KR20150019495A - Appratus for controlling operation of belt conveyer and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, provided are an apparatus for controlling operation of a belt conveyor and a method thereof, which can detect an operation state of the belt conveyor in a contactless manner. The method comprises the steps of: receiving an image signal on the belt conveyor; detecting a brightness change of a reference area from the image signal; adding up detection frequency of the brightness change; and comparing the detection frequency of the brightness change with a range of a reference frequency to determine whether the operation speed of the belt conveyor is in a normal state. According to an embodiment of the present invention, it can determine the operation state of the belt conveyor while being spaced from the belt conveyor, thereby being installed at various positions and allowing stable operation of facility even though a plurality of the belt conveyors are interlinked.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a belt conveyor,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a belt conveyor, and more particularly , to a drive control apparatus and method for a belt conveyor capable of non-contact detection of the operation state of the belt conveyor.

Generally, a belt conveyor is widely used in ironworks for transporting raw materials such as iron ore. Such a belt conveyor may be damaged by various factors to be dropped or short-circuited from the frame, and the actual running speed may be reduced depending on the kind or weight of the conveyed object.

Therefore, it is general to monitor the driving state of the belt conveyor by providing an additional device for detecting the moving speed and the skew of the belt conveyor. Further, when a plurality of belt conveyors are interlocked, a separate communication device capable of transmitting and receiving a movable state may be provided in order to prevent a failure or an accident.

A sensor for detecting the moving speed of the belt in close contact with the belt and in contact with the belt is widely used as a speed detecting device for a belt conveyor. However, there is a problem that the belt is burned off due to frictional force with the belt and the durability is low, so frequent maintenance and replacement are required.

In addition, a noncontact method for detecting velocity in a tachometer manner using a capacitive proximity sensor is also provided, which has a protrusion for generating a distance deviation in a rotating part for driving the belt conveyor. However, according to this method, since the speed detection is possible only at a specific position of the belt conveyor to be detected, there is a problem that it can not be applied to the interlocking facility without a separate communication device.

The present invention provides a drive control apparatus and method for a belt conveyor for detecting the operation state of a belt conveyor in a non-contact manner to prevent burn-out of the belt, and to reduce the cost and manpower required for maintenance and replacement.

In addition, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for driving a belt conveyor that can be applied to an interlocking facility because it can determine the operation state of the belt conveyor at various positions spaced apart from the belt conveyor.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus including an image acquiring unit for generating an image signal for a belt conveyor; And a speed detector for detecting a change in luminance of the reference area in the video signal and comparing the detection frequency of the luminance change with a reference frequency range to determine whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is in a steady state. Is provided.

Wherein the speed detection unit comprises: a synchronization signal extraction unit for extracting a horizontal synchronization signal and a vertical synchronization signal from the video signal; A signal converter for extracting a luminance value of the video signal and converting the luminance value into a digital signal; And a control unit for obtaining a luminance value of the reference region from the signals input from the synchronizing signal extracting unit and the signal converting unit to detect a luminance change of the reference region and comparing the detection frequency of the luminance change with the reference frequency, And a control unit for determining whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is proper or not.

The luminance change can be detected when the difference in luminance value before and after the reference time is equal to or greater than the reference value.

The drive control device of the belt conveyor may further include a drive control unit for controlling the belt conveyor.

The speed detector may transmit a control signal for stopping the belt conveyor to the drive controller when the detection frequency of the luminance change is less than the reference frequency range.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a belt conveyor, comprising: receiving an image signal for a belt conveyor; Detecting a change in brightness of the reference area in the image signal; Integrating the detection frequency of the luminance change; And comparing the detection frequency of the luminance change with a reference frequency range to determine whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is in a steady state.

The step of detecting a change in luminance of the reference region may include: reading a luminance value of the reference region at a reference time interval from the video signal; And detecting the change in brightness when the difference between the brightness values before and after the reference time is equal to or greater than a reference value.

The step of determining whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is in a normal state may include determining that the moving speed of the belt conveyor is not a normal state when the detection frequency is less than the reference frequency range.

The step of determining whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is in a steady state includes: accumulating the number of times of determination when the detection frequency is less than the reference frequency range; Comparing the determined number of times with a reference number; And determining that the moving speed of the belt conveyor is not a normal state when the number of times of the determination reaches the reference number of times.

