KR100737814B1 - Grade Measuring Sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an inclination sensor for measuring the inclination using light and linearly increasing or decreasing the light loss corresponding to the inclination of the object.

The inclination sensor of the present invention comprises a light source for supplying light, a first optical fiber for providing a movement path of light supplied from the light source, and a first optical fiber installed at an end of the first optical fiber to diffuse light supplied from the first optical fiber. A collimator, a second collimator having the same width as the first collimator, for receiving light supplied from the first collimator, a light receiver for receiving the light supplied from the second collimator to measure the inclination of the object, and a second A second optical fiber provided between the collimator and the light receiving unit to provide a path of movement of light, and a measuring unit controlling the amount of light incident from the first collimator to the second collimator in response to the inclination of the object.

Description

Incline Sensor {Grade Measuring Sensor}             

1 is a view showing a conventional tilt sensor.

2 is a view showing an inclination sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4 show the widths of the optical fibers and collimators shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a moving direction of a connection part (roller) shown in FIG. 2;

6A and 6B show light loss corresponding to the shape of the support plate.

7 is a view showing a roller moved in response to an inclination.

8A and 8B show the amount of light loss corresponding to the width of the collimator.

9A and 9B are views illustrating a process of moving the hinge and the protrusion.

10 is a view showing a state in which the inclination sensor of the present invention is installed on the object.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

2: body 4, 38: arm

6,40 weight 20: light source

22,28: optical fiber 24,26: collimator

30,30a, 30b: light receiving unit 32: support plate

33: hinge 34: protrusion

36: roller 42: screw

44 connection part 35,46 guide hole

The present invention relates to an inclination sensor, and more particularly, to an inclination sensor that measures light inclination and increases or decreases light loss linearly corresponding to the inclination of an object.

Tilt sensors for measuring the inclination of a specific object have been used in various fields. For example, the inclination sensor is installed in the bridge or building, etc. to measure the inclination of the bridge or building on a predetermined time basis. At this time, the measured slope of the bridge or building is used as an important measure for the safety evaluation of the bridge or building. In addition, the inclination sensor is mounted on the vehicle to determine the inclination of the current vehicle (that is, the inclination of the road that the vehicle is progressing), and to control the various devices using the determined inclination.

1 is a view schematically showing a conventional tilt sensor.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional inclination sensor is installed on a main body 2 installed on an object to measure inclination, an arm 4 installed on the main body 2 so as to be rotatable, and an end of the arm 4. It is provided with a weight (6).

The main body 2 is installed to be fixed to an object to measure the inclination. For example, the body 2 may be installed to be fixed to the outer wall of the building. The arm 4 is maintained perpendicular to the ground by gravity when the main body 2 is inclined according to the inclination of the object. Therefore, when the main body 2 is inclined, the arm 4 maintains a predetermined angle with the main body 2 in response to the inclination of the main body 2. At this time, the weight 6 provides the arm 4 with a predetermined weight so that the arm 4 can be maintained perpendicular to the ground.

On the other hand, the main body 2 receives a predetermined voltage from the outside, and outputs the supplied voltage to the outside again. Here, since the main body 2 has a predetermined resistance, the voltage value incident from the outside is changed corresponding to the resistance of the main body 2 and then output to the outside. Here, the resistance of the main body 2 is changed corresponding to the position of the arm 4. For example, the resistance of the main body 2 may be high when the arm 2 is positioned from the center to the right, and the resistance of the main body 2 may be high when the arm 4 is located from the center to the left.

That is, in the conventional inclination sensor, the resistance of the main body 2 changes in correspondence with the position of the arm 4. Therefore, conventionally, the inclination of the object is measured using the voltage output from the main body 2. In other words, the conventional tilt sensor measures the inclination of the object using the output amount of the electrical signal.

However, the method of measuring the inclination of the object using the electrical signal as described above has a problem in that the measurement amount is different according to external requirements. In other words, when the inclination sensor is installed where there are many electromagnetic waves, the inclination of the object cannot be accurately measured because the output amount of the electrical signal is changed by the interference of the electromagnetic waves. In addition, when an inclination sensor using an electrical signal is installed outside, a short circuit may occur due to rain or snow, and thus the inclination of the object may not be accurately measured.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an inclination sensor that can measure the inclination using light and also increase or decrease the light loss in correspondence to the inclination of the object.

