where the reading device is arranged, the trolley 32 is moved by the motor 34 on the frame 36 in the direction of the tube 1, and a part of the sensor 3
A mirror 4 is inserted into the tube. At this time, the field of view of the label 2 affixed to the inner surface of the tube and the mirror 4 must be matched, and for this purpose, the predetermined distance from the tube end of the label 2 is determined by the tube end detector fixed to the support frame 30. The truck 32 is stopped based on the output signal of the tube end detector 35 as detected by the tube end detector 35.

At this time, the sensor portion 3 is adjusted in advance by the elevating mechanism 33 to a height position that aligns the axis of rotation of the sensor portion 30 with the axis of the tube 1 to be tested.

After that, the motor 18 rotates the storage cylinder 12f, and the sensor part 3 is thereby rotated. This rotation causes the sensor part 3 to scan along the inner circumference passing through the label 2 of the tube l;
Read label 2. Of course, any conventional reading method can be used for this reading.

Here, the objective distance between the label 2 and the sensor camera 5 changes depending on the tube diameter. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the distance tl' between the sensor camera 5 and the mirror 4 is determined according to the pipe diameter '1#t2#tn (radius value).
Adjust t2' and tn' by sliding the sensor camera 5, and always keep the object distance L"4 +4':z2+t2'=t
Make it n ten tn'. The adjustment is made by the motor 9 and the feed screw 8. Furthermore, since it is desired that the scanning speed is also fixed, this adjustment is necessary for the tube diameter t1. t2 + t
The rotation speed of the storage cylinder 12 by the motor 18 is adjusted according to n.

In the above configuration, the sensor camera 5 uses a lens with a fixed focus, and it is of course possible to use a sensor camera that is capable of zooming. In this case, reading can be performed without moving the sensor camera within the housing cylinder.

The characters read in a mirror are reversed, but this can easily be converted into regular characters using a well-known method.

Also, in order to shorten the label reading time, FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, two or more sets of bell 4 and sensor-camera 5f can be used to reduce the scanning range or rotation angle of one set. In addition, a trolley 32 that moves the sensor part 3 up and down and back and forth is also provided.
The first method is to mount and move the
As shown in FIG. 0, the cart 32 may be configured to move backwards on a rail installed below or on the ground.

Furthermore, when the tube 1 is conveyed in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the tube, a mechanism is provided that allows this device to move in a direction perpendicular or perpendicular to the conveying direction so as to evacuate the tube so as not to interfere with the conveyance of the tube. Of course, it is also possible.

Furthermore, other embodiments are shown in FIGS. 11, 12, 13, and 1.
This will be explained using Figure 4. 4o is a part of the sensor of the non-embodiment, and the mirror 41 is attached to the slider 44 together with the sensor camera 42 by the bracket 43 in a 45 degree tilted state, and the slider 44 is attached along the guide groove 45' on the guide plate 45. It is adapted to slide by a cylinder 46.

Due to this cylinder 46, a contact guide roller 47 attached to the tip of the bracket 43 is moved to the left so as to come into contact with the inner circumferential wall of the pipe 1. Therefore, the distance from the label affixed to the inner periphery of the tube to the sensor camera 42 via the mirror 41 is always constant regardless of the size of the tube diameter. The shaft 48 has a guide plate 45 attached to one end, a gear 53 attached to the other end, and a bearing 5.
0 and is supported by a casing 49 to rotate.

When the contact guide roller 47 is pressed against the inner circumferential wall of the pipe, the shaft 4B, i.e., i41, and the sensor camera 42 are rotated together by the motor 51 via the gear 52 to detect and read the label.

Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14 show the use of two sets of sensor cameras, but if there is enough time during the tube conveyance process, it is possible to use just one set. No problem.

In this configuration as well, the operating principle for reading is the same as in the previously described embodiment.

As described above, marks on the inside of the tube can be automatically detected and read regardless of the size of the tube diameter, eliminating the need for visual inspection or manual input to the host computer, eliminating human error.
Since there is no need to enter the conveyance line, there is no danger to human life, and processing can be done in a short time, so there are great advantages such as saving labor in process management, reducing efficiency and preventing danger.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a sketch with a company-readable label affixed to the inner periphery near the end of the tube. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the sensor section. . FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the tip of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the distance relationship between the subject, the sensor camera, and the mirror. FIG. 6 is a side view of the entire embodiment. FIG. 7 is a front view of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a sensor section of another embodiment. FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 8. FIG. 1O is an overall side view of another embodiment. FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the senna portion of still another embodiment. Figure 12 is a front view of Figure 11. FIG. 13 is a plan view of FIG. 11. FIG. 14 is a side view of the entire embodiment using the sensor section of FIG. 11. １・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Tube 3・・・・・・φ・・・・・・Sensor part 4・・・
・・・・・・・・・・・・Mirror 5・・・・・・・・・・・・Sensor camera 6...
......Mounting stand ° 12...
......Storage tube 10...Position detector 11...Position detection bar 16... ...Casing 21...
......Illuminating light 30... Support frame 32...
・・・・・・・・・Dolly 35・・・・・・・・・Pipe end detector procedure amendment (
Spontaneous) Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office Kazuo Wakasugi Display of case 16 Patent application 17821/1982, title of invention Automatic reading and abrasion device of mark characters on the inner surface of tube Relationship with the case of person who amends A Patent applicant's previous agent 〒177

Claims (1)

[Claims] This is a device that reads marks marked on the inner surface of a tube. A mirror is attached to the object side of a sensor camera, and reading is performed by rotating the bell around the axis of the tube with only the bell inserted into the tube. An automatic reading device for marking characters on the inner surface of a tube.