The driving control method of the belt conveyor may further include stopping the driving of the belt conveyor when it is determined that the moving speed of the belt conveyor is not a normal state.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the operating state of the belt conveyor can be determined in a non-contact manner, burning of the belt can be prevented, and the cost and manpower required for maintenance and replacement can be reduced.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the operation state of the belt conveyor can be determined in a state sufficiently separated from the belt conveyor, it can be installed at various positions around the belt conveyor.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when a plurality of belt conveyors are interlocked, it is not necessary to add a communication device for transmitting / receiving the operation state of each other, Facility operation becomes possible.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a drive control device for a belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a state where a drive control apparatus for a belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed.
3 is an exemplary diagram for explaining detection of a change in luminance of a drive control apparatus for a belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a drive control method for a belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a drive control method for a belt conveyor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated and described in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The terms including ordinal, such as second, first, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited to these terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the second component may be referred to as a first component, and similarly, the first component may also be referred to as a second component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a drive control device for a belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a state where a drive control apparatus for a belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. 3 is an exemplary diagram for explaining detection of a change in luminance of a drive control apparatus for a belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus for driving and controlling a belt conveyor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an image acquisition unit 10, a velocity detection unit 20, a drive control unit 30, and a belt drive unit 40.

The image acquisition unit 10 photographs a belt conveyor to generate an image signal for the belt conveyor. The image acquiring unit 10 transmits the acquired image signal to the speed detector 20.

The image acquisition unit 10 may be a camera module such as a smart phone, a tablet, a notebook, a netbook, or the like, as well as a conventional camera capable of photographing an object to generate an image signal. The present invention is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the image acquisition unit 10 may be installed at various positions spaced apart from the belt conveyor. That is, the image acquiring unit 10 may be variously disposed within a range that can acquire image signals for the belt conveyor.

Therefore, even when a plurality of belt conveyors are interlocked, the operation state of each other can be confirmed without a separate communication device.

2, when the conveyed product M is conveyed from the first belt conveyor B ₁ to the second belt conveyor B ₂ , the image acquiring unit 10 acquires the second And can be installed at a position where the moving state of the belt conveyor B ₂ can be photographed. In this case, since the driving of the first belt conveyor (B ₁ ) can be controlled in accordance with the operating state of the second belt conveyor (B ₂ ), it is possible to prevent the operation stop due to the interlocking signal acquisition impossible.

The speed detector 20 detects a change in luminance of the reference area in the image signal input from the image acquiring unit 10 and compares the frequency of detection of the luminance change with the reference frequency range to determine whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is in a normal state .

1, the speed detector 20 includes a signal distributor 21, a synchronization signal extractor 22, a signal converter 23, a controller 24, a memory 25, and an input / . ≪ / RTI >

First, the signal distribution unit 21 distributes the video signal input from the image acquisition unit 10 to the synchronization signal extraction unit 22 and the signal conversion unit 23.

The synchronization signal extractor 22 extracts a horizontal synchronization signal and a vertical synchronization signal from the video signal provided from the signal distributor 21 and transmits the extracted horizontal synchronization signal and the vertical synchronization signal to the controller 24.

The signal conversion unit 23 extracts the luminance value of the video signal provided from the signal distribution unit 21, converts the luminance value into a digital signal, and transmits the digital signal to the control unit 24.

The control unit 24 obtains the luminance value of the reference area using the horizontal synchronizing signal and the vertical synchronizing signal inputted from the synchronizing signal extracting unit 22 and the luminance value inputted from the signal converting unit 23. [

Specifically, the control unit 24 can grasp the reference area in the video signal using the horizontal synchronizing signal and the vertical synchronizing signal, and obtain the luminance value corresponding to the reference area among the luminance values of the video signal. At this time, the control unit 24 may obtain the luminance value of the reference region at a preset reference time interval.

Here, the reference area represents a pixel area for detecting the movement of the belt conveyor among the entire area of the image signal. For example, the 'O' area shown in FIG. 3 may correspond to the reference area. The reference area may be variously selected depending on the intention of the designer and the installation position of the image obtaining unit 10, but it is preferable that the reference area is selected as a pixel area corresponding to a point on the path of the conveyed object. Here, the pixel region may be defined as one pixel or an area including a plurality of pixels.

The reference time represents a time interval for acquiring the luminance value of the reference area. The reference time can be variously selected with reference to the normal speed of the belt conveyor within a range that can detect the fine movement of the belt conveyor without fail.