In order to achieve the above object, the inclination sensor of the present invention provides a light source for supplying light, a first optical fiber for providing a movement path of light supplied from the light source, and an optical fiber provided at the end of the first optical fiber and supplied from the first optical fiber. A first collimator for diffusing light, a second collimator for receiving light supplied from the first collimator having the same width as the first collimator, and receiving light supplied from the second collimator to measure the inclination of the object And a second optical fiber provided between the second collimator and the light receiver to provide a path of movement of light, and a measuring unit controlling an amount of light incident from the first collimator to the second collimator in response to the inclination of the object.

The measurement unit controls the amount of light incident to the second collimator to be proportional to the inclination of the object.

The width of the first collimator is adjusted to set a detection range of the tilt.

The measuring unit includes a housing, an arm installed to be rotatable in the housing, a weight installed at the end of the arm, a roller installed to be movable on the arm, a support plate formed on the upper side of the roller, and supported by the roller; A hinge formed on an upper side of the support plate and movable in a transverse direction of the support plate; A second guide hole is formed between the collimators in a vertical direction to guide the protrusion.

It is formed in the housing horizontally and has a first guide hole for guiding the roller, the roller flows to the left / right along the first guide hole while moving up and down in the arm corresponding to the inclination of the object.

The protrusion extending from the support plate controls the amount of light incident to the second collimator while moving upward and downward in response to the flow of the roller.

The support plate is formed to be bent to correspond to the inclination of the object so that the amount of light can be linearly increased or decreased.

Other objects and features of the present invention in addition to the above objects will become apparent from the description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 10.

2 is a view showing an inclination sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the inclination sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a measuring unit having a protrusion 34 that determines a position corresponding to an inclination of an object, and a position of the protrusion 34 formed in the measuring unit. And a light loss portion for determining the amount of light loss.

The light loss unit measures the inclination of the object by using the amount of light loss corresponding to the position of the protrusion 34. To this end, the light loss unit includes a light source 20 for supplying light, a light receiving unit 30 for receiving light, a first optical fiber 22 installed to be connected to the light source 20, and a first optical fiber 22. ), A first collimator 24 for diffusing the light supplied from the first optical fiber 22, a second optical fiber 28 provided to be connected to the light receiving unit 30, and a second A second collimator 26 is installed at an end of the optical fiber 28 to receive light supplied from the first collimator 24.

The light source 20 supplies a predetermined amount of light to the first optical fiber 22. For this purpose, the light source 20 is used as a device capable of supplying light, for example, a laser diode.

The first optical fiber 22 supplies the light supplied from the light source 20 to the first collimator 24.

The first collimator 24 is formed to have a wider width than the first optical fiber 22 to diffuse the light and control the light supplied from the first optical fiber 22 to proceed in parallel. In practice, the first collimator 24 is installed to have a second width T2 wider than the first optical fiber 22 having the first width T1 as shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, the light supplied from the first optical fiber 22 is widely spread by the first collimator 24 to the second width T2. In fact, when the light is diffused widely in the second collimator T2 in the first collimator 24, the amount of light loss may be accurately measured, and thus, the inclination detection range of the object may be variously set. Detailed description thereof will be described later.

The second collimator 26 receives the light supplied from the first collimator 24. The second collimator 26 is formed to have the same second width T2 as the first collimator 24 as shown in FIG. 4.

The protrusion 34 of the measuring unit controls the amount of light supplied from the first collimator 24 to the second collimator 26 in response to the inclination of the object. Detailed description thereof will be described later.

The second optical fiber 28 supplies the light supplied from the second collimator 26 to the light receiving unit 30.

The light receiver 30 measures the inclination of the object by using the amount of light input from the second optical fiber 28. In fact, since the amount of light incident on the light receiver 30 is different depending on the position of the protrusion 34, the light receiver 30 may accurately measure the inclination of the object by using the amount of light incident on the light receiver 30.

On the other hand, the measurement unit changes the position of the protrusion 34 in response to the inclination of the object. To this end, the measuring unit arm 38 is rotatably installed in the housing 50, the weight 40 is installed on the end of the arm 38, and the roller is installed to be movable in the center of the arm 38 (36), a support plate (32) supported by the roller (36), and a protrusion (34) extending from the support plate (32) to be positioned between the first collimator (24) and the second collimator (26). .

The housing 50 is fixed to the object to measure the inclination. For example, the housing 50 may be installed to be fixed to a bridge or building.

The arm 38 is rotatably installed in the housing 50. For example, the arm 38 is rotatably installed in the housing 50 by a screw 42 or the like. When the arm 38 is rotatably installed in the housing 50, the arm 38 flows in response to the inclination of the object. In other words, the arm 38 flows in response to the inclination of the object by the weight of the weight 40 installed at the end.

The roller 36 is installed to be movable in the center of the arm 38 by the connecting portion 44. Here, the connecting portion 44 flows along the first guide hole 46 formed horizontally in the housing 50. To this end, the connecting portion 44 is installed to be movable up and down on the arm 38 as shown in FIG. Thus, the roller 36 flows left / right along the first guide hole 46 as the arm 38 flows (wherein the roller 36 is lifted from the arm 38 by the connecting portion 44. Flows up and down)

The protruding portion 34 is installed on the upper side of the support plate 32 and is rotatably installed by the hinge 33 (installed on the upper side of the support plate). In fact, the protrusion 34 is formed in the housing 50 and flows along the second guide hole 35 formed in a straight line (vertical) between the first collimator 24 and the second collimator 26. That is, the protrusion 34 is moved downward along the second guide hole 35 while being rotated by the hinge 33 when the support plate 32 is moved downward. To this end, the hinge 33 is installed to be movable along the transverse direction of the support plate 32.

In detail, when the support plate 32 is horizontal, the hinge 33 and the protrusion 34 are positioned in the second guide hole 35 as shown in FIG. 9A. Then, when the support plate 32 is moved downward, the hinge 33 is moved in the transverse direction of the support plate so that the protrusion 34 can be moved along the second guide hole 35. The protrusion 34 is rotated at the hinge 33 and flows along the second guide hole 35. Accordingly, the protrusion 34 always remains vertical between the first collimator 24 and the second collimator 26 as shown in FIG. 9B, so that the protrusion 34 blocks the amount of light as much as the movement of the support plate 32. Can be. Indeed, when the protrusion 34 is fixed to the support plate 32, the protrusion 34 cannot be fixed vertically between the first collimator 24 and the second collimator 26 (i.e., to the support plate 32). The amount of light blocked can not be accurately controlled.

On the other hand, the hinge 33 may flow in the transverse direction of the support plate 32 by various methods. For example, the support plate 32 may be provided with a guide rail (not shown) of a predetermined length, and the hinge 33 may be installed to be movable to the guide rail. Thus, the hinge 33 can move in a transverse direction of the support plate 32 by flowing along the guide rail. In fact, the hinge 33 can be installed to be movable in the transverse direction of the support plate 32 by various methods.

The support plate 32 is fixed to the housing 50 so as to be movable up and down. In other words, the support plate 32 is fixed to one side of the housing 50 (upper left in the drawing) and flows up and down. This support plate 32 is supported by the roller 44. In other words, as shown in FIG. 2, the curved support plate 32 is moved downward when the roller 44 is moved to the right, and accordingly, the position of the protrusion 34 is also moved downward.

On the other hand, the support plate 32 is formed to be bent so that the amount of light lost corresponding to the movement of the roller 36 (that is, the inclination of the object) can be linearly increased or decreased. In fact, when the support plate 32 is not curved and is formed in a straight line, the amount of light corresponding to the position of the protrusion 34 is increased or decreased nonlinearly as shown in FIG. 6A. However, when the support plate 32 is formed to be bent in consideration of the characteristics of the optical fiber as in the present invention, the amount of light corresponding to the position of the protrusion 34 is linearly increased or decreased as shown in FIG. 6B. Here, the exact bending shape of the support plate 32 is determined experimentally so that the amount of light can be linearly increased or decreased in consideration of the characteristics of the optical fiber. (Accordingly, the shape of the support plate 32 is slightly curved depending on the type of optical fiber used. Must be different)

Referring to the operation process of the inclination sensor of the present invention in detail, first the housing 50 is fixed to the object to measure the inclination. For example, the housing 50 may be fixed to a bridge or building to measure the slope. When the housing 50 is fixed to an object whose tilt is to be measured, light is supplied from the light source 20 to the first collimator 24 via the first optical fiber 22. The light supplied to the first collimator 24 is supplied to the light receiving unit 30 via the second collimator 26 and the second optical fiber 28. Here, all the light emitted from the first collimator 24 is blocked by the protrusion 34 when the object is level.

On the other hand, the arm 38 and the roller 36 are moved as shown in FIG. 7 in response to the inclination of the object. In this case, the support plate 32 is moved downward in response to the movement of the roller 36, and thus the protrusion 34 is also moved downward along the second guide hole 35. Therefore, some light emitted from the first collimator 26 is incident on the second collimator 26. Here, the amount of incident light corresponds to the inclination of the object. In fact, the protrusion 34 has a large inclination of the object. As a result, a large amount of light is incident on the second collimator 36.

Thereafter, the light receiver 30 measures the inclination of the object using the amount of light incident from the second collimator 26. That is, since the amount of light incident on the light receiving unit 30 is different according to the inclination of the object, the light receiving unit 30 may measure the inclination of the object using the amount of light incident on the light receiving unit 30.