The control unit 24 detects the luminance change from the luminance value of the reference area and accumulates the detection frequency during the reference period. At this time, the control unit 24 can detect the luminance change when the difference in luminance value before and after the reference time is equal to or greater than the reference value.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 24 calculates the difference between the luminance value of the currently input reference area and the luminance value of the reference area immediately before the reference area, and if the difference is greater than or equal to the reference value, Can be detected.

When the motion is detected by calculating the difference between the luminance value of the currently inputted reference area and the luminance value of the reference area input immediately before, the image signal includes a belt surface, which is a single material such as rubber, The detection frequency proportional to the operation speed can be obtained.

Here, the reference period represents a time interval for integrating the detection frequency of the luminance change, and the reference value represents the difference in the luminance value that can be judged that the luminance change has occurred. The reference period and the reference value can be variously selected according to the designer's intention.

Thereafter, the control unit 24 compares the detection frequency of the luminance change with the reference frequency range to determine whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is in a normal state.

Here, the reference frequency range indicates the detection frequency of the luminance change corresponding to the reference speed of the belt conveyor and the range including the error range. The luminance change of the reference area is usually proportional to the moving speed of the belt conveyor.

Therefore, when the detection frequency of the luminance change is less than the reference frequency range, the control unit 24 determines that the moving speed of the belt conveyor is slower than the reference speed, and determines that the moving speed of the belt conveyor is not normal. In this case, the control section 24 outputs a control signal for stopping the belt conveyor to the drive control section 30 to be described later.

On the other hand, when the detection frequency of the luminance change falls within the reference frequency range or exceeds the reference frequency range, the control unit 24 determines the operation speed of the belt conveyor as a normal state.

In the memory unit 25, reference information serving as a basis of judgment such as a reference period, a reference time, a reference value, and a reference frequency range is stored in advance.

The input / output unit 26 includes an input unit and an output unit. The input unit transmits a user's input for modifying the reference information stored in the memory unit 24 to the control unit 24. The output unit can output information about whether the operation speed of the belt conveyor is in a normal state through a speaker (not shown) by voice or through a display (not shown).

The drive control unit 30 controls the belt drive unit 40 that rotates the belt conveyor in accordance with a control signal input from the speed detection unit 20 to drive or stop the belt conveyor.

When the control signal for instructing the stop of the belt conveyor is inputted from the speed detecting section 20, the drive control section 30 stops the belt conveyor. Conversely, when a control signal for instructing driving of the belt conveyor is input from the speed detecting section 20, the drive control section 30 drives the belt conveyor.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a drive control method for a belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4, the speed detector 20 receives an image signal for the belt conveyor from the image acquiring unit 10 (S101)

The speed detector 20 acquires the luminance value of the reference area from the luminance values of the horizontal synchronizing signal, the vertical synchronizing signal, and the video signal extracted from the video signal (S102).

The speed detector 20 determines whether the difference in luminance values before and after the reference time is equal to or greater than a reference value (S103).

If the difference between the luminance values before and after the reference time is equal to or more than the reference value, the luminance detection unit 20 accumulates the detection frequency (S104) and determines whether the reference period has elapsed (S105).

On the other hand, when the difference in the luminance value before and after the reference time is less than the reference value, since no movement occurs in the belt conveyor, the speed detector 20 checks whether the reference period has elapsed without accumulating the detection frequency (S105).

If the reference period has not elapsed, the speed detector 20 returns to step S101 in which the image signal for the belt conveyor is input, and repeatedly detects the change in the brightness of the reference area. On the other hand, when the reference period has elapsed, the speed detector 20 compares the detection frequency of the luminance change with the reference frequency range, and determines whether it is less than the reference frequency range (S106).

When the detection frequency of the luminance change is less than the reference frequency range, since the moving speed of the belt conveyor is slower than the reference speed, the speed detecting unit 20 outputs a control signal for stopping the belt conveyor to the driving control unit 30 ).

On the other hand, if the detection frequency of the luminance change falls within the reference frequency range or exceeds the reference frequency range, the speed detection unit 20 outputs a control signal for driving the belt conveyor to the drive control unit 30 (S108).

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to determine the operating state of the belt conveyor in a non-contact manner, thereby preventing burning of the belt, and reducing the cost and manpower required for maintenance and replacement.

Further, since the belt conveyor can be installed at various positions sufficiently spaced from the belt conveyor, when a plurality of belt conveyors are interlocked, the present invention can be applied without a separate communication device.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a drive control method for a belt conveyor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, the operation of stopping the belt conveyor immediately when the detection frequency of the luminance change is less than the reference frequency range has been described as an example. However, an error may occur in the detection frequency depending on the surface of the belt conveyor or the state of the conveyed object.