Such an inclination sensor of the present invention has the advantage that it can be used irrespective of electromagnetic waves and weather because it measures the inclination of the object using light. In addition, in the present invention, since the support plate 32 is formed to be bent, the amount of light linearly increases or decreases in response to the movement of the protrusion 34, so that the inclination of the object can be accurately measured. In the present invention, the detection range of the inclination can be variously adjusted by adjusting the widths of the first collimator 24 and the second collimator 26.

In detail, when the first collimator 24 and the second collimator 26 are formed to have a narrow width T3 as shown in FIG. 8A, the protrusion 34 may be slightly lowered (that is, even at a small inclination). Light is incident on the second collimator 26. When the first collimator 24 and the second collimator 26 are formed to have a wide width T4 as shown in FIG. 8B, a small amount of light enters the second collimator 26 even when the protrusion 34 is lowered a lot. do. That is, in the present invention, the amount of light lost can be adjusted using the widths of the first collimator 24 and the second collimator 26, and thus, the detection range of the inclination can be variously set. In fact, in the present invention, the widths of the first collimator 24 and the second collimator 26 are experimentally set in consideration of the object to measure the tilt and the sensing range to be measured.

10 is a view showing that the inclination sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed on the object to measure the inclination.

Referring to FIG. 10, the inclination sensor of the present invention is installed on at least one object to measure the inclination to measure the inclination of the object. For example, the inclination sensor is installed on two sides of the object to measure the inclination of the object. Meanwhile, in the present invention, light supplied from one light source 20 is supplied to all vibration sensors. The light receiving units 30a and 30b are provided for each inclination sensor to receive light supplied from the inclination sensor. Here, the vibration of the object is measured by measuring the amount of light incident on the light receiving parts 30a and 30b. In fact, as shown in FIG. 10, when the inclination sensor is installed on at least two sides of the object, the inclination of the object can be accurately measured. In addition, although the inside of the inclination sensor is illustrated in FIG. 10 so that the operation can be easily understood, other components except for the light source 20 and the light receiving parts 30a and 30b are actually installed inside the housing 50. That is, the housing 50 protects components installed therein from external shocks.

As described above, according to the inclination sensor according to the present invention, since the inclination of the object is measured using light, there is an advantage that can be used regardless of the external environment. In the present invention, since the support plate is formed to be curved in consideration of the characteristics of the optical fiber, the amount of light corresponding to the inclination of the object increases and decreases linearly, thereby measuring the accurate inclination. In addition, the present invention has the advantage that it is possible to set the detection range of the inclination by adjusting the width of the collimator.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the detailed description of the specification but should be defined by the claims.

Claims (7)

In the device for measuring the tilt of an object, A light source for supplying light, A first optical fiber for providing a movement path of light supplied from the light source; A first collimator provided at an end of the first optical fiber and configured to diffuse light supplied from the first optical fiber; A second collimator formed at the same width as the first collimator and configured to receive light supplied from the first collimator; A light receiving unit for receiving the light supplied from the second collimator to measure the inclination of the object; A second optical fiber installed between the second collimator and the light receiving unit to provide a movement path of light; And a measuring unit configured to control an amount of light incident from the first collimator to the second collimator in response to the inclination of the object. The method of claim 1, And the measuring unit controls the amount of light incident to the second collimator to be proportional to the inclination of the object. The method of claim 1, Inclination sensor, characterized in that for setting the detection range of the inclination by adjusting the width of the first collimator. The method of claim 1, The measuring unit Housings, An arm rotatably installed in the housing; A weight installed at the end of the arm, A roller mounted to the arm to be movable; A support plate formed on an upper side of the roller and supported by the roller; A hinge formed at an upper side of the support plate and installed to be movable in a lateral direction of the support plate; A protrusion rotatably installed on the hinge and extending to be positioned between the first collimator and the second collimator; And a second guide hole formed in a vertical direction between the first collimator and the second collimator to guide the protrusion. The method of claim 4, wherein It is formed in the housing horizontally and has a first guide hole for guiding the roller, the roller flows to the left and right along the first guide hole while flowing up and down in the arm corresponding to the inclination of the object Inclination sensor characterized in that the. The method of claim 5, And the protrusion extending from the support plate controls the amount of light incident to the second collimator while moving upward and downward in response to the flow of the roller. The method of claim 4, wherein The support plate is inclined sensor, characterized in that formed to be curved so that the amount of light can be linearly increased or decreased corresponding to the inclination of the object.

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