Therefore, the present embodiment is characterized in that the possibility of error in the detection frequency is lowered by stopping the belt conveyor when the state in which the detection frequency of the luminance change is less than the reference frequency range is repeated a plurality of times. Hereinafter, operations according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5, focusing on differences from the above-described embodiments.

5, the steps S210 to S205 of receiving the image signal of the belt conveyor and detecting the change in the brightness of the reference area, accumulating the detection frequency, and determining whether the reference period has elapsed are described in S101 to S105 of the above- S150, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In step S205, when the reference period has elapsed, the speed detection unit 20 compares the detection frequency of the luminance change with the reference frequency range and determines whether it is less than the reference frequency range (S206).

If the detection frequency of the luminance change falls within the reference frequency range or exceeds the reference frequency range, the speed detection unit 20 outputs a control signal for driving the belt conveyor to the drive control unit 30 (S209).

On the other hand, when the detection frequency of the luminance change is less than the reference frequency range, the speed detector 20 accumulates the number of judgments (S207) and judges whether the number of judgments has reached the reference number (S208).

If the number of times of judgment reaches the reference number, since the moving speed of the belt conveyor is slower than the reference speed, the speed detecting section 20 outputs a control signal for stopping the belt conveyor to the driving control section 30 (S209 ).

According to the present embodiment, the possibility of error in the detection frequency can be reduced, and the reliability of the determination of the moving speed of the belt conveyor can be improved.

As used in this embodiment, the term " portion " refers to a hardware component such as software or an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or ASIC, and 'part' performs certain roles. However, 'part' is not meant to be limited to software or hardware. &Quot; to " may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium and may be configured to play one or more processors. Thus, by way of example, 'parts' may refer to components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, and processes, functions, , Subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided in the components and components may be further combined with a smaller number of components and components or further components and components. In addition, the components and components may be implemented to play back one or more CPUs in a device or a secure multimedia card.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims It can be understood that

10: image acquisition unit 20: speed detection unit
21: Signal distributing section 22: Synchronizing signal extracting section
23: Signal conversion section 24:
25: memory unit 26: input / output unit
30: drive control section 40: belt drive section
B ₁ , B ₂ : Conveyor belt M: Feed

Claims (10)

An image acquisition unit for generating an image signal for the belt conveyor; And
And a speed detector for detecting a change in luminance of the reference area in the image signal and comparing the detection frequency of the luminance change with a reference frequency range to determine whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is in a normal state.
The apparatus according to claim 1,
A synchronizing signal extracting unit for extracting a horizontal synchronizing signal and a vertical synchronizing signal from the video signal;
A signal converter for extracting a luminance value of the video signal and converting the luminance value into a digital signal; And
Wherein the control unit obtains a luminance value of the reference region from the signals input from the synchronizing signal extracting unit and the signal converting unit to detect a luminance change of the reference region and compares the detection frequency of the luminance change with the reference frequency range, And a control unit for determining whether the operation speed of the belt conveyor is in a normal state.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the luminance change is detected when the difference in luminance value before and after the reference time is equal to or greater than a reference value.
The method according to claim 1,
And a drive control unit for controlling the belt conveyor.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the speed detecting unit transmits a control signal for stopping the belt conveyor to the drive control unit when the detection frequency of the luminance change is less than the reference frequency range.
Receiving an image signal for a belt conveyor;
Detecting a change in brightness of the reference area in the image signal;
Integrating the detection frequency of the luminance change; And
And comparing the detection frequency of the luminance change with a reference frequency range to determine whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is in a normal state.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the step of detecting a change in brightness of the reference region comprises:
Reading a luminance value of the reference region at a reference time interval from the video signal; And
And detecting the change in brightness when the difference in luminance value before and after the reference time is equal to or greater than a reference value.
The method according to claim 6,
The step of determining whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is in a steady state
And determining that the moving speed of the belt conveyor is not a normal state when the detection frequency is less than the reference frequency range.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the step of determining whether the moving speed of the belt conveyor is in a normal state comprises:
Accumulating the number of determinations when the detection frequency is less than the reference frequency range;
Comparing the determined number of times with a reference number; And
And determining that the moving speed of the belt conveyor is not in a normal state when the number of times of the determination reaches the reference number of times.
10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
Further comprising stopping driving of the belt conveyor when it is determined that the moving speed of the belt conveyor is not a normal state.